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This is the blog of Steve Burkett of Italy, Our Italy

Go There: Island of Burano

“The locals now draw tourists to Burano to see their brightly colored homes.”

The island of Burano is located in the Venetian lagoon. I think of Burano as the 'Graphic Isle', because of the juxtaposition of the simple shapes and vivid colors one finds there.

There will be fresh linens on the bed tonight!

The Venetian lagoon holds many other islands besides the main island-town of Venice. The two other islands most visited by tourists are Murano, where Venetian glass is still made, and Burano, where Venetian lace was made for centuries.

Chances are that you've seen this award-winning photo before

Though a bit of lace is still hand made in Burano, it has become a lost art due to the competition of machine-made lace from other parts of the world. Perhaps the demise of the Burano lace industry is what makes Burano so colorful -- the locals now draw tourists to Burano to see their brightly colored homes.

Burano is located a bit northeast of the town of Venice and to get there, you will need to take a vaporetto (water bus). It takes about 45 minutes to reach Burano from Venice's Fondamente Nove vaporetto stop. On the way, you soon pass by the cemetery island of San Michele and the glass lover's island of Murano before you get to a long stretch of water -- take your guidebook to pass the time.

The buildings on the island are not of new construction!

There are several nice restaurants on the island, so when it comes time to have lunch or dinner, you won't have any problem getting a typical Venetian meal. Many of the restaurants and shops are located on the main thoroughfare of Via Baldassarre Galuppi.

For the photos of the colorful homes you see in this article, I spent most of my time on the eastern half of the island.

Life on the Island of Burano

Some of the local citizenry getting together for their daily chat.

[as always, please click an image for a larger view]

Another local keeping an eye on the situation in Burano.

Local wildlife...there are many, many cats

Yes, there are some lovely places to eat on the island, and there is a definite emphasis on local seafoof.

Burano has been settled for many years, and some of the early architectural elements are beginning to shift a bit.

This campanile does not elicit confidence

As on the main Venetian island, religion has play a strong part in the culture of Burano. Here you can see one of the many religious shrines, and a self-aged photo of a glass case housing cherished relics.

The Graphic Side of Burano

Now I introduce you to that very colorful and graphic side of the island of Burano.

Daily Life on Burano -- even the elements of daily chores are pleasantly arranged!

Walls, Windows and Doors -- contrasting colors are de rigueur on the isle.

The next three photos are some of my favorites from Burano because of their strong graphic nature. For these first two, I very consciously revealed a smidgen of certain elements to provide a clue to the composition -- the bit of pavement in the first and a hint of a distant wall in the second.

My all-time Burano favorite which I've titled 'Just Around the Corner' has been an award winner. What is that glowning just around the corner? Let's go find out!

Passages -- even the passages have strong graphic elements.

Crumbling Character -- many of the building's facades show the ravages of time.

Place it Just There -- everyday objects seem to have had studied placement!

Utilitarian Needs Combine with Graphic Needs -- as far as I can tell, this is a fire hydrant -- but I may be mistaken.

Serenity

Not all is garish color on Burano...there is also a good bit of tranquility, too.

I found my two trips to the island of Burano in the Venetian lagoon to be well worth the efforts. You can indeed still find a bit of hand-made lace, too -- you will have to look a bit and pay a bit when you find it -- but what a nice souvenir!

I'll see you in Burano!

Ciao for now,

Steve

Blatant Marketing

Yes, that's right...today's article concerns a new product that is available on my website. This product is a Note Card...but not just any note card!

'Luxe' Note Cards

These are not your Mother's Note Cards! They are super thick, are crafted of the finest materials, they have a luxurious texture, and there is a colored core that will call special attention to your notes of thanks, greetings, or family updates.

Consider these features...

Luxe Note Cards are created with award winning Mohawk Superfine paper. Tactile and beautiful – what better way to show your artistic taste as you share your thoughts?

Using a patented Quadplex technology, the layers of this unique paper are compressed to create an impressively thick, rigid, unforgettable Note Card.

Choose from Black, Red, Blue, White, Yellow, Orange, Pink or Green for the eye-catching seam of color that runs through the centre of Luxe paper stock. Only one color per order, please.

So, what can be put on these Note Cards?

I can create an order for you using one or several of my photos.

Mix or match, it's your decision as to how many of any particular image that you would like included in your order. In other words, all Note Cards can be different, the same, or any combination you would like.

And after reading your beautifully crafted note, the recipient can frame their Luxe Note Card, as there is no logo on the front of the card to detract from its beauty. And, if you wish, I will even sign the bottom-right of each card.

Yes, your ultra-nice Note Cards come with envelopes!

'Standard' Note Cards

Want a more economical, traditional Note Card? No problem!

These Standard Note Cards are on heavy paper chosen for its great print quality and luxurious thick feel. Note that they do not have that snazzy color stripe embedded in the paper stock, as you would get with the Luxe Note Cards.

With these Standard Note Cards, you get to choose either a gloss or matter surface for your Note Cards.

How to Order

To order Note Cards, just go to my website to the 'Print Info' link and there, among the different types of photo availability, you will find 'Note Cards'. Here is a direct link to Note Card ordering information page, which includes pricing and ordering instructions.

Sorry about today's blatant advertising, but I just had to let you know about this new product line that I've created. I'll get back more 'normal' articles next week.

Ciao for now,

Steve

Stay Here: Borgo San Felice

“We thank our lucky stars that Hector steered us toward Borgo San Felice. You’ll thank your lucky stars that I steered you there.”

When you visit Tuscany, here is a gem of a place for you to stay - right in the heart of the Chianti Classico area! We were encouraged to stay at Borgo San Felice by our good friend, Hector Galice, former manager of our favorite Il Fornaio restaurant. Hector extolled the virtues of this beautiful property, and I hereby echo his extollations.

The Borgo

Just part of the beautiful grounds of Borgo San Felice

This former village was purchased by a visionary hotel-development group several years ago. The village was compact and had the basis for the amenities that would be needed for a world-class hotel. They did a fabulous job in their conversion, and on the two occasions that we have stayed at the Borgo San Felice, we have been very pleased.

[click an image for a larger view]

One of my digital paintings of rooms at Borgo San Felice

Borgo San Felice is the only Relais & Chateaux 5-star hotel in the Chianti Classico area of Tuscany. It is about 9 miles from Siena and you can reach it from Florence in an hour.

The Reception entrance where you will be warmly welcomed

It is just a few miles from Borgo San Felice to historic Siena, as seen here.

Siena is just a short drive from Borgo San Felice

The town that preceded Borgo San Felice was founded in the 8th century and hasn't changed much since that time. Here are some photos of the 'village' location of Borgo San Felice.

The Rooms

The rooms are, of course, charming - as one would expect of such a property. We found the rooms to be well appointed and had everything we needed, including a very nice bathroom.

Here is the early morning view from one of our lovely rooms.

Here are a couple of photos showing rooms that you could experience yourself.

The Vineyards

The Borgo is surrounded by acres and acres of vineyards that supply the grapes for the excellent San Felice Winery. Here are some photos that I took very early in the morning from within the vineyards.

Ristorante Poggio Rosso

There is plenty from which to choose for breakfast

OK, the food is outstanding at the Poggio Rosso restaurant. We really enjoy the breakfast which can be taken on the patio of the restaurant. Here is a sample of breakfast treats.

The interior of Poggio Rosso is comfy-cozy, as you can see in these two photos from the Borgo San Felice website.

The piano player adds special charm to your evening

The real jewel is the dinner, often served while a very talented piano player (seen here with my wife, Ellen) adds to the charm of your evening.

Scott selects a Chianti Classico to go with our meal

Poggio Rosso's wine list is extensive, and is weighted toward Italian wines -- and of course, those of the San Felice Winery.

Here is our friend Scott making the decisions for the first red of the night.

I'll now torture you with numerous photos of the scrumptiousness that awaits you at Poggio Rosso, ending with desert and a nice cup of coffee. Click on a thumbnail image to get a closer look.

The Gardens

Finally, here are a few more photos showing you the lovely gardens at Borgo San Felice.

We thank our lucky stars that Hector steered us toward Borgo San Felice. You'll thank your lucky stars that I steered you there.

Click here for the San Felice website.

And here for the San Felice Winery.

I will close with a photo of two very satisfied Borgo San Felice patrons -- my wife and me.

My wife Ellen and myself, enjoying a glass of Perolla Vermentino

Ciao for now!

Steve

The Results Are In - Part 7

Well, it's good to be back from the Christmas Holidays! I can only hope that your Christmas was as swell as mine. Lots of family, friends...and of course, food - much of it Italian. And speaking of/in Italian, "Felice Anno Nuovo!"

The subject of this week's article makes my heart swell up like a watermelon. More accolades were received when this month's (actually it's the February 2016 edition) Black & White Magazine was published. You can find it at your favorite magazine source and it looks like the photo to the right.

I am particularly excited because of the number of photos that were accepted for recognition -- an unprecedented four! That's the most ever recognized for the 'single image' contest.

The four photos are as follows, and as usual, you can click on an image to get a larger view.

Landscape/Nature

Page 46: This field was photographed in the Val d'Orcia in late September. The wheat of this rolling field has already been harvested and sprouts of winter wheat will soon appear.

'Awaiting Rain', Val d'Orcia, Italy, 2014 — ***'Awaiting Rain'***, Val d'Orcia, Italy, 2014

Here is that same field in the spring...

Architecture/Interiors

Page 108: Here is a popular photo from a Venice photo shoot in the fall of 2012. I really like this photo because of the character of the building exteriors. Note the numerous sculpted heads adorning the building to the left. These buildings have been around for centuries.

'One-Thousand Years in the Making', Venice, Italy, 2012 — **'One-Thousand Years in the Making'**, Venice, Italy, 2012

Music/Sport/Dance

Page 140: This pleasant accordionist sits in the small campo in front of the Church of San Zaccaria (where the body of John the Baptist's father rests). Tunes of all sorts issue from his accordion.

'The Accordionist of Venice', Venice, Italy, 2012 — **'The Accordionist of Venice'**, Venice, Italy, 2012

Cityscape/Street

Page 194: I had lots of fun creating this image of a busy day on the Grand Canal. Over 80 photos and about an hour were needed to capture boats in numerous and various positions. I used Photoshop to mask in boat after boat to create the final image. A color version of this photo was selected by National Geographic senior editor Kurt Mutchler for a gallery show called 'The Art of Travel Photography'. And who is that happy couple in the boat at the very bottom-center of the photo? I'll never tell!

'Busy Day on the Grand Canal', Venice, Italy, 2012 — '**Busy Day on the Grand Canal**', Venice, Italy, 2012

So, if you find yourself at your neighborhood Barnes & Noble bookstore, go to the magazine section and give a look at that February 2016 issue of Black & White Magazine.

Ciao for now,

Steve

Separating Emotion from Content

As a photographer, it is often difficult to separate emotion from content. I’m going to give you a real-world example that will really bring this home in just a moment, but let me explain right here what I mean.

The Emotion

“Is a professional photographer immune to the emotion involved in the time and place of an image’s capture? Not at all.”

You’ve taken photos of family/friends, special events, and favorite vacation moments. Those photos have special meaning for you. There was an emotion involved when you took the photo, and that emotion manifests itself when you go back to look at those photos. Whether they are Christmas photos when the kids (and you!) were younger, wedding photos, photos from Disneyland or the beach, you have positive (hopefully) emotions when you see the photos. Photos of parents or grandparents when they were still alive? That’s full of emotion. Your newborn while still at the hospital? Ditto.

But if you go back and look at those emotive photos to evaluate the composition, color, lighting, etc., you may find that those photos were not of the highest 'quality'. But does that matter? Not at all! What is important is the emotive quality of the photo and the memories that are embedded on the photo paper. You weren’t taking photos to win awards and exhibit in galleries! You were taking them to etch memories.

The Dilemma

So, let’s move to fine-art photography. Is that any different? Is a professional photographer immune to the emotion involved in the time and place of an image’s capture? Not at all. And there’s the rub. Is the photo that a photographer produces actually what one might call a ‘quality fine-art photograph’? Or, is the photographer’s evaluative eye held captive by the emotion involved when capturing that photo?

Here's and example. I have a friend who loves photographing the desert southwest – as I do. When you look at his photos, you see beautiful rock formations, dry gulches, twisted trees and many other things which epitomize the southwest. But as you look at his photos, you have no idea of the effort that was required to capture those images – the long, long, bumpy, and circuitous roads that had to be traversed and the vehicle modifications to do so, the treacherous and arduous hikes that had to be made, the uncomfortable experience of sleeping in one’s car because an unexpected snowstorm collapsed your tent. What you see when you look at a beautiful and enchanting photo of a Anasazi pictograph, and what the photographer sees when looking at that same photo are completely different emotions. You are thinking, “That’s really nice!” While the photographer has a myriad of emotions that run the gamut from joy and elation to sometimes negative thoughts brought on by what might have been a real ordeal. It’s the same photo, but it is seen by eyes of a different perspective.

So, that’s what creates this dilemma for me as I look at some of my photos and I wonder if they might, or might not, be of interest to you as a prospective client. Is that really the fine-art masterpiece that I think it is, or does that feeling exist in just my own mind?

So, with that in mind, today I will be transforming a somewhat dismal winter scene for you. As you will see, it was a pretty simple transformation. It is a photo which has enchanted me ever since I created it --- and I know why it enchants me, and I’ll explain that. I think that this is a good example of what I discussed above as I try to separate emotion from content as I strive to bring you fine-art photographs that you will enjoy.

The Transformation

The original photo is a group of trees in winter – December 30th to be exact. It was blustery out and snow had been spurting off and on for most of the morning. It was now mid-afternoon. Here is that photo.

[click on an image to get a larger view]

The original, blah, uninteresting snapshot

As you can see, it is a very overcast day. The flags of New Mexico and the United States can be seen at bottom left, as well as a street lamp with Christmas decorations. [OK, I know this is an Italy blog and this isn’t a photo of trees in Italy, but please forgive me as I try to make a point]

You see the next iteration of the transformation here.

About all I’ve done here is crop the photo into a panoramic format.

The next step was to add some moodiness to the photo, as you see here.

A bit of mood created by emphasizing the atmostpherics

I brought out the atmospherics by darkening the sky a bit and by applying a warm sepia look to the photo.

So now I have a warm photo of trees that is just a tad moody. To add a bit of character, I went to my archives to find a photo of birds in my ‘birds collection’. I inserted three blackbirds, which are ubiquitous to northern New Mexico, into the photo. Darkening the image even more emphasized the atmospherics and gave it the sense of cold mystery that I was seeking for the photo.

So, here is the final image.

I really like this photo. I’ve liked it from the moment I created it. I think I dubbed it "Last Flight from Taos" or something. But I know from experience that it doesn’t have wide appeal to others as a fine-art photograph. But I know why it appeals to me so much, and here’s the story.

Its Personal Appeal: The Story

My daughter Alyson was pregnant with her second child and was visiting us in Denver. As usual, we went to dinner at our favorite Italian restaurant, Il Fornaio. While at dinner, our friend and waiter Jose Naveja was suggesting names for the new baby. Knowing it was a boy, and Jose being Jose, he suggested the name ‘El Diablito’ – loosely ‘Little Devil’. We had a good laugh as we added that name to the list.

Fast forward a year and El Diablito is now about 8 months old. After Spending Christmas in Denver, the family went to our cabin in northern New Mexico, a few miles outside of Taos. While spending the day in Taos and while having lunch, I snapped this photo of my darling grandson, Braeden – aka Diablito. But, he looks to be more an angle than a devil doesn’t he? El Diablito? No way – El Angelito? Yes!

Isn't he adorable?!

But while I was taking photos, his mood changed a bit and El Diablito finally joined the family! Hellooo!

Same great kid – two opposite moods: one Angelito and one Diablito.

After lunch, we wandered out to Taos plaza, where I saw the trees with light snow, and where I snapped the photo you saw above.

So, does the final photo of the trees with birds above have emotions that may cloud my judgement as to its worthiness as a fine-art photograph? Yes it does. It involves my friend Jose, my favorite restaurant Il Fornaio, my daughter Alyson, my favorite grandson (OK, he’s the only grandson), Christmas, our cabin in New Mexico in a town where I met my wife, a fine meal in Taos, and a bit of moody atmospherics.

All this has been to show you how hard it can be for a photographer to separate fact (of a worthy fine-art photograph) from fantasy (of the emotions clouding the moment).

So, that’s it. If you feel my pain, please leave a comment, below.

Ciao for now,

Steve

p.s. Here’s an added bonus – at absolutely no extra charge – of another version from the same initial snapshot. In this version, I focus more on the web of branches, while I added just a touch of blizzard to winterize the scene even more.

And finally, I just couldn’t resist giving it a smudged-pencil look.