Ivan Vazov National Theater

Posted on December 6, 2016 by Steven

Facing City Garden is another of Sofia’s prominent landmarks –

The Neoclassical Building was opened in 1907 and is the oldest and most prominent theater in Bulgaria

Happy Travels!

Noteworthy in Chisinau, Moldova

Posted on March 19, 2015 by Steven

While not a thriving tourist destination yet, there are a few places that are “must see” if you visit this city in Moldova..

The number one, and by far the most well kept, site is the Metropolitan Cathedral “Nativity of the Lord”..

which is located, oddly enough, in the center of Cathedral Park… The original bell tower was demolished in the ’60’s but rebuilt in 1998..

At the main entrance to the the park sits the Arc de Triumf…

The Presidential Palace, towering over the center of the city, is a short walk away…

The main train station is considered by many to be one of the prettier buildings in town.. The guards told us we couldn’t take picture inside..not sure why but, you know how security guards can be..

Like I said before, not a bad place for a weekend get-a-way…

Parks and monuments in Moldova coming soon…

Happy Travels!

Photography as Art My Fine Art Prints

Selection of Doors – Chisinau

Posted on March 15, 2015 by Steven

For some reason, I was expecting a greater variety of doors from Chisinau, Moldova…

Maybe it’s because all the Soviet era buildings were inflicted with a huge case of “sameness” … flat one color metal…

The doors from some of the older buildings were interesting, if somewhat weather-beaten.

and there were a lot of signs that people were rebuilding..upgrading..repairing…

Nice city for a weekend get-a-way …. a long way to go to be a tourist magnet.. I couldn’t even find a shot glass ( my staple souvenir from trips)

Kutaisi – Favorite Photo (Revisited and Why)

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Steven

Since I started snapping pictures, a LOT of time has passed. I would say somewhere in the neighborhood of 45 years.. Of course, my first camera was not near the quality of the one I use today but I look back and remember that Kodak Instamatic fondly..

What starting me thinking was when I started, and am currently slogging through, deleting 40 -50 thousand photos I have taken over the past 8 to 10 years. As recently as 6 years ago, most of my photos would qualify as simple snapshots. Before that I don’t even count.

No form.. no composition .. no artistry. Heck..why would they have? Just because I had graduated to better cameras didn’t mean my skill level had improved. I just happily clicked away at anything and everything…

I could easily take 300 photos and not have any that I actually liked… not well focused.. center frame composition (I didn’t even know what the rule of 3rds was at the time), exposure off.. what the heck is white balance?

I would look online and see photographs that made mine look like they were still being shot with that instamatic with the 4 shot flash cube.. What the heck was wrong?

The answer is simple.. Knowledge. I needed to learn how to get my camera out of “snapshot mode” – commonly referred to as “auto mode” …. I needed to learn the basic rules of composition… I needed to learn how to properly expose a scene… Oh, and by the way, I learned what white balance is.. 🙂

So I started reading…online articles and magazines and e-books and actual books.. and then I practiced what I read… I still take hundreds of photos but now, I am actually trying to find THE shot..

Like this one

This is one of my absolute favorites from a trip to Kutaisi, Georgia…taken at night on a long exposure… I do post processing now but as minimal as possible.. This one was almost perfect as shot.. white balance was off, as is usually the case with high pressure sodium lamps and there were some small lights in the center of the dark end which had to be cloned out..

This photo was printed on aluminum (32 X 40 inches) and is hanging on the wall in my office at work.

Over the next few weeks I will be posting my favorite photographs from each trip I have taken (or will take) … maybe I will post a few of those “early” photos.. so you can see what I mean.

Maybe not though… lol

Happy Travels!

Photography as Art My Fine Art America

Tbilisi – A Door Lover’s Paradise

Posted on February 20, 2015 by Steven

We recently returned from Tbilisi, Georgia and I have to say…What a wonderful place to visit. and shoot… especially for door lover’s like me..

Tbilisi is located along the banks of the Mtkvari river and filled with winding, narrow streets and hidden stairways..and a treasure trove of doors to shoot…

Doors are among my favorite subjects… and they don’t mind posing…

Happy Travels!

Photography as Art Fine Art America

A Selection of Doors – Rome

Posted on December 18, 2014 by Steven

It’s Thursday.. must be time for a new selection of doors..

As those of you who follow along with me know.. doors are one of my favorite subjects to shoot..an endless variety abound in every city I visit.

But in a lot of cases, no matter how different they are, they are also very similar.. especially in cities like Rome. Arched doorways and wooden doors..

Different..but the same..no?

Happy Travels!!

Photography as Art Fine Art America

Coliseum and Beyond

Posted on December 17, 2014 by Steven

After a strenuous climb, a caapucino and gelato, we were ready to continue our walking tour of the city.

Of course, with so many sites to see near the river, we had to make a couple of little detours on our way to the coliseum.. But not before we did a really touristy thing.. mail a few post cards from the Vatican Post Office..

And some things we saw… not in any particular order

Cool city, huh?

After meandering the alleyways and side-streets for a few hours, we finally arrived at the Coliseum..with the Arc de Constantinople standing right along side..

The sites of the Temple of Venus and Roma are right across the street …

The Arco di Tito (Arch of Titus) was the inspiration for the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and also stands near by.. Unfortunately, access was closed for the day.. possibly due to the demonstration that was forming at the Coliseum..

It was beginning to get dark, so we headed back to the hotel… early train for Florence in the morning..

Happy Travels!!

Photography as Art

Photo of the Day – Rome

Posted on December 15, 2014 by Steven

As I said.. I will be getting back into the groove here.. and I am usually as good as my word..lol

This is a scene from the terrace of our hotel..it’s actually a small and old church hidden away in an alley.. Unfortunately, I never could get inside..

Happy Travels!

Photography as Art

For anyone that may be looking for more of my “Black and White” photos..feel free to stop by Hotshoe and follow along..

Return to Italy

Posted on December 7, 2014 by Steven

I love visiting Italy… The history… the architecture… the food… Everything about Italy just begs to be explored.

This was my second trip to Italy, and like the first, it began in Rome … The home of the Coliseum, The Pantheon, Vatican City .. and countless statues and monuments paying tribute to the past of the glorious Roman Empire.

A quick word.. The public transportation system in Rome is hard to beat… so forget the expensive cabs heading to the center from the airport.. The Leonardo Express takes about a 1/2 hour non-stop to Roma Termini..and costs just 12 Euros..Buses are even cheaper but I like trains..

Anyway..we took the above mentioned train from the airport to the main train/bus staion – Roma Termini..

I usually stay in the Mecenate Palace Hotel, which is a 5-8 minute walk from the station.. It’s a nice hotel, excellent staff and a wonderful rooftop terrace where you can look out over the city.. The view from the room, as always, was amazing.. The Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore sits right across the street..

View from our window

It’s a wonderful, if smaller, cathedral and the entry is free..

It was a great way to start a trip.. especially since it was raining sporadically since we arrived..But with all the great cafes and museums, it was easy to find a place to stay dry..

Since we arrived late, we decided to just walk around and do some exploring, without worrying about “landmarks” and “touristy sites” .. Rome is very walkable, despite being very large.. And there are always interesting subjects to shoot..It is a photographer’s dream city..

Afterwards, we decided to help ourselves to some gelato..and relax.. Tomorrow was going to be a long day…

HAPPY TRAVELS!!

Photography as Art

Photographs – Rotterdam

Posted on November 22, 2014 by Steven

During a recent trip to Amsterdam, we decided to take in the sites of Antwerp on a loooooong daytrip. Easy, inexpensive trip by train with a transfer in Rotterdam.. Since our tickets were for any train, it just made sense to hop off at the Rotterdam Central train station and spend an afternoon exploring..