Venice is one of the most incredible places we have ever visited! Everything from the amazing architecture and history to way the locals navigate the waters in their gondolas and motor boats is fascinating. We loved our trip there this past summer and would love to go back again. It is just stunning!
We just loved our recent trip to Italy, which included a tour of the beautiful city of Florence. Our hotel overlooked the Arno river, which was just a feast for the eyes. Florence is an easy city to get around and it has so many interesting and unique places to tour, including ancient Roman baths, the cathedral, which is so huge that it’s hard to capture, and the famous statues. However, even with so much to see and learn, favorites were delicious gelato, the pasta and the shopping!
Of course I decided to use some camera movement and see what I could get while I was visiting Monet’s gardens. I generally like this technique (as you know if you’ve seen my posts in the past)! I think it works particularly well with a colorful subject such as this. What do you think?
The other side of Monet’s gardens, across from the flower gardens, are the famous pond and the water lilies. The gardens here are just as beautiful and lush, although very different, as those in front of his home. Walking through here, it was easy to imagine how he came up with those beautiful paintings of the water lilies, which have always been some of my favorites. The weeping willows, the water lilies, the japanese bridge, flowering plants and bamboo all create amazingly gorgeous surroundings. I wish I had more time there to really explore with my camera. One of the hardest things was trying to get photos without people in them because it’s such a popular destination. In the last image you can see his home in the distance. Imagine having this view every day!
It was a thrill to be able to visit Monet’s home at Giverny and view the amazing gardens there. As expected, the gardens are lush and beautiful with flowers blooming everywhere. There are two sections of the property, the area near his home and another area across the road, with the pond and the famous water lilies. Here are some shots of the gorgeous gardens in front of the house. I could have stayed there shooting for days!
I couldn’t help having some of these images of this old, stone-lined village processed in black and white. There’s something about the feel and mood of black and white that matches this location for me. And finally, one of the entire village, which gives a bigger perspective on the place and how unique it truly is. Last post on this place!
It’s hard to capture a place like St Paul de Vence, but what struck me as interesting in this beautiful village were the doors to the homes of the people who live there. Everything, including the areas around their doors, is so meticulously maintained, with flower gardens and pots all over. And their tiny mail boxes are so cute. It’s hard to imagine actually living in a place like this. We walked past a woman sitting in her open doorway in the sun reading a book. It was classic relaxation, enjoying a beautiful spot on a gorgeous day. (Perhaps I should have asked to take her picture, but I didn’t want to disturb her peaceful moment. Oh and I don’t speak French!)
We recently visited St Paul de Vence, a gorgeous medieval village in the south of France. The village is situated high on a hill, and its incredible ancient stone walls and hilled streets are amazing to see. It’s hard to believe there are actually cars up there with the narrow streets, but you can see them in some of the pictures. Of course I took tons of pictures! I thought I’d start with some shots of the streets and alleyways.
The nature trail at our resort in Puerto Rico provided some lush scenery for hiking and photographing. I took lots of photos of the foliage, but liked these abstracted leaves the best. Its freezing here, which makes me want to go back to the 85 degree beautiful beach where the sun was shining and when it rained there was a rainbow!!!
A few shots of the beach at a beautiful resort in Puerto Rico where we recently spent a long weekend. I just can’t get enough of the look of this type of shot of the beach. What do you think?? 🙂
April Book Photography | Westport, CT 