Photography and Other Stuff – Chapter 7

Here I am with a new Chapter of PAOS, that is not only a Greek island, but also the acronym for “Photography And Other Stuff”. I didn’t have time to fully live my city back, Rome, that I had to come back in Monopoli, in Southern Italy, for a week. So I didn’t take many pictures in Rome but at least I had the chance to take some photos in Monopoli again. I’m thinking of a new project and this month for me is a period of study, I’m trying to read a lot and I’m looking at tons of images to inspire myself. Let’s see what happens. I open this new Chapter with this image I took in Rome yesterday: a good way to mask your surroundings with art!

PHOTOGRAPHY
Street Photography: As I said before, I don’t have new images taken in Rome (too warm here to walk and shoot), but I have some new photos of Monopoli. The rest of the images taken during my Apulian Summer are here, if you missed it. Instead, in this small gallery there are only photos taken in the last week (including an amazing rainbow!).

Posters: In Monopoli I also found a wall full of torn posters. I’m totally in love with that wall, Mimmo Rotella vibes in real life!

Photo of the Week: This excellent shot comes from Nice and it was taken by great Italian photographer Liliana Ranalletta. The photo was taken on the famous Promenade des Anglais (literally “English People Promenade”), where a celebration for Queen Elizabeth II was about to be built. Liliana’s image is powerful, perfect to describe the historical moment and in her picture it’s possible to find several interpretation plans. Just stunning.

BOOKS
The Power of the Dog: I’m reading this 2005 crime/thriller novel by American writer Don Winslow, based on the DEA’s involvement with the War on Drugs. The book was published after six years of writing and research by the author and, so far, it’s really great, involving, full of interesting characters, amazing descriptions, very dangerous situations. I’m really loving this novel and I can’t help to go on with the reading. I’ll tell you more once finished.

TV SHOWS
Better Call Saul: Last month the world was glued to the screen to watch the last extraordinary episode of a show that, especially in this last season, has come close to perfection from every point of view. Because Better Call Saul this year wasn’t just a TV series, but a manual of artistic, narrative and technical excellence. It took me a while to sort the ideas and find the words as a corollary to one of those endings that remain etched in the memory for a long time, that, while the eyes are veiled, makes you think: “we need more emotions like that”. I don’t write more to avoid spoilers, but.. Wow, what a show!

MUSIC
Queen II: Queen are the first band I ever loved. I became a fan the day when Freddie Mercury died: in November 1991 I was 10 and I listened every Queen song I came across on the radio or on tv, all day long. Well, now I don’t listen Queen very often anymore, I still love their music of course, but I prefer to listen something different. But last week I decided to listen, after many years, their second album, Queen II, and I loved it: it was released on 8 March 1974. It is significant for being the first album to contain elements of the band’s signature sound of multi-layered overdubs, vocal harmonies, and varied musical styles. Described as “arguably the heaviest Queen album”, Queen II marked the end of the first phase of the band’s career. The album combines a heavy rock sound with art rock and progressive rock elements and has been called “a pillar of grandiose, assaultive hard rock” by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.The two sides of the original LP were labelled “Side White” and “Side Black” (instead of the conventional sides “A” and “B”), with corresponding photos of the band dressed in white or in black on either side of the record’s label face. The white side has songs with a more emotional theme and the black side is almost entirely about fantasy, often with quite dark themes. Released to an initially mixed critical reception, Queen II remains one of the band’s lesser-known albums but I think it’s really great: don’t miss songs like “Father to Son”, “The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke”, “Nevermore”, “The March of the Black Queen” (gorgeous!) or “Seven Seas of Rhye”.