Blog Archives
number 88 and a wall-heart
So many things going on in just one frame…I’ll just stop writing now and let your eyes wander around.
Palermo, Sicily
photographed 8.30.2022
the modest maiden
One thing about aimless wandering through an unfamiliar city is that the history of the places you’ll wander past isn’t something you’re necessarily aware of.
Here’s an example – we found this fountain because we turned down a dark passageway and there it was.
I liked the modest maiden, so I made her photograph.
When I sat down to write this post, I looked up the location on a map and discovered it’s the Fontana Pretoria. Further research led me to this fascinating bit of knowledge: The fountain was originally built in 1544 in Florence, but was sold, transferred, and reassembled* in Palermo in 1574. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the fountain was considered to depict the corrupt municipality of Palermo. For this reason – and because of the nude statues, it became known as Piazza della Vergogna (or Square of Shame). In 1998 a five-year restoration project began.
So anyway, that maiden’s been modest now for nearly 480 years.
Fontana Pretoria
Palermo, Sicily
photographed 8.29.2022
*Mostly. Some parts of it went missing.
grooming essentials
I posted a portrait of a goat a few days ago. I mean, it wasn’t just any goat – it’s the breed (Capre Girgentane) that’s indigenous to the Agrigento provide of Sicily. We went to see the goats and to taste a variety of cheeses made from their milk. Naturally, while we were in the cheese room, I took the opportunity to look at what else was there. I have an interest in seeing what’s just past the obvious, in seeing the mundane things that have to happen in order for the main thing to work, in noticing easily-overlook details.
And that’s how I found this humble – and also beautiful, to me – scene. (I’d be lying if I said I noticed that footprint on the wall when I took the picture. As much as I think I’m a good observer of details, I am not THAT good…)
near San Biagio Platini
photographed 9.6.2022
tambourine man
If you were here yesterday, you saw the photo of the Sicilian folk dancer that was part of the group we photographed in Palermo.
And this guy was one of the musicians, playing his tambourine (or, in Sicily, his tamburello).
The musicians treated us (and random passersby) to a nice selection of music while we got in their way and (sometimes) in each other’s as we attempted to capture the magic that was a concert + dancer along the harbor.
Palermo, Sicily
photographed 9.3.2022
the dancer (in repose)
This is Frederica; she’s a dancer and we met her in Palermo.
Part of our photography adventure in Sicily was photographing a trio of folk musicians and a dancer along the harbor. It was a photo assignment I’d never encountered before and my results were…mixed. At best. Until all of us took a break from the heat and the unrelenting sun. That’s when I saw Frederica in an entirely different pose. And that’s when I got this photo of her.
Palermo, Sicily
photographed 9.3.2022
One Day | One Image 