Fuji X-Pro 1 35 mm prime lens f11, ISO 400, 1/200th sec.
Copyright © Peter MacDonald photography 2013

This picture has a certain power, not just because of the dramatic location  but because of the contrast between the church and the background.

The church of San Pietro Caveoso perches right on the lip of a  ravine in the old part of Matera, a city and a province in southern Italy.

The first rays of the morning sun light the church but not the canyon, creating the dramatic effect.

It’s a good reason to be up and about a little before dawn or again as dusk falls, because it is then you are most likely to find good examples of contrast within scenes.

Fuji X-Pro 1, 35mm prime lens f9, ISO 400 1/150th sec and cropped.
Copyright © Peter MacDonald Photography 2013

Power of a different kind, this time it is the design of an Italian architect Nicola Salvi and sculptor  Pietro Bracci.

The work is part of the world famous Fontana di Trevi in Rome.

I would like a dollar fore every picture that has been taken of the fountain over the Italian summer  – mostly of the whole fountain which is 26 metres high and about 50 metres wide.

However the real power surrounds the central figure, the Roman god Oceanus, riding a shell chariot. Picking the right angle and aspect to capture that power was the job at hand.

Sometimes it is not the big picture that makes the best photograph but a smaller section which may heighten power and drama. This applies to almost any scene you might stand in front of, particularly when it is a well-photographed subject or landmark.

A night time shot of the church from a different angle can be seen here

As day breaks on top of the church, San Pietro Caveoso along the ravine at Matera on the last day of exploring this wonderful town.

The church is remarkably located on the edge of a ravine that is in the background. The night time photo from the opposite direction puts it into perspective.

By the light of the full moon – Matera town, Italy oozing its fabulous historical charm.

Again the little Fuji X100s performs hand held under low light conditions.

I sometimes think the word epiphany is over used and misunderstood

There was no manifestation of god or a sudden insight into the essential meaning of life, so this is about as close as I will ever come to an epiphany.

High up on the slopes of Chianti, there’s a little village called Lamole. which has a superb restaurant, a church and is surrounded by vineyards.

When I pulled up in front of the church one morning and got out of my car I heard beautiful music coming from inside.

I poked my head tentatively through the front door to see where it was coming from, thinking it was a recording.

The scene in this photo tells it all.

Five chaps in T-shirts and jeans, a quintet rehearsing for an upcoming festival playing Vivaldi’s Four Seasons in an exquisite setting.

There was not another soul around, just me and the players. For an hour I sat listening to them rehearse the four violin concertos.

The dome above the altar made for perfect acoustics and indeed a truly memorable experience for me.

Italy is full of surprises.

From a photographic point of view this is no great shot (I wasn’t about to disturb the moment), but it does illustrate my little story. Taken with available light with a Fuji X100s f4.0. shutter 1/40th sec, ISO 3200

You can almost imagine the sound of the Roman legions passing here 18 centuries ago.

A time when Matera in Southern Italy was being settled by the Romans and today the historical aura still remains.

It is no wonder Matera is often looked at by film directors for biblical and historical settings for their movies.

Roman Legions and film directors aside it was a challenging but rewarding location from a photographic viewpoint.

It is very obvious the lovely southern Italian town of Matera has been around for a long time…many centuries in fact.

Exploring the streets of Matera was fascinating to say the least.

From the pictures I have posted earlier which showed the structure of the town, it is a maze or a labyrinth and this is even more evident when walking along the streets or climbing the stairs.

The streets are narrow but there are spacious apartments cut into the rock behind the large solid doors that face the streets.

The street lamps provide yet another aspect that seems to enhance the cobble stone walkways and the archittecture. Around every bend and corner another scene unfolds.

Because of the way Matera is set out, outdoor space is at a premium and therefore gardens are mostly created by pots filled with colourful flowers, shrubs and the occasional small tree.

Similarly, because of the space limitations the creative approach to daily chores like drying the washing is like nothing you will see Down Under. This just adds to the colour that contrasts the stone and rock from which Matera is constructed.

The other thing about Matera is that there can’t be a soul there who isn’t as fit as a Mallee bull. You would have to be to get up and down what seems to be never-ending sets of stairs.

This post has got to be good value for money. Particularly when I am trying to pad out the pictures I took in Italy and France while I recover from the back surgery I had over a month ago.

The op’ is probably going to stop me from taking many pictures in the Flinders Ranges or Outback for another month or so.

As I mentioned in the previous post there’s a lot of restoration work going on in Matera.

This cat blended in with the stone masonry so well it looked like a carving.

Whether its coat was the colour of the stones or it was impregnated with the dust from the work I don’t know.

However it remained motionless apart from the raising of an eyebrow while I took the photograph.

Surfaces polished by time or human activity over many centuries.

The caves of Matera in Italy are full of textures which exude the passage of time.

It is said that humans or their relatives have lived in these caves for 9,000 years.

Even the outer facades of some of the Matera dwellings reflect the decay of many years. While much of the town has been restored to a former glory some buildings still wait their turn for the stomemason’s return.

Where else but Milan in Italy with Prada, Armani, Cartier and a host of other famous fashion houses all around.

Matera town by night.

Some really great restaurants featuring fresh local produce ensured an active nightlife in this rural community.

I recall resting the camera on the top of a wall to get this nightscape.

f2.8, shutter 1/10th sec, ISO 2000, FUji X 100s

It is no wonder that the ancient part of this little town in southern Italy has been a setting for movie makers looking for a biblical landscape.

Even better for me and my two little Fuji cameras.

Matera is an hour’s flight from Rome, near the Adriatic coastal town of Bari. After three days in Rome and the never-ending throngs of tourist, Matera was as peaceful as an afternoon nap.

The Sassi, as the old part of the town is called, are houses built into the rock of a ravine. Some are really only caverns and in some areas the roads are built on the rooves of houses. It is said that people were living in the original caves around 9,000 years ago but the town was settled by the Romans in the third century.

While it has gained international prominence in recent times, it was a perfect place for a photographic workshop but better for its wonderful restaurants and atmosphere.

The ancient town grew in height on one slope of a ravine created by a river that is now a small stream. The views are spectacular, the valley filled with the chimes of cow bells.
Forty years ago, Pier Paolo Pasolini shot “The Gospel According to St. Matthew” in Matera and more recently Mel Gibson thought it would make the perfect backdrop for his Jerusalem sets when filming “The Passion of The Christ, in particular the crucifixion scene.