DPT Update: Heading To The Most Beautiful Place On Earth!

Ciao Tutti or Hi Everybody,

Things are going great on our Italian vacation. We flew from Venice, Italy to Naples on Wednesday morning.  It was a first for the both of us - we've never taken a boat to an airport before – quite the experience. We ran into only one hic-cup at the Alitalia check-in counter. I knew we were going to have some problems with excess baggage but didn't anticipate the fact that our carry-on bags were also overweight.

The gate agent, showing no mercy at all, wanted to charge us upwards of $500 for excess baggage! Now granted, we were only over a few pounds in each of our 5 bags. But one pound or twenty pounds over demands nearly $80 charge in excess baggage fees. After some judicious repacking, and a discussion with a somewhat  sympathetic Alitalia supervisor, we managed to get on board with substantially less excess baggage fees – still $150 – more than the price of the plane ticket.

Our 1 hour flight and the rest of our trip to Positano, Italy – just about 90 minutes from Naples – was quite pleasant. We did make the detour to Pompeii on the way to Positano. We spent nearly 4 hours touring the ruins.  It was one of the most amazing experiences LaDawn and I have ever encountered. Highly recommended if you're ever in the area.

Shortly afterwards we got checked into our very comfortable Palazzo Murat Hotel in Positano. We were previously booked into a very nice room but I asked if there was another room with a better view. After a little negotiation and discussion with the congenial hotel manager we found ourselves, thanks to the graciousness of the hotel manager, in the largest suite of the hotel and, for only a few euros more a night. In a word, this hotel and our room – all 5 rooms - is amazing!

LaDawn and I both concur – this part of Italy has to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. The image below was taken from our veranda above and show the magnificent surroundings of this wonderful little town.

Yesterday we took the boat over to Amalfi and after an hour exploring we then a public bus up the vary narrow and winding road to Ravello. Once again the sites were utterly amazing. A quick footnote – the bus ride was an adventure unto itself with passengers pushing and shoving their way into a bus that held about 50% less people than were actually on board. But, it was all part of the grand adventure and we didn't mind.

The vistas from Ravello were equally amazing. Quite simply it's a matter of pointing your camera anywhere and capturing a picture postcard view of this part of the world.

I promise not to make this a travelogue post for the time that we were on the road over these next several weeks. But, I couldn't resist considering the fact that we are right in the middle of some of the most beautiful scenery, geography, history on the planet Earth.

Upcoming Features. DigitalProTalk

The big problem for me during this trip is just finding enough time – a couple hours a day – to get the blog posted. With all of our travels and tight schedule, time is of the essence as we are usually up at the crack of dawn and don't turn in until well into the evening. Still, I don't want to disappoint our loyal DigitalProTalk readers. Look for several photography and lighting posts over the next couple of days.

In reviewing my images from our Italy Master Class I've got tons of information and images that I can't wait to share with you. I had an opportunity to shoot extensively with Canon's new 600 TX – RT speed lights and picked up a trick or two in using them all last week.

Because of our beautiful castle location I'll always also be able to share with you some posts on image composition and lighting. So, over the next few days I'll be working on a few Technique Tuesdays along with some other posts that I hope you enjoy.

Italy Kelby Photo Walk Update:

Hey gang, I have to tell you about one thing that really has me stoked. Since LaDawn and I are not going to be in Cincinnati for this year’s Scott Kelby Photowalk, I'm conducting the Photowalk in Rome, Italy. In fact were calling it the Photo Rome ;~)

I'm pleased to announce that we have a full house (50 participants) for the  Photowalk. As a matter fact, we even have three people on the waiting list. We arrive in Rome tomorrow about noon, check into our hotel, and then catch up with the LaDawn's son, Joshua and his wife Kristen for the afternoon. We have never been in Rome and are looking forward to surrounding ourselves in the beauty and history of the city. 

When I was laying out the Sunset Photowalk, I couldn't believe that in a two-mile walk you get to see so much history!  We begin at the Spanish Steps, walk down to the Pantheon, then over to the Coliseum, and then pass the Trevi Fountain on the way back – amazing! We can't wait. I'll plan to share a few images from our Sunset Photowalk in next week's blog post.

Anyway, that's the latest from Positano, Italy. I hope everybody has a great weekend in your part of the world and I’ll plan to see you again real soon at DigitalProTalk.

Arrivederci, David