My wanderlust took me to Southern Italy in May where I visited Rome, the Amalfi Coast and Capri.  There were too many tourists for my taste.  I prefer the quieter main streets and back roads in more remote locations.  Alas, there I was.

So, the proverbial question was: how do you make a unique photograph in the world's most visited cities and countries?  I knew that I wasn't content to take the stereotypical images of the Colosseum.  And our guided tour of Pompeii at Noon, accompanied by a blazing overhead sun, didn't bode well for making memorable images.

Copyright 2012 Cindy A Stephens

If you have been to the Amalfi Coast one of the things you'll well remember are the coastal roads that twist and turn like corkscrews.  To drive on them is not for the faint of heart.  I began to notice the mirrors near the entrance to the blind curves that were designed to alert drivers of oncoming traffic (as well as the liberal honking of horns).  It occurred to me that driving the Amalfi coast was a fact of everyday life for residents of the Sorrentine Peninsula.  This is what drew me to the mirrors.  I decided to use them to tell a story about Southern Italy.

Copyright 2012 Cindy A Stephens

I focused on finding creative ways to use mirrors (and later windows) in my compositions to reflect the surrounding scenes.  Some of these "early" images were successful and others were experimental.  What I found was that this approach gave me a new way of "seeing".  For instance, upon my return to Rome it allowed me to juxtapose historical Rome with the modern-day reality of getting around in a crowded city. 

Copyright 2012 Cindy A Stephens

And it led me to take what I think is an unusual image in Saint Peter's square.  In all, it gave me the opportunity to use multiple planes of perspective in my images -- a favorite approach of mine.

If I had to sum my photographic learnings I’d say: 1) have a point of view to tell; 2) don’t play it safe; 3) travel off-season!

Until the next journey.