territories, Sigma 28 mm Art, marco dadone

October 29, 2019 • Leave a Comment

I woke up.

No home, no house, windows, walls.

Not a bed I am lying

but a cold field of thin grass.

Livid blue trees out of a land of dreams

in front of my eyes, multiplying

the more I looked at them to find a way

"night trees"

Sigma SDQH + SIGAM 28 mm Art

(f/16, 8 sec., iso 100, intentional camera movement, foveon blue mode)

Into the trees thin and infinite I roamed

towards the sound of flowing water.

Until I met her softness

like hair of this immaterial wood

"hair of the wood river"

Sigma SDQH + Sigma 28 mm Art

(f/10, 0,5 sec., iso 100, foveon blue mode)

the stream was leading my footsteps

into a glooming chaos

night flowsigma 28 mm art marco dadone

"Ossian"

(Sigma SDQH + Sigma 28 mm Art, f/16, 10 sec., foveon blue mode

manually defocusing in the last part of the exposition)

it flew like a siren's call,

unveiling shapes under my sight,

ancient elements nearly forgotten

symbolmarco dadone sigma 28 mm art

"symbol"

(Sigma SDQH + Sigma 28 mm Art, f/7.1, 1/2 sec., iso 100)

As I went on, I began feeling,

somehow

watched.

Little eyes from the dark underwood

popped out

phantommarco dadone, sigma 28 mm art

"phantom"

(Sigma SDQH, Sigma 28 mm art, f/1.4, 1/400 sec., iso 100)

I followed those little phantoms

like light bulbs

till I saw more brightness in the far distance.

Strange feelings accompanied me

a part of my life which has flowed away long ago

knocked at my remembrance

into the dim light of that underwood,

under disguise

"once us"

(Sigma SDQH + Sigma 28 mm art, f/1.4, 1/500sec., iso 100, handhold)

Things went better with the appearance of what seemed a new day,

hoping I was going to the right direction

"deepness of wood"

(Sigma sd1 Merrill, Sigma 28 mm art, f/11, 1.6 sec., iso 100, forest green mode)

anyhow, soon I found out that a lot of

"somethings"

were still looking at my every single step,

they seemed about to speak

but no sound came out

from those mouthless creatures

"little somethings"

(Sigma SDQH + Sigma 28 mm art, f/1.4, 1/5 sec.)

on the other way,

I was talking loud to myself

to achieve more courage,

till I realized that the very sound of my voice

made some of those presences cry,

not accustomed to sounds

in the suspended dimension I was through

"tearful eyes"

(Sigma SDQH + Sigma 28 mm art, f/1.4, 1/40 sec., iso 125)

...some looked at me disturbed

underwoodymarco dadone sigma 28 mm art

"underwoody"

(Sigma SDQH + Sigma 28 mm art, f/1.4, 1/80 sec., iso 100)

and some with regret

regretmarco dadone sigma 28 mm art

"left"

(Sigma SDQH + Sigma 28 mm art, f/1.8, 1/8 sec., iso 100)

but before the air became too oppressive

I reached, at least,

behind the last tree, the end of the valley

"end of the valley"

(Sigma sd1 Merrill + Sigma 28 mm art, f/11, 15 sec., shoot in jpeg)

hoping for more light up there, and air to breath

"from the valley"

(Sigma sd1 Merrill + Sigma 28 mm art, f/11, 2.5 sec., iso 100, shoot in jpeg)

Once climbed the wall of green

instead of the full light

I found another, stangely dark

upper waterfall,

with the sensation to have reached

a sacred place

"pure fall"

(Sigma SDQH + Sigma 28 mm art, f/7.1, 1 sec., iso 100)

following a call, I went towards the water

through the wall of drops

"wall of drops"

(Sigma SDQH + Sigma 24 mm art, f/11, 1/3 sec., iso 100)

to reach, on the other side of the waterfall,

a peaceful wood

pervaded by a sort of immaterial light.

Here the magnetic call was deeper

and I met them.

Souls of the old trees

true guardians of this place.

guardianmarco dadone sigma 28 mm art

"guardian"

(Sigma SDQH + Sigma 28 mm art, f/1.4, 1/8 sec., iso 100)

proud yet somehow sad

they stood on their own tree.

In what seemed to be the centre

the light was stronger,

the season greener.

I was admired and contemplated them in

respectful silence

"wooden maid"

(Sigma SDQH + Sigma 28 mm art, f/1, 15 sec., iso 100)

Until I saw him

the hangdream

(Sigma SDQH + Sigma 28 mm art, f/1, 5 sec., iso 100)

He was suffering.

Carried all the suffering of the ones of his kind.

I felt guilty

Something instinctive, coming from the inside.

Full of grief I was a creep

hiding from a god.

I turned to the sound of water,

on heavy legs

tried to crawl over to search solace.

the vojagemarco dadone sigma 28 mm art

"the voyage"

(Sigma sd1 Merrill + Sigma 28 mm Art)

Autumnmarco dadone sigma 28 mm art

"Autumn solace"

(Sigma SDQH + Sigma 28 mm art, f/11, 1. sec.)

but so suddenly

the season has definitely turned

in front of my eyes

into a deep Autumn,

as can only happen under a spell

endmarco dadone sigma 28 mm art

"end"

(Sigma SDQH + Sigma 28 mm art, f/14, 1/2 sec., iso 100)

And the centre of that spell was ME,

my legs could not move further

I began losing the sight of distant things,

seeing first only the last yellow leaves surrounding me

leafmarco dadone sigma 28 mm art

"leave"

(Sigma SDQH + Sigma 28 mm art, f/1.4, 1/2 sec.,iso 100)

then the musk in front of my tree

muskmarco dadone sigma 28 mm art

"musk"

(Sigma SDQH + Sigma 28 mm art, f/1.4, 1/160 sec., iso 100)

and finally

in a vertigo towards the ground

this last leaf,

a tragic actor remained on the scene

long after the last curtain

"after the curtain"

(Sigma SDQH + Sigma 28 mm art, f/11, 0.8 sec., iso 100)

then I lost the sense of myself.

I had gone too far,

been changed

into one of them.

from now on,

I will look YOU with my worried eyes,

and You could not catch my silent yell

when

between dream and reality

You'll be that brave to cross

these territories.

"one in a million"

(Sigma SDQH + Sigma 28 mm art, f/4, 1/20 sec., iso 125)

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

----------

Tech note:

ALL IMAGES REALIZED

WITH SIGMA 28 mm D1.4 DG HSM Art

this lens is a wide angle: incredibly good for distant yet very close subjects.

Lots of images were taken with the lens wide open at f1.4, the bokeh is out of this world, more typical of longer lenses, or macro ones.

The capacity of focusing very close to the target makes it the best companion to shoot little particulars, as well as wide angle scenes.

The images come out clean, professional, with wonderful fine details all over the frame. The ideal pass to the "other words" of my tales.

LINKS TO SIGMA (click on the names to open web pages):

in Italy: MTrading s.r.l. - Sigma Foto Italia -

English or Japanese: Sigma main site

LINK TO THE SIGMA 28 mm ART

in Italy: Sigma 28 mm Art from MTrading srl

on Sigma main site: SIGMA 28 mm Art on Sigma Global Vision

-----

for me, the 28 mm f1.4 DG HSM is the best Sigma lens ever tried,

together with the 40 mm Art but more versatile.

Super Higly Recommended

from all the mushrooms with cute eyes up here.

Marco Dadone ?

www.marcodadofoto.com

for my fb page please click HERE

or search marco dadone photography also on Instagram and tweeter

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

All the images were shoot in the Natural Park of Marguareis (CN, Piemonte, Italy) during Autumn 2019, including the beautiful works of land art realized in the woods.

HEB - Lea Tippett - Marco Dadone: a SIGMA adventure

October 04, 2019 • 1 Comment

Heb title

an unusual four-hands article and images on the Outer Hebrides of Scotland

seen through SIGMA cameras and lenses.

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

When landscape photography is a passion it happens to meet a lot of people.

Most of them a little crazy.

Maybe for that, it happens that Lea Tippett - SIGMA UK Ambassador - and Marco Dadone – SIGMA ITALIA Ambassador -, despite the distance, sometimes share a few days of adventure at unbearable hours, which means never sleep and always search for the lights.

This helped a genuine friendship to grow, in situations where most of the “normal” people would run away, between howling winds and horizontal rain.

The perfect playground for this kind of insane sport have been lately the majestic Outer Hebrides of Scotland.

follow me to Taransay LEA TIPPETT

(image by LEA TIPPETT, Sigma SDQH + Sigma 14-24 Art)

Our eyes were SIGMA CAMERAS AND LENSES as we have the pleasure to use a wide range of items. SIGMA is offering the right choice for every situation: in this case to travel light we went for the “little beast” DP0 Quattro which was always in our pockets, together with some of the amazing line-up of the ART LENSES from SIGMA, great to photograph in low lights and with artsy results, due to the f.1.4 aperture of most of them.

SPELLBOUNDMARCO DADONE

(image by Marco Dadone, Sigma SDQH + Sigma 24 mm Art)

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

So we begin:

come to discover the pristine lights at the turning of the night into day in one of west Harris’ most fascinating part, an almost endless strip of fine white sand facing the ocean and the faraway high hills, a perfect place of harmony

soliceLEA TIPPETT

(LEA TIPPETT, dp0 Quattro)

Then jump only a few miles east to contemplate the union of the elements, on a rocky headland in that same Harris coastline, and in that ethereal moment

do make a wish

wishMARCO DADONE

(MARCO DADONE, dp0 Quattro)

You could notice that the extreme 3D feeling together with sharpness even at pixel level and film-feeling and mood are –hopefully- all there, adding a peculiar touch to the beauty of these lands made of water, stones, wind and sand.

blue on the rocks, HarrisMARCO DADONE

(image by MARCO DADONE, Sigma SDQH + Sigma 24 mm Art)

----

Now take a long breath, we’re leaving this almost unbearable beauty… let’s venture inland;

these islands have some hidden treasures…

First, be careful not to get lost in the maze of lochs

(LEA TIPPETT, Sigma dp0 Quattro)

These water-mirrors in good weather will watch You as eyes reflecting the sky,

in cloudy times appear as places of mystery from a tale by some obscure Scottish writer, and when mist comes up from the sea, they can indeed bring You elsewhere.

While You’re walking on the soft moorland and approach these lakes,

shapes as mystic symbols could appear, straight from another dimension

cupmarco dadone

(MARCO DADONE, Sigma dp0 Quattro)

And, between lakes and moorland, traces of the times long gone.

It is a somehow dangerous field, vibrant and full of energy.

things have a soul of their own, You see

abandoned, LewisLEA TIPPETT

(LEA TIPPETT, Sigma dp0 Quattro)

It happens that these old crofts, that let You pass by without care when the sky is blue and the sun shines, become alive in moody weather, and –coming near- You could hear their breath, like an aura from the past.

-----------

Mansion.

in this house I’m in

rain from the roof

winds through the walls

trees on the floor.

Every Thing touches this heart

and does not fade

(MARCO DADONE, Sigma SDQH + Sigma 24 mm Art)

-----

Time to head north, we’re on Lewis and the sense of open space is everywhere.

On Dalmhor beach to reach a gem of a place, the elements here shine in all their power.

dalhmore, LewisLEA TIPPETT (LEA TIPPETT, Sigma dp0 Quattro)

Don’t stumble upon the most amazing stones You can find …

Lewisian Gneiss, the oldest rocks in Britain and some of the oldest in the world.

old spiritsmarco dadone

(MARCO DADONE, Sigma SDQH + Sigma 24 mm Art)

(LEA TIPPETT, Sigma dp0 Q)

---------

Then take the old road,

if You are familiar with nowhere,

amongst pale blue shadows,

between rain and nights

hold Your candle

and go

(MARCO DADONE, SDQ + 24 mm Art)

At the end,

at the extreme tip of the islands, what did You expect if not a beacon,

rising from the fuss of the elements.

The northern part of Lewis, an open area where mother Nature rules and the sense of last frontier is palpable.

Wander amongst the high cliffs of the Butt of Lewis, to meet it.

(LEA TIPPETT, dp0 Quattro)

Where does this harmony comes from?

The sometimes angry, obscure, then peaceful and always perfect meeting of the elements.

Land melts into the sea

land and seaLEA TIPPETT

(LEA TIPPETT, Sigma dp0 Quattro)

--------

...sun melts into the ocean

the meeting MARCO DADONE

(Marco Dadone, Sigma dp0 Quattro)

-----

Finally, there one thing impossible to avoid.

Everywhere in these magic islands You may roam, there’s always a centre, a core of energy

that is the call of Calanais.

(LEA TIPPETT, dp0 Q)

Do reach the low hills when the stone circles still hook every one with their magnetic sight,

wait to be alone, look for the moon bouncing

through these old creatures of the earth.

sleeping soulsmarco dadone

(MARCO DADONE, SDQH + 24 mm Art)

THIS BLOG BY:

Lea Tippett Sigma Ambassador UK

https://www.leatippett.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Lea-Tippett-Landscape-Photographer-115551955996835/

-----

Marco Dadone Sigma Ambassador Italy

https://www.marcodadofoto.com/

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

------

SIGMA IN UK:

https://www.sigma-imaging-uk.com/

SIGMA IN ITALY:

https://www.m-trading.it/sigma-m-13.html

Equipment used:

-SIGMA dp0 Quattro: https://www.sigma-global.com/en/cameras/dp-series/#dp0

-SIGMA SDQH: https://www.sigma-global.com/en/cameras/sd-series/#sd-h

-SIGMA 24 mm f1.4 DG HSM Art:

https://www.sigma-global.com/en/lenses/cas/product/art/a_24_14/:

-SIGMA 12-24 mm f2.8 DG HSM Art:

https://www.sigma-global.com/en/lenses/cas/product/art/a_14_24_28/

DEEP SCOTLAND - Marco Dadone - at John Muir Trust, Pitlochry, Scotland

September 08, 2019 • 1 Comment

NOW AND UNTIL THE 19th of JULY 2019,

THIS EXHIBITION IS IN SCOTLAND ITSELF ,

at the JOHN MUIR TRUST in PITLOCHRY,

If You go there, have a visit!

here's the link:

https://www.johnmuirtrust.org/latest/news/1688-deep-scotland-comes-to-pitlochry-wild-space;

-----

So DEEP SCOTLAND is my circus: an always increasing collection of soul landscapes from every corner of Scotland.

Here some samples of my "pictures to taste"

if You feel the bitter and the sweet, You're entering Scotland.

from the deepest blue to the sparkling red, there is a mix of land, clouds, winds and sea that often reaches an inner dimension:

let's begin the journey from the top, by the last light of the hebrides at the BUTT OF LEWIS lighthouse

and suddenly to the other side, find Yourself amazed by a bloody red dawn by the Bass Rock

deep Scotland - DROP Marco Dadone

(DROP, east Lothian)

---

Been there so many times, with challenging conditions, everchanging lights,

and always the wind, always the wonder...

(LAIG BAY, island of Eigg)

So search the way out of time,

there's always an hidden path to nowhere...

or to everywhere, as destination counts nothing

(CROFT AND EAVAL, South Uist)

(WHITE EIGG, Inner Hebrides)

And by the next dawn,

like ancient and tired wizards the stones will cast their spell.

Once again, the circle of time will be completed,

the Aura still there

(AURA, Callanish stones, Lewis)

Or You could find Yourself facing the cold april sun after a stormy night,

feeling it setting the gorse bushes on fire

and lighting up the old cove,

so listen, see:

that's when a thousand stories appear:

(COVE HARBOUR, Lothians)

and realize it all

Tempest,

Harshness,

Grief,

and Beauty.

The life

Deep Scotland Marco DAdone

(A FLOWER IN THE HIGHLANDS, Loch Assynt)

(THE SEA BREATHS, Island of Lewis)

then, pass by,

and find the path to men's and women's lives

a Home is an Island

and sailing the sea of tears

one can still reach the breath of the souls who lived there

now one with the wind

(the clearances in Scotland - EILEAN, Lewis - BLUE DOOR, North Uist)

and, You know, sometimes we need to go beyond the open seas

Fair Isle - Deep Scotland Marco Dadone

(FAIR ISLE BLUES, Shetland)

or to reach a sanctuary

(VIEW FROM THE HILL, Iona, Inner Hebrides)

and maybe being hypnotized in the middle of a field....

Turf - Deep ScotlandMarco Dadone

and no wonder, that's what nature can do:

(A FLOCK OF WAVES, Island of Rum seen from Eigg)

(GARDENSTOWN, Aberdeenshire)

(TALES FROM THE UNDERWATER, Assynt)

(SAINT ABBS DAWN, Lothian)

(TANGUSDALE BEACH, island of Barra)

(THE HOWLIN CROFT, Eigg, Inner Hebrides)

Deep Scotland Marco Dadone

(TANTALLON CASTLE, East Lothian, and MANGERSTA NEEDLES, Lewis)

(LOCH DRUIDIBEG, South Uist)

(OUR LADY OF THE ISLES, South Uist)

(BEFORE THE DAWN, Uig Sands, Lewis).

...to be continued on the next adventure

----

ALL PHOTOGRAPHS MADE WITH SIGMA CAMERAS AND SIGMA LENSES,

as they are the perfect dreamcatchers for me.

Marco Dadone

www.marcodadofoto.com

please follow my fb pages for regular updates:

marco dadone landscape photography

marco dadone marcodadofoto

Useful links to:

SIGMA GLOBAL

SIGMA IMAGING UK

SIGMA ITALIA (m-trading)

SIGMA 135 Art in the realm of little things

May 16, 2019 • Leave a Comment

This time … I shut my mouth,

we have to be careful not to miss the wee things,

they last a few more than a breath of the wind

so please follow this path...

Let’s enter the hidden world, by a door between the foggy trees

right after the last leaves, left

Between a few bare trees, ancient keepers of the entrance

and where the contours of things become uncertain, and You are almost lost…

the first little things of the newborn world appear…

one

then more

shaking in the wind as it cleaned the milky air,

step by step

recognizing that subtle sound,

a voice hidden inside,

until the source of the wee world was found…

and

from there we went further in

more light came for company

sending shadows and revealing shapes of this show of life

...till the white damsel was found

suspended in the colourful air

and at the end the sun came

to send his mantle of sorrowful red

on the white realm I had found

as that old flaming friend came down

to search some solace on the fresh blades of new grass,

one last dandelion

the lonely astronaut

dominated the scene.

So the realm of little things ended,

hard to meet and to leave

as all things made of magic,

one day in life one lifetime in the heart.

----

ALL IMAGES WITH SIGMA SDQ H

AND THE FAIRYTALE SPECIAL

SIGMA 135 ART

courtesy of SIGMA FOTO ITALIA

https://www.m-trading.it/sigma-m-13.html

https://www.sigma-global.com/en/lenses/cas/product/art/a_135_18/

for me and my works :

https://www.marcodadofoto.com

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

https://twitter.com/Marco_Dadone

https://www.instagram.com/marco_dadone_photography/

SIGMA 135 mm Art in the hills of wine

April 18, 2019 • 1 Comment

title the Hills of wine Marco Dadone

SIGMA 135mm F1.8 DG HSM | A

Ultra-High Resolution for ultimate artistry

Yes it is. But I am a landscapist! Let me see what … keep on reading my adventures with this GREAT lens.

Mmh… big lens huge problem maybe!

Well NOT with the 135 mm Art:

A box arrived from Mtrading, SIGMA FOTO ITALIA ( https://www.m-trading.it ) ( https://it-it.facebook.com/sigmafotoitalia )

and I had not finished to open it that, as my friend the foveon wizard Paul Monaghan said… yes the lens came FLOATING to me !

that is not a bad beginning

FLOATING LENS PHOTO COURTESY OF THE FOVEON WIZARD Mr. PAUL MONAGHAN, https://www.facebook.com/PMonaghanPhoto/

I was at first a little worried anyway: I use wideangles!

But, when I reached the last woodlands before the Hills of wine by night, the lens came into use:

Yes I was going the one of the most charming places ever, here in Italy, the LANGHE Hills,

land of the most sublime wines of the world.

And, being a plateau of hills with high mountains on the horizon, the views at dawn can be quite magical:

and as the first villages appear, let the fairytale begin:

I was determined to use ONLY the 135 mm art, and play with its large aperture (f1.8!). It is a very bright lens.

Icould capture the countyside and the village of Barolo while waking up from a red misty night.

Barolo 2 marco dadone sigma 135 mm art

together with the SIGMA SD Q H, this lens produced great results, extreme sharpness and precision in choosing the in-focus area.

I looked at the distant hills while the sun was rising,

the smooth bokeh emphatized the sense of open space here:

Empty spaces often tell a lot more than overcrowded images....

the wineyards were waiting:

the winter wineyards are like a naif painting, seen from far, and like a labyrinth... from inside!

me and sigma 135 artmarco dadone

with the first sun, I arrived at Grinzane Cavour and its sourroundings, like oil-paintings from the past, thanks to the narrow depth of field and the very enjoyable soft bokeh of the 135 Art: