Discount on Food Photography Workshop in Siena, Tuscany

Via Ray Lamothe of Tuscan Enterprises I came into contact with Mia Anzola who sets up a variety of courses in Italy, including photography courses.  From the 11 to the 16 October 2010, Mia has a course all about the art of food photography in Siena, Tuscany.

The food photography course is being run by professional Italian photographer, Alessandro Guerani, who aims to teach people how to photograph food.

OK, OK, I know some people out there will say, ‘Hey, it’s easy to photograph food.  You just point your camera at it and press the shutter button. It doesn’t even move!’.  Theoretically, this is true, but, in practice, there is much more to creating appetising images of food.  What helps is being able to “see” properly.  Actually, although it may seem simple, it’s not.  Being taught how to see, by someone who can, and Guerani can, will make all the difference.  You can see examples of Guerani’s tasty food photography on his website: Alessandro Guerani

Can You See?

Once you can “see” – note the inverted commas – you will be able to create images that attract buyers, whether your buyers are magazines and websites or simply lovers of food flavour photographic art.

With the advent of the internet the thirst for good images has become virtually insatiable, but there are still not too many people capable of producing the kind of captures which capture the imagination of visitors or readers, and lead them to visit a restaurant, or purchase a product, either on or off-line.  Enter the skilled photographer who has devoted some time to learning the craft, thus setting her or himself apart from the rest.  The kind of person whose work gets featured on big foodie sites like Food and Wine, or Wine Spectator, Condé Nast Traveller, and even popular sites like Time, and many others. And don’t forget devices like the Kindle, the full colour Apple iPad, iPhone, and Sony’s eBook reader.

These electronic readers of eBooks, newspapers, magazines, and websites allow people to take content with them anywhere and everywhere.  Innovative and fast becoming popular, these devices can even be used as electronic cook books.  Cook books need enticing photographs.  I think you get the idea – good photographers have a life time of, profitable, work ahead of them.

With a little luck, I’ve whet your appetite for Mia’s Digital Food Photography course in Siena, Italy. But to further tempt you, Mia and I have come up with a kind of group discount, so you can learn about food photography and save enough to get a good tripod – which you will need, if you decide to do this course (Try Amazon.com).

If you hunger for more, then read on. … Continue Reading

Italian Artist Gaetano Fiore Dedicates Exhibition to Jazz Great Bill Dixon

Music and art have much in common.  Take Jazz for example, jazz is to music what abstract is to art, with both abstract art and jazz drawing heavily upon improvisation.  Musicians such as late jazz great Bill Dixon have always found inspiration in art, while artists like Gaetano Fiore seek to interpret the images conjured up in music.

Bill Dixon

While music is an ensemble of notes, art is an ensemble of forms and colours.  Perhaps this is why Italian artist friend of mine Gaetano Fiore held such admiration for Bill Dixon, admiration which led to Fiore developing a relationship with Bill Dixon, an African-American avante guard jazz musician, trumpeter, composer and educator, who sadly left this world in June this year.

What many people may not know is that Bill Dixon helped inspire an Italian artist, acting as a mentor for the artist in question, Gaetano Fiore.  Dixon, albeit at a distance, followed Fiore’s artistic evolution, at times critiquing Fiore’s work.  Dixon’s contribution is something Fiore has never forgotten.  I remember being contacted by Gaetano Fiore soon after Dixon’s death had been announced.  For Gaetano Fiore, Bill Dixon was, and still is, a significant influence.

In appreciation of Bill Dixon’s ‘gift of ideas’, if one can call it that, Gaetano Fiore has decided to dedicate an exhibition to his American mentor. … Continue Reading

Berlusconi Will Win Italy Again

Berlusconi’s government looks as though it is in trouble, but it is probable that Silvio Berlusconi would like nothing more than to go to the country. If he does manage to push Italy towards general elections, he will win again, because Italy’s left know zero about marketing.

On the other hand, part of Berlusconi’s finely tuned marketing strategy involves attempting to push through a reform to Italy’s justice system that may well push Italy towards general elections.

Angelino Alfano, Berlusconi’s justice minister, is saying that he wants a law to speed up Italy’s court cases introduced as soon as possible.  That Italy needs such laws is indisputable, what with cases taking decades to filter through Italy’s justice system.  Only some believe that the reform being proposed by Alfano will have the effect of preventing cases from being properly heard.  Effectively, under the proposed new legislation, if a court case is not concluded within a prescribed time, it will end, and whoever was being tried will be able to trundle off home with an untainted record.

It’s a strange kind of ‘reform’ in that it means that in certain circumstances justice will not be done, which is what often happens in Italy anyway as time barring limits seem cause court cases to fizzle out here.  This is something a certain Silvio Berlusconi knows a little about.   And it just so happens that the new accelerated trials law may well help him out of a couple of legal pickles he’s got himself into.

That the new law will lend Silvio a lending hand has not escaped the attention of Italian newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano, and the newspaper’s readers.  In fact, the majority of those who commented on an Il Fatto Quotidiano article on the short trials proposal seem to be of the opinion that the new law is designed to save Silvio.  Italy’s judges are up in arms too, saying that the reform will merely waste time.

All part of Silvio’s marketing strategy, which is being helped on its way by the dire attempts of Italy’s main opposition party, the left-leaning PD, to ready itself for elections. … Continue Reading

Pinzimonio, Vegetables and Olive Oil from Tuscany

Elsewhere on BlogfromItaly.com, I’ve asserted that slow food can be quicker to prepare than so-called fast food.  Pinzimonio, and Italian starter is one prime example.  Something similar accompanied by ‘dips’ often appears at barbecues and dinner parties, but it’s something which can be served every day.

We had a pinzimonio starter today.  All that was needed was a few vegetables which don’t need to be cooked, a dose of good olive oil, like some I acquired from Ray Lamothe’s gorgeous Casamonti home in Tuscany, and seasoning.  In this case, the seasoning came from another Tuscan venue, Dario Mac, a Tuscan burger joint I visited and raved about recently, and, I apologise, will continue to send up from time to time.

I digress, as usual. Back to the pinzimonio, an Italian word which bears some resemblance to ‘parsimonious’, only pinzimonio is frugal, but without the stinginess.  Pinzimonio is quick and simple to prepare, as well as being exceedingly healthy.

So, what do you need to cook up your own Italian style pinzimonio? … Continue Reading

Burgers in Tuscany – Mac Dario, Panzano in Chianti

My Tuscan experience continued today with a visit to a burger joint in Tuscany. Only this was no ordinary burger joint, it was Mac Dario in Panzano in Chianti, which is run by Italian restaurateur and butcher extraordinaire, Dario Cecchini.

Dario Cecchini is something of a celebrity chef and none other than Jamie Oliver had sent one of his butchers over to Dario to learn the ropes in Tuscany.

I was there in the company of my hosts, Anna Rita and Ray of Casamonti – purveyors of fine Tuscan cinta senese hams and Tuscan Enterprises villa rentals and to meet up with Tuscan cooking expert Divina Cucina herself, the bubbly Judy Witts Francini, who had chosen Mac Dario as the place to celebrate her husband Andrea’s birthday.

Dario Cecchini

As a place to celebrate a birthday, Mac Dario‘s certainly made an original choice, although Judy was no stranger to this intriguing Tuscan burger joint. If only all fast food were this good, and had Judy’s extremely tasty and fruity sauce – her ‘Mostarda Mediterranea’ – not to be confused with the ‘blow your socks off’ northern Italian variation of mostarda.

Judy’s hubby Andrea had brought along a bottle of 1990 Molino Sauvignon red for us all to try, for in Mac Dario customers are more than welcome to bring along bottles of their own favourite wines.

Andrea’s choice of wine was excellent even if the heady full bodied red he had chosen would perhaps have been more suited to late Autumn or Winter. Still, it was a lovely red and he was celebrating his birthday, so one would expect a wine lover to spoil himself a little.  He spoiled us too.

Then there was a the, er, Tuscan style ‘fast’ food, which was excellent. And Judy’s cook book. … Continue Reading

From Twitter to Tuscany

Would you believe that offering a little advice to someone via Twitter could get you an invitation to spend a week or so in Tuscany? No? You wouldn’t believe it would you, except it happened.

Yes, tweeting a little advice about RSS and blogging towards Ray Lamothe of Tuscan Enterprises landed me with an invitation to spend a week in the heart of Chiantishire at Ray’s ‘headquarters’.

I’m writing this from beside the pool, next to the place where Ray makes his rather good ham and salami. Ray, you see, has his versatile hand in several Italian flavour pies. From wine, olive oil and delicious salami, to villa rentals and a few other bits an bobs. He knows his neck of the Tuscan woods very well. I also have to say that his Tuscan estate, for that is what it is, is simply stunning. It’s right on the doorstep of a charming little Italian town which goes by the name of Castellina in Chianti.

The trip from Milan to Tuscany took a little longer than I expected, but good things are worth the wait. … Continue Reading