back to venice: just off the train and what do you see?

back to venice: just off the train and what do you see?
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

coming from milan and just alighting from the train you are greeted by this canal. docked are gondolas and speedboats and this the first bridge that you will see spanning the busy waterway. i remember getting quite giddy with excitement at what the day has in store, having visited venice only once ages before, hardly remembering how it looked then.

all in all the day was fruitful and fun, i just imbibed all of venice that i could in the short span of time we were there. i am so grateful i have these pictures to go back to again and again until the time i get to go back. and i hope, soon!

maybe another place, another time...

maybe another place, another time...
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

i wish i was out in the field with nature at its own habitat but i guess it will have to wait for another day. it has been quite stormy here in manila this past few weeks. i remember last year when we hardly had any rain. nature can be so fickle!

i shot this at home, with the 85 F1.4 and it produces such delicious bokeh!

i'll have a dozen each of zucchini florettes, aubergines and fennel

i'll have a dozen each of zucchini florettes, aubergines and fennel roots please?
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

for those who don't know yet, aside from photography, i love cooking. looking at these fresh produce at a street stall in venice was just such eye candy for me. i just grazed my eyes on tons of veggies that we don't grow in the tropics. i see fennel here and there in some supermarkets, but they can cost up to 6 USD a piece for a small root! i loved the freshness of everything that i wanted to snatch them all and make some rockin' rattatouille!

it just makes me wonder how those baby blues and pinks got there...but

it just makes me wonder how those baby blues and pinks got there...but who cares?
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

..it was beautiful!

i was quite smitten by the colors of the sky that evening. the sun has set, and the twilight was indescribable i just had to take a photo! i never saw pinks and blues like that before and couples with the formation of the clouds, i think you will agree that it was spectacular!

i remember the day was hot, but we had a blast!

i remember the day was hot, but we had a blast!
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

there are several of these mini docks for individual gondolas lined along the grand canal of venice. each one is different, perhaps as a way to attract the tourists. i love how this one added hanging flower pots to give it a rustic look.

where to take a taxi in venice

where to take a taxi in venice
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

along the grand canal are lined these gondolas. this is also where you go to take a taxi boat back to the train station. i would have wanted to just walk back, but we had to get back faster to catch our train to milan. unfortunately, despite that we missed the train! lol!

Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri)

Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri)
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

The view from the Bridge of Sighs was the last view of Venice that convicts saw before their imprisonment. The bridge name, given by Lord Byron in the 19th century, comes from the suggestion that prisoners would sigh at their final view of beautiful Venice out the window before being taken down to their cells. In reality, the days of inquisitions and summary executions were over by the time the bridge was built, and the cells under the palace roof were occupied mostly by small-time criminals.

A local legend says that lovers will be assured eternal love if they kiss on a gondola at sunset under the bridge. This legend played a key part in the 1979 film A Little Romance.

(from Wikipedia)

ok it's time to feature one of my lovely models again...

ok it's time to feature one of my lovely models again...
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

together with the gerbera and the orchid, this has become one of my favorite macro subjects! i hope i can get an insect to pose for me one day, but until then, its flowers for me. lol!!!

it does have a bit of a bokeh, so i guess i can greet you a happy bokeh day!!! EHBD!

chaos at the venetian or have you tried to get a cab in venice?

chaos at the venetian or have you tried to get a cab in venice?
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

i remember missing our train back to milan and we had to stay the night. it was a good thing and a bad thing. i get to see more of venice, but of course we missed other places we were supposed to go to. oh well, that's what you get in not trusting my instincts. i knew i should have bought return tickets as soon as we got there. anyway, i had fun taking pictures, so...

i don't know about you, but masks make me feel eerie...

i don't know about you, but masks make me feel eerie...
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

its like being afraid of clowns i guess. it's as if behind the bright colors and the smiles lies something nasty and ugly, like sin. as benjamin franklin said, "vice knows she's ugly, so she puts on her mask."

these are venetian canevale masks. i do love their craftsmanship though and i actually got a couple to bring home and wear on halloween!

it was a slow afternoon, on the way to nowhere...

it was a slow afternoon, on the way to nowhere...
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

taken during my last trip to milan armed with a D3 and the 14-24 UWA lens!

i always enjoy taking the train and just go around in circles all day! good i had a week long metro pass so i can go anywhere and anytime when i want to!

nature's blinds

nature's blinds
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

part of my verdant series, another shot of palm leaves against the sun at high noon. just love the green against the light. amazing what images you can make with nature's lines.

star gazing

star gazing
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

found these yellow stargazers and some white ones too! these are less popular than the pink ones but are just as fragrant and beautiful! truly a fascinating bloom!

have a great week everyone!!!

pure and simple

pure and simple
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

what do you see in the middle of the orchid? a bird or an angel? it is fascinating how nature takes on certain forms. maybe some form of natural mimicry? or a play on the human mind?

fresh start

fresh start
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

been racking my brains out on how to take shots of orchids in a different way. how is this? blew out a bit of the sky on the right, but it actually works for me. hope you like it!

have a great weekend everyone!!

peek-a-boo!

peek-a-boo!
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

got a bunch of beautiful fragrant lilies the other day and just got to taking their photos yesterday. we call them stargazers, and they really last for quite sometime, even after their pollens have dropped off! here is a bud starting to open, and quite interestingly, the pollens are not seen yet, but still are inside the elongated pods. it will stake another day for the pods to open up and reveal the pollen themselves. wow!

have a lovely bokeh day my friends, and remember everyday is a good day for bokeh!

walking on sunshine

walking on sunshine
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

one for my gerbera and the sunset series. a red hot manila bay sunset served as the background for this gerbera silhouette. nowadays it is very rare to see such a beautifully colored manila bay sunset as rains usually come in the afternoons.

have a great day everyone!

green and light

green and light
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

i just love this plant with leaves spread out like a fan to catch the light. i believe it is actually a variety of palm.

part of my verdant series. i have taken this more than a year ago when i still had my D80. rediscovering stuff in the archives.

have a wonderful week!!!