Italian Wedding in Tuscany

Benvenuto, I am not quite finished with Italy or our Italian friends! While we were in Cerreto Guidi, Daniele introduced me to his neighbor Sergio, whose daughter was getting married. Sergio invited me to photograph the wedding of Sandra and Filippo. So the next day I began documenting Sandra's wedding day as she prepared at home, before arriving at the historic Catholic church in town.
If you would like to see a slideshow of Sandra and Filippo's wedding day CLICK HERE: Sandra and Filippo's wedding. All of our slideshows require flash player. Download a free version here: flash player. I enjoy photographing weddings in different cultures, if I can arrange it. This was a perfect opportunity and I was given total access. After the wedding ceremony the couple was preparing for their exit from the church, so I walked ahead of them and waited outside with their family and friends. Suddenly the doors flew open, they rushed out and everyone threw multiple colors of rice. I was able to fire off two frames before it was over. It made one of the best exit pictures I've ever taken! I was picking rice out of the back of my head for the next week - no kidding!We then took some pictures in the older part of the church, and by old I mean 600 plus years. We followed their sports car through town as the church bells rang and on to the reception at an Agriturismo owned and operated by Filippo's family. I was able to photograph through the windshield as we drove through the beautiful countryside.
To everyone else this was just a normal Saturday and a typical wedding, to me it was like being Joe Montana playing football at the Super Bowl. I was surrounded by beautiful people, bathed in beautiful light, all day and into the evening.
About 11 p.m. I received a phone call from Luisa wondering where I was, and why I wasn't home yet. I laughed and said that I was having a great time, had a ride home and she shouldn't worry about me, as if I was her Italian son. One of these days I hope to get back there and photograph another wedding - or ten!
Ciao, Kent

Tuscany 2004

Hello, my last post featured our good friends Luisa and Luciano visiting Denver from Italy, so I thought I would go back and post a story about our last trip to see them, in Tuscany in early July 2004. They actually live in Genoa but Luciano's family has a farm/vineyard in the town of Cerreto Guidi which is between Florence and Pisa. We were traveling with two of Geri's sisters and a brother in-law so they arranged for us to stay at a nearby Agriturismo.
Luciano met us at the airport in Florence and guided us in our rental car to what would be our home base for the next two weeks, Agriturismo La Colombaia, a working farm/villa and in this case also a vineyard, with rooms to rent. Our apartment had two bedrooms and a giant kitchen. We were welcomed with a basket of locally-produced food, plus a bottle of Chianti from their vineyard. We had access to everything growing in their large vegetable garden, barbecue grills and a beautiful swimming pool.
Agriturismo La Colombaia.
After we unpacked, we drove over to have lunch with Luciano's family including his 93-year-old mother. For the next two weeks we visited neighboring towns such as San Gimignano, Siena, Pisa and to Florence by train a couple of times for the museums, galleries and shops. We even ventured over to some great beaches on the Mediterranean coast.
Our hosts at Agriturismo La Colombia were Daniele and his wife Elena, who offered a tour of the vineyard as well as the bottling plant in town. Each Friday evening they planned a dinner for all of the guests. One evening Elena's mother rolled out pizza crusts and we each made our own pizza. Then her father would bake them in a wood-burning oven. We became good friends with Daniele and Elena and keep in touch via email. We hope they will come visit us in Denver, but they vacation during the winter and don't like cold weather. They much prefer a warm beach.
We had so many great experiences. Please take time to watch the slideshow. You won't be disappointed. CLICK HERE: Tuscany 2004. All of our slideshows require flash player. Download a free version here: flash player.

Italian friends visit Colorado

Hello, last week two friends from Italy stopped in Denver from their homes in Genoa and Tuscany. First I should explain how we became friends with Luisa and Luciano. During World War II, Geri's father Jim, who was serving in the army in northern Italy, met Luisa's mother while defending the area against the Germans. The two families and all of their children have become good friends over the years and trade visits. I was lucky enough to meet them in 2003 in Genoa and in 2004 when we traveled to Tuscany.
We had four days in which to give them a taste of Colorado. So we started at Denver International Airport where I introduced them to one of the airport Ambassadors and showed them all kinds of tourist information. Geri actually had a pretty good plan for our visitors which started with a tour of lower downtown Denver (LoDo), and included stops at Union Station, Rockmount Ranchwear, The Brown Place Hotel and Rock Bottom Brewing. We learned a few, fun Denver facts from former Denver Post writer/columnist, Dick Kreck, who is quite a historian.
The next day we drove up to Rocky Mountain National Park. The Cinotti's wanted to see the Rocky Mountains up close because Luisa's parents live in the Dolomite Mountains near Trento where they operate a small hotel during the ski season.
We took a picnic lunch along with us and sat in the sun at Bear Lake. They were very impressed with our mountains and the wildlife such as elk, deer and big horn sheep.
They had so much fun in the park and the weather was so beautiful and warm for November, that we decided to go to Colorado Springs the next day.
We took the Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Wheel Train to the top of Pike's Peak at 14,110 feet. Cog railway. The train ride and the experience of being on top of the world might have been the highlight of their visit to Colorado.
It was sunny but cold at the top and the wind wasn't too bad. We could see five states from our vantage point! After the three-hour trip up and down, it was time for lunch at the European Cafe in Manitou Springs before finishing our day at the Garden of the Gods.
It was t-shirt weather and in the 70's as we walked through the amazing red rock formations, while rock climbers scrambled up cracks and ledges. The sunset glowed yellow and orange as we drove back to Denver. Geri and I grilled beer-butt chicken while our guests packed for their early morning flight to Washington D.C., where Luciano had scheduled a meeting with the U.S. Department of Energy. Luisa was planning her museum visits.
Enjoy, Ken-ta
If you would like to see a slideshow of Luisa and Luciano's visit CLICK HERE: Italian visit. All of our slideshows require flash player. Download a free version here: flash player.

Day of the Dead - Denver

Hello, last Friday November second was Dia de Los Muerto or Day of the Dead, an Aztec ritual celebrated in Mexico, parts of the United States and Central America. The Aztecs and other Meso-American civilizations kept skulls and displayed them during the ritual to symbolize death or rebirth.
I decided to attend the celebration held at Pirate-Contemporary Art, an art gallery at 3655 Navajo Street. Pirate Art Gallery. The gallery was a fitting place for Denver's longest running Day of the Dead celebration honoring the departed through processionals, altars, flowers, and candy creations.
The gallery hosted Day of the Dead art shows and activities featured Aztec dancing by Danz Grupo Mitotilitzli. Danza Grupo Mitotilitzli, as well as a Sponge Bob pinata for the kids followed by a candlelight procession around the neighborhood.
Enjoy, Kent

Shanna's Audition Portfolio

Hello, last week I photographed Shanna for an audition portfolio. She is trying out for a speaking roll in a TV commercial.
Cheers, Kent