Saturday, December 31, 2011

Get lost in Rome with a camera; Part 2



Continuing on from Part one this is the second half of my blog about wandering in Rome with a camera. The first half covered my route from Circo Massimo into Trastevere, this part follows on until the Colosseum.....


From here I continued to wander north crossing Viale di Trastevere and of course I couldn't come home without a shot of a Fiat 500 or a Vespa(or both!)


Reaching lunchtime and a couple of hours in I made a turn east to start heading back across the Tiber via Piazza Di Santa Maria in Trastevere. The church of Santa Maria is one of the oldest in Rome and again I had to be a little creative in getting a good interior shot. With no helpful curator on hand I ended up taking this one with the camera on the floor.



Once back outside the piazza had quietened so I had the chance to get a few shots without the crowds and then it was time to reorientate and head for the metro.


 I decided to take a walk back though the Jewish Quarter and head for the Colluseum. The Jewish quarter is another great district for getting some varied shots and capturing some of roman life.


A short walk from here takes you to the Vittorio Emanuele II monument and along the edge of the Forum back to the Colusseum Metro stop.


I wasn't particulary clock watching or rushing around and I figure the route took around three hours. Just goes to show how much variety you can see in Rome even when you're not trying!








Get lost in Rome with a camera; Part 1



I always prefer to group my photographs together asetically rather than chronologically whenever I can but for a change I thought I'd put together this two part blog a little differently.

I've spent a lot of time photographing in Rome in the last few months and fancied just getting lost with the camera this time and seeing what passed the lens. I had a free morning in Rome this week before I met I client so I picked a metro stop and gave myself three hours to meander and find my way back to the metro. 

Maybe if you've not seen a lot of Rome this will give you an idea of the beauty and diversity you can find here without keeping to the main tourist routes. As we retrace my steps as best as I can remember them I'll give you some pointers as to the locations. Oh, and you don't need to be carrying tons of photography kit either to get some great shots, all I was carrying was one camera and lens.

I surfaced from the metro at the Circo Massimo, home to Rome's largest venue for Ludi (public games) back in the days of the Roman Republic. Not exactly a photographers dream since most of it has long disspeared but it's a great place to walk and imagine how it would've felt to be here 2000 years ago.



From here I walked north and in a few minutes was crossing the Tiber into Trastevere. It's a beautiful district and mid morning is a great time to wander though the real life hustle and bustle. 


For me Rome is about colours, textures and vibrancy and along each street you can find examples everywhere.


To me the next few shots sum up wandering in Rome in the space of a couple of humdred metres I came across this rather tired looking mini outside a mechanics garage, a stunning church and this fantastic artdeco apartment block. All wedged into the thin streets of Trastevere.


The mini was the only shot of the day I really wanted to get once I'd seen it and it took a few minutes of waiting to get a clear shot whithout anyone else in the frame.


The church is very typical of Rome, unassuming on the outside but breathtaking on the inside. As for getting a decent shot of it that's the hard bit if you arn't carrying a tripod or some weighty lenses. The curator of the church was actually really accomadating though and actually let me use a chair to pop the camera on so I could get a nice slow shot to get lots of light in. For anyone that's interested the church is the Santa Maria Dell'Orto in Trastevere.


The apartment block is just a few steps from the church, maybe not of interest to all but it's a style that really appeals to me.
So far I've been on the south side of Viale di Trastevere, for the second half of this blog I continue on the north side and beyond Trastevere.


Thursday, December 1, 2011

Engagements, weddings, honeymoons!


At JHales Fotografia we are now pleased to add Abruzzo honeymoon photoshoots to our portfolio of services. Together with the highly rated Villasfor2 in Abruzzo we can offer you during your stay there a choice of two honeymoon photography packages. 

Have a  look here  for more details of the packages and prices on offer.

And below are a selection of Villafor2's photographs to tempt you to take your honeymoon in Abruzzo.










Wednesday, November 16, 2011

A Quiet Moment in Rome.

Can you find a quiet moment in Rome? Well yes you can and it's one of the reasons why I love going there. This was a great example, Davey and Fiona had just got engaged (you can see the pictures on here) and then we went on a little walking portrait tour to get some nice images to give them something to look back on in the future.
We took all of these on a late Saturday morning in September around some of Rome's busiest landmarks, The Trevi Fountian, the Spanish Steps and Piazza del Popolo. And with a bit of knowledge and forward planning it wasn't too hard to get these great shots in some lovely intimate spots.
Since Davey had proposed in the gardens of the Villa Borghese we started our photoshoot there. 


 It's a beautiful quiet spot away from the bustle of Rome and a short walk to the Piazza del Popolo where you can get some outstanding views of Rome


 Even though the Piazza itself was busy, with a little patience and some careful positioning it was still possible to get a nice intimate shot.


 From Piazza del Popolo to the Spanish steps it's a pleasant walk with plenty of opportunities to take some lovely shots. The owner of this property was very patient and happy to let us use her doorway to make this shot!


 And as we continued on from the Spanish Steps to the Trevi Fountain there were plenty of spots like these to take advantage of.


 And to finish off just behind the Trevi fountain we got a selection of shots here.


Now all of these were taken on a busy morning in Rome so remember if you want to get some great couple shots in Rome don't be afraid to walk around just behind some of the iconic landmarks. If you do you will often be well rewarded by finding some great spots like these.

Italy Wedding Photographer.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Nick and Amanda's RAF wedding.

This was a fantastic day back in September as RAF officer Nick married Amanda at Dumbleton Hall in Worcestershire.


Nick and Amanda were great to work with and as is often the case some of my favorite pictures were taken before the ceremony, I love that hustle and bustle as all the last details are put into place.


As you can see here everybody had a smile on their face thoughout the morning and enjoyed the build up to the ceremony


For the gentlemen it also meant the organising of the sword party.


And here we are with Amanda's last moments before walking though the ceremony doors!


 The service itself was personal and intimate.


But with bridesmaids, a pageboy and two ring bearing dalmatians there still plenty of opportunities for smiles all round.


After the ceremony it was time for the group shots, made the more striking by the uniformed party.


Once we were done with the group shots it was time for drinks and onto the wedding breakfast.


With a little something after for those with a sweet tooth!


Tuesday, October 18, 2011

The Italian Proposal, engaged in Rome!

Sometimes I have to say shooting proposals is my favorite assignment. Typically this one at the Villa Borghese in Rome sums up why.


It's because you are photographing a moment in peoples lives that means so much to them. And unlike a wedding its a very different experience for proposer and the proposee!
This short run of images tells such a story to those involved. In the image above you see 'the moment'. That moment that has taken so much planning, and secrecy! For the proposer, all those plans have come together, the moment is here and now is the time when he will find out if she will say 'yes'!
But apart from 'that photograph' which encapsulates the whole occasion, the other photographs say so much too for the couple. Below are a few pictures that to any passer by may have just been a romantic couple enjoying Rome but to Davey and Fiona they will be a reminder of a whirlwind five minutes!

Such as the picture below when Davey decided to go for it!

 Or when Davey passed the point of no return when he dropped to one knee!

 And once she said yes, the relieved and happy hug!

 And now a time to take it all in and admire the ring.

 And finally smiles all round for a job well done!

  Once I've made my appearance it's time for a well deserved drink and celebration!

 And in the space of just a few minutes its all done, and now it's time to plan the wedding (not before we go off to enjoy a photo shoot around Rome of course!)


Thursday, October 6, 2011

When In Rome!

 More and more my engagement and wedding assignments are taking me into the Eternal City, Rome. 
And it's not only a fantastic opportunity to photograph couples in the beautiful surroundings of Rome but also to have some time myself to explore new places.

However last week I had one of those days where I typically drifted around the back streets of Rome looking for a little inspiration but not quite finding it when I reached the Tiber and it struck me that it'd been a long time since I'd been to St. Peters.

For such a busy place it is still very easy to absorb yourself into the unique and tranquil atmosphere within. But from a photography aspect it can be surprisingly difficult to get some great shots.

Especially to get those shots that are unique to all the other millions of pictures taken in this incredible place. To avoid the shots being cluttered with tourists I set myself the little challenge of photographing just the ceiling and seeing what interesting angles and light I could find.

These little challenges are great at changing your perspective and really help you 'see' so much more when you visit a place like this. I saw so many little details that I'd never noticed before.

Try it yourself next time you are in a very recognisable place and see if you can find a unique angle and perspective.

Italy Wedding Photographer