Personal update and my 'a photo a day' project

Photos were one of the 'big' things that helped me to keep my sanity these past weeks. I started 'a photo a day' project when Mara was born. It helped me to think of something else when the war has started, and to do something else, a break from reading news and worrying. There were days I did not feel like picking up the camera, there were days when inspiration just was not there. Or energy to go through the photos and edit them, so they remained in the camera for a long time. Most days I did take a photo, now I'm starting to go through them, and I am glad I made this effort.














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3 reasons to have your family photos in Villa Giulia park

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Villa Giulia is a park in historic center of Palermo. It has its origins in 18th century and is remarkable for its perfect square shape with diagonal alleys dividing the park in different sections. Marble statues and fountains, a sundial, shady alleys and open spaces, and wide variety of trees and shrubbery make it a popular spot both with locals and tourists.  If you'd like your family photos to have lush green background with a touch of special Sicilian atmosphere, this park definitely should be considered. It ticks all the boxes - plenty of space, nice surroundings, easy access, lots of options for things to do during your photo shoot to get natural and emotional images (anyway we don't do posed photos on the benches or next to flowering shrubs!).  Here are my top 3 reasons why villa Giulia is a great location for family photo sessions. Reason 1  Lots of space and diversity. The park has an alley with Ficus trees, a little bamboo forest, a hill with cacti and succulen...
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9 essential tips for taking great photos of your kids on the beach

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A lot of Sicilian summer is about the sea - it's a place to escape the heat, to relax and have fun on the beach with your kids, be it splashing, swimming, collecting shells or digging in the sand, reading or even napping! As parents, we often find ourselves reaching for our cameras or smartphones, eager to capture these moments and memories of the summer.  However, there are quite some challenges when it comes to getting beautiful photos on the beach - the biggest are strong sunlight, crowded space, kids moving all the time. During my 7+ years as a family photographer, I took hundreds of photos of clients and my own kids on the beaches in both Scotland and in Sicily. I've learnt and discovered a lot, what to do, and what not to do, to get beautiful kids' photos on the beach. Here are my top 9 tips and tricks, that will help you to elevate your beach snapshots to beautiful photographs. It's about essentials, nothing technical, and will work both for your phone and camera...
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At home

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She was reading to me. The problem is, I could not understand a word. I got some uti-puti and kalam-balam, and we are still trying to figure out what it might mean.  She was trying real hard, and her reading was also very emotional. She clearly feels for Goldilocks. Again, if I could just understand :-) Then there are naps. She still needs two of them, and she is still not very good at sleeping on her own. Working as her pillow provided me with a lot of reading time though :-)
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Sand castles on East Sands

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First barefoot beach day (we do not really count those short runs on the sand in February, right :-) Really and seriously, with feet dipping and running on the water - this one is the first. First sand castle of the season. First sand fight of the season and first hand full of sand - this, and sand in the pockets, will stay with us well till November. And I truly do not mind, I love my barefoot beach days as much as these two. Matteo is building a bunker - tunnel covered with sticks and sea-weed, then with sand. Good camouflage, it was hardly different from the rest of the surface around the castle. He tested it after completing the construction - the structure resisted his weight and survived. One very proud engineer. We tried to build the moat too - it did not really work, water was too far. So it was abandoned after a short while. Maya was collecting small rocks and shells to decorate the walls and the big tower. They both carried big rocks to reinforce the wall...
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Forest walks

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Forest walks with a toddler are quite an exercise. Especially with an added bonus of a camera :-) What's involved? Jumping in the mud and trying to jump in the river. Collecting sticks. Collecting leaves. Walking in a wrong direction. Falling. Standing up. Stopping. Turning around. Then there is possible game of peekaboo. And of course trying to escape, especially when mom is taking pictures of some flowers and escape involves jump in the river :-)
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The force is strong with this one

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This project has been brewing since a while. We even wanted to write down the ideas, cause Matteo had more of them than fingers on one hand :-) Finally the combination of sunset, being at the right location at the right time, plus the mood was all in place. So yeah, the force is strong with this one. We were rewarded with golden light and pretty sky. The playground nearby destroyed our plans for more silhouette photos. So more might come, if Matteo wants to implement his ideas. For now, this is what we have, plus lots of pretty sky, and sea, and golden cowlick :-)
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Socks special

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What to say. They always fly around, these baby socks. Yet they can never be found when they are needed. They are played with, eaten, hidden... and sometimes worn too.
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A bit of magic

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 I have a secret. It is about magic, so do not tell anybody! It is a very magical trick! We got this idea with Matteo to fill a hat with autumn leaves and play around. This is what we've got :-)
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