Italian Renaissance

Florence, Italy - Tuscany.

A History Lesson
Told Firsthand

As a photographer working in the art business, I often find myself in the most peculiar of places. Sometimes for the better while other times for the worse. I’ve been in some extreme conditions (or positions) where I will think to myself “what on earth are you doing?! This is crazy.” However, thats a story for another post.

This post is about a time I was in a magical place, filled with incredible culture and rich history around every turn. Florence, Italy in the province of Tuscany was an experience I will never forget. My sister (freshmen in college at the time) was over there participating in a study abroad program so I made it a point to visit. How could I not?

My lovely sister - Learning the ropes of photography.

While I was there, it would have been incredibly foolish not to take some time out of my schedule to do a couple of photo shoots. We did some preliminary research before the trip and found some great ‘then’ source photos. The shoot was planned and it did NOT disappoint.

Walking around the city of Florence was absolutely thrilling. The liveliness, the commerce happening, the wonderful Italian language being spoke all around. It was like walking through the streets of a storybook. Rightfully so, the amount of history Florence (or better known to Italians as Firenze) has is astounding.

We often take for granted our own American history. Think about it for a second, our country as we know isn’t even 250 years old. 300 years prior to our founding fathers inking the Constitution… the Italian Renaissance was just starting to percolate.

Scouting the source photo.

An Artist's Haven

From the famed Medici family to Sandro Botticelli. Michelangelo’s Statue of David (which became a subject of our first Then & Now Florence image) to Leonardo and the Mona Lisa. Florence is bursting at the seams, filled with incredible art, most of which was produced in the 15th century Renaissance era.

There were no cameras during the Renaissance. Everything was done through painting or sculpting, the artists of that time had to be innovative, creative, and really put forth the effort to stand out in a time that everything around them was changing.

Walking around the streets Florence in the year 2019, it wasn’t difficult to let my imagination wander to a time long since past. The vibe of the Renaissance era is very much alive and will swallow you up in an instant. No complaints whatsoever. I let myself give way and in the process managed to photograph one of my best to date.

From the famed Medici family to Sandro Botticelli. Michelangelo’s Statue of David (which became a subject of our first Then & Now Florence image) to Leonardo and the Mona Lisa. Florence is bursting at the seams, filled with incredible art, most of which was produced in the 15th century Renaissance era.

Behind the scenes:

Palazza Vecchio shoot

Different Times, Different Culture.

There were no cameras during the Renaissance. Everything was done through painting or sculpting, the artists of that time had to be innovative, creative, and really put forth the effort to stand out in a time that everything around them was changing.

Walking around the streets Florence in the year 2019, it wasn’t difficult to let my imagination wander to a time long since past. The vibe of the Renaissance era is very much alive and will swallow you up in an instant. No complaints whatsoever. I let myself give way and in the process managed to photograph one of my best to date.

You can view it here.

The ‘title’ is something I am incredibly proud of. Not because I am some sort of amazing photographer but because it was/is my way of leaving my own little sliver of culture and history to this absolutely amazing place.