see you at the betahaus in berlin

I am off to Berlin and The Hive blogger conference. I will try to write a few posts from there, if I have the time and if the Internet connection works!

I can't wait to see Berlin again and explore some great places, shops and cafes. I will definitely update my teeny tiny Berlin guide here on the blog with new entries.

Hope to see some of you at the conference in Berlin!

Ps: If you want to see some photos and read about last years conference click HERE and HERE.

cafe dalle valle | copenhagen

Dalle Valle is a cafe which is located on the ground floor of what used to be the famous discount shopping center Daells Varehus (better known as Dalle Valle).

The cafe is right on the corner of Fiolstræde and Krystalgade, and the place has several tables outside, which makes it a really good place if you want to look at the street life while you eat.

The menu lists two different kinds of brunch, an ordinary one and the luxury version which contains smoked salmon with tzatziki, yoghurt, pancakes with maple sirup and much more. The good thing here is that you can actually order brunch until 16.00 pm. The rest of the menu is a mix of ordinary cafe food, such as sandwiches, salads and burgers, but the place also has several more "restaurant like" dishes such as pasta, fish and meat.

Fiolstræde 5. T. +45 33932929 www.cafedallevalle.dk

illums bolighus | copenhagen

Illums Bolighus is probably one of the best places in Copenhagen, when you want Danish (and international) interior design.

Despite the name Illums Bolighus is not connected to the department store Illums. It was in the beginning, but now it has become "independent".

At Illums Bolighus you find several floors filled with beautiful and functional Danish interior design. In here you can shop literally everything for your home. Furniture, kitchen accessories, lamps, toys for children, ceramics, vases and so much more.

At Illums Bolighus you also find a great section filled with the best Danish jewelry designers (and there are a lot of them!) such as Arena, Lin & Jo, and Julie Sandlau.

Upstairs you find designer furniture and a great section filled with everything for the bathroom including products from Danish Tromborg. Illums Bolighus also has a section with children's clothes, e.g. Petit Bateau, and if you collect Christmas ornaments from famous Danish houses such as Georg Jensen, Rosendahl and Holmegaard, this is where you can buy your annual pieces every year.

Amagertorv 10. T. +45 33141941 www.illumsbolighus.dk

this week

So, as you know this week I am writing to you from Copenhagen. It has been so great to return this time. Except for today the weather is fabulous, sunny and warm, and I am just trying to relax a much as possible. Next week we are off for Berlin for The Hive blogger conference, but for now let me just sum up my week for you:

The last days in Florence before departing were pretty intense with some last photography assignments, packing and all the rest. I went to shoot a portrait series for Artists and Artisans in Florence, which will be published when I return to Florence, and I did my third maternity session, this time outdoors in the lovely Giardino di Villa il Ventaglio. Here is a little preview. Notice the amazing blue eyes, I don't think I have ever seen something similar! 

And so we were off to Copenhagen. Vueling has just opened a direct route Florence-Copenhagen, which is just perfect, especially since I have always been a huge fan of flying with Vueling. I love their inflight magazine, Ling, and I love the food, which is being sold on board (They should pay me to write this!!) I snapped these Instagrams in the air. 

In Copenhagen I started out with a long run in one of my favorite local places, Utterslev Mose. In the afternoon we went to the center together with my mum, where we hanged out in the Botanical garden. 

We looked at shops...

... and we had coffee in a nice cafe called Zirup and finally dinner at Paludan. 

I did a children's photo shoot, visited my childhood friend at her house, where we had a great time in the garden with our kids, enjoying the sun, having a barbecue, eating ice cream, and simply enjoying life. 

Today I went to my dad's summerhouse with the whole family to celebrate a Danish holiday. Unfortunately the rain poured down all day, but we had a great time anyway. 

a day in venice # 2

Greetings from sunny Copenhagen, where I'm enjoying life. I will soon share some posts from the "Venice of Scandinavia", but in the meantime here are some more photos from our day trip to the real Venice. You can see more HERE.

see you in copenhagen

I am off to Copenhagen for a much needed vacation. Will be back soon with lots of posts and pics.

Ciao e a presto!

bye, bye photography project + 365 pics | may

Last night I made a decision, which I am so happy about.

I have decided to quit my 365 pics project. If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know, that I started this project on January, 1 2013. The project was simple: Take one photo each day for a whole year of simple things from my life.

I had already tried to do this project some years ago, but gave up after less than a month, because I thought it ruined my creativity. Basically I didn't like the feeling of HAVING to photograph something every day, just because I had made the promise to myself.

Another reason was, that I wasn't happy about all the pics. On some days I would take really bad pics, but they had to be there as part of the project, because otherwise... well, if one day was missing, the whole project wouldn't make sense.

To cut a long story short: I am abandoning the project for the EXACT same reasons this time. Now I know more than ever, that to me photography is something which should only be done when I feel like it, it has to be spontaneous.

Of course professional assignments are something completely different. Or maybe not. Because what I like about the kind of photography, I offer my clients, is the spontaneity. I like that I never plan a lot of things ahead of a photo session. I like that I arrive in a home, which I have never seen before, with people I don't know, and once I am there I look around, try out some things, and always manage to find the best solution for the shoot in terms of location, poses, backgrounds, props etc.

I think spontaneity is the most important word in my work. That is why I like photographing children and other people in their own surroundings, that is why I love photographing cities, landscapes and nature, because I can walk around a place and suddenly see a beautiful light or a gorgeous detail, and that's when I will take my photo. I don't need to arrange anything, I use what is already there and I try to bring out the best of it with my camera.

Spontaneity (or should I say the lack of it) is also the reason why my (very few) attempts in still life photography NEVER turn out well. I am just not good at placing objects on a table for the sole purpose of having to photograph them. I don't like to compose things for a photo. I like to catch things just as they are. One of my Instagram friends has a fabulous quote written on her profile. I am going to steal it for five minutes, because it is so right:

Everywhere I look, I see photographs. 

Isn't it beautiful? That's how I like photography. I look at the world around me, I see things, I picture them as a photograph and then I press the shutter.

I am gonna bring back the spontaneity into my photography. Maybe three days will pass by without me getting even near the camera, maybe not. It doesn't matter. When the inspiration is there, that's when I will grab my dear Canon friend.

Here are, however, my favorites from May.