A Quiet Moment

Arco della Pace :: Italy

Over the Valentines/Presidents Day long weekend, Sean and I decided on a last minute trip to Italy.  Yes….you heard right.  Italy.  Just a short 9-ish hour flight away from New York (plus a two hour drive to the airport).

No big deal. lol

It was a great trip for a lot of reasons.

A) We were in Italy.  We got to see so many awesome things, check out the southern Alps (!!!), get lost in a city where we didn’t speak the language, and ruin any future attempts at eating pizza.  After you’ve had real Italian pizza, nothing compares, ya know??

….annnnnnndddd….. (mush alert)

B) We were together. 🙂 Awwwww.

So truly, the day we discovered this arch, we had no concrete plans.  We were going to try to go check out Parma (because I love cheese) but missed the train by two minutes (oops!).  So instead, we trekked across Milan in search of a castle and ended up stumbling upon this empty plaza.  Now, as you know, I’m more of a “natural landscape” kind of gal but this scene…with its texture, patterns, symmetry and the soft feel of a freshly-rained-on location…was too damn pretty.  I had to photograph it. 🙂

Hope y’all enjoy the image.  For those of you looking for some hands-on help with your own photographs, I do offer on-location classes, editing help and feedback sessions that can be done either online or in person.  Feedback sessions help you break down some of your own work so you can develop a plan to reach your photography goals.  If that sort of thing interests you, feel free to email me at seespotsphoto at yahoo dot com.

xoxo

Shannon

Never Forget

Flatiron :: NYC

“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.”
This image was taken of the Flat Iron in NYC a few years back. Every trip I take to that city is an emotional one. New York is so vibrant, but I am always reminded of the loss and the pain that NYC suffered. That in turn, reminds me to be grateful for each and every day I have on this earth and to live and love fiercely.

For me, today is a day of remembrance to honor those lost not just in 2001, but in all crimes of intolerance and power struggles throughout the world. Its also a reminder to give thanks to everyone who works hard every day to keep our country and our citizens safe.

Life is short. Live it to the fullest with love and appreciation in your heart. Hug the people you care about. Don’t be frugal with kind words and smiles. Understand that different doesn’t necessarily mean bad. Be accepting and kind isn’t easy…it requires personal strength to overcome our fears of the unknown. The dream of world peace is a huge under taking, but it starts with us. Every person in our international community has the power to affect the way the winds blow. It starts with our actions, our reactions and the strength of our character. It lies in our ability to talk, to listen, to respect one another, to let go of the small stuff, to be generous with our goodwill, to understand what situations call for strength and what situations call for love. You can be the change. <3

#911 ‪#‎neverforget‬

Blue Hour in Toronto

Blue Hour Toronto Skyline

The last of my three Long Exposure submissions for this month’s collaboration with my co-host Nick is an HDR image of the Toronto skyline.  It was my first visit to Toronto, and the lesson I learned: things close early on Sunday.  We had plans to eat at in / explore the Distillery District and St. Lawrence Market, but by the time we made our way to that side of the city, most of the restaurants were closed.

We eventually found a great little place to eat, but we were definitely into the blue hour by the time we paid our bill.  I was convinced I had missed my opportunity at a good skyline shot since I was smack in the middle of skyscrapers, with no clear lines of sight at anything…until we came to this spot.

I looked up, pointing out the CN Tower to my friend, telling her she should take a picture.  Then it dawned on me…perhaps I should also take a picture. haha