Just Raquel

Italy in Parts – Part Venice

05Jul09

We are back on US ground. After two weeks of what can only be called an Italian indulgence, I sit here, on my gray tattered futon, with my futon-tattering cat, sifting through photos of the days abroad. It’s going to take me a bit of time to edit and choose what to post, so we’ll take it slow - a multi-post series. I imagine by the end of the week everything there is to see will be on my flickr site.

Our first stop, two nights in Venice.

Saw:

2009 La Biennale – hosted in Venice every two years to showcase the works of modern artists in participating countries (many) around the globe. I was particularly taken by the work of Fiona Tan from Holland and her video footage of distant places narrated by Marco Polo’s travelogue. There were also the black and white images by Japan’s Miwa Yanagi of monster-sized women surrounded by heavy black frames (which sat like walls, askew on the floor). Unfortunately, we did not catch a glimpse of Swoon.

Ate:

Dinner at Al Covo - vongole verace (regional clams), seafood al soar (cooked with pine nuts and raisins), pasta with spider crab, fragolini – tiny woodland strawberries.

Dinner at Al Mascaron – Octopus (warm with celery and potatoes), Mora Mora (regional fish served with excellent peas).

Drinks at Harry’s Bar – Bellinis, as this is where the drink was invented.

Most memorable moment:

Dare I say it, yes, a midnight Gondola ride. Set all cheese aside, there is a reason people do this, particularly at night, when the waterways are silent and free of tourists. The entire city is yours to savor, slowly, through the inky waters, under bridges which are now so low, the gondoliers must duck to pass beneath.

Fun Fact:

No one lives on the first floor in Venice, at least not those with property on the canal. The water level has risen to cover the bottom third of water facing doorways. This wasn’t the case years ago.

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First Wedding Shoot

16Jun09

Lisa and Evan got hitched in Michigan this weekend. Mo played the reverend, I played the bride-kick/wedding photographer-in-training. Lots of flickr photos here. I shot everything with a 50mm lens, which was limiting, but I’ve been reluctant to switch back to my zoom. I guess having this constraint makes things slightly less complicated – less variables and all. I also kept my portable flash packed away…still too nervous to use it in public. I made 1000 mistakes during the weekend, but I got some shots that I like quite a bit, and thankfully Evan and Lisa were ammenable to the hours I wanted to spend snapping portraits the day before the big day. Not too many of me in this batch….but co-photographer Kristie was also on the scene and got some of me and my pink dress here, here, and here.

Filed under: artsy fartsy, le weekend, travels | 1 Comment

Lilacs!

31May09

Every bodega in Brooklyn is selling these magical spring branches. Those pictured are the French, less fragrant kind, and were the subject of my portable flash photography homework assignment. This is my third class at PhotoManhattan and will probably be the last for a while. Flash is tricky business…math and such.

I did end up getting that crab pillow….

Filed under: artsy fartsy, nesting | 1 Comment

May weekends

25May09

A couple weeks ago it was my birthday and in a couple weeks in will be my wedding anniversary. This photo was taken near the spot where I married, the day after my birthday. In the distance is a strange museum that is rarely open and sits near the docks of the buttermilk channel. I’d forgotten how much I love weaving through Red Hook. Thank goodness it’s summer, and I am out in the streets of Brooklyn again.

Today we biked passed barbecue after barbecue in Prospect Park. Mo tried his hand at kite flying…