The main piazza, Santa Teresa, Sicily
Fujifilm GFX100S II, Fujinon 55mm f1.7, f4 @ 1/60 second, ISO 40

We all take photographs for different reasons. And at different times or places, our reasons can be different as well. I find myself switching between the grand landscape and a street scene with frequent regularity. On a trip to Sicily last year, one of my objectives was to document what I liked about the Italian lifestyle - well, my impression of the Italian lifestyle as a tourist!

From an Australian perspective, there are many things I love about the time I spend in Italy. The food is wonderful almost everywhere you go and even the autostrada petrol stations make great panini! I can't speak for the coffee as I don't drink it anymore, but I love the cafe culture and the hot chocolates. And who can spend a summer's day in Italy without having at least one gelato.

It was after enjoying a gelato one afternoon I walked outside into the plaza at Santa Teresa and looked around. Even the name of the town was so typical! What struck me was the large Gelateria sign on a brightly painted, orange building. Add in the typically shuttered windows and a couple of umbrellas and I figure you could be in any of a thousand small Italian towns.

In post-production, it was a matter of emphasising the Gelateria sign. The sign was already in full sunshine and the building on the left naturally in shadow, so half the job was done. I've used quite a strong vignette effect, too strong for a purely documentary photograph, but these photographs are of my impressions. They are not designed to be records of life in the way a photojournalist works. I have also reduced the colour saturation in areas around the edge of the frame so our eye is attracted to the extra colour saturation on the centre of interest.

And if you're interested in seeing more of this series of photos, I have a 100-page ePortfolio available for sale on the website. It's titled Wanderings - I'm trying something new! You can see more details by clicking here.