Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Staring at the waterfront

I'm digging into my hard disk to fetch some of those "Hey! This could be a good shot after all ..." pictures I took last summer on Elba island. These are from Enfola bay.



Friday, November 21, 2014

People Wisdom

... but the real problem is that people are only able to write it on walls, whereas they'd better saying these words to those who deserve it.


The real recognizes the real.

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

A look through the glass



On my way back to Milan, last week, I had to my surprise an almost unique opportunity to lay alone, for the whole night, in a compartment of the sleeping coach of the train coming from Vienna. The coach controller must have felt some pity for me, when he saw me jumping on the train and, instead of cramming me with three more people of uncertain origin, offered me an empty compartment, saying: "Lock the door from inside and have a good sleep. What do you prefer for breakfast: coffee or tea?"


Sleeping on a train is not that easy. You are shaken all the time, loud noises surround you, people pass by your room while talking out loud. There's nothing that lets you deeply surrender to the natural instinct to rest and detach from the world. After spending the whole night turning around myself on a hard "bed", I eventually opened the blinds and discovered that my train had been somehow "hijacked", due to the bad weather conditions that caused more than a riven to overflow and break the levees.
It didn't take me a lot to understand that it had been switched on an old single line railway, crossing the flatland of Pianura Padana. So, while waiting for my tea to be served, I took my cellcam out and started taking pictures of the landscape passing by.





A day far from here

One day in Villach (AUT), not far from the border with Italy. A working day, few people in the streets, very little to notice an italian wandering about in the afternoon under a soft drizzle, taking pictures with his cellcam.





On my second lap in the old town I was even able to find something that made me feel at home for a while. So I turned the street corner and went in. But it wasn't actually the same ... 



Saturday, November 15, 2014

On the road again

My backpack is filled with all my necessary, so is my trolley. It's time for a short stay abroad again. I'm not going far, a train will suffice. So I opted for not taking a camera with me: "I won't have time for ...", I thought. How could I be so stupid, I say. To my support, once again, the crankiest of the cameras working on this world: my mobile.



Milano, Stazione Centrale

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

The Institute opens back again

The Institute: Haunted: It used to be so simple. I moved the bath tub outside and had a swim. They sent me to The Institute. No big surprise. Now the race is on...

Friday, October 24, 2014

Big City

The taller the buildings, the lesser the trees.





The are less than 200 days left to the opening of Expo 2015.

Saturday, October 18, 2014

A nice discovery

I've started using my new mobile camera just before the end of last Summer break, as the old device battery was exhausted and couldn't help any more. It didn't take me too much to learn that playing with it could be much more pleasant than expected. Quality is still below my (not so high) standards but at least it is always with me, in my backpack or in my bike bag.

I'm used to have a ride on my MTB at least once a week. Sunday mornings are devoted to get wet with sweat, mud and sometimes rain. This was the case of last Sunday. My usual cycling companion dropped me a SMS, early in the morning, saying that he wouldn't afford to push his feet for two hours under the falling rain. So, after few minutes of mumbling about what to do, I put on a fluo-yellow wind jacket and went out of my apartment, whatever the sky promises were.

And it was nice, after all. Even though the sky was overcast, it didn't rain and I could quickly reach a narrow and shallow valley where the Olona river flows southward and rode along the "dirty" roads that surround its banks. To my surprise it was just like going back in a Sunday morning of a century ago, when the valley was full of small water powered textiles industries and a small steam train line connected as a necklace one factory after the other.
Now it's all gone. Only the peeled off walls and the tall brick chimneys of what gave work to thousands of people still stand up. Hopefully, in the coming years, woods will swallow these remains and cover every trace of the de-industrialization process this country underwent.




Thursday, October 16, 2014

Empty Spaces

"What shall we use to fill the empty spaces where we used to talk." (Pink Floyd)



Sunday, October 5, 2014

I can't ask for more ...

I have all that I could wish.


The reason why I chose this picture for this post is that I had more or less the same feeling in the moment that I took it. It was one of those frequent overcast and rainy days that we had last summer and, instead of spending my time under a beach umbrella, reading the newspaper and listening to the dialogues held by the neighbours laying under the closest umbrellas, I could take all the time I wanted to walk along the coast with an eye up in the sky and another on the boulders.
These are opportunities that come more and more seldom. And when they happen you feel much more than happy. You feel alive and in tune with what's around youself.
This morning I've had the chance to go out for a ride on my mountain bike and chose one of the route that I always wanted to ride. I can't say why I didn't do it before. What cares to me is that al last I managed to do it. That's enough.

Saturday, October 4, 2014

Light my way


(click or blow on the flame)

 Audioslave - Light My Way

Pebbles of Viticcio's beach at Elba Island


Thursday, October 2, 2014

F. & G.

Samples from a recent past time.


Flying F. on his shining blue (not shown in the picture) MTB


Fishergirl G. with her first capture of the year (and maybe life)

Black & White



Today, October 1st 2014, represents an important milestone of my life. After nearly 16 years spent working for Ericsson AB, my first big employer, I have moved under the wings of another company that just acquired the Research & Development site to whom I belong.
I've been asked how does it feel. Actually, it makes a strange effect entering into your offices, sitting at your desk and feeling that it won't be the same anymore. It made an even stranger effect having a new badge, with the same picture depicting yourself ten years ago and a new collar with different colors and brand.
Now the big questions are all about what is there ahead of us and what will it be of myself. New rules, new ways of working, new processes, new contacts and customers, of course and ... who knows. It won't be neither black nor white.
It's a matter of being patient, waiting and seeing. I've been repeating this sentence to myself since the transition announcement was given. And this is the most challenging part of the story.
There will be a time of strong decisions, long nights spent with the eyes wide open in the dark, dreams, great expectations, whispers and long terms plans between me and my spouse. It will be up to us, to stand up and ask for our part and, at last, acting according to the plot we have chosen to play. Whatever the hue of grey it will look like, we will turn it into black or white again.


  

Sunday, September 28, 2014

---



Almost three months have gone since I last wrote a word on this page. The misfortune that fell on me is so devastating that I had to take a long pause and think to something else: to my job, for instance, as well as to my family; to the fact that against my will I will change Company in a couple of days and suddenly everything has become uncertain, unstable and foggy; to my old idea to move somewhere else and restart a career that, for some reasons, will never take off in Milan.
There have been days, soon after the summer break that came after the robbery of my bag with all my personal data and documents inside, that I was almost terrified to enter the underground and upon taking the metro or a train I had to constantly repeat myself where I was going to. Last summer has been a long training and recovering season. I've learned to put my feet on the ground again and know where I am: all the time, everywhere. Now I felll stronger and more responsible: I know which steps to follow and I'm pursuing my choices with no hesitation. This, of course, means to have a better grip on my time and the things I do.
For what concerns photography, I never thought to give up. That's why I'm here again. .-)

Friday, July 4, 2014

Derubato - Robbed

(a message in english will follow)

Sono stato derubato.
Un attimo di distrazione, cinque minuti, anche meno e la mia borsa con dentro il nuovo notebook e un hard-drive con una copia di tutti i miei documenti personali sono spariti. Ho lasciato incustodita la borsa in una cappelliera del treno che ogni mattino prendo per andare al lavoro. Qualcuno, approfittando del fatto che ero sovrappensiero, deve averla trovata nel momento di scendere dal treno, nella stazione di Milano Cadorna e scoprendone il contenuto ha pensato bene di portarsela con sé.
Scrivo queste poche righe nella speranza che si tratti di qualcuno in grado di porsi delle domande, di leggere il READ.ME file presente sul disco, di raggiungere questa pagina e di provare un po' di scrupoli per me e la famiglia. Può tenersi il notebook ma se trovasse il modo di farmi avere indietro il disco con i miei dati gli sarei infinitamente grato. Posso anche pagare un compenso per la riconsegna, ammesso che ne abbia bisogno. Come raggiungermi è scritto nel READ.ME file ed anche nel biglietto da visita che avevo nella borsa. Il mio indirizzo di posta privato è: tiberio.fanti @ tiscali.it.


I was robbed. 
A moment of inattention, five minutes, even less and my bag with my new notebook and a hard-drive containing a copy of all my personal documents are gone. I left the bag unattended on the train that I take every morning to get to work. Someone, taking advantage of the fact that I was lost in thought, must have found it while getting off the train at Milano Cadorna Station and discovering its content has well thought to take it with him.
I write these few lines in the hope that he/she is someone able to ask him/herself questions, read the READ.ME file on disk, reach this page and try a little scruples for me and my family. He/She can keep the notebook but if he/she found a way to bring me back the disc with my data, I would be infinitely grateful. I can also pay a fee for the return, assuming it's needed. How to reach me is written in READ.ME file and also in the business card that I had in the bag. My private e-mail address is: tiberio.fanti @ tiscali.it.

Sunday, June 22, 2014

On my stalk

Spring has gone, this year's bloody May and June have gone, my company has gone as well, leaving room to another brave investor coming from far with little warranties and many good promises but ... I'm still here, standing up on my thorny stalk, even though a little dried up, tired and disillusioned.


Thursday, June 19, 2014

International Earth & Sky Photo Contest 2014


The World At Night





I'm not used (at least in recent times) to post pictures not mine. Nevertheless from time to time it happens to find out there, on the web some very good food for thoughts or for inspiration. This collection of photographs is taken from The World At Night, "an international effort to present stunning night-scape photos and time-lapse videos of the world’s landmarks against celestial attractions". Nearly ten minutes well spent.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Back to Brännö - II

Right in the middle of the island, where the two main streets cross each other, there's a small restaurant with few tables inside the two small rooms available (and a small "veranda" just fit for one round table). It usually takes some luck to find it open and a table where to sit. I remember that once, in the autumn season, I got to the door five minutes after the closing time and, notwithstanding the kitchen was open for the guests already sitting inside, I was told to be late. I found it quite disappointing to get back on my steps, walk the mile to the peer and sit under the waiting hut for almost an hour.
This time I was lucky. All the noisy guests were sitting outside and beside a nice group of gentle ladies talking quietly in the setting sun soaked veranda, no one else was inside. I picked my favourite corner, called for the chart and, while waiting for the dinner to be served, I pulled out my travels notebook and started taking record of the lucky event.




Saturday, June 14, 2014

Back to Brännö

I can't remember when I last put my feet on Brännö, one of the Goteborg southern archipelago islands. I remember it wasn't a great day from the weather point of view: heavy clouds were covering the sky and I could wonder aimlessly around the island streets without crossing my sight with a single human being. From a photographic point of view it was the perfect situation. A pity I just had my mobile phone and nothing more ("Thinking Spots").
So the idea of getting back on it with something better than a mobile can has been waiting silently in my head until a couple of days ago, when I packed the old Powershot together with cables and notebooks in my trolley. Timing was planned to be short but I had the seasonal stretch of the day time at my side. Just needed a weather good enough to let me go.


Upon my arrival the aircraft made a tour of the bay area facing the river mouth and soon the silent idea in the corner of my mind woke up and started shouting. Brännö and its sisters island of the archipelago were there under the wing.



In the few minutes of wait before disembarking, watching at the luggage people relaxing into their van, I realised that I had muted my spirit of initiative for too long and took mind to look for the best opportunity for finding again myself alone and heed for that sprinkle of limestone in the cold waters of the northern seas. Last time I had been in Goteborg was the end of January: freezing cold, blocks of ice drifting along the river, bad travel company, no daylight and very little time.


So, after a couple of busy and frantic days spent in meeting rooms and long evening talks about our company situation, while sitting on downtown restaurants tables, I eventually found myself alone with still a few hours of daylight to enjoy. At 6:00 p.m. I was still in office; forty minutes later I had already rushed into my hotel room, changed myself, dropped PC and other useless things and gone out to catch bus #114 at the stop few hundreds meters away.
On my arrival at Saltholmen pier, I had to make my last run of the day as all three ferries were about to leave. Nothing to complain: I knew I had twenty minutes to rest before landing on the island.



The short navigation that many islanders do every day was to me like a trip back in time and into the core of some well known swedish traditions. Passing by an array of all alike red fishermen huts (don't ask me about the swedish name, I know the norvegian equivalent but could be in error) we reached the pier of Asperö island, another small stretch of rock separated by Brännö by just a short swim distance.








Thursday, June 5, 2014

Gone fishing: back soon.

I have nothing to say. I had written a long article to comment the picture below. Then I thought it was not really necessary and brushed everything off. The sun is low on the horizon, pointing at the northern pole once again. I'm heading north as well. Maybe for the very last time, maybe for the very first. Who knows.