When I was travelling through Romania in 1992 with my future wife Ali, we witnessed a tremendous amount of poverty. After seeing news reports at home in England, we had prepared ourselves for crowds of orphaned "street children", but in fact hardly saw any. Instead it was the sheer numbers of disabled people begging for spare... Continue Reading →
I often find myself browsing through the photos that I took in Venice. We were only there for a week and I have to say it was the most prolific week, in photographic terms, that I've ever had. Some stand out to me as personal favourites and there are a few images that I didn't... Continue Reading →
It was my interest in "street photography" that caused me to pick up a stills camera again five years ago after a twenty year hiatus from taking photographs (in the 80's and 90's it was how I made a living - but that's another story). Even in a place as picturesque as Venice I can't pass... Continue Reading →
My last post showed just how crowded Venice can get. Amazingly, it seems that most visitors don't move very far from St Mark's Square, so it's actually easy to reclaim some personal space by taking a short walk or water bus ride away from the area. Venice is famous for beautifully crafted glassware. The most famous (and... Continue Reading →
I didn't literally "pap" these newly weds, but I couldn't sit by and let them have their wedding pictures taken in such a beautiful location without grabbing some candids myself! (Click on the images to see them in higher resolution) Heavy full frame camera gear there - I wonder if he's considered going mirrorless? If you've seen... Continue Reading →
The occasional rainy weather during our Venice trip made for great umbrella pictures! This lady had remarkably found a comfortable spot to dream and contemplate life right next to the San Zaccaria water bus stop. She'd done well, because San Zaccaria is always thronging with tourists on their way to Saint Mark's Square or waiting for a gondola... Continue Reading →
. I'm not sure if this was a Venetian who needed a cigarette after saying a last goodbye or the funeral director on a quiet day. Either way the image seemed to have an ironic message as well as posing unanswered questions. Hope you like it. All photographs © all rights reserved Miles Pilling
It can be hard to get a sense of the "real" Venice in the tourist hot spots surrounded by hundreds of other sightseers. That's why this umbrella, depicting a Venice long gone, being held aloft by a tour guide to keep her flock near by, appealed to my ironic sense of humour. It took several minutes of... Continue Reading →
The sales people for the Olympus camera I was using in Venice make a big deal about its weather sealing. I'm always cynical about marketing claims, so when I found myself by the Ospedale Civile and as Italians (apparently) say it started "piove da morire" (raining to death), I gave this claim a real world test. These are a couple of the... Continue Reading →
At around a hundred Euros for less than an hours ride, we passed on a trip in a gondola. For some it's a "must do" when visiting Venice, but it was never very high on my bucket list though they do make very picturesque images. Water buses are massively cheaper, much more comfortable and a lot easier to get on and off!... Continue Reading →
. Patience pays off. I took this picture in front of German artist Heinz Mack's The Sky Over Nine Columns in Venice after sitting contemplating the beautiful scene for around 20 minutes. Hope you like it. There'll be more pictures from our trip to Venice coming soon, so do pop back for another look. All... Continue Reading →
Please take a look at the "about" page to see the circumstances that have encouraged me to start blogging again. There's a saying: "Instead of trying to coat the world with leather, get yourself a pair of shoes". It comes from the 8th century Indian Buddhist monk Śāntideva who said - “Where would I find enough leather To cover... Continue Reading →
Please take a look at the "about" page to see the circumstances that have encouraged me to start blogging again. Did you know you have a different body to the one you had seven years ago? I don't just mean that you've aged and might have put some weight on; your physical body has been replaced with virtually a completely... Continue Reading →
Please take a look at the "about" page to see the circumstances that have encouraged me to start blogging again. Every evening for a week of the eight week mindfulness course that I've been a part of, I would write a list of ten pleasurable things that I'd noticed during the day. We were encouraged to open up to the subtle, pleasant... Continue Reading →
mindful photos 