photography Archives - Page 14 of 15

Interview with Alessandro Melillo

August 31, 2007 by Scooter in the Sticks 6 Comments

A few weeks ago Alessandro Melillo made a post here suggesting that we exchange interviews about the Vespa, riding, and photography. Since Alessandro is from Italy I thought it would be fun to find out how those experiences compare between Central Pennsylvania and the birthplace of Vespa. He documents in words and pictures his travels and observations much like I do in Scooter in the Sticks. Check out his blog l’Insetto Scoppiettante.

After exchanging some questions by email we developed the interviews below that will appear on both out blogs. If you have any questions let us know.

Now on to the interviews!

What’s your name/nickname? Where do you live?

Alessandro Melillo is my real name. I was formerly known as “Sgmund” and I’m nickmaned “RonJe” for awhile because of a joke between me and some local grommits, about… erh… skateboarding gear and a famous porn actor. I have to admit that I’m even a little ashamed! And yes, “grommit” is how kids are called in skateboarding jargon; well, they actually aren’t kids no more, they do vote and drive a car. Time passes for everyone!

I live in Tuscany, on the coast of western central Italy, in a town called Piombino, just in front of Elba island.

What kind of Vespa are you currently riding?

A marvelous LXV 125 with rear and front chrome luggage holder.

Why did you start bloggin’about it?

Because I felt the urge of communicating to everyone what I was
experiencing as a rider. In Italy you may start driving a bike at 16 but
I never got interested in it; instead I preferred many other passions as traveling, for instance, and backpacking, and shooting photographs. Then I discovered that a scooter could easily link all those occupations, and enhance them. I bought my Vespa less than four months ago, now it counts more than 7500 km!

What do you use your Vespa for?

Commute to work, mainly, as I work as an architect in an office twenty km from my hometown. In the weekends I ride for the pleasure of riding, and once every two weeks I ride to reach my girlfriend’s hometown, 120 km away from me.

This summer I enjoyed my vacation in Sardinia, obviously on my Vespa, and I’m reporting about it on my weblog.

How are scooters viewed by other drivers and riders?

I fear scooters aren’t seen at all by car drivers; this is clearly demonstrated when you suddenly smell flowers and you’re hit by a gentle fresh shower a moment before realizing that the car driver before you is cleaning his windshield and he neither looked at the mirror. Car drivers
too often calibrate their actions on cars and rarely think of riders.

Just go read my post titled Vespa vs. BMW 1-0. On the contrary, riders are obvoiusly more aware of their “colleagues” and are much more friendly. During my last trip to Sardinia I crossed a lot of riders (bikers and scooterists) who greeted me with the usual gesture. I like that. There is, though, a small group of, well, let’s say “funny guys”, who dislike scooters, expecially if they’re modern automatic ones, and think you’re not a real man if you don’t ride a Rat Bike. Go on, brave men, teach us everythin’! As for me, I just don’t like big bulky scooters but it’s just a matter of taste and I won’t discriminate their owners just because I don’t like their vehicle; I just try to pay attention to everyone and be polite, that’s all and it makes you feel ok.

What about photography, then?

I’m the son of an amateur photographer but I discovered it late. My girlfriend is the true photographer between us, as she’s been shooting since she was a young girl.

I shoot digital with a Nikon Coolpix 5700, a prosumer compact camera I bought after having read an interview to Alex Majoli (he actually shoots with Olympus gear) and I’m way too happy with it. Then I shoot film with a 1959 Zorki 4 rangefinder, a Yashica FX-3 SLR and a YashicaMat medium format TLR.

I shoot only b/w on my film cameras, and I generally prefer shooting b/w but sometimes I feel the need for color and I take the digital camera. I like Ilford film.

You can find my portfolio on flickr.

How do Vespa and Photography mix?

The first one is a means to experience the world around; when I started riding I immediately perceived strong differences between a scooter and the car: riding a scooter you get smells and perfumes, you hear every sound or noise and you feel air, moisture and rain. It’s an enhanced
experience, a natural psychedelic. Photography is quite the same, as through it you may cause feelings and reactions, helping people to perceive what you perceived when you shot the picture. It’s easy to join the two things, as the Vespa lets you reach interesting locations and your camera records images and feelings.

Even in a short commute as I go back home, in the evening, I often find it natural to stop for a couple of minutes to enjoy the light among pine trees, a sunset, a squirrel, the perfume of wet asphalt and maybe shoot a photograph.

I rarely ride with the explicit intent of shooting, it all comes pretty natural.

What photographic gear do you bring with you when you go out for a ride?

Not much, actually. Usually just one camera, a pocket sized tripod (it’s 20 cm tall, aluminium made and becomes a small tube when folded) and a spare roll of film if I took a film camera with me. Oh, and *the polarizer*, damnit, I forget it too often and I discover I need it when I cannot find it in my pocket. To be honest, I’m leaving for the weekend and I forgot it at home again!

Did your Vespa change the way you perceive the landscape around you?

Yes, a lot. Driving inside a car lets you only have what I call a “TV view” of the landscape; the windshield is a frame and if you turn your head you encounter the edges, so you’re unconsciously forced to look again straight ahead.

The Vespa lets you look around, and if you smell a good perfume you can explore to spot the source (well, trying not to crash!), or you can enjoy a line in a landscape following it for its entire length as it’s not broken by a frame. It’s way easier this way to spot a nice image and
a good subject for a picture. And it’s easier to stop anywhere, get off the saddle and shoot.

Do you have any suggestion for the Vespa riders and/or the
photographers?

To the Vespa riders I’d suggest not to be scared by the rain and wet weather, just wear the right gear. I’m gonna buy a good parka, and an over-trousers protection; for backpacks and generic luggage I use a McKinley backpack cover, and maybe when weather gets worse I’ll look for
a medium-sized windshield. Wear sunglasses in bright days, expecially at morning and at sunset, when the sun can blind you unexpectedly; oh, and take care of your chrome and exposed metallic parts, they can rust and become a mess more quickly than you could think.

To the photographers I’d suggest not to be fascinated by brands, by trends and icons; just be yourself and shoot for the joy of doin’ it. Your thousands-of-bucks newest Nikon/Canon/Leica/Whatever camera won’t heal your dirty eye, enhancing your pictures. Instead, washing your face in the morning, a cup o’coffee after a short ride and your trusted
aluminium-and-glass brick and some cheap good film will do.

To both I’d simply suggest to scoot on, enjoy the ride, and obviously share with us your joy through some nice pictures!

That’s all for now, let me know your impressions, and if you run a Vespa and photography weblog lemme know about it!

Alessandro Melillo
http://alexmelillo.altervista.org
——————

Steve Williams Interview

What’s your name and where do you live?

My name is Steve Williams and I live in the ridge and valley region of Central Pennsylvania. This part of the state is covered with small roads and trails wandering through field and forest and ideal for riding. I feel fortunate to find myself here.

What kind of Vespa are you currently riding?

For the past seven months I have been riding a 2006 Vespa GTS 250ie. That scooter replaced my previous 2006 LX150 that I unfortunately destroyed after incorrectly reassembling the driven pulley during a belt change. Between those two scooters I have traveled nearly 14000 miles.

Why did you start blogging about it?

I started blogging initially because I needed to determine what was involved in creating and maintaining content on a regular basis for a project at work. Since I had recently acquired the Vespa LX150 I thought it would be a good test topic. My wife Kim came up with the name Scooter in the Sticks and after only a few weeks of shooting pictures and writing I realized that my blog was a good fit for my creative interests and riding. Since then Scooter in the Sticks has sort of taken on a life of its own including being awarded the Best Motorcycle or Scooter Blog by Motorcycle Bloggers International. I continue to use the blog as a way to focus my riding, writing, and photography interests.

What do you use your Vespa for?

Initially I purchased the Vespa just to have something fun to do every now and then. It was so much fun that I began commuting to work everyday as well as take recreational rides on weekends. When cold weather hit I bought some better gear and continued to ride through the winter. I’m now a year round rider and find constant adventure through sun, rain, and snow. I ride the Vespa so much now that last year I put less than 1000 miles on my Ford Ranger truck. The Vespa is more than capable in meeting my transportation needs and can haul more things than I would have expected—like bags of sand, eight bags of groceries, or a seven foot tall Christmas tree!

How are scooters viewed by other drivers and riders?

On the road I have to say that here in Central Pennsylvania the other drivers and riders are generally courteous and careful. I think that is a fringe benefit of not having a lot of traffic to frustrate everyone. There are still instances were people do stupid things but that is the exception rather than the rule. I still pay careful attention and never assume the right of way. I try to remain calm and accept any craziness on the road as a part of the way things are.

The reaction to the Vespa by other riders is interesting, especially those who don’t know much about scooters. Riders are generally surprised at how fast the GTS can go. They think of it as a toy or at best something to run around town on errands. The idea that I would ride it 200 miles or more during a ride almost seems to unsettle them. I get some friendly jabs at times about riding that little scooter but those seem to die out when I continue riding into winter long after other riders have surrendered their’s to mother nature.

I think the biggest misconception I run into with the Vespa is that it is only capable of short trips at low speeds. The idea of it being a touring machine is almost inconceivable in a culture where bigger is believed to be better and personal discomfort and fear seem to demand power and size far beyond what is actually necessary to travel.

What about photography then?

I think, in part, much of the success of Scooter in the Sticks is related to the photographs I make. I try and push myself to create pictures that visually mirror the stories I write. I generally travel light in terms of camera equipment from a small Canon S50 Powershot tucked into my riding jacket to a tripod strapped to the seat and a Nikon D200 and Mamiya 7 stowed in my rear bag. Just depends on where I am going and how much time I think I might have. Any color work is done digitally and the Mamiya 7 is always loaded with black and white film that I still process and print in the darkroom I have at home. I’ve not fully developed a black and white project around riding and landscape but am slowly working in that direction. My previous and ongoing projects revolved around my wife Kim and the landscape I live in. They can be viewed here:

http://mysite.verizon.net/limonium7/index.html

How do the Vespa and photography mix?

A near perfect combination. For me my personal photography is a contemplative and meditative process. It requires me to be present and available to what is going on around me and requires practice and patience. The Vespa compliments that in a couple important ways. Riding requires attention if risk is to be managed effectively. That heightened awareness spills over into my ability to see not just the road but subject matter as well. The other thing I have found is that the Vespa’s nimble handling makes it so easy to stop to take a picture. I can maneuver the scooter so easily into places, U-turns, and generally do things that are cumbersome on a bigger machine. The Vespa is a perfect moving photo transport. For years I passed many great scenes in my car or truck because it was too big a pain to stop.

What photographic gear do you take with you when you go out for a ride?

On a serious photography trip I will take a Nikon D200 with a 4 GB card, a 20mm and 105mm macro lens, and a Mamiya 7 rangefinder camera with an 80mm lens. This does vary at times but generally this is what I have in the rear bag along with a half-dozen rolls of film. At times I will also strap a Tilt-All tripod across the seat. I try and keep the gear to a minimum so as not to make the photography too intrusive on the ride.

Did the Vespa change the way you perceive the landscape around you?

The Vespa didn’t so much change the way I perceive the landscape as it did make me available to see it. By this I mean I was out in the world more looking for pictures. When I was venturing out by car to make photos I just didn’t do it as much. Acquiring the Vespa has brought some unexpected gifts—greater awareness and more photography.

Do you have any suggestions for Vespa riders and/or photographers?

The first thing I tell people is to learn to ride well. I was a self-taught rider as a kid and when I returned to riding a few years ago I took the Motorcycle Safety Foundation Beginning Rider course even though I thought I knew how to ride. The truth was I didn’t and had a lot of bad habits and gaps in skill. Those are the things that can kill you on the road. I began what I consider a life long path of learning riding skills and strategies to manage risk. These have nothing to do with photography and everything to do with being able to ride safely. From that place I can make sound decisions to ride in rain, fog, snow, cold, heat and other situations that make be rich in photographic content. I try and gently suggest to new riders that there is a lot more to riding than being able to ride in a straight line and occasionally turn or stop.

My only suggestion to photographers is to shoot consistently. I firmly believe that through practice my photographic skill and results improve. If I try and think my way to good work I will never leave the living room.

Working and Riding

July 20, 2007 by Scooter in the Sticks 11 Comments

They do mix. I’m not just talking about the ride to work or even as transportation to and from assignments. What I’m referring to is using the Vespa as a tool to do a better job.

The Luna Moth carcass I saw on the ground is one of those little details that are easy to miss if you aren’t paying attention. And there are things to see everywhere. Little hidden stories just waiting to be noticed.

Conventional behavior would have me behind the wheel of my truck or a rental van to get to and from the locations I need to visit. The windows would be up, air conditioner on, and whatever talk show I could find would be struggling to push out the boredom of sitting in a plush chair with not much to do. That’s probably why so many people drive with a cell phone to their ear.

I rode out to an experimental forest today to see how a small tract of forestland was being mapped and cataloged using the latest technology available. In order to identify the exact location of every stem, every species, and every diameter requires a lot of careful attention.

Scanning the gravel road surface for obstacles and loose areas, executing turns, applying throttle and brakes, the whole mechanical process of riding fuels a change in consciousness. Details grow larger and I see more. You need to be conscious and see more if you want to manage risk better. The resultant rise in awareness has benefits for a photographer. I notice things. Like the Luna Moth. I see differently now than I did when I wasn’t riding. It is easier to see foreground, background, subject, color, and light almost instantaneously. My eye pours over the viewfinder with a restlessness that just wasn’t there a few years ago. And I’m patient. Maybe it’s the digital camera or the onset of maturity but I can’t help but see a parallel between the ways I see while riding with photography.

I’m grateful to have a profession that places me out in the world and gives me a chance to look out across the natural landscapes here like this view out towards Tussey Mountain. On the way back to the office I stopped to look at a small creek running along the road. This homemade sign for Snake Hill Stables caught my eye and I just had to make a picture.

I can’t take the Vespa on every assignment. Sometimes I need room for passengers, have too much gear to haul along, or the scooter just is not a reasonable choice for some hi-speed, long-distance trips. But for many of them within 50 miles it’s ideal.

The GTS easily hauls a big camera bag and tripod that suitable for a lot of work. This past Monday I had to ride out to photograph an irrigation project, something not typical in Pennsylvania, and the Vespa was more than adequate.

So now I’m faced with a dilemma—how to deal with this new area of riding. I’m not sure what the policy is concerning blogging about work activity. I suppose I’ll have to ask.

The Price of Better Pictures

July 10, 2007 by Scooter in the Sticks 21 Comments

My shoulder hurts so bad I can hardly type. Started writing by hand on Saturday evening but don’t get too far. A deep aching pain only relieved by sudden flashes of sharp pain caused by a strained rotator cuff. And that is a result of trying to get better pictures. Just one of the costs of better pictures.

Two goals were firmly in place when I left the house this past Saturday morning on the Vespa — to see the sunrise and see a wild elk. Riding early means seeing magical light. Light that describes and defines the world in ways outside common experience. Those of you who routinely travel at dawn or dusk know what this means. I hope you stop once in awhile and actually look at things. Getting up early was a small price to pay when the alarm went off at 4:20 AM

The sun would rise at 5:56 AM and I was dressed and ready to go at 5AM but I hadn’t factored in the problems my new helmet visor would pose. Last week my clear visor broke and the dealer didn’t have a replacement. While waiting for a new one to arrive I purchased a tinted Iridium visor. Works great in the sun but was almost useless in the dark. So I had to wait until the pre-dawn glow was bright enough to see. When I am anxious to ride it is hard to wait.

At 5:50 AM I stop in a cornfield to watch the sunrise. Not notice it while riding but actually stop and watch. Like I do when Kim and I stay in Ogunquit, Maine and sit along the Marginal Way to watch the sun come up.

Riding on the morning clouds give way to a clear blue sky. I pass a single Harley and we both extend hands in acknowledgment of being out early in 55 F air. That’s really cold when you have gotten used to hot weather. Riding in the shadows of the forest was cold. I stopped in the bright sun to look out across a reclaimed strip mine and pull on another layer under my mesh jacket.

Vegetation slowly takes back and hides the disruption to the landscape surface but at best the place is only a ghost of its former self. The sun warms me enough to continue on towards the Quehanna Wilderness area.

A line of fog in the distance marks the West branch of the Susquehanna River. Descending off the plateau brings the scooter and me into sudden grayness. The temperature dips and my visor fogs making visibility bad. Whitetail deer stand along the road as I slow to 25 MPH and raise the visor.

want to take a look at the river and ride down a canoe access road. The water is quiet. Docile. Nothing like the torrent earlier this spring that attracts serious canoers. There is not a soul around. I have the world to myself.

I cross the river at Karthus and continue on to Quehanna, a vast tract of land that almost was lost except for a bit of foresight on the part of then Secretary of the Department of Forests and Waters Maurice K. Goddard.

In the 1950’s in a move to make this “useless” 50,000 acres of land profitable the state agreed to give it to the Curtiss-Wright Corporation to test and build aircraft engines. At the last moment before signing the agreement Goddard insisted the state get the land back should the enterprise fail. It did and now Pennsylvania enjoys this area where every cabin and camp and other human enterprise was stripped away. The place is a wilderness save for the paved road that runs around its perimeter.

It is on the Quehanna Highway that I pay another price for better pictures. It happened while stopped making the picture below.

It was a quick picture. Didn’t even take my helmet off. I didn’t like how the Vespa was arranged so I put the camera down on the seat and move the scooter off the center stand. If you look closely at the picture you might imagine what is going to happen next.

The scooter drops off the stand after a good hard push. I relax and the scooter tire rolls back off the road. The bump causes the camera to fly. I have to take my hand off the bars to steady it on the seat. The front wheel turns to the left and the scooter is taking on a life of its own. As I wrestle with it the Nikon D200 starts to slide. I am faced with a decision. Save the camera or save the scooter.

I grab for the camera and the scooter begins a slow descent towards the ground. My right hand is still firmly grasping the rail around the seat but the decision has already been made. As beautiful as the GTS is it looks bad lying on its side along the road. I continue to make bad decisions by not taking a picture of it in repose.

I get the scooter back up and the only damage is some gouges and scratches to the side. I have begun thinking about riding patina. It has been suggested that the optimum state of a Vespa is to look unused. That sort of flies in the face of the moment and of the use I put it to. I am going to have a user version of the Vespa.

It won’t be until I get home that the pain in my right arm blossoms, a result of unconsciously trying to save a lost cause. A visit to the doctor on Monday confirms a strained rotator cuff. No riding for a few days. My arm still hurts. On a scale of 1 to 10 for pain I offered 8. I’m a wimp though and not real smart of late.

The scooter still runs fine and I continue on in hopes of seeing elk and stop for a moment to admire a birch forest. Uncommon for Pennsylvania.

Elk could appear anywhere now. The herd is the only free ranging herd east of the Mississippi River. The native herd disappeared at the turn of the century but around World War I elk from the West were reintroduced and have now established a viable population.

I see the first elk from a place called the Winslow Hill Elk Viewing Area. The state has built a little observation area above a valley where they often roam. You can see them in the distance above the sign.

I wanted to see one up close. My dream was to have one next to the Vespa in fog. I ride on until a Harley rider waves me down and points towards a field.

Across a stream is a bull elk. That is as close as I’ll come on this trip.

This region of Pennsylvania is isolated. I stopped to try and call Kim to let her know where I was. Not sure why I thought there would be any cell coverage.

The ride was relaxing and I had a lot of fun and I stopped frequently just to look at the landscape. Even though the water levels were down on Wyckoff Run the sound of a small waterfall was like music.

The last unusual event on the trip occurred while I was stopped for lunch and looking over an atlas for possible routes home. A red Miata flies by and stops, backs up, and rolls down the window. Stacy and Gina are regular readers of Scooter in the Sticks and saw me sitting there. Small world.

My right arm started to ache during the last 50 miles and by evening I arrived at unsettling pain. It has taken several days of scattered attempts to get this post together. For some reason typing is an especially bad activity.

The ride was great even with the scooter drop and damaged shoulder. And the ride never fails to trigger a lot of ideas and issues to wrestle with. I’m ready to roll again. Another day or so and I should be in good shape.

Seeking a Path

July 6, 2007 by Scooter in the Sticks 6 Comments

The Vespa and the camera play parallel roles. Each is a means to seek out a path. With the scooter it is quite literal. With the camera the path is more subtle and hard to see. Yesterday morning I left with no physical destination in mind. Photographically there was no path in sight as I stopped along Spring Creek.

I am certain the Vespa helps embrace my need to look around not only on the road but alongside it as well. The complete comfort of traveling slowly allows me to see things I would miss going 35 MPH or faster. I wonder if it would be difficult to travel so slowly for long periods of time on a motorcycle capable of speeds in excess of 100 MPH. The nature of the beast might rail against such pedestrian travel.

I have been having an on-again off-again relationship with medium format photography using black and white film. I am seeking a path, a subject area that will catch fire in my imagination. I wander around the side of the creek awhile before I expose a few frames.

Later I find myself looking at a familiar tree, one I have photographed before. Like an old friend I have to stop and say hello. There is something there that I have not recognized yet that keeps bringing the camera back. Something I haven’t figured out. So I take another picture.

There are several rolls of film on my desk waiting for me to take a trip to my darkroom. The digital process and instant gratification is in direct contrast to the film development and printing process. I definitely feel the tug and pull of opposing forces. My hope is the ride will sort things out and reveal the path I seek.

Photo Hunters — Steps

April 21, 2007 by Scooter in the Sticks 21 Comments

I’d hoped to produce something original this week for the theme STEPS. Bad ideas and little time conspired together to force me towards my photography archive for an appropriate photograph. I made the picture of the ancient fire escape on the local Odd Fellows Hall almost 10 years ago. Those steps are intended to save a life.

My second choice was this wooden walkway that crosses a local wetland. Each time I look at it appears to ask to step across. I had some other ideas but they all seemed to involve parking my Vespa in front of a set of steps. If I could have thought of something even more stupid I might have actually made the picture.

The weather has warmed considerably the past couple of days. Today saw the thermometer pass the 70° F mark making riding relaxed and comfortable. I stopped on the way to pick up dinner at a local restaurant to photograph this old wooden clapboard building. I have seen it for years and have no idea what its for. Just looks neat.

On the way this evening to get some DVDs I stopped in the warm glowing of the setting sun. It’s nice not to have to worry about my hands freezing every time I make an image. Tomorrow morning I plan to leave early to ride 60 miles to an auction with my friend Paul. From there I don’t know where I’ll go. Wherever it is I’m certain I’ll have a good time.

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