Sunday´s ...

... are for wise words.

I yet have to fully grasp the meaning of these smart words but I think they are quite magnificent.

I hope you have the most beautiful of Sundays.

See YOU in the YEAR 2013!!

:)

Saltuiiiii.

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Glimpses of December

home

my door / window / pin board

kitchen

pasta / fighter / door bell

details

steam on pasta / blue structure / earrings with notes and Italian words like allegro :)

Mixed feelings

Mixed feelings…

Do you love the busy, hustle and bustle before Christmas? The secret gift shopping… the scent of extra yummy cookies greeting you at the front door of your home… the kitschy music in each and every single store you enter? I always loved it. The whole excitement. The anticipation of home, of family and all reunited.

But some things have changed. Have altered my feelings towards this merry holiday in such a  way that I some days wished the day would not come or I could jump some weeks ahead and leave skip it. You see Christmas like no other holiday is about family and being all happily together. But what do you do, if … if families are not together anymore…? If, I dare say it, if they crumble … fall apart. Well then this time of year is probably not your friend. And I want to be real and honest. I have very mixed feelings about Christmas. I love it and I dread it. At.the.same.time.

Some quiet beauty

Have a great day!

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Sunday´s

... are for reflecting.

On life... humans... God´s creation and how it´s all tied together. This verse came into my head while I was thinking about my purpose. Do you know these days? When you come to a halt in your strain of thoughts and ponder upon your purpose? Your worth... 

Glimpses from ~ Behind the lens

Since my friends Lena and Simeon knew how much I would love to have some images from Behind the lens, from the hustle and bustle and me at work... they were kind enough to shoot some images my way. Those following were taken by friends. Really cool!!

Thank you ever so kindly.

Magic in a cup ~ Tutorial ~ Behind the lens

Behind the lens ~ Christmas edition

Christmas Mini - Sessions

You are looking for a Christmas gift? 

Something personal?

How about some pictures of you for you loved ones?

How about a photo shoot to surprise someone dear to you?

Relaxed Friday

Today I have no words of wisdom or beauty for you.

It´s a cold wintery Friday and we are about to have our own  little party tonight. Just the roommates. While I run around the apartment, throw around paper, ribbons, lights and the such one of my roomies is stuck in her last exam session.

So here is to a jolly mix of creative chaos and study atmosphere at home:

Sunday´s are for

... a snapshot.

I just kinda fell in love with this hat ;-) during yesterday´s Christmas Market. 

Have a most wonderful new week!

~   Saluti.   ~

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One year of Blogging

One year.

One year ago in November I decided to get involved in the Bloggosphere and bring my images closer to you.

One year and 133 Blog posts, infinite FB posts, and lots of hours written away later... we are here.

Yes WE. Because without you stopping by, reading and commenting, this would not have been possible. So Thank you! Yes YOU! You, who are reading this. I´m ever so glad for people even looking on my Blog, my work and my love. For love, beauty and the sheer marvelousness of life.

What to wear ~ For those who plan

What to wear for a portrait session?

One of the things I truly enjoy about my sessions is the part of planning. Just recently a client asked for some outfit tips and I was very eager to help her out with a couple ideas. So if you would like to meet up for a portrait shoot, an engagement shoot or any other shoot with me or another photographer, here are my thoughts on the topic.

1)      Wear something you like. I think it´s absolutely crucial for the outcome of the images that you feel good in your outfit.

2)      Bring on some color! I loooove to see some color in outfits, they make the best images EVER. Even on the most overcast day some strong colors make most images pop. If you opt for a couple session I recommend not to over match the outfits. Who can truly say that they wear the same shirt and pants as their partner? 

3)      Prepare more than one outfit. I love me some change during the session and I always ask my clients if they would like to have an outfit change. This of course is optional. But I would soooo badly love to see someone going wild with their outfits.  For example: outfit no 1. Classy, elegant outfit no 2. Sportive, relaxed.

4)      The last advice is a very personal one. I do not like to limit the choice of anybody but I would avoid clothes with these really thin stripes… they make your eyes all fuzzy and the image not exactly quiet. I also do not like huge prints, again a personal preference, since I think they take attention away from the main object, which is you.

November Walks

“If I could not walk far and fast, I think I should just explode and perish.”

 ~ Charles Dickens

Sunday´s are for focus

During the last days I felt like running in circles. My mind was repeating endlessly the same thoughts all over again. Sometimes we females are like that. Thoughts, worries, options all jumbled up in my tiny head without a goal or a use or a conclusion.

To be honest I felt trapped in my own head. So, as I came across the pictures from a lovely walk in the vineyard I remembered something Jesus had said.

 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing (…)” 

~ John 15,5.

  I have mentioned it before and I will say it again. During my past year in Bella Italia, the one thing I truly missed in my day to day life was my Crusade group. Yes, this wonderful group of people all steering into the same direction. Not till I had stumbled upon them did I really arrive in Bavaria. They made me feel welcome. Suddenly weekends were not to long but to short. Every single week there is something going on. Never alone. I adored that new feeling as I moved to Bavaria the first time in 2010. 

I love the fact that there are young students who believe in God and profoundly care about the gospel and about sharing it. 

As I came back in October I was sheerly overwhelmed at how this group had exploded. The amount of people suddenly squeezing into the room had doubled. 

How amazing is that?!?!

Sunday´s are for...

words from smart people :)

I found this quote on Jasmine´s FB page and I loved it. She quoted her Dad.

It touched me because I´m often not willing to let go, even if I pray about one thing or the other. I want to hold onto things which I cannot even influence. Which are not up to me. Maybe you feel the same sometimes. I want to better myself.

Letting go. 

I wish you the most wonderful of Sundays!

Till soon.

~   Saluti.   ~

PS, you can find Jasmine´s Blog right here. 

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Sunday´s are for ...

Words from smart people.

I wish you the most beautiful of November weeks and that you discover more of your art.

Till soon, Salutiiii.

PS. you can find Jeff´s blog here.

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Announcement

As some of you might have noticed, I vanished for ten days from the blogosphere. Busy trying to figure out my new place and life in general.  The exciting days of settling back in or starting new.

But today I wanna share something else with you:

Sunday´s

... are for reflecting on the good stuff.

The last post was like a settle in post I realized now I should really brag about all the wonderful things I love here. Things which are great about being back. Or for my Blog: The good things of being here in the first place. I never have written my Blog from this spot of the earth before. Since I started out writing in November from Tuscany. 

1) People.walk.places. I loved the super crowded city center on Saturday. It was hard to cross the famous, ancient bridge, because of the sheer crowd. Lovely, this makes this place a teeny tiny bit more like messy Italia and I love it.

2) Vineyards paved  all around town. Tons of grapevines in beautiful rows.

3) Beautiful not to high hills all around town (even if they are not shaped as soft and beautiful as Tuscan hills) :)

4) Walking along the river at night, with all the city lights reflecting in the water. Or having a bit of moving water in the city in the first place.

$hitty first days.

Some time ago I wrote about a real cool concept to get started. $hitty  first drafts is for writers who want to get things perfect the very first time. If you follow $hitty  first drafts you just don’t need to get things done right the first time. You write things down however good they might get the first try. And then you write again, and if you are not satisfied you write it again. Today was like this, just as in the whole day was like a first all over again.

I left my quiet family, country life and moved back to the city where I study. Not the one in Tuscany… the one in Bavaria. That is also the reason it was so quite the last days on the Blog and on Facebook. So maybe I forgot to blog ahead and prepare for messy things to come. (cross out the maybe!) I shall better myself.

So today I felt out of place. The usual overwhelming feeling of first days. I felt quiet, shy, insecure… all the good things :) and I felt embarrassed. Of my very loud laugh. You see, if you would meet me in a group of Italian and Spanish friends, I would be the girl with the very thin, shy voice. But here I laugh out loud once and all the heads turn in a silent stare.

Behind the lens ~ Whats in my bag?

The raindrops outside my office are quietly sliding down and since some time now I´m marveling about how to start out this post. Today the drops are not banging against the window, they are quiet, almost secretive and I am listening to something… Friday I´m in love and I think I just want to get the  muffins in the oven. Since you know it´s Friday. Which means muffin time. :)

Portrait session ~ Sarah

Four years ago there was not a single week I did not spent some heart to heart time with her. We saw each other on such a regular basis that it was impossible to imagine our lives without all the sharing and all the giggling. All the late night talks and staring at the stars on our terrace.

Pops of autumn colors.

Collecting new ideas and places for a new shoot. :)

Relaxed Friday

It´s October friends!
Today October hit full force. The wind was so stormy that some moments during the evening walk I thought I might be lifted off the ground. Or worse Mara... her long ears dangling dangerously in the wind.

After staring into the fast moving clouds till we all felt dizzy and a new-wave-hair-make-over on my side we climbed down the hill. On my way home I found a walnut tree and thus, oh happy, collected some walnuts. I felt a bit like Scratch (Ice Age) just that I did not hammer my front teeth into the glacier.

Now I wish you the nicest octoberish kind of weekend and hope my walnuts taste good even without being chased across the icebergs.

There are rain coats for everything! :)

It´s morning, I´m on the terrace, sitting on the swing and Mara is curled at my feet, soaking in the soft October sun.

It´s a holiday in Germany, German Unity Day and I love to take this day to remember some things. 

You see twenty three years ago the wall which divided east and west Germany came down and now I just cannot picture my life without all the change the peaceful revolution has brought to Germany. No it´s impossible to imagine our lives without all the freedom we have, all the goods we can purchase. I always enjoy sharing today with people with whom it would have been impossible so many years ago. I mean in a geographical kind of sense. 

Portrait session ~ Conny

“"The best color in the whole world, is the one that looks good, on you!”

 Coco Chanel

It was Friday at lunch. We had just giggled over the last joke and munched down some of our thai food, as Conny mentioned this one big fine tree. She had seen it on her way into the city. Sitting on one very green lawn surrounded by just green trees. A super magnificent yellow autumn beauty. As soon as she mentioned it, it sounded like the most perfect place to end our session. We finished our delish rice and strolled through some narrow streets before heading to the park. Oh my heart could not have asked for a better place, a better tree, or better light. It was perfection topped off with a very gorgeous Conny.

Maybe I went a little wild, laughed and galloped (I think running is lame) around her like crazy… till a nearing haymaking machinery (yes) forced me to let Conny know of the vehicle. And she thought I made a joke.

Thank you for this fun afternoon!!

Sunday´s

... are for my doggy.

If you were anywhere near the super gorgeous last-of-September-Sunday-sunny-weather today and have not used it to pieces, I think you should be punished! 

 This is Mara´s what-if-today-everything-is-just-perfect-face. 

A sneak

peek...

Have a super great and soak-in-the-last-sun weekend!

~   Saluti.   ~

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Glimpses

... of life.

Cream woolen socks on old wood.

Coffee beans covered in chocolate. 

Tomatoes slowly welting away in thick olive oil.

Beauty in animated letters and exchange of words.

A bowl of just picked raspberries from the garden, still damp and sweet.

Sending a parcel with lots of ribbons.

I wish you a great Thursday!

~   Saluti.   ~

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Behind the lens ~ Workflow of a portrait shoot

What´s behind a portrait session?

I have been wondering about this for quite some time. Not for you but just for myself. You know. How to get down with all the pictures floating around. How to optimize my work process. If you have been following this Blog  super close you will realize  that I tried to write a similar post a couple of months ago. I took it down. It was not where I wanted it to be. And then, yesterday I read  a post by Mary on $hitty First Drafts. Yeah, you read that right. Now, you see, very often when I need something getting done and we push it away…

 I argue Oh I could not start this project, I haven´t found someone to coop with me yet. Or Ähm, I could not start the new page yet, I´m undecided about the color scheme.

Yes. I do it ALL the time. $hitty First Drafts is an idea to write down a very vague first draft to take the pressure away from getting it right the first time. I friggin´ love this idea! And I´m sorry I put an unfinished post right in your face! I am trying to do better. Promise. 

Here is what I do behind the lens. Here is how I work around a portrait session and I know it´s not perfect. It´s not gold. BUT if just one single person finds this helpful I am mighty happy to share!

If you roll different or have a question shoot away in the comment section!

Thinking the whole process over again I realized there are three parts you can divide a session in. 1. Preparation  2. Shooting 3. Post processing

Sunday´s are for

... old colors...

I believe there is a reason God gave us sight

... of light

... and colors

An apartment in Roma

It was this one week in February. One day I had called my Mom and told her that by the same time tomorrow I would be in town. I took a train, from Siena/ Tuscany to the middle of Germany, sat still for seventeen hours and as my Dad picked me up from the train station I was more than ready to go home. I had not been home for quite a while since last Christmas was my first one overseas.

It was due. I needed home. This was the same week her first mail arrived. She asked me if I were in Siena at the end of the week. She wanted to meet me and have a café. She sounded friendly. Sweet. But you have to know I never met Amy before. She had read a comment I had made on her wedding, which was photographed by Sarah (Ampersand Photography) and was curious. She found my Blog, liked it and decided to ask for a meeting. I was overjoyed! And in the wrong place. 

The time has come

... for shawls.

I just could not keep this picture for myself anymore!

More to come soon.

Have a great week!!

~   Saluti.   ~

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This one time I was locked in a wine cellar...

It was just their luck. This one week they were visiting me in Tuscany it had been raining every. Single. Day. We had just been hiding out in an absolute elegant cafè and took the one rain-free-hour to stroll around this little mountain village, somewhere tucked away in the Tuscan hills. Them being my brother, his fiancée and a friend. And as it sometimes happens in those tiny places everyone is exploring a bit on their own. At one point close to the market square, my brother was walking into one of these ancient courts along the main street to have a great panorama view into the valley. I was following up, because I thought better look out for him, I don´t want anybody to get lost here in a country they don´t understand a single syllable in. We were taking in the dramatic view with storm clouds and hills and wind as a young gentleman came into the court and closed the main entrance.

No biggy, I will talk to him, maybe he did not see us. So I approached him in my most charming way to reopen those doors, but he just said, no, you can go through the cellar. Alright, how long could it possibly take to walk out onto main street through his cellar, right? So we started to climb down the thick, rough stone stairs, as the young man also locked the cellar´s door.

A favorite moment from my first

This picture was taken at the very first wedding I photographed. 

I just adored the tiny notes from the groom all over the brides accessories. While being with her I saw how her face lit every time she found a new tiny note while she was getting ready. In every piece of her wardrobe was hidden somehting like You look gorgeous, Can´t wait, and the one above say´s See you soon!

Tiny notes.

Adore.

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Mini family, couple session

“Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God’s handwriting.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Here are some pictures from the shoot we had in the woods last week during our lovely workshop.

Berlin

Lately I had this awkward feeling that I know Italia soo much better than the country of my parents and decided to drive to Berlin. This was infinitely sweetened by the presence of my dear roomy from Italy. 

Behind the lens ~ Lesson learned

Lesson learned. Last week I attended the first workshop in Germany and besides being over the moon about the good company, I was thrilled to learn new things. Here are some I want to print in my heart and share with you.

Little gifts ~ arriving at the location and settling into our seats around the table, each and every participant had a cute mint or red note book in front of them. It was a personalized product with both names Desmond & Antonia engraved. Now, this was tiny. BUT it created an instant appreciation in the person receiving the little gift.  I totally loved it. Now I´m thinking up my own plans how I could create such cute extra attentions.

I was pondering about this day and these words for some seemingly endless time. I had counted nineteen trains and an infinite number of clock strikes from the church next to our backyard. There was no use in

getting sleep anymore. So if you don´t like personal stories stop right here and read no further.

I squeezed my lavender cushion one last time and got up. This wasn´t some wedding Saturday. This was another day. My grandfathers funeral in our family. I despise this day and all it carries. But there is no use in doing so, because we all know there will be days like this. We are all aware of the fact that time has a limit on this earth and no one can name it.

Workshop with DNA photographers

This day! This wonderful day. I had waited for quite some months now. I didn´t know when it would come around and with whom but, I knew I wanted to make it happen this year.

I remember watching one of Justin&Mary´s workshops right after new years and I scribbled in my notebook reaching out to German/European fellow photographers. You know, like getting to know them, meeting them, exchanging experience, chatting on. Till some months ago I was always writing with American artists but since I live on the European continent it was only making sense getting to know some locals. So I was over the moon and super thrilled as yesterday finally rolled around and I made it to Antonia’s and Desmond´s workshop.

La Rici ~ Thank you Give away

Dear lovers of beauty!

Dear hopeless dreamers, positive thinkers and beautiful doers!

Dear Friends and Italy lovers!

(I hope all are included in this greeting :)

Yesterday was the day! I´m sooooooo exciteeeed (focus good girl, focus). So yesterday late at night, I was checking back on my blog and going for the statistics as I saw a new magical number on my account!! I am very happy and just kinda psyched to announce the 10.000 visitor has been on the Blog yesterday!

Sunday´s are for ...

staring at the storm clouds...

... as they turn into rose clouds while the sun sets.

"Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm." ~ Matt 8, 23-26

I wish y´all the most beautiful week!

~   Saluti.   ~

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Relaxed Friday ~ White Tea Drink

It was the evening before I drove to Germany for one of my last weddings. I was running through all of Siena, because I wanted to find a crystal, bling or what ever big chunk manageable, which could reflect some light. I had seen something new in one of my workshops and was desperate to try this reflection thingy. After a good dozens of shops and a handful of very puzzled shop owners I stopped at the second hand store in my street. I had pocked in innumerable amount of times and was happy to see the owners face. As I explained my quest she was she once more looked back helpless. As I told her for what I was needing this weird items she was interested right away. Oh, a photographer! Paolo did you hear that? She turned to her friend sitting on the step to her little shop playing with her daughter. His tiny eyes blinked to me from under a funny hat and they quizzed me about the projects I was doing. 

For those who plan - Colors

Yesterday I was quite upset. After reading the third photographers blog in a row who had been talking about the beginning of autumn. NOO!! Not yet. Just because Starbucks was about to launch their famous pumpkin spice latte. No thank you, it´s the middle of august! The same yesterday, I was taking Mara for a walk and as we were about to turn into our street I spotted it!

My last week

We closed the car doors behind us, the after sunset chill was settling in. It was quiet, no one to be found. We started searching the grounds till we found the very first sister. Yes you read that right. I had agreed to come with my family to one week on “vacation”. Which meant, working half a day, each day, to help out some sisters in the north of Germany, volunteer work if you will. After five minutes I was seriously doubting my decision to come all the way up here.

Hold on tight

I love this moment! Because they don´t know.

Because he holds her ever so close as the evening chill settles in.  

And because there is a kiss of light.

Beauty.

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Relaxed Friday

Scary enough that I actually got this one...

 I blame my older brother ;) 

Have a super great weekend y´all!

~    Saluti.   ~

Behind the lens - Bokeh

While growing up I always had a minimum amount of four or five cushions in my bed. Because I loved building comfortable, snugly places. I like things cozy.

Coziness… this brings me to our new Blog on Behind the lens. My tip is a matter of style and taste.  It can put emphasis on details you like. It can add extra dept to your images… It´s my new favorite adjustment while using manual mood.

So, what is it? A phenomenon to blur out the background, to have only a small range on focus in your images. I like to create an “atmosphere” with this adjustments. You can also use it to blur out unwanted obstacles in the background when doing portraits.

How to get there: first of all you have to find the manual mode on your camera. If you have questions about the different modes, you can check out this blogpost. When you adjust your two main numbers for the manual mode (time and aperture) you want to keep the aperture as low as you can. Here are the fixed lenses especially handy because they usually have a wider aperture than the zoom lenses. When you have the aperture very low, you have to adjust the time and maybe even the ISO according to the light situation in front of you.

If you open the lens as wide as I did in first of the images I put together for this post, the picture might appear out of focus. Which it really is not, instead just a very limited amount in this picture is on focus. Here you see how I blurred out the pearls of the necklace in the background and how the reflection in the evening light turned into these little balls. This exact blur in the background and abstraction of forms is called Bokeh. See that comfy feel bokeh creates! Yessss. I love it, because like I said, I like things cozy! :)

 Lens: 50mm, shutter speed: 1/1000, aperture: 2,0, ISO: 100 

sunset time

Married: Lena and Simeon Part II

Finally they are here!! I am soooo excited to share the promised pictures from my shooting with Lena and Simeon! We had the most awesome time as finally the clouds parted. You can see the first post from their wedding right here. After a very spontaneous down poor as we were about to shot the group picture in the afternoon and about one hundred drenched guests I was just about to write off the sunset shoot… really as you may remember from the last wedding, my new favorite way to end a wedding day.

So I can´t quite put into words how I did a mega huge dance inside of me as the dark and dramatic clouds parted just one more time that day! That´s why I choose some new awesome sunset pictures to share this beauty with you!

Relaxed Friday

It was late at night and my soon-to-be sister and I were on our way home. We passed by a Gelateria and as my eyes fell on all the chairs and tables left outside well past closing hours I thought by myself… how stupid are they?! People are so naive. One split second later it crossed my mind that I am not in Italy anymore and that leaving all the chairs outside at night is what people do around here… I am soooo slow. Haha.

I am just saying that not even park benches where safe at times… (from not being carried away, or into someone’s home)

SOOO here is to a new relaxed Friday!

Have a great weekend wherever you are!

Very true this one: