Sunset

Deep Blue

Lument

At first I was hesitating to go up on the roof to get the laundry down (yes in the Mediterranean we hang our clothes up on the roof :) ) but boy am I glad I did? It was a perfect winter sunset and I was lucky to have my iPhone on me.

New Year, New Hopes

It feels so good to be able to post on this blog again and continue where I had left off! My life had taken such a weird turn that I simply had to put aside all the things I love doing to be able to be with the person I love the most. He has been diagnosed with cancer and his health deteriorated fast. Juggling between taking care of him and still having my full time day job it was difficult at the end of the day to do all the extra things. 

Now it seems that life is looking a big better. He is doing better, therefore I can once again focus on the things I love.

This photo was taken on our first drive together after almost 15 months of being stuck at home as he was not able to move. It was good, it was fantastic and it was even better that I could get my Hipstamatic back out again!

Happy New Year Everyone!!

Towards The Light

This street has always caught my eyes at how beautiful it looks when the sun is hitting it from a certain spot. The contrast between light and shade is brilliant and from within a distance it's like you are walking towards a light tunnel. Sometimes it's so bright that you can really see what's at the end of it.

A few days ago I decided to take a walk around the area and while I was busy experimenting with my camera I almost forgot I was walking on one of my favorite streets in Malta. I walked back and took a few photographs.

The street starts in Floriana and goes all the way to Valletta. What you see in the photograph is the sidewalk. Beside it there is a somewhat narrow road and beside that there is a huge square. If you have ever watched Isle of MTV (Malta) you would know what square I am talking about! The party usually takes place at that spot.

This black and white photograph was shot using a Canon 40D with my usual 60mm Macro Lens, which also does a great job at shooting portraits and street scenes. The photograph was converted and edited using Photoshop CS4.

This print can be found at my shop on Etsy: Towards The Light and if you want to browse my other photographs please go here: LRAphotos

Ready to Run

"A horse never runs so fast as when he has other horses to catch up and outpace." Ovid

Horses were the main source of transportation many years back. If you owned a horse it was like owning the latest expensive car. But we all know that's not the case anymore (except for some cultures.)

In Malta horses are still used as a means of transportation for tourists. It's a big business actually. If you go to Valletta or Mdina you can see a lot of horses waiting to pick up tourists and take them for a tour around the city. For tourists it's something exceptional and I would guess a thrill. 

Most of the horses are well kept and well taken care of but still I can't stand the sight of them in hot summers. All those horses lined up next to each other in the summer heat (which can reach up to 40C) while their owners are in the shade thinking that their horse can keep itself cool.

There were several claims to remove those horses off the streets but all were put to the side, I think mainly because this became a part of Malta and who we are and forever branded itself into our folklore.

This photo was shot using my Canon 40D and edited in Photoshop CS4.

Staircase

The Stairs

"I do have a blurred memory of sitting on the stairs and trying over and over again to tie one of my shoelaces, but that is all that comes back to me of school itself." Roald Dahl

I couldn't have found a more appropriate quote than the one included with this photo. In this photo we have a stairway, a stairway at the school I teach at. Looking at the photo makes me wonder how many times I've been up and down those stairs in the last few years.

I don't know if it's just me, but lately I've started to realize that school is not the same as when I used to be the student instead of the teacher. We had more respect towards teachers...we were actually scared of them and discipline was actually a good thing. Today it's frowned upon. I also realized that school, for most parents, is that institution where you can send your kids to to get rid of them for a few hours.

Anyway back to the photo. This school is one of the oldest in Malta and a lot claim that it's also one of the best on the island. When I took this photo I had to do it quick as I had students with me and I had no time to take an elaborate picture...I just had to literally point and shoot.

This black and white photograph was captured on my iPhone using the Hipstamatic app. Some minor editing was done in PS CS4. Settings for Hipstamatic were BlacKeys B&W/Lucifer IV.

The Door

Valletta, Malta

"Knowledge of what is does not open the door directly to what should be." Albert Einstein

Today I am posting another photograph of my Valletta by Night tour. This photo was shot just opposite the location of my previous photo. 

Today the building is where the Parliament meets but it has a lot of history. It was built by the Knights of St.John and it was their residence. It's simply enormous inside and full of grandeur. The Knights sure did have good taste regarding architecture and location. 

It was recently restored too and it looks nicer than ever. Add the night ambient to it and you have some eye candy. It always baffles me that a building that was built around 1560 is still standing there and has a purpose. I always try to imagine the lush life that those Knights lived back then.

This black and white photograph was captured on my iPhone using the Hipstamatic app. Some minor editing was done in PS CS4. Settings for Hipstamatic were BlacKeys B&W/Lucifer IV.

In Dreams

Zabbar, Malta

"A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world." Oscar Wilde

The first impression I got when I see this photograph was 'dreams'. Not the kind we experience while we are awake, but the actual dreams that we experience while we are asleep. The blue border contrasted with the dark background and a lighter sky all for some weird reason or another remind me of a dream.

The church in the photograph can be found in Zabbar. While it's not one of the nicest churches in Malta, I believe there is something around it that makes it all worthwhile to visit. Right in front of the main door (which is the lower middle one in the photograph) there is a street that stretches almost 1km straight down (0.6 miles.) While I have never seen this myself I have heard it several times. If you are standing at the very edge of the street and the main door of the church is open, you can see the altar. The main church door is right in the center of the street and seeing it from a distance is quite impressive.

Even though it slightly resembles (I repeat, slightly) Red Square in Moscow, this church has basically nothing similar to the Kremlin. It's the effects I used on Hipstamatic that are making it look alike.

For this photo I used my iPhone 3G with the Hipstamatic app. Settings were random and I don't really remember what type I used.

Christmas is Gone

Republic Street, Valletta

"A Merry Christmas to everybody! A happy new year to all the world!" Charles Dickens

So the season came and gone and so did the decorations. I can't believe take months getting prepared to decorate and then it all goes away in a blink. 

Republic Street is one of my favorite streets in Malta. During the day it's a nightmare with all the people walking but at night especially after midnight it's almost totally empty and it's nice and somewhat romantic to take a stroll, especially during Christmas.

When I was walking, I had no intention to take any photos but I couldn't refuse not snapping one of the street.

This black and white photograph was captured on my iPhone using the Hipstamatic app. Some minor editing was done in PS CS4. Settings for Hipstamatic were BlacKeys B&W/Lucifer IV.

Republic Street

Republic Street, Malta

"A man in the house is worth two in the street." Mae West

Five is my favorite number and when I took this photograph I realized that right in front of me there were five people walking in line right in front of me. It's a coincidence, but it's a nice one.

This is the main street in Malta's capital city, Valletta and it's called Republic Street. It's a really old city that was built by the Knights of St.John and it still features a lot of things that go way back then. The new streets were done a few years ago and I like the element of it. It mixes well with the old historical buildings.

As far as Valletta goes, I usually prefer to get off main streets and go to less frequented ones. There are more subjects to photograph and the back streets are usually very narrow but pack a lot of heart.

I shot this photograph using my iPhone and the Hipstamatic app. Some editing was done using PS CS4.

Misere II

Vittoriosa, Malta

"After a storm comes a calm." Matthew Henry

A continuation with the photograph I posted yesterday which you can find here Misere. For those who don't know misere is in Latin and means mercy. I always thought it was a profound and suitable name for really dense clouds...the reason? I don't really know.

This photograph was captured on my iPhone using the Hipstamatic app. Some minor editing was done in PS CS4. Settings for Hipstamatic were BlacKeys B&W/Lucifer IV.

The Gate II

Zabbar, Malta

"In the early days I had a very black-and-white view of everything." Cat Stevens

Today I am posting my 90th photograph...the 90th photograph of a journey that started exactly three months ago. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my subscribers and viewers as without you I wouldn't have made it to almost 11,000 views in three months.

Anyway the photograph of today is the second photograph I am posting of the Notre Dame Gate that is found in Zabbar, Malta. The first photograph was of the Gate that is right in the center of this structure. The photo and more historical information can be found on my first post which can be found here.

This photograph was captured on my iPhone using the Hipstamatic app. Some minor editing was done in PS CS4. Settings for Hipstamatic were BlacKeys B&W/Lucifer IV

Tempestous Sea

Kalkara, Malta

"The boisterous sea of liberty is never without a wave." Thomas Jefferson

This is probably one of the nicest beaches in Malta, but at the same time it feels wrong calling it a beach. Even the midst of a summer heatwave, if you go to this beach you will find it empty. So why do people avoid crystal clear waters?

This particular water area, which is found in Kalkara, Malta in an area called "Wied Ghammieq" claimed more lives than any other beach. The under water currents are too strong and even if you are the best swimmer you will still find difficulty to swim to the shore.

But as they say one man's trash is another man's treasure. In this case, the happy men are fishermen. It's the perfect spot to fish. No people scaring the fish away. They say that fishing is relaxing and I am sure that fishing in this spot, where you'd feel like you are a hundred miles away from humanity is relaxing to even the most hectic people I know.

This photograph was shot today. We have been having storms for a few days now so once the sky started to clear  I went down to the beach and snapped some photographs. Shortly after I was done, the sky turned dark again and it started raining. 

The photograph was shot using my cheap compact camera. Color processing was done using Adobe PS CS4.

Past and Present

Valletta Waterfront, Malta

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing" Helen Keller

A few years ago this place was out of bounds for pedestrians. It was neglected and a dangerous place. None of us bothered to go and we had no reason to either.

Today it's one of the most beautiful places in Malta. The buildings you see used to be stores during the Knights of St.John period. They are restored to high quality and turned into restaurants and bars. What once used to be the most deserted area in Malta is now the most frequented place for lunches and dinners. 

Looking on the other side, the view is impeccable (will post a picture soon) and you can see the ocean and the Three Cities. Sometimes, since Valletta has the main harbor, you will spot a gigantic cruise ship coming in and you would be thinking 'wow this ship is as big as this street.' That is true, this street is small but it packs a lot of heart and character. If you are a foodist, this is the place to be at to try different things.

This black and white photograph was captured on my iPhone using the Hipstamatic app. Some minor editing was done in PS CS4. Settings for Hipstamatic were BlacKeys B&W/Lucifer IV

Porte des Bombes

Porte des Bombes, Floriana, Malta

"A distant enemy is always preferable to one at the gate." Emile M.Cioran

This gate, which is situated right in the center of a main street is one of the main landmarks in Malta. Porte des Bombes (which literally means door to bombs) is nowadays an ornamental gate, but in the past it formed part of the outer defensive walls of Valletta. 

It was constructed in Baroque style between 1697 and 1720 during the reign of Fra Ramon Perellos who was the 64th Grandmaster of the Knights of Malta. During the 19th century, the British government dramatically altered the original design of the gate by adding a second archway to accommodate increasingly heavy traffic in the Grand Harbor area. A marble plaque was affixed to the newer arch, with the following inscription: "Ad majorem popoli accomodatum".

I originally wanted to stand right in the center but it's too dangerous as there is only a very narrow central strip that you can stand on. So I had to settle for a side picture which actually brought out the texture of the gate even more.

This black and white photograph was captured on my iPhone using the Hipstamatic app. Some minor editing was done in PS CS4. Settings for Hipstamatic were BlacKeys B&W/Lucifer IV

Simplicity

Valletta, Malta

"The boisterous sea of liberty is never without a wave." Thomas Jefferson

Today I am uploading a picture with nothing much to say about. I am keeping things simple for today. 

Basically what we are seeing here is a partial view of the capital city of Malta, Valletta. I took the picture from Senglea at the Gardjola Garden. Senglea is right opposite of Valletta and the views are impeccable. 

It had just stopped raining and the clouds were clearing up but I got the picture right on time before they all disappeared into nothingness. 

That opening between the edge of the city and the picture frame is where the cruise liners come in. We only have one main harbor in Malta and it's in Valletta.

This black and white photograph was captured on my iPhone using the Hipstamatic app. Some minor editing was done in PS CS4. Settings for Hipstamatic were BlacKeys B&W/Lucifer IV

Falling Up

Senglea, Malta

"The most dangerous untruths are truths slightly distorted." Georg C. Lichtenberg

Today I am posting a picture that is similar to one I posted previously - Higher - with the difference being that this time we have the town of Senglea in perspective.

Senglea, like Vittoriosa is one of the Three Cities which are found in the southern part of Malta. It's a very small town with only four long major streets. But while it's a fairly small town, the town church is decently sized.

In this church, one could find a very famous statue of Jesus the Redeemer. There are several myths surrounding this statue and a lot of people believe that miracles come true when you pray in front of it. To show their devotion, literally half of Malta goes to Senglea once a year to march behind this statue. You can find people walking barefoot, others walking on their knees and some even walking in small sized shoes as a way to sacrifice themselves for a miracle that happened to them.

Anyway back to the dome. This one is more complex and in my opinion more beautiful that the one in Vittoriosa. It can look a little chaotic but when you closely you can see that everything is in its right place and everything leads to something else. For example take the columns between the windows, follow the way up and they lead you to those lines and the lines lead you towards the inner circle.

Something that always mystified me is the inner circle. When you look at it you can see a triangle that strangely enough looks like the Illuminati triangle.

This black and white photograph was captured on my iPhone using the Hipstamatic app. Some minor editing was done in PS CS4. Settings for Hipstamatic were BlacKeys B&W/Lucifer IV

Entities

Paola, Malta

"We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light." Plato

Am I the only one that thinks that this picture is most appropriate for Halloween? No it's not a haunted house. It's a church, the biggest church in Malta. It can be found in the town called Paola which is in the southern part of Malta.

What I love about this church is that if you look at it from a distance it looks like a space center. There is a series of smaller silver domes that make it interesting and worth looking at. Another thing that I have always wondered about is how many children can be fed even a structure like this was sold?

Anyway the interior of the church is pretty simple...it's somewhat modern and the interior doesn't compliment the exterior at all. 

The two rows of buildings that are visible in the picture are residential houses. Can you imagine living that close to a church with those huge bells jingling every hour even during the night?

This black and white photograph was captured on my iPhone using the Hipstamatic app. Some minor editing was done in PS CS4. Settings for Hipstamatic were BlacKeys B&W/Lucifer IV

Mary in the Corner

Marsa, Malta

"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use." Galileo Galilei

This is one of those pictures that you will only understand if you are coming from a Catholic freak country. 

For all those who are not (I envy you), I will try my best to explain what you see here.

This picture was shot in Malta at a location called Marsa. Marsa is certainly not the most sought after place in Malta and definitely not the place to be at at any time. Besides a power plant that's right in the center of houses (which is creating black dust all over the country), Marsa is also infested with illegal immigrants coming from all parts of Africa. Not exactly a safe neighborhood but in the morning it is safe enough to go down there and shoot a couple of interesting pictures.

In the corner, in this picture, we see a statue of Holy Mary. These sights are very common in Malta...so common that us locals tend to not see them. It's hilarious though when sometimes you are riding with a religious freak and he/she makes the sign of the cross in front of every religious statue they see. Experience it once and you will never be the same again.

What baffles me here is the state of the houses. You'd expect them to fall any minute and frankly I am surprised they haven't yet. Seriously how can you still be a believer if you spend your life living in a run down block with a Holy Mary statue in the corner? These people either have divine faith or they simply don't know any better. 

To see all the details in the picture (for example an A/C in the balcony next to Holy Mary) please full view the picture.

This black and white photograph was captured on my iPhone using the Hipstamatic app. Some minor editing was done in PS CS4. Settings for Hipstamatic were BlacKeys B&W/Lucifer IV