Annoyingly our itinerary has changed. I think this is because we could not stay in Syracuse. The result is that two days itinerary have been crammed in to one and beautiful Taormina has been ditched. This will be a long day with a lot of driving. To be honest, I am pretty disappointed about this, as is everyone else.
The day starts as originally planned with a visit to the fish market in Catania. Here we will try out black and white documentary shots, with the emphasis on sharpening our observation and story-telling skills. We are shown some examples of this type of photography, given a few pointers and then set loose. Tim tells us to set the camera to Mono but also RAW so that all details are kept. The RAW file will actually be in colour even though the camera was set to B&W. It means you can use dedicated software on your PC to convert to B&W in the future without using the camera’s software. So that is something new that I have learned.
This was one of the first shots I took and I was very pleased with it. I saw the umbrellas and wondered if I could make the swordfish nose look like it was holding the umbrella up. It has context and the exposure is good. Now for more – we have a couple of hours.
I liked the shot below but it does not work in B&W
I enjoyed my time in the market. It was very challenging but definitely feel as though my observational skills are improving.
As we leave the market a fine rain is starting to fall. The forecast is not good. There is a bad storm on its way. We go back to the vehicles and start the drive to Etna where we are meant to take some amazing sunsets. Well – that is not going to happen for two reasons:-
- It is the middle of the day
- There is zero visibility. Low cloud has descended and the drive up Etna’s lower slopes is challenging. There are hairpin bends and seeing the road ahead is very tricky indeed.
Eventually we reach the cable car station to take us further up the volcano. The weather is really atrocious now. The wind is gusting fiercely. Heavy rain is driving horizontally and it is 6C. Nobody wants to go to the summit. What would be the point? Jon goes to talk to the guides to see if it is likely to improve. When he returns the news is that it will only get worse. The storm has really set in. We go to the restrooms, buy takeaway lunch and setoff back down the volcano for the long drive to Cefalu.
We try to put a brave face on it. We park the cars and walk through Cefalu to the sea front. Rivers are running down the streets, my jeans are soaked where the rain has run off my waterproof coat. This is not pleasant. The forecast however is that it might just ease off later. Ummm – that seems unlikely.
We find a bar and decide the only thing for it is to order drinks. I order a negroni, music is playing, the bar staff are dancing and then we are joined by all the local teenagers who have just come out of school. It’s party time. I can’t see youngsters in the UK mixing with oldies like this. I love Sicily. The people are fantastic. Such a joie de vivre!
The rain eventually eases and we leave the cafe and stroll down to the harbour. Despite the rain there are some fabulous photo opportunities. In fact, we all quickly realise that potentially we can capture some very enigmatic and moody scenes here.
I start by using my newly discovered monochrome skills to capture this very bedraggled fellow.
I spot the empty benches on the harbours and the reflections in the puddles. I must be able to create something from this.
This shot is quite pleasing, but I want to isolate the central bench and perfectly balance the reflection in the puddle. I spend ages in landscape mode but cannot achieve the right perspective. I need a box to stand on and then a thought…. How about portrait mode?
I am very pleased with the result. This is unedited and will make one of my three tonight but it took me at least 20 minutes to capture perfectly.
More inspiration followed as I walked along the pier.
I love the shot with the umbrella. I call it a splash of colour. It cannot be one of my 3 of the day as I had to crop and straighten it slightly.
My absolute favourite and apparently everyone else’s was this. I had applause and Tim said he would pay money for it and put it on his wall. It brought tears to my eyes.
We left Cefalu and made our way to our hotel in the capital of Palermo. As we drive up the hill out of Cefalu we look back and see the skies starting to clear
It was a longish drive made longer by the inability to find the hotel. We must have driven down the same streets several times. One alley was so narrow we literally thought we would get wedged half way down. Poor Tim, he lives in London, doesn’t drive much and has to tackle some really interesting road systems. He did not sign up to be a driver on this holiday. We were meant to have transport. Fortunately Mike is co-pilot and is a whizz with the navigation on his phone. We eventually find our hotel – Palazzo Sitano. It is situated in a perfect position in the historic old quarter so close to shops, bars and the harbour.
I check in and tell the receptionist that I have 2 extra nights booked. He corrects me and tells me that I definitely have not. Jon had assured me that he had sorted it. I shall be having words.
Dinner is in a fairly smart local restaurant. For smart read expensive! I made the right food choices, but I think other people’s meals were of variable quality. Nevertheless it was another fun evening and the wine flowed.
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