Another day, a different market, and a favorite fishing village

In Europe, most towns have a market day. Saturday in this town, Thursday in that, and Wednesday in Taormina. Local markets are always a great place to photograph, and our group had lots of subject matter.

Arnie and I would find them here and there, give them some pointers, some challenge assignments, and send them off again.

The group kept running into one another and sharing photos they had found, looking for on-site, peer critiques, or just chimping over a success.

You know chimping, “Ooh-aah, ooh-aaah …” “Ooh-ooh, aah-aah,” is another variation.

There was the produce section, always beautifully displayed.

And let’s be realistic, the Italian men really do appreciate the female form, regardless of the age of the admirer and the subject. It’s the package that counts. And the ladies know this. It is often difficult in the market to distinguish between bikinis and bras. I got a kick out of these two mannequins in their bikini tops. Or were they bras meant to be worn under a flimsy top?

Is this high-end shopping? No, of course not, but you name the garment, and it was there, including these lacy sweaters.

The morning passed quickly, and it was definitely past time to start imaging. Participants, however, were now more disciplined about making selections, so that made the process easier. In the beginning, it is often like pulling teeth to get those selects made. The participants agonize over every photograph. They got over that!

Besides, they were eager both to share their latest images and to see our favorite fishing village with its traditional, colorful, wooden boats.

The boats are always being worked on. New ones are being built. I always like to visit this shed. The old gentleman sit around in the cool shade, talking about this and that. I recognized some from our last time here. And some of them recognized me. I don’t imagine they get many “americanas” peering in through the ribs with their cameras or lovingly patting the wood of the boats, or looking at the boat from so many different angles before photographing.

For them, work was apparently finished for the day.

When I asked permission to photograph the boat, one of the men, kindly took off some bit of plywood so I could get a clear shot. And I didn’t even ask him to do so. I had found another shot, but I like this one better once it was uncovered. What sturdy boats they are! When you see how rough the seas can get, you doubly appreciate that.

Many of you know my passion for wooden boats, particularly traditional ones. My challenge to myself this time was to do the boats differently. After so many years of photographing them, it can be difficult to find another way. Finally, the scene jumped out at me. It was also typical of the way the boats are tied up so close to one another. I liked the subtlety of the bows.

Here and there, we saw men playing an interesting card game. Italy has two national card games, we understand, and Scopa is one of them. I have no idea of the rules, but it seems to involve a lot of slapping down of cards midst heated discussion. In fact, it is the heated discussion that appears to be more important than the game itself.

After quite some time, these men decided it was beer time. Intense, argumentative expressions made way for laughs and pats on the back.

“Una birra,” as they pointed up the hill across the piazza, and off they went!

We stopped at a little sidewalk restaurant and had something cool to drink ourselves before driving back to Taormina.

It was dinner time for us and our last night all together. We returned to Osteria Nero d’Avola where Turi had prepared some special dishes for us. No, no food shots this time. Sorry. Just savoring the company of the others.

It was a late bedtime, but we didn’t have to get up at the crack of dawn. We would be getting the images transferred to my computer, having final critiques, and bidding our farewells. Everyone in this workshop had been with us before, and they would see us again.

Some would be leaving for their next stop in Italy, while others would stay another day or two in Taormina.

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