Wandering in Caltagirone

This evening Les & I headed to Caltagirone so I could scout out a park for portrait shoots.  We found a good area with grass and lots of shade, perfect for a couple of upcoming shoots with small kids.

Les

After wandering the park I was overcome for my desire for dinner! We started walking toward a kebab shop that we like.  On the way we stopped for a pre-dinner gelato, YUM! It was a good thing that we had a snack because when we reached the kebab shop we were told to come back in 20 minutes, they were not quite ready to open.

While we waited for the shop to open we wandered in and out of several ceramics stores admiring the artwork and craftsmanship.

I also found myself drawn to brightly colored Vespas.

We had a fantastic dinner and then headed back toward the car.  On the way we got an awesome view of the rising moon.

It was a fantastic evening out! Truly enjoyable to be out taking pictures and hanging out with my hubbie.

New Photography Product - Photo Calendars!

How would you like to have this awesome calendar sitting on your desk or hanging on your wall?  It is printed on high quality photo paper with either a matte or metallic finish and is available with any of the photos showcased on my website! It is an 8"x10" print and would be lovely framed for reference throughout the year. (available for 2010 and 2011)

If you'd like to order one for just $10 please go to http://www.angelaandrieux.com, pick your favorite photo(s), and then mouse over the photo and a little shopping cart will pop up.  You can then pick the paper finish and even the color of the calendar.  I hope you will check them out!

Photo Club Trip to Cefalu

Yesterday was our monthly photo club field trip - destination: Cefalu.  Unfortunately Les and I were the only ones who were able to make it but that didn't stop us!  We love Cefalu and are always happy for a reason to visit.  I think I've mentioned it before that Cefalu is my perfect Sicily - what I thought all of Sicily would be like before I moved here.

It was a very warm day so we didn't stay as long as I thought we would.  We wandered for a couple of hours, grabbed some lunch (delicious kebab piadine), and then headed home. Still, it was a fantastic day! Here are a few shots from around Ceflu:

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I wish more of the photo club could have joined us for this trip, but Les and I had fun anyway!  It was a great little getaway for the day.

Beautiful Evening Sky

Just a couple of shots from my little camera as we were driving home from Niscemi this evening.  The sky was breathtaking!

Unusual Clouds

I love it when rays of sunlight break through the clouds!

Lightroom 3 is out!

Today I upgraded to Lightroom 3 and it is awesome! The more I play with it the more little changes I find that make my life easier - the improved noise reduction alone makes this a worthwhile purchase. This morning I tried to reduce noise in a photo in Lightroom 2 and the results were less than desired. This afternoon, after upgrading my photo library I tried again and the difference is astounding!  Here are a couple of shots taken on Monday from Ragusa Ibla - you've seen these before, but I decided I liked them in black and white as well. Lightroom also has some new controls and presets for converting color to black and white. 

So much fun!  Which do you like better, the color versions or black and white? Let me know in the comments.  Have a great day!

Ragusa Ibla Photowalk Page is Up!

 Are you ready to sign up for my Photo Walk in Ragusa Ibla??  Go to:

http://worldwidephotowalk.com/walk/ragusa-sicily-italy-ibla/

Ragusa Ibla Photowalk Prep

 Monday evening Les and I headed down to Ragusa to map out the Photo Walk. Here are a few shots from our exploration...I hope you enjoy them!  This is just a peek at the type of sites that we will see and have a chance to photograph on July 24's Photo Walk.

I will be posting route info for the Photo Walk shortly which means that you can sign up for my walk (hopefully) later today!  I hope you will join me!

Scott Kelby's Worldwide Photo Walk

Guess what!?! I have been accepted as a leader for Scott Kelby's 3rd Annual Worldwide Photo Walk!  I've wanted to participate in this event for the past couple of years but there haven't been any walks in Sicily.  Last year the closest one was in Malta, and I did entertain the idea of going just for the photo walk, but alas I had other commitments.

So, you may be asking yourself what exactly is a photo walk? Its a social photography event where photographers get together to walk around a shoot photos.   Last year there were over 900 Photo Walks and more than 32,000 participants!

This year I decided that as the lead facilitator for the Sigonella Photography Club that we would make this event one of our monthly field trips.  On July 24, 2010  I will be leading a photo walk for up to 50 people through Ragusa Ibla!!  Anyone can sign up to be part of the walk, not just Americans in my photo club.  Whew, a bit scary, but it will be fun!  I hope we get Italian participation! My Italian isn't that great so hopefully I can find someone fluent in both English and Italian to assist me.  Otherwise, my attempts will be entertaining, at best.

I will post a link to my Photo Walk page soon.  I need to go to Ragusa this weekend to scout out our route before I can set up the website. As I get more information I will post it, but for now, mark your calendars for July 24!  If you are in Sicily, stay tuned, I will be posting signup information soon.