This post is all about beautiful pictures. I’ve recently realized how many of them are on my disc and I never show them to the world. So the competition by Thomas Cook with excellent judges encouraged me to look for 4 really nice pictures showing 4 elements: earth, air, water and fire. I hope you’ll like the ones I chosen. Earth Earth is stable. We often take its stability for granted. I did too, until the earthquake happened. I experienced a moderate earthquake while I was living in Italy and it was a very scary event. Many of the factories, churches and houses in the area collapsed in just 45 seconds. The scale of damage showed my how powerful earth is. And I will never forget how frighten I was. And at the same time how wonderful the support of the local community was. Air Breathing deeply in early morning is one of the most refreshing things I know. Depending where you are it is either sweet, chilly, humid or warm. I personally appreciate the chilly north wind in Lapland and this picture shows one of the valleys far north at 5:00 a.m. The silence was thrilling and watching the sunrise over the Alesjaure lake was one of the most tranquil moments I have ever experienced.   Water This was the easiest one as I have hundreds of pictures made either in water or looking at water. It looks like I really enjoy swimming and sailing. Ah, and white water rafting too. This picture I selected shows many things. First, how vast any sea  is. Second, the reflection created by low tide shows that nature, when treated with respect is an amazing way to look deep down into yourself. Just like a mirror. And lastly, changing tides show its character: changeability and consistency. It also reminded me a book ‘Through the looking-glass’ by Lewis Carroll. It was so unreal I could just walk through, to the other side of the mirror, like Alice. Fire I have never experienced the power of fire element. But fire brings to my mind warm and sun so here is the picture I selected: a sand dune in New Zealand Farewell Spit. It is high, sandy and when I visited this part of the world it was really warm. I think this picture somehow combines air and fire as the strong west winds shape the dunes just as they wish. Beautiful view! I also nominate my friends to share their pictures: Susan, Shane, Jeff, Ali and Lanora.  

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Not many guidebooks encourage you to visit Burano- a small island near Venice. Usually, Venice with its fascinating story and remarkable monuments is in the spotlight of attention. In spite of this hegemony I would like to recommend a visit in a truly fascinating place called Burano. I am pretty sure that if you go there you will not regret it. Such a colorful spot is hardly find in Europe and it reminds South America rather than an island near large European city. You might have heard name Murano with its famous glass factory BUT this is not the same as Burano starting with B. While glass making is fascinating I am sure that going further to the east is more adventurous so my advice is this: don’t conclude your trip on Murano. Take the water bus and go to Burano instead of getting back to Venice. The trip to Burano takes at least 45 minutes one way but it is worthy. You can take the ferry/water bus (in Italian vaporetto)  directly from the train central station or after a walk from a station called Fondamente Nuove. If you visit Italy in winter season, like during the famous Venice Carnival, you need to pay attention to the news on the level of water as some of the transportation means might be temporary unavailable. Venice and its Lagoon was declared one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. So, after a 7 km drive and spectacular views of the Venetian Lagoon and Marco Polo airport you finally arrive to Burano, famous of lance making and color houses. Why I love Burano so much? Because it is still inhabited by the local families and it is an example of these rare places where you got the impression that time stands still. There are no cars and no fancy shops, no traffic jams and no large city noises. Leaving crowded Venice behind brings you relief and gives you an opportunity to get back to the basic things. The island shows you how little is needed to survive and to enjoy life at the same time. For the locals living so close to Venice is somehow a curse: their island is not close enough to be ‘sold in a package’ to the tourists. At the same time, however, the locals are attached to their history and their own local tradition of fishery and lance making and they are proud of it. The trip to this little island brings joy, optimism and a bunch of happy thoughts. This is also a dream spot for photographers. If you go to Burano in nice weather you will take hundred photos before you even notice. Every street is so picturesque! With water around, bridges and boats this is a perfect place to learn photography or to enrich your photo album. So, walk around with your camera, take pictures of everything you see, enjoy the views and eat awesome sea food for lunch. It will all make you day really special so when you get back to the crowded Venice your mind will be still walking around the colorful houses on Burano. Have you ever thought about visiting Italy? Here is an alternative way on how to visit Italy and get really close to the Italian way of life. I created a project ‘I love Ferrara‘ so you could join me and experience how beautiful and tasty Ferrara is. If you wish to immerse in Italy book your holiday now!  

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Travel lasts more than the travel itself. The planning before and memories after the journey extend it so you get the impression of being constantly on the move. One of the most pleasant ways to stretch the journey is watching the pictures or movies taken during the trip. For last couple of years I have been improving my photographic skills so I could share it with friends after return home and I could keep the journey alive. I consider myself a faithful ‘Canonist’. What I mean by this declaration is that every camera I have ever had was made by Canon and that I have been always very happy about it. My current equipment contains: EOS 60D and three lenses. I am using this camera for about 2 years and it has never failed me. In a meantime I bought a new additional charger so I could travel and take pictures without the necessity to visit ‘civilized world’ searching for an electric plug. One charger allows me to take up to about a thousand pictures (with the color screen switched off, though). This camera is heavy and considering the weight of my backpack I always need to choose whether I take my camera or additional pair of shoes. I can tell you this: camera usually wins. I sometimes take the lenses with me (70-200 mm with image stabilizer and the smallest one 50 mm) but it depends on where I go and what my plans are. Taking pictures is easy but taking GOOD pictures is much more complicated. Although I have a good sense of light and composition I still find it difficult to decide the exposure time in relation to the aperture and the light compensation. Luckily, using a digital camera allows many experiments with different options so I am usually happy with the final result. I wish to learn how to take good pictures in a foggy weather. This is one of my priorities before starting the next journey. One of my basic rules is that I delete the photos considered poor in terms of light and composition. I often analyze the data of particular pictures and try to remember which aperture was good in particular environment, etc. I find it really helpful in order to upgrade the skills and produce better pictures. All photos were downloaded from the official website of Canon.  

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