While in Rome a few months ago I knew that I needed a night shot of the Coliseum. However with it being such an iconic figure of Roman landscape, it’s pretty much a zoo at all hours of the day. Except between the hours of 3am and 5am. So, what do we do but set our alarm for 2:45am, have our hotel concierge call us a cab, and off we go to shoot in the pouring rain! 

The tricky part about shooting in a downpour is not keeping your body dry but keeping your equipment safe!  In the case of our predawn Coliseum shoot, I’ve never seen anything more hilarious & I so wish we had a photo to capture our madness: My sweet (and completely soaked!) husband holding the umbrella over my head, my camera & tripod for an hour just so his crazy wife could get her one shot. What love. And yet that’s what makes it an adventure & one of the many reasons this shot was worth the treck through the soaked streets of Rome.

Following a remarkable breakfast overlooking the entire city from the Eden’s rooftop terrace, we left to get lost in the city. Although we’d both been to Rome on our own a few times before, it’s always fun exploring a city with your best friend in one hand & your 5D in the other! A couple of Europe trips ago we came up with the phrase “sight-shooting”, which I think perfectly suits us! All of our exploring is done through a lens. And while it’s always great to get those famous landmark shots that are unique to each city, so much of the fun (for me at least) is finding those little hidden gems in the details.  Whether it’s a quiet little cobblestone street off the beaten bath, a memorable meal or maybe even just a different perspective, I think that’s what makes travel photography so great. You can visit a place a dozen times and still manage to find new shots or still not even get the one you want. One of my biggest inspirations of all times is a husband & wife travel photography duo called Scanlan. They once shared with me that sometimes it will take them four or five different trips to a destination before they get that ONE shot that they want; a lifestyle that requires an unbelievable amount of practice, dedication & patience. I think about that concept often, especially when I’m traveling abroad to shoot. I sometimes find myself getting frustrated or anxious about getting “the shot”. Whether it’s the lighting that’s unfavorable, bad weather or a scene that’s over crowded with people, I sometimes start slipping into the mindset that I get one chance to get it right and one chance only. And sometimes that’s true. But more often than not we have more second chances than we realize, we just fail to see the grace of the moment. Sometimes that moment requires us to take a step back, take a deep breath, readjust our focus & wait for the distraction to pass through the view finder. More often than not, when you do that, things will look a little differently.

Thanks again for sharing in our Journey. Up next on the blog: shooting at the Coliseum at 4am in the pouring rain! Till next time…

Vatican at Midnight

Bike in the Street

The Trevi

Waiting for the shot

Heaven

We’ve since been reunited with our bags & can now look back & laugh at how for the first 3 days of our trip we are both wearing the exact same thing in every picture. And of course, the image of both us in our matching size XL undershirts & shorts from our amazingly handy little Iberia toiletries bags is priceless. Having to make do with whatever we could find & not worry about what we didn’t have was in a way, surprisingly refreshing; you can’t be tied down to what you don’t have. We are excited now for all the amazing destinations through Italy, Greece & Turkey that are ahead of us. After catching up on some much needed sleep & working through this jet lag I hope to be able to write more and post some of the amazing photos we’ve been able to capture thus far!! Tomorrow we head to Istanbul, which should be absolutely fascinating!

So today, take a minute to reflect on what’s going on at this moment. Can you find simplicity in the midst of chaos? Perhaps there’s a bigger purpose at work around you. Thanks for taking the time to read about the exciting start to our trip & I hope you’ll follow us through this amazing Journey we’re on.

Early morning on the Spanish Steps

if you’ve never had the chance to catch fall in its most colourful corners of our beautiful nation, you really must put it on your to-do list! having grown up in southern california, you don’t experience seasons like you do in other parts of the country and world. i really feel i’ve missed out on autumn’s breathtaking and fleeting splendor! until now. never in my life have i seen colours like this! it’s so majestic and so, almost…holy. it really takes your breath away. our God is so artistic in His creation.

here are a few frames i shot early this morning. enjoy a glimpse of heaven. be well in your Journey.