Dis Exclusive Viva Italia 9/16 - 9/24/2014

[k5jm]

Should our ABD boxes be showing up soon?

I would think so. My ticker is showing under 35 days. We should be within box range.

 

[k5jm]

Anyone received a box yet?

I created a Flickr Group for sharing pictures from the trip. If you have a Flickr account, I can send you an invite, just PM me your Flickr name. If you do not have a Flickr account, go to Flickr.com and create one. You get 1TB of free storage.

Feel free to click on my signature below if want to check out Flickr first.

This pictures on Flickr are much higher in quality than on Facebook.

https://www.flickr.com/groups/2014italyabd

 

[Sarabi's Cubs]

I created a Flickr Group for sharing pictures from the trip. If you have a Flickr account, I can send you an invite, just PM me your Flickr name. If you do not have a Flickr account, go to Flickr.com and create one. You get 1TB of free storage.

Ok I now have a flickr account. However, I have no idea what a flickr account is or how to use it. Can you give a tutorial for dummies?

Laurie

 

[k5jm]

Ok I now have a flickr account. However, I have no idea what a flickr account is or how to use it. Can you give a tutorial for dummies?

Laurie

I will see if I can hunt something up, Laurie.

 

[apurplebrat]

Ok I now have a flickr account. However, I have no idea what a flickr account is or how to use it. Can you give a tutorial for dummies?

Laurie

Me too

 

[HollyMac71]

HI! I found this today (thanks Mike) and thought "WoW how much fun would it be to paddle board through the canals of Venice."

So who will be trying to paddle boarding on the Italy ABD??

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUser...9-r186171411-SUP_in_Venice-Venice_Veneto.html

 

[DDuck4Life]

HI! I found this today (thanks Mike) and thought "WoW how much fun would it be to paddle board through the canals of Venice."

So who will be trying to paddle boarding on the Italy ABD??

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUser...9-r186171411-SUP_in_Venice-Venice_Veneto.html

Wow that does look like a ton of fun to do. I think it would be cool to try this out and sight see from a different perspective but I've never paddle boarded before and I think swimming in the canals is frowned upon.

Too bad it's for experienced paddle boarders only. though maybe I have enough time to practice and become an expert before our trip.



Thanks for the invite to the Flickr group Mike, can't wait to be able to add some pictures.

 

[k5jm]

Is it bad that I am counting down the days by expiration date?

 

[khertz]

Anyone received a box yet? I created a Flickr Group for sharing pictures from the trip. If you have a Flickr account, I can send you an invite, just PM me your Flickr name. If you do not have a Flickr account, go to Flickr.com and create one. You get 1TB of free storage. Feel free to click on my signature below if want to check out Flickr first. This pictures on Flickr are much higher in quality than on Facebook. https://www.flickr.com/groups/2014italyabd

Thanks for putting this together, Mike!!

 

[k5jm]

Thanks for putting this together, Mike!!

No problem!

Dustin and I are plotting...

 

[khertz]

No problem! Dustin and I are plotting...

Haha so I hear...

 

[jcb]

I've been meaning to post something to give the photo-nerds going on this adventure a bit of a heads up about some of the more challenging photography issues you're likely to encounter. By that I mean, natural light challenged. Understand my perspective. I'm used to the way we light our imposing cathedrals (for example the National Cathedral in DC):

But Italian Basilicas, Duomo's and other monuments, while stunning, aren't designed in the same way. I think it is probably because most were built before there was significant indoor lighting. For whatever reason, they tend to rely upon natural light for a primary light source. That means, huge windows, in all the wrong places, for photographers, at least.

Take the Pantheon. Its primary light source is a hole in the ceiling:

That leads to the "spotlight effect" on the dome walls:

Despite the glare of the spot light, the light in the Pantheon is not very bright so you'll want to bump up the ISO or have some way of stabilizing your camera (John likes it when you use his shoulder ).

St. Peter's Basilica also poses lighting challenges because there are large clear panes of glass along the ceiling (I know there is a technical word for this but I can't recall it).

So most any wide, sweeping shot of St. Peter's is going to have shocks of colorless white squares. There are some spots, such as dead center in front of the high alter where it's possible to get a photo without the windows showing too much.

Even here, I had to carefully crop the top of the photo (not very successfully, I might add).
There are also clear glass windows along the smaller domes in St. Peter's:

I shot these from straight underneath, which helped a little.

Of course, one of the most outstanding works in the Basilica is the Pietà by Michelangelo Buonarroti. But after the 1972 attack, it is now protected by a bulletproof acrylic glass panel and it is situated under a large clear glass window.

I spent a good bit of time in post production fixing the glare and cropping the flare.

Bernini's Gloria also poses a lighting challenge.

Bernini painted a dove in the middle of the window (http://berninisrome.com/Berninis_Rome/Cathedra_Petri_&_Scala_Regia.html) but it took a good bit of post-processsing before it appeared in any of my photos (and yes, I did shoot raw, Mike) and, at that, it is barely visible.

Moving to Orvietto, the issue for me wasn't interior shots (I had plenty of issues, but not in areas you're likely to go) but the exterior shot of the Duomo. As we arrived, the stunning facade (with the gold frontage) was in shadow.

When you arrive in September, the sun will be even lower in the sky. The sun should should be on the facade starting around 1:30 with the optimal light starting at about 3 pm (all times local). I'm not sure when you'll need to leave for Florence so just keep Kevin shopping . . . . (that won't be very difficult) and remember, it is all downhill from the Duomo to the funicular.

I could go on but I have probably said more than I should. The lighting in the Vatican Museum was quite good, though we went in the morning and I think you'll be going at night. But regardless don't think I'm saying the lighting makes taking photos impossible. Far from it. I just thought it might help to know what to expect.

 

[OKW Lover]

Nice work Jack!

 

[christannj]

Since Jack's pictures are so beautiful and my little point and shoot will never get anything that gorgeous, I say we all steal Jack's photos, claiming that we took them, and then spend the time observing the sights directly rather than through our camera lens.

 

[DisneyKevin]

Since Jack's pictures are so beautiful and my little point and shoot will never get anything that gorgeous, I say we all steal Jack's photos, claiming that we took them, and then spend the time observing the sights directly rather than through our camera lens.

I take photos with my iPhone and I am thrilled that I can zoom and crop.

I have purchased a far grander camera and find that It's just a big old hassle carrying that stuff around. I have gotten great instruction from talented photographers (including Jack), but I find that I don't retain that information. Maybe I'm just not interested enough to really learn it.

My point....we have some dedicated photographers on this Adventure and Mike has already offered to share.

Okay....now my real point....take the photos you want and then "borrow" from those with the desire and talent to take beautiful photos.

Thats what I do each trip.

 

[KathyTX]

I take photos with my iPhone and I am thrilled that I can zoom and crop.

I have purchased a far grander camera and find that It's just a big old hassle carrying that stuff around. I have gotten great instruction from talented photographers (including Jack), but I find that I don't retain that information. Maybe I'm just not interested enough to really learn it.

My point....we have some dedicated photographers on this Adventure and Mike has already offered to share.

Okay....now my real point....take the photos you want and then "borrow" from those with the desire and talent to take beautiful photos.

Thats what I do each trip.

That's my strategy! I'm planning to consider Mike my own personal paparazzi, and let him do the photo work. I have a pretty decent point-and-shoot (Nikon Coolpix L830), but not a lot of interest or talent in any real photography. I just like to see the pretty pictures.

The L830 is equipped with a high-power zoom NIKKOR lens offering 34x optical zoom that covers a broad range of angles of view, from the wide-angle 22.5 mm to 765 mm (equivalent focal lengths in 35mm [135] format). It is very compact, despite also being equipped with a 3-inch, approximately 921k-dot (RGBW) tilting TFT LCD monitor with wide viewing angle that makes shooting from any angle enjoyable.

 

[Sarabi's Cubs]

I have gotten great instruction from talented photographers (including Jack), but I find that I don't retain that information. Maybe I'm just not interested enough to really learn it.

My point....we have some dedicated photographers on this Adventure and Mike has already offered to share.

Okay....now my real point....take the photos you want and then "borrow" from those with the desire and talent to take beautiful photos.

Thats what I do each trip.

Yes!!!! This is why I travel with Mike!! I know he will have amazing photos. I consider it a major accomplishment that I finally figured out how to turn off my flash. I have fun taking outdoor pictures, but am lost when it comes to indoors. They end up dark or blurry or washed out. Jack's photos are amazing!!

Speaking of borrowing - I wanted to share a tip from Kevin that I heard in his trip report from his first Italy ABD and saw on another thread, but I haven't seen it here. He mentioned that he saw people in the Sistine Chapel with hand mirrors so that they did not have to crane their necks the entire time. They could point the mirror at the ceiling and look down. I thought that was a great tip and I never would have thought of that. Thanks Kevin!!!!

We leave one month from today and I'm finally feeling like this trip is real and we're actually going to make it!!!

Laurie

 

[k5jm]

Yes!!!! This is why I travel with Mike!! I know he will have amazing photos.

I asked Christy and Joyce if they were taking a camera. They replied with "we are taking a Mike."

And the guides will look like this:

 

[jcb]

Since Jack's pictures are so beautiful and my little point and shoot will never get anything that gorgeous, I say we all steal Jack's photos, claiming that we took them, and then spend the time observing the sights directly rather than through our camera lens.

I suppose I'm flattered, but just make sure to change out any photos of the Pope, who has, by now, regenerated.

 

[k5jm]

Post #500


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