Sicilian Memories Magnets

When I changed the name of this blog to Explore-Capture-Create my intention was to share some crafty goodness in conjunction with my photography. I'm happy to say that inspiration finally struck and I have something very fun to share with you...Sicilian Memories Magnets!

Sicilian Memories Magnets

These glass marble magnets (approximately 1 1/4" Diameter) each have a photo that remind me of my four years in Sicily - A Fiat Cinquecento painted like a Sicilian Pony Cart, a Vespa, the Temple of Segesta, a Festival Horse decked out in his finest, a boat on the beach, and of course Geep! Each piece of glass varies slightly which enhances the unique nature of each magnet.

If you or someone you know would like a set of these fun magnets please let me know! They aren't available on my website or Etsy (yet!) but if you contact me directly (angela@angelaandrieux.com) I can make them for you. For now, each set of six magnets is $10. I can also customize the magnets with images of your choice from my portfolio.

I hope you like them, because I love they way they turned out!  They are a great reminder of the four wonderful years I spent in Sicily.

A Sea of Motorcycles

Last week's Photo of the Week (brought to you just a bit late) was taken at Laguna Seca. I couldn't resist the contradiction of a sea of motorcycles behind the No Parking sign - hilarious!

Looking for some photography inspiration? Join in the Photo of the Week Challenge hosted by Jessica Rogers Photography.  Its a great reason to get out and shoot at least once a week!

Vintage Ducati

Keeping with my love of all things Italian, I couldn't help but snap a couple of pictures of vintage Ducati Motorcycles on Ducati Island at Laguna Seca.

Enjoy!

Pizza Hunting

Back in January I shared about my search for Napoletano style pizza in San Diego. I found the awesome Pizzeria Bruno and thoroughly enjoyed their Margherita Pizza with Buffalo Mozzarella. Since then I've been keeping my eyes open for other similar establishments, and though I've had a good many pizzas since January I hadn't found another pizzeria worth sharing with you until this past Friday.

A couple of months ago I took a chance and purchased a Facebook Deal for Osteria Origano.  The menu sounded good and the location was a part of town where I knew good restaurants abound.  My hubbie and I finally got around to using our certificate this past Friday evening and it was amazing!

Our server was from Catania (a city near where we lived in Sicily) and the pizza chef was also Sicilian.  We spoke a bit of Italian with our server and reminisced about the wonderful food in Sicily and we got the inside scoop on the best pizzas at Origano. I chose to enjoy a simple pizza topped with Buffalo Mozzarella and Prosciutto and it was simply wonderful!

I can't wait to go back! I feel like I discovered a little piece of my Sicilian "home" here in San Diego. If you'd like to check out Osteria Origano for yourself (and I highly recommend that you do) you can find them at:

Osteria Origano
3650 5th avenue, #103
San Diego Ca 92103
619-295-9590

Looking Up

PERSPECTIVE

One of the many ways a photographer can turn a so-so image into a great photograph is to look at the subject from a different perspective. For example, everyone can take a picture of a flower by looking down on it. Easy, right? But have you ever noticed that the flower photos that catch the eye are usually shot at the level of the flower or perhaps looking up at the flower? Not so easy - it usually requires the photographer to get down on the ground. It takes more time and effort - which has the potential to make a much more interesting photograph.

Another way of changing perspective is to take notice of details that perhaps others miss.  For example, on my recent trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium I took a lot of photos of the fishies and the gorgeous view of the bay - that is what I was there for, right? Sure, but most likely a hundred other people captured similar shots that day. Knowing this I decided that in addition to my fishy photos I needed to look around and notice something that someone else probably wasn't seeing - and I noticed the duct work and lighting along the ceiling - industrial with very cool textures and angles.

I doubt that ANYONE got a similar shot that day. This three exposure HDR not only took time to compose and shoot but also took a bit of time in post processing to merge the images and bring out the textures and details. I really like how it turned out! It was definitely worth the time and effort.

This image was submitted as my Photo of the Week (hosted by Jessica Rogers Photography).