We met as two drops from the source,

didn't know where to flow

so we leaned to each other tight

and made the stream become our road

You were green

and I was blue;

We found some wood

and made a house

where even two drops could live for true.

Yet I couldn't help to find, 

after the last fern a new light

a wide world just made of air

maybe the white dove of the sky...

Was it that white dove or the wind passing by?

Somehow those feathers did move

reavealing a path going high

And this time,

my beautiful leaf

You watched me move on

from the threshold we built

Up on the peaks

up for the sky

I walked on the crest of the last mountain high

Yet I thought of You

on the last stone I climbed,

when the evening came

as the air sang and shine

Then with a last jump

I did sail somehow 

on the wings of that dove

where a drop could fly

so when the sky turns to red

watch those clouds

see me there.

In a while

I'll be back as rain

blue on green

as the day we met.

---- 

ALL SHOT WITH SIGMA 150-600 DG DN SPORT

on SIGMA fpL

in the woods and mountains between Italy and France. 

-----

Il SIGMA 150-500 Sport ha appena vinto un EISA AWARD come Best Product 2022-2023 nella categoria superzoom lens sport.

L'ho provato tutta l'estate: è ingombrante e pesante,

dedicato a chi ama "sentire" la lente, dato che il corpo macchina quasi ci scompare, ma...

 incredibilmente potrebbe essere l'unica lente da portare con voi,

una volta che ne abbiate preso confidenza. 

La capacità di fotografare da molto vicino a 150mm insieme alla stabilizzazione efficace, sono stupefacenti.

Tutte le immagini di questo articolo, a parte le prime sulla sorgente, sono scattate a mano libera.

E lo sfocato è il plus di questo obiettivo, dato che è possibile raggiungere risultati artistici con i close up

in un modo che non mi sarei mai aspettato.

E' possibile anche delimitare il campo di messa a fuoco su tre livelli differenti, in modo da non farsi scappare lo scatto che si ha in mente, e pure montare filtri per effetti ancora più creativi.

Con la piccola fpL, certo, gli ISO si possono abbassare fino a 6 quindi è stato possibile ottenere immagini con tempi lunghi anche in situazioni "normali".

Di sicuro, ho usato questa lentona a modo mio, nel campo del paesaggio e dello storytelling,

ed è stata una bella sorpresa. 

------
 

the 150-500 sport has recently won the EISA AWARD as Best superzoom lens 2022-23, I tried it this summer.

Le lens is bulky and heavy, but...

but you won't believe it could be the only lens to take with you once you get used to it.

The ability to photograph from very close to 150mm along with effective stabilization is amazing.

All the images here, apart from the first ones of the sources, were shoot without any tripod.

The bokeh is the plus of this lens, as it's possibile to reach artistic results with close up, really more than I expected to.

It is also possible to delimit the field of focus on three different levels, so as not to miss the shot you have in mind.

Or mount filters, even if with the little fpL I could lower the ISO down to 6,

to use slow shutter times even in ordinary light situations.

Of course, I used this big lens my way, in the field of landscape and storytelling,

and it has been a surprise for me.

S | Sports
150-600mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS S | Sports
 

SU SIGMA FOTO ITALIA (cliccare sul link):

SIGMA FOTO ITALIA 150-600 SPORT

marco dadone

Sigma Ambassador Italy

--------

I'll tell You a road that comes alongside some happiness, my friend.

Walk up those stone steps, 

the ones on which a few ripe figs have fallen,

follow the quiet pure lights You once saw shining around

And remember to bring that key

the one for the old blue door

Once You're in the old mansion,

take a rest,

but not before opening the windows to let some green come in

and when the wind bewteen the leaves

will bring You a few whispers,

It'll be the evening coming to smooth the harsh day.

So come by the patio and have a glass of a red one,

looking for the lights to change.

in front of the village and its houses 

with ocher skin and blue lids

and its discreet citizens

from other worlds

The next morning wake up early,

leave the safe and shady places

for the open sunny fields,

that begin without a warning

from everywhere around the houses.

See how everything is speaking without a single word.

Then

when the sun is set

and the voices of all those ears and flowers will be fading,

like an echo in Your lighter thoughts,

Turn back till the village comes back into view;

It's still hot but You'll have fountains

with the coolest water to wash Your face

and a corner to sit down, take a pastis

and enjoy the best.

Was it just a moment?

Who cares if it can stay forever

in that sunny side of the soul.

----------

All shots

with SIGMA fpL and 65mm F2 "I" serie

by marco dadone.
 

QUI DA SIGMA FOTO ITALIA Mtrading srl: 

SIGMA, Nuovo obiettivo 65mm F2 DG DN (C) - News - Mtrading (m-trading.it)

Here on SIGMA GLOBAL: 

65mm F2 DG DN | Contemporary | Lenses | SIGMA Corporation (sigma-global.com)
 

---

there is not much for a snail to do

in the salty sea valleys.

except stand on some rotten wood

and watch the lights change on the horizon.
 

(Sigma 20 mm "I")

Honestly, I've never seen

what's beyond my beach of shells,

the meadows of thin grass

dragged up to the sky by the wind,

and the old scrap left there by hunters.

(Sigma 20 mm "I")

(Sigma 20 mm "I")

(Sigma 20 mm "I")

But that day, 

I found a duck's head on the beach.





(Sigma 20 mm "I")




a strange hollow head

into which I easily slipped






(Sigma 20 mm "I")




and almost immediately 

I found my soft snail shape

transform into that ot a duck.

Me 

a duck ... with legs, feathers and all. 

Finally able to slide

along the canals to the town I've only heard about,

they call it little Venice.

(Sigma 35 mm "I")

first came the reflections of the houses, 

which seen on the contrary 

looked like buildings made of water

(Sigma 35 mm "I")

then as soon as I settled down 

I recognized some friends, 

young and old 

all sliding along the streets made of blue, 

barking like dogs at the people walking by

on the thin bridges

(Sigma 35 mm "I")

(Sigma 35 mm "I")

(Sigma 35 mm "I")

(Sigma 20 mm "I")

(Sigma 35 mm "I")

(Sigma 35 mm "I")

(Sigma 35 mm "I")

(Sigma 20 mm "I")

That's how I found out 

why ducks always seem to smile 

from under their beak.





(Sigma 35 mm "I")
 



And now that you know my little secret


tell my last friend who remained on the beach 

to look for a hollow head of a duck, 

like the ones 

that hunters use to recall, 

instead of staring all day at the horizon 

like a dumb snail.

(Sigma 20 mm "I")

Well if he doesn't, 

he could always sneak up to the old boat 

for some adventure...


...should it ever leave...

(Sigma 35 mm "I")




 

(Sigma 35 mm "I")

-the end-

-----------------

-just an excuse to continue my try on the SIGMA "I" SERIES LENSES, 

these images come straights from the "ready to use" JPEGS of the SIGMA fpL,

just with my personal white balance according the the blue cast of some sleepy mornings.

LENS USED: 20 mm and 35 mm f2 - "I" SERIES - from SIGMA

on Sigma fpL

-----

 SIGMA "I" SERIES (CLICK HERE)

for Italy SIGMA is by MTrading:

Mtrading s.r.l. (CLICK HERE)

NUOVO SIGMA 35 mm serie I: 

35mm F1.4 DG DN | Art | Lenses | SIGMA Corporation (sigma-global.com)

NUOVO SIGMA 20 mm serie I: 

SIGMA, Nuovo obiettivo 20mm F2 DG DN Contemporary - News - Mtrading (m-trading.it)

20 mm "I" on Sigma Global (CLICK HERE)

(Sigma 20 mm "I)

(Sigma 35 mm "I")

---

There is a place

after a cave

where boats come to rest winterlong;

no one has seen it before 

'cause with a single move

the spell is gone. 

It's where I go

hiding my steps

sneaking my shape through the wind's whirl

to reach this foamland

and lean on the hulls

calm and windswept as an old bird.

Did I became them

or now became then

I should have stayed home in my own bed

but once You're a seabird there's no way,

the waves will be always in Your head.

----

Sigma fpL with 20 mm I serie, 1,67 sec. at f9, iso 20

Sigma fpL with 20 mm I serie, 1,67 sec. at f22, iso 80 

Sigma fpL with 20 mm I serie, 1,67 sec. at f22, iso 50
 

Sigma fpL with 20 mm I serie, 4 sec. at f22, iso 80, crop.
 

Sigma fpL with 20 mm I serie, 1.33 sec. at f22, iso 100, crop
 

Sigma fpL with 65 mm I serie, 1/60 sec. at f2.8, iso 100
 

Sigma fpL with 35 mm I serie, 1/320 sec. at f2, iso 2500
 

Sigma fpL with 20 mm I serie, 2 sec. at f18, iso 6
 

Sigma fpL with 35 mm I serie, 1/320 sec. at f2, iso 2500
 

Sigma fpL with 24 mm I serie, 5 sec. at f18, iso 25 Intentional Camera Movement
 

Sigma fpL with 90 mm I serie, 1,5 sec. at f20, iso 32
 

Sigma fpL with 24 mm I serie, 15 sec. at f14, iso 6

Sigma fpL with 90 mm I serie, 0.8 sec. at f16, iso 6
 

Sigma fpL with 24 mm I serie, 4 sec. at f14, iso 100
 

Sigma fpL with 24 mm I serie, 20 sec. at f14, iso 6
 

Sigma fpL with 35 mm I serie, 20 sec. at f20, iso 6

Sigma fpL with 24 mm I serie, 20 sec. at f20, iso 6
 

Sigma fpL with 90 mm I serie, 1/640 sec. at f4,5, iso 800
 

Sigma fpL with 65 mm I serie, 1/200 sec. at f2, iso 250
 

Sigma fpL with 65 mm I serie, 1/30 sec. at f9, iso 640.

Sigma fpL with 35 mm I serie, 1,33 sec. at f18, iso 100, crop.
 

-------

Scattato con le lenti SIGMA - Serie I -

20 mm f.2, 24 mm f.2, 35 mm f.2, 65 mm f.2, 90 mm f2.8

Qui su Mtrading per l'Italia:

SIGMA - Marchi - Mtrading (m-trading.it)
 

----

CLICK FOR THE "I" SERIES by

SIGMA: 

All shot with SIGMA "I" SERIES lenses:

I series Explore more. | Lenses | SIGMA Corporation (sigma-global.com)

by

marco dadone

on facebook: Marco Dadone | Facebook

on Twitter: marco dadone photography www.marcodadofoto.com (@Marco_Dadone) / Twitter

www.marcodadofoto.com 

---------------

the sleeping boat

- black & white sessions - 

into the white morning

I met a shell and a bird

all of them are me

-----------------------

All shots with Sigma fpL and Sigma 70mm macro art.

-------------------

-----------------------------------------------

per l'Italia, Mtrading:

SIGMA, Il nuovo obiettivo 70mm F2.8 DG MACRO Art - News - Mtrading (m-trading.it)
 

the Camera:

fp series | Special | SIGMA Corporation (sigma-global.com)
 

the LENS: 

70mm F2.8 DG MACRO | Art | Lenses | SIGMA Corporation (sigma-global.com)

Out from my car

on a rainy end of day

I took the lantern and walked through,

moon on the pale sky,

me by my side

Eyes on the grass, 

I found pieces along the path

My crown in the frozen drops of dew

My tears in the icy dephts of wood

the door

to our palace of thin trees

where spirits can swim 

free from disease

everything here was so alive

when my lantern trembled

and I heard a whisper by...

"You do see things that can't be seen"

said my companion made of wind

"He lives the tale of the soul of things"

A snowflake replied

landing in sight

just before feeling the long searched warm

and melting in a second

on my palm.

----

"Tale"

is entirely

SHOT WITH SIGMA 70MM MACRO ART

on SIGMA FPL

LINK TO THIS LENS:

 70mm F2.8 DG MACRO | Art | Lenses | SIGMA Corporation (sigma-global.com)

Per l'Italia presso MTrading s.r.l.:

 SIGMA, Il nuovo obiettivo 70mm F2.8 DG MACRO Art - News - Mtrading (m-trading.it)

---------------------------------

That's about that day

I arrived

with the sea railroad from nowhere

(24 mm f16, 13 sec, iso 10)

to the gate for this place

(90 mm f2.8, 1/4000 sec, iso 100)

a place where rocks

were solid tears from the sky

(24mm f4, 1/3200 sec., iso 800)

and the map could be found

in a seaside stone 

(24mm f2, 1/2000 sec, iso 800)

took the narrow road

growing from one of the lines in the stone

(24mm f4, 1/640 sec, iso 100)

which led me

between planets 

(990mm f4, 1/250 sec, iso 100)

constellations

(24mm f8, 3.2 sec., iso 6)
 

and old white houses breathing blue

(90 mm f7.1, 1/1000 sec., iso 800)

a blue that I looked at so long

(90 mm f2.8, 1/1000 sec., iso 32)

until, after the sparks, a passage was found

(90mm f7.1, 1/1000 sec, iso 800)

and from a deep forest hanging on sea,

showed me a village

(24 mm f2, 1/1250 sec, iso 100)

(90mm f4.5, 1/5000 sec, iso 640)

a strange row of narrow houses

on which I landed flying

(90mm f2.8, 1/5000 sec, iso 400)
 

and among whose roads I ventured

(90 mm f4, 1/1600 sec., iso 600)
 

more close

to see the easy life of men 

(90 mm f4, 1/1600 sec., iso 800)

so I waited for every one

 to go away,

and could hear each window's breath

(90 mm f 7.1, 1/2000 sec., iso 640 - crop - )
 

(90 mm f5, 1/4000 sec, iso 800 - crop - )

and every light's tale

(90 mm f 4.5, 1/2500 sec., iso 1600)

until, 

with the last reflections

(24mm f20, 13 sec., iso 6)

that strange sea railroad

appeared again

(24mm f11, 8 sec., iso 10)

and I used it as a runway

in time to reach my skies.

(24mm f2, 1/13 sec., iso 100 - crop - )

-------------------------------

SHOT WITH SIGMA FPL 

USING THE "I" SERIE:

24 mm F2 DG DN Contemporary

and 90 mm F2.8 DG DN Contemporary

FOR THESE BRIGHT AND SHARP LENSES:

24mm F2 DG DN | Contemporary | Lenses | SIGMA Corporation (sigma-global.com)
 

90mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary | Lenses | SIGMA Corporation (sigma-global.com)

----------

The new "I" series of SIGMA allows You to use very small and lightweight lenses,

perfect for the latest generation full frame such as the SIGMA fpL and the SONY A7 line.

The images are brilliant, incisive, intriguing, almost "foveon" in themselves, so much they make a real three-dimensionality effect.

The blurred rendition is the most pleasant surprise: even the 24 mm, although wide-angle, is capable to focus very closely and at full aperture shows a respectable bokeh. 

The 24 mm + 90 mm combo is perfect for use on every need, for travel, landscape or portrait photography.

---------------------

La nuova serie "I" di SIGMA permette di utilizzare lenti molto piccole e leggere, perfette per le full frame di ultima generazioni come la SIGMA fpL e la linea SONY A7.

Il tocco vintage della ghiera delle aperture manuale aggiunge qualità e rende l'uso più intrigante.

Le immagini sono brillanti, incisive, quasi di per sè "foveon" tanto rendono la tridimensionalità.

Lo sfocato è la sorpresa più gradevole: anche il 24 mm pur grandangolare, focheggia da molto vicino ed a tutta apertura mostra un bokeh di tutto rispetto. 

Il combo 24 mm + 90 mm è perfetto per un utilizzo su ogni esigenza, per le fotografie di viaggio, di landscape o ritratto.

LINK A SIGMA FOTO ITALIA PER QUESTE LENTI (Mtrading s.r.l.):

SIGMA, Nuovo obiettivo Serie I SIGMA 24mm F2 DG DNC | Contemporary - News - Mtrading (m-trading.it)
 

SIGMA, Nuovo obiettivo SIGMA 90mm F2.8 DG DN C | Contemporary - News - Mtrading (m-trading.it)
 

- portofino -

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AS ALWAYS WE GO,

WITH OUR WOODEN BOATS FROM CHILDHOOD

AND WHAT IS BEYOND THE APPEARANCE

COMES INTO OUR REMEMBRANCE

LIKE THE GAZE OF THE SHY FAWN

WE DON'T BELONG HERE

YOU ARE THE FEATHER FROM THE SKY

TO THE TOP

OF THE TREES

AND ME

THE HERMIT

ME THE LAST LEAF

WILL LOVE WHAT'S LEFT 

AFTER

THE SHINING OF WOODS.

-------------------------

ALL PHOTOGRAPH WITH SIGMA FPL

in the passage from autumn to winter

lenses used: 

SIGMA 28mm Art

SIGMA 105 mm Art

SIGMA 8-16mm 

"the shining of woods" è un piccolo elogio alla fotografia creativa,

ottenibile grazie alle peculiarità della Sigma fpL,

in particolare alla ottima resa ad alti ISO che consente di fotografare in condizioni di scarsa luce anche senza treppiede,

e -d'altro canto- alla funzionalità che permette di abbassare la sensibilità sino ad ISO 6.

Questa ultima consente di allungare i tempi di ripresa e utilizzare le lunghe esposizioni senza dovere per forza montare sull'obiettivo dei filtri ND,

il che è particolarmente utile per quelle lenti che avrebbero bisogno di filtri dedicati

(qui, il Sigma 8-16).

Le lenti della linea Art fanno il resto,

consentendo alla massima apertura di f1.4 di ricorrere a fantastici sfocati

per raccontare al meglio, come spero qui, una storia visionaria".
 

marco dadone - the shining of woods-

-----------------------

WE ARE

IN THE REALM

OF BROKEN THINGS 

EVERY ONE OF US 

EVERY SINGLE BRANCH

HAS A STORY.

living halfway

 sometimes

we see more

--------------------

Photos taken before I woke up.

- with SIGMA FP L - 

in Emilia Romagna, Italia.

LINK per SIGMA FPL - ITALIA - M TRADING: CLICK HERE

LINK FOR SIGMA FPL (Sigma Global) : fp L | fp Series | Cameras | SIGMA Corporation (sigma-global.com)

 

Me, 

I've rarely wondered 
what's outside the door

  (sigma fp l + sigma 28 mm Art, f2,5, 1/800 sec.,  iso 400, teal and orange col. mode)

I've never encountered 
anything unknown

(sigma fp l + sigma 28 mm art, f9.0, iso 640, powder blue col. mode)

until I got the invitation

(sigma fpl + sigma 28 mm art, f1.4, iso 200, powder blue col. mode)







to bring 
the little suitcase with me 
and leave

(sigma fpl + sigma 28 mm art, f 2.2, iso 2000, red sunset co. mode)

and this garden become a forest
as I ventured beyond;

and this forest 
began to make me riddles: 

which is the flower 
that blooms last?

 (sigma fpl + sigma 105 mm art f.14, iso 100, red sunset col. mode) 

Which is the leaf 
that came out first ?

(sigma fpl + sigma 105 mm art, f1.6, iso 200, red sunset col. mode)

Why is the queen of the meadows gone?

(sigma fpl + sigma 105 mm art, f1.4, iso 160, forest green col. mode)

Where is the king of the fields You've been













Will there be and end
to this absinthe stream?

(sigma fpl + sigma 105 mm art, f1.4, iso 160, forest green col. mode, crop)
 

Could this forest cease

to ever change shape ?

(sigma fpl + sigma 28 mm art, f16, 1/2 sec., iso 6)

So hard the task

with my few answers

so tiny the hand

for this suitcase to bring

but i did make all.

To lights more deep

(sigma fpl + sigma 105 mm art, f.16, 1/1000 sec, iso 1600, red sunset col. mode)

to the locks on the last trees

(sigma fpl + sigma 28 mm art, f2.2, iso 160, red sunset col. mode)
 

to the  key

as a gift for relief

(sigma fpl + sigma 28 mm art, f5,6, 1/2000 sec., iso 3200, red sunset col. mode)

and this small key

opened the door

to let bright lights come

in the traveller I've become,

when something subtle

came out with me

to continue the path

which is mine. 

(sigma fpl + sigma 105 mm art, f1.4, 1/8000 sec., iso 800, sunset mode a little colder)

-----

"The Absinthe Forest"

a walk with SIGMA dp1 l 

-----

ALL SHOTS HANDHELD

IN ONE AFTERNOON AND THE FOLLOWING MORNING,

in north west Italy at the beginning of spring.  

-----------------

marco dadone

Sigma ambassador Italy 

www.marcodadofoto.com

marco dadone landscape photography on fb, twitter and instagram. 

----

SIGMA fp l

PRIME IMPRESSIONI:

SIGMA fpl è grande come un pacchetto di sigarette, si tiene dappertutto e scatta a qualsiasi iso.

Dai 6 (!) ai 3.200 senza particolari problemi,

come vedete dalle didascalie sotto le immagini.

Gli iso 6 permettono di realizzare scatti più creativi anche senza aggiungere filtri,

a implementare la totale libertà di raggiungere i risultati voluti,

in modo semplice e veloce. 

Tutte queste immagini sono state scattate a mano libera,

in modo assolutamente "leggero" come leggero è stato utilizzare la fpl.

Come fotocamera da vaggio o street è perfetta,

oppure, per i puri foveonisti, come secondo corpo macchina che può 

rendere al meglio in ogni situazione in cui il cugino foveon faticherebbe.

In effetti la resa del sensore di tipo bayer è limpida e, come dire, calda,

calma e fluida, con colori caldi e una sorta di tridimensionalità sicuramente 

fornita dalla qualità degli obiettivi Art, e pure dal fatto che i parametri di ripresa 

sono ottimizzati facendo tesoro di tutta l'esperienza Sigma in campo foveon.

Le modalità colore aggiungono fascino

e possono essere ulteriormente personalizzate e/o salvate,

la nuova "powder blue" (blu cipria) è fantastica:

una sorta di viraggio sul blu molto leggero ed etereo,

decisamente vintage e tutt'altro che invadente. 

In definitiva, ho scattato queste immagini in un'oretta di un tardo pomeriggio

e in un'oretta del mattino successivo, "buone le prime" e senza problemi:

la versatilità e la capacità di portare a casa lo scatto senza difficoltà in ogni situazione

sono il punto forte della fpl.

La qualità di immagine è l'altro suo "plus":

con le ottiche serie Art (qui il 28 mm ed il 105 mm entrambi f1.4) è senza compromessi,

e date le dimensioni dei file (9500 x 6300 pixel circa) si presta a ogni tipo di utilizzo. 

Consigliata a umani e passeri.

voto: quattro briciole piene. 

----marco dadone----

We live in the countryside, between hills and mountains. 

My father owned the big corn field,

I owned friends and -when I was lucky- used to spend my days with the smiling girls from the village nearby.

Until he disappeared. 

Nothing left of my father, except the field.

It seemed that anything, here, would have been the same again.  

I was desperate, then that man came, one evening when the sun was about to die,

to knock on the tiny house I shared with my father just beside the field. 

"Now You'll have to look at the field,

You're a big boy, help the corn grow with this seeds.

I was Your father's friend, this is my gift to You."

I planted the seeds,

and the field that had been left in a bad way,

came back more green and healthy than ever.

The young cobs were yellow as the sun,

wrapped in leaves greener than every forest I ever saw.

The work was much, every plant had its need;

soon that become my only road.

The village nearby seemed far and far away, the more my field grew up.

I saw friends no more,

and not many girls for me in the middle of the cobs. 

I was always thinking of my wide field,

as the season went on and the first mists came from the mountains.

And how beautiful were the evenings.

I just stared, after a hard day of work, listening to the wind through the plants,

I felt it, a cradle for my very own thoughts.

Then into my hut, now sorrounded by millions of cobs,

I only think about my field, all nights long,

while the more cold winds begins to knock at the rotten windows.

No time to repair anything, the field needs constant attention.

Then a special evening came, after days of clouds

and it was deeper than the others

so I felt the field was ready.

I went

and stood in the middle all night long

until a sort of day came.

Corn fields are like a maze.

With the first lights into that maze I woke up.

In company of someone

calling me

between the silent flies waiting on the long corn leaves.  

As I felt its voice and sight on me, I knew the field was the only friend of mine.

I am now in the middle of the field

it tells me what to do,

that I don't have to go to the village again,

it looks after me

and I

stay

with my field.

---------

ALL PHOTOGRAPHS WITH

SIGMA fp

https://www.sigma-global.com/common/cameras/fp-series/main-feat

and SIGMA 105mm f1.4 Art.

TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THIS BOKEH MASTER LENS:

SIGMA GLOBAL 105 mm f1.4 DG HSM ART (Click HERE)

Per l'Italia SIGMA by

Mtrading srl - Sigma Foto Italia - (CLICK HERE)

I left with the blood of sprigtime dawns

and passed by the deception of summer

I cried with the last leaves 

and talked with the skeleton trees

I walked the line between seasons

like a cut in the skin

then with the first snow,

I entered the wood

my path cleared and my sight deeper

as the wihiteness came 

and slow flakes landed on my black hat.

I went on in my big boots

until I felt my nose no more

into things dissolving without a shadow

this meadow of cold air 

owns a blessed silence

I'm a jigsaw

parts of me are made by snow

the creacking of the branches

that robin with round eyes

are happiness

so my forest has changed

I'm with her

unraveling.

All shots with SIGMA SD1 Merrill 

with SIGMA 135 mm Art,

SIGMA 28 mm Art,

SIGMA 24-105 Art

and SIGMA 8-16

in north west Italy.

 by marco dadone

What kind of storm was that?

It came from the west after that summer without winds

First like thin hair on the sky

then like heavy clouds reflecting patterns on the sea

The waves become silver blades,

soon everything was mixed and we were caught inside.

It took away our eyes,

It took away our skin, our nails, 

our thoughts.

-----

It took away ourselves.

And happened silently

on the night after the storm

Amongst that unnatural blue, 

unnatural things happened.

The shy turtle who uses to swim into the moonlight, 

was kept in by that night,

as a somehow different being

While the big sun on the following morning,

competed the game.

We were turned into stones.

First was the monk, who never used to sleep.

then all the people in the village square,

hit by a new sun, astonished.

and as the day turned in white and turquoise,

the curious childs were staring at that new life

the gentle damsel came out

and so did the guys on the boat

even the seals

and with them, without distictions,

the dumb of the village

 and the thin wise man

and, for last, the boy who was fishing on the rocks

-----

But then,

after a very stange moonlit night

on the following dawn

the sky we used to know was back,

the green sea did return

Suddenly, as it came it went away,

we were stones no more.

And everyting was like before.

We, as after a nightmare,

had all back our skin, our nails, our eyes,

Our thoughts.

Ourselves.

And stones returned to be just those pebbles we use to walk on 

between the earth and the waves,

we did forget everything.

We forget easily.

Except for the lovers.

You can still look at them, by the beach.

But that’s another story,

as they choose eternity.

__________________________

PHOTOGRAPHS and words BY MARCO DADONE

- Sigma Ambassador Italy - 

USING

SIGMA FP

WITH WIGMA 105 mm ART

and SIGMA 40 mm ART.

(and Sigma SDQH on the blue night photos,

with Sigma 28 mm Art)

........

STONE BALANCING 

by artist DANTE BARBAGALLO

------

shot in Liguria, Italy, autumn 2020.

to see the camera I used, click here:

SIGMA FP the smallest full frame camera by SIGMA

per SIGMA ITALIA m-trading, click here:

SIGMA ITALIA (m-trading)

me on facebook: 

marco dadone fb page

The wooden spider

shot with SIGMA dp3 Quattro,

the SIGMA fp and

expecially the bokeh master SIGMA 105 mm, f1.4 DG HSM Art

dp3Q

fp

105mm f1.4 Art

--------

LINK to the SIGMA 105 mm Art: 

CLICK HERE (SIGMA 105 mm Art)

LINK to SIGMA ITALIA: 

CLICK HERE (Mtrading - Sigma Foto Italia - )

marco dadone - realized with SIGMA fp and 40 mm Art -

These dawns

  with the sun rays pervading the dark green of the olive trees

turning into gold the yellow blades

full of millions of white little snails,

were painted by a solitary man during his walks before the daylight

Between dried poppies

and strange creatures from the hotness of summer,

Vincent Van Gogh came here

at first hardly able to talk,

a heart full of sorrow and a soul full of visions,

stayed one year and slowly began,

again,

to paint,

to unravel the essence of things

to see the unseen

He spent there 53 week from the 8th of May, 1889, and painted 150 works of art

which means:

one,

every two or three days.

“the emotions that take hold on me in the face of nature go as far as fainting,

and then the result is a fortnight during which I am incapable of working”

(from a letter to Albert Aurier, 9 february 1890)

And at the end of his provencal time he would write to his sister:

“I worked like a madman”.

Once he began again to paint

he couldn't stop anymore:

life, grief, pain, joy, was all in there.

It's coming there at the end of July

- as I did -

that You can feel the heart of Vincent Van Gogh beating

outside Saint Rémy de Provence,

where the fields begin in front of the peaks of the Alpilles.

That’s where Vincent is still walking

brush in one hand

canvas on this shoulders

swept on his forehead

infinity in his eyes

He worked so deeply that now,

being here,

everything seems real just and only to the extent that it reflects his paintings.

And it’s so strange to wait for the sun to appear through the trees…

You’d expect that it could come out just made of oil paint,

to place itself amongst the rapid brushstrokes of the trees and the sky.

I discovered that it's here that under the tears of a wind called mistral,

the leaves of the sycamore trees are shaken

in the absolute blue,

as in a dream

and the cicades sing endlessy

on the branches and stems

like a mantra from other dimensions

I discovered that it’s here that the sight turns more intimate

and slides through shapes and time:

 there’s a road

to follow

into the nowherelands of the golden fields,

where all paths bring elsewhere

and the unnaturally enhanced colors take men hostage

in their territories.

I went there.

and in the middle of the wheat field

I paced my easel

and tried to paint,

until the sun pervaded my senses,

my longtime friend the crow.

That was until I realize that this is the land where men become their paintings.

So, without a sound, I turned

It had been easy then,

as a blue and black bird

through the corridors of the sky

to begin again my search, 

first in the tiny streets of Saint-Remy, between sun and shadows

then into the old monastery of Saint Paul de Mausole and its asylum.

Well the main door was locked,

but crows know other ways.

I went inside from a tiny window

and stopped on the floor

where Vincent himself walked on while going out in the fields,

like an early morning thief,

to steal the eternity on a canvas

and in a vertigo fever,

searching for more shadow relief for my shining new feathers

I entered the little church.

I saw the chair there,

behind the corner

the single one submerged in yellow light

a little apart from the others

where Vincent used to pray,

and still does from time to time

Then  upstairs,

his room

I knew that to see beyond

is a strange gift

it can make a soul explode.

But as Provence in summer is something between a place and a vision,

use that chance,

try to find a little of those sparks and

dream, Your own way, always,

and more than ever, if Your heart bleeds.

....

One last thing:

take a stroll along the asylum,

towards the lavender little field and then

until You'll meet the half-dried sunflower,

which seems like it’s about to speak... he is,

and that is what he would tell You:

“in every shade

behind the simple shapes

around a reflection

beside those shadows

whenever You see something more

that is Van Gogh’s garden”.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                 And, dont' shoot at the crows.

-----------------

Shot in Saint Rémy de Provence, end of July 2020

using

SIGMA fp

with

SIGMA 40 mm f1.4 Art.

by marco dadone

what is the sea

I don’t know 

a whisper from a God

a whisper from Godmarco dadone - sigma -

(Sigma dp0Q)

one lover for the wind 

(Sigma fp + Sigma 12-24 Art)

the other side of clouds 

the other side of the clouds marco dadone - sigma -

(Sigma sdQH + 12-24 Art)

the infinity after men 

the infinity on sight marco dadone - sigma -

(Sigma fp + Sigma 12-24 Art)

a balcony on blue

(Sigma fp + 12.24 Art)

a shelter for the sun

a shelter for the sun marco dadone - sigma -

(Sigma sdqH + Sigma 28 mm Art)

the gateway for outside

the gateway for outside marco dadone - sigma -

(Sigma sdqH + Sigma 12-24 Art)

one home for the moonshine

a home for the moon marco dadone - sigma -

(Sigma sdqH + Sigma 12-24 Art)

the story of a life 

(Sigma SD1 Merrill + Sigma 10-20 f3.5)

in the meaning of a day 

(Sigma sdqH + Sigma 28 mm Art)

 the jewels that he brings

a saucerful of jewels marco dadone - sigma -

(Sigma sdqH + Sigma 135 mm Art)

the mystic roam of waves 

the roaming of the waves marco dadone - sigma -

(Sigma fp + Sigma 12-24 Art)

a mirror for the sky

(Sigma fp + Sigma 28 mm Art)

a nest to fishermen

a nest to fishermenmarco dadone - sigma -

(Sigma dp0 Q)

the place of mysteries 

a place of mysteries marco dadone - sigma -

(Sigma dp0 Q)

a friend to loneliness 

a friend to a solitudemarco dadone - sigma -

(Sigma sdq H + Sigma 28 mm Art)

the intimacy of dusk

(Sigma fp + Sigma 12-24 Art)

the things when we were child

a simple thing when we were child marco dadone - sigma -

(Sigma dp0 Q)

one box of deepest dreams 

(Sigma sdqH + Sigma 28 mm Art)

an endless lullaby

(Sigma fp + Sigma 12-24 Art)

the place to free Your breath

(Sigma sdq H + Sigma 12-24 Art)

one hope cut in the dark 

(Sigma sd1 Merrill + Sigma 28 mm Art)

that island out of time

(Sigma dp0Q)

four friends brothers for life

(Sigma dp0Q)

saw something subtle there

it vanished beyond

(Sigma sdq H + Sigma 28 mm Art)

Don’t know what is the sea

will I learn 

(Sigma sd1 Merrill + Sigma 12-24 Art)

-------

all photos by marco dadone

shot in Italy

with SIGMA cameras and lenses

sigma 24 mm in luskentyre soul of the bluemarco dadone

During my pilgrimages around Scotland, found one place which is a special canvas for the light.

the elements melt together in a unique way, showing gold, grey, green and endless shades of blue.

Since approaching this area in middle-west Harris, Outer Hebrides, it's clear that we are not goin' to an everyday place

It is like landing on another planet
 

...and find a slice of heaven

approaching marco dadone

So it's with blue in my mind that I was back, impatient to see the turquoise of the Hebridean sea, the dark blues at dawn with Harris hills emerging from the night, the pale tones of a dull morning and the vibrant match between a flaming sun and the ocean at sunset.

What I did not know was that this time, Luskentyre would have revealed its soul to me in a special way.

Time to take my SIGMA SDQH and try the  SIGMA 24 mm f1.4 DG HSM   by SIGMA FOTO ITALIA .

Three dawns in Luskentyre, that's a wide area of dunes, hills, ocean and islands, do mean a lot of beauty.

There is  a special luminescence, even with bad weather. 

First shoots as the light illuminated the scene, that came straight from the land of dreams to my eyes:

the mystic connection, Luskentyremarco dadone SIGMA 24 mm art

the mystic connection

(Sigma SDQH + Sigma 24 mm Art)

then from my nest, the show began

from cold colors to the typical hebridean tones

There's little more words to use.

I shooted all these images with the SIGMA 24 mm Art, trying to squeeze it in every conditions and use it in an "ethereal" and more sperimental way, to empathize the feelings of so much magic that was everywhere.

So wide open at f1.4 to capture the "scene into the scene",

and often with Intentional Camera Movements (ICM),

together with long exposures to achieve more depht.

Here, before the first dawn in Luskentyre.

The silhouette of the photographer is melting with the immensity of the sea, sand and sky changing from night to day, his soul is emerging amongst the wild elements of nature as in a dream, a spider at the corner of the heavens web

photographer's dreaming marco dadone SIGMA 24 mm art

the photographer in dream

(Sigma SDQH + Sigma 24 mm Art

0.9 soft ndgrad and 0.6 hard nd grad, single shot at f/16, 13 seconds, iso 100, i.c.m.)

Luskentyre feel 1marco Dadone Sigma 24 mm art

Luskentyre feel I

Luskentyre feel IImarco dadone Sigma 24 mm art

Luskentyre feel II

Luskentye feel IIImarco dadone SIGMA 24 mm Art

Luskentyre feel III

Or simply letting the movement of the wind free itself, to reveal something like a presence...

spirit of the dunesmarco dadone SIGMA 24 mm art

spirit of the dunes

the placemarco dadone SIGMA 24 mm Art

take me to the place

call of the seamarco dadone SIGMA 24 mm Art

sea's calling

windswept heaven marco dadone SIGMA 24 mm art

windswept heaven

lossmarco dadone SIGMA 24 mm art

loss

Inside from the dunes, another word of discoveries

luskentye heightsmarco dadone SIGMA 24 mm art

and, when going away, one last goodbye from the sky

----------

so, just some soulscapes.

thanks to the Scottish Landscape Photographer of the Year competition, to have awarded this image

Thanks to Lea Tippet and Willem Eelsing 

(the shot up there is Willem while shooting in Luskentyre, captured from the highest sand dunes),

we made a true adventure team this time

----

THESE ARE ALL SINGLE-SHOTS,

TAKEN USING SIGMA SDQH WITH SIGMA 24 mm ART

(except the very first one with SIGMA DP0Q).

------

a blog by

MARCO DADONE (click on name for the full website)

https://www.facebook.com/marco.dadone.landscape.photography

https://www.facebook.com/marco.dadone.marcodadofoto/

https://www.instagram.com/marco_dadone_photography/?hl=it

All items used by SIGMA

SIGMA 24 mm ART lens provided by SIGMA FOTO ITALIA at https://www.m-trading.it/sigma-m-13.html

Got the smallest full frame of them all from Sigma Foto Italy (here) and squeezed it my own way on the landscape side.

It was a nice travel, until I met the phantom of the catfish of Venice. 

The camera was surprisingly good.

-------

It all started here,

in that white house south of the big lagoon

that was a nice occasion to try the SIGMAfp first, this really small full frame camera (35 mm full size effective 24.6 millions pixel bayer sensor in 370g of weight).

Went fast and furious since the beginning of course! a 200 seconds exposure at iso 20 (yes ISO 20!) and the image of my peerie home of dreams came out extremely clear, permitting me to capture all the movement of the clouds between the sunset and the incoming night.

It was very dark at the time of the shoot, and the effect -no photoshop added- was exquisite, like the aurora lights displayed in the wetlands' sky.

(SIGMA fp + SIGMA 12-14 art at 13mm, 20 sec. at iso 20)

The same house half an hour before, permitted me to test the "freshness" of the capture capabilities of the camera.

That is a non-techincal profile, yet essential to me. It expresses how the look and feeling of the image compares with the scene You are witnessing, so not only resolution and depth of field, but also accuracy in color rendition and the overall look.

That was a pleasant surprise as the image was very "crunchy", that marvellous sunset was shining indeed

(SIGMAfp + SIGMA 12-24 Art at 12 mm, f/11, iso 100, 1.33 sec)

I felt I had to go

a call from the north was everywhere

in the cry of the seagulls in the winter winds,

in the slow movement of the waters around me.

So I took a last look at my well known bricks

(SIGMAfp + Sigma 12-24 art at 14 mm, f/14, iso 100, 1/2 sec)

and in a moment I was in the sky

flying like a bird upon the water canals of that flat land

heading north.

Oh the pleasure to shoot with a "true" 12 mm on a full frame body... it's really wide!

By the way, the SIGMAfp has a dedicated COLOR button with interesting feature, as the "sunset" mode which gently enhances the pink and reds. You can also choose the intensity of the color mode itself. That is a precious feature specially when You like to shoot the images ready for any use.

(SIGMAfp + Sigma 12-24 Art at 12 mm, f/9, 920 100, 1/5 sec)

I first landed amongst frozen blades of grass for a little rest, in the fields between Emilia Romagna and Veneto.  

That was the occasion to try one of the best lenses from SIGMA, the 28mm Art with its smooth bokeh here at f2.2.

(SIGMAfp + Sigma 28 mm Art, f2.2, iso 1.600, 1/1250 sec) 

when I reached the liquid valleys

I did hide between lost relics from time to time

to speak with my companions the windswept seabirds

as the travel was long

(SIGMAfp + Sigma 12-24 Art at 13mm, f/11, iso 8,  6 sec)

I've always loved the still seafields

in their shine for the yellow of the sun rising from the water

what a capture it was with the SIGMA 12-24 Art, at f/22 all the sun rays display

(SIGMAfp + Sigma 12-24 Art at 24mm, f/22, iso 6, 20 sec.)

Then I met the open sea,

the wide Adriatic with all the colors of the incoming sunset.

Here I tried a very long exposure of 200 seconds at iso 6: ISO 6 is incredible ! The colors popped out, the sea, sand, clouds, melted in an unique way, and I did not have to use a heavy ND filter

(SIGMAfp + Sigma 12-24 Art at 12mm, f/11, iso 6, 200 sec.)

It was on those shores I found a boat

apparently waiting for me, between the mists of the following morning.

I went onboard

the boat leaved without a sound.

Being so tired I could not help to fall

in a deep sleep

High ISO rendition with the SIGMAfp is great. Here's a shoot at ISO 1600 without any tripod help, which means freedom to shoot in almost every conditions of light.

(SIGMAfp + Sigma 12-24 Art at 12 mm, f/5, iso 1600, 1/200 sec)

While I was sleeping we floated amongst weightless waters

I woke up where the little ship leaved me

by a stone ladder

rising from the green and blue water of a canal

in the village of glass, Murano.

The sharpness, expecially with a master lens as the Sigma 28 mm Art, is very good.

Here I lowered ISO till 50 to achieve my 50 seconds exposure at f/16. The possibility to adjust ISO range to lower values, under 100 and till ISO 6, means great possibilities.

(SIGMA fp + Sigma 28 mm Art, f/16, iso 50, 50 sec.)

It was clear I was in the big lagoon now

and moving from a little island to another

I reached the most colorful village ever seen 

(SIGMAfp + Sigma 12-24 Art at 15 mm, f/4, iso 640, 1/250 sec)

(SIGMA fp + Sigma 12-24 Art at 12mm, f/4, 120 1250, 1/160 sec)

(SIGMAfp + Sigma 12-24 Art at 14mm, f6/3, iso 640, 3.2 sec)

Burano was incredibly shining

too for my little head

so I faced the day feeling high for the thin winter air

and drunk for all that beauty in a floating nutshell

(SIGMAfp + sigma 12-24 Art at 19mm, f5/, iso 400, 1/320 sec)

(SIGMAfp + Sigma 28 mm Art, f/6.3, iso 800, 1/320 sec)

this is one straight from jpeg, handhold at iso 1600, jpegs are really usable ready as they are:

(SIGMAfp + Sigma 12-24 Art at 21mm, f/5.6, iso 1600, 1/640sec, jpeg) 

that is too directly from the jpeg, and here's the joy to shoot on a full frame with an effective 12 mm wide, with scenes like this it's amazing

(SIGMAfp + Sigma 12-24 Art at 12mm, f/8, iso 400, 1/8 sec., jpeg)

until the land of the island

did end.

Time to take my wee boat again, as it waited there,

and leave that place for my bigger call

(SIGMAfp + Sigma 12-24 art at 12mm, f/14, iso 100, 8 sec.)

Also this time,

when onboard, I felt asleep.

I ended somehow lying on the wooden jetty

in front of Rialto bridge at night.

(SIGMAfp + Sigma 28 mm Art, f2.8, iso 400, 1/1000 sec., color mode: cinema)

No proper dawn came

but a black and grey tone covering everything,

I've been into too many colors

now the shades were claiming my sight.

The first one I met, was the stone Lion

welcoming me in an old Venice

eaten by the salted sea.

(SIGMAfp + Sigma 28 mm art, f1.8, iso 640, 1/1000 sec)

The black and whites are very good, with a huge amount of choices for post production in the SIGMA dedicated software, to achieve exactly the result You want.

a town from times long gone

displaying all her decadence.

I had lost my colors and felt upside down

like this old Queen of the seas.

No winter winds and windswept seabirds,

just a sense of wandering without direction

(SIGMAfp + Sigma 28 mm Art, f/13, iso 50, 20 sec.)

(SIGMAfp + Sigma 28 mm Art, f2.5, iso 320, 1/160 sec) 

Behind the corner,

someone I knew

(SIGMAfp + Sigma 28 mm Art, f1.4, iso 640, 1/4000 sec)

  the phantom of the king catfish of Venice

 as he absurdly claims to be called,

was waiting for me from such a long time.

the eyes were into mine,

and then turned to a doorway rising from the canal;

all the colors,

as we proceed into the narrow way

began slowly to come back

(SIGMAfp + Sigma 28 mm Art, f2.8, iso 400, 1/1000 sec., color mode: cinema)

until on the other side of the passage

while deep tones of lights returned

my phantom disappeared into the open lagoon.

In his place

in front of me, the ship

with the golden comb

(SIGMAfp + Sigma 28 mm Art, f/4, iso 1600, 1/500sec, color mode: sunset)

"Get onboard when the last sunray makes the comb shine"

I heard in his last whisper before his voice melted into mine

So I did with a jump

and in a while we travelled though the night.

That's how the evening become a dawn and I approached, at last, 

the most enchanting view 

breathing all the colors in a crowdless San Marco square

and feeling the winter winds in my breath,

again.

All was found, Venice did shine.

Sometimes we just need eyes to see

and a right time to catch.

(SIGMAfp + Sigma 12-24 Art at 12mm, f/18, iso 8, 50sec)

-----------

and in front of San Giorgio,

after all, it was just the beginning of another

working day 

"the working day"

(SIGMAfp + Sigma 12-24 Art at 17mm, f/5.6, iso 500, 1/640 sec)

but where did the phantom go?

Sometimes, when I look at the mirror,

I have no doubt.

------------------------------------

ALL IMAGES REALIZED WITH SIGMAfp

using SIGMA 12-24 Art and SIGMA 28mm Art

by Marco Dadone

-----

SIGMA for ITALY: here (Mtrading) 

more about the SIGMAfp: click HERE 

more about me and the unbearable phantom catfish of Venice:

my fb page HERE

and HERE

(marco dadone landscape photography)

-----

thanks for visiting

three maids marco dadone sigma

enter the Dun and I will tell You a story

enter the dun marco dadone sigma

this summer dawn

the air is so weightless

that I believe to feel

inis meain dawn marco dadone sigma

and You can believe to hear this voice. 

So go on the highest Dun

sit on the top of the walls

wait for the distant waves to cease. 

Listen...

To be the one in the middle has never been easy

with these corridors of lives

that are my veins,

blue in the evening

pink in the cradle of daylight.

corridors, inis meainmarco dadone sigma

A few

I have known

and did not touch me.

They build strange nests on my slowly curved slopes

nest, inisheermarco dadone sigma

Colours

to keep away this greyness

colours, inis meainmarco dadone sigma

fences

to make a slice of immensity

of their own.

fence, inis meainmarco dadone sigma

Watch me little sister 

after sunset

before I get asleep

You always close

and never together.

sunset from inisheer to inis meainmarco dadone sigma

Once we were one

somehow.

Three sisters spending time

in search of wild berries

hiding ourselves, 

laughing

with little blackbird voices 

blackberry flower, inisheermarco dadone sigma

wild blackberries of inisheermarco dadone sigma

and walking through these carpets of stones

carpet of stonesmarco dadone sigma

in days

that still have no end

Even to spot the shy selkies

in windless evenings

was no surprise.

selkie sunset, inisheer marco dadone sigma

To be made of stone,

since those moments lost in time

was more than a destiny.

Yet shadows of memories approach me

when the sun disappears behind my shy sisters leaving for the fresh air of the night 

or in the sea whispers of some winter mornings

and in the splendour of a spring dawn

weightless dawn marco dadone sigma

I feel the connection

that brings us together.

Three sisters, three maids, three islands of stone

three maidsmarco dadone sigma

And You

dont even think to know us 

by walking on this pale cold skin on summer days.

You have to catch our glimp

within the changing of the seasons, it takes time. 

It takes lives.

So stay

wait for that dawn

to hear my voice

come to my perfect circle

dun, inis meainmarco dadone sigma

then 

enter the Dun and I will tell You a story...

----

marco dadone 

shot on the Aran islands, the three maids Inis Mor, Inis Meain, Inis Oirr, 

with SIGMA cameras and lenses

What I used here:

SIGMA SDQH - SIGMA DP0 Quattro -

SIGMA 24 mm f1.4 Art - SIGMA 10-20 mm f4.5-5.6 

for SIGMA ITALIA click here:

Mtrading SIGMA FOTO ITALIA

for SIGMA GLOBAL VISION click HERE

me on fb : MARCO DADONE (facebook)

and Marco Dadone www.marcodadofoto.com

me on instagram: Marco Dadone photography (instagram)

me on Twitter: Marco Dadone (twitter)

I am

the highest Dun

and the little peeble

dry wall for the mild mule

and the wave breaker

I was in the hand of the evil

when he killed his first brother;

into the cross of the pity

when they prayed for their lovers;

I am the stone of the world

hidden there under Your land

come hear my slow breathing

in these islands called Aran.

------

Weavers of stones

stone desert, Inishmore