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Use this diagram I created as a guide to finding your lenses sweet spot.

There’s this famous urban legend about a woman who has this lump growing on the side of her face and when she finally goes to the doctor he cuts it open with a scalpel and millions of baby spiders crawl all over her face. Then there’s the other urban legend about F8 being the sharpest f-stop on every lens.

The first was made up to scare the crap out of us about spiders and the second may have been true for lenses built last century but certainly doesn’t apply to digital lenses.

The truth is not all lenses are created equal and the ‘sweet spot” or aperture setting the will create the sharpest image will vary from lens to lens. (If you really want to geek out on this subject and find out the science behind lens sharpness check out Ken Rockwell’s blog)

So here’s the non-techy lowdown on lens sharpness

So just to clarify, by sharpness I mean actual focus sharp not the depth of field sharp.

. . .

Above: Image by Gina Milicia

The most common question I’m asked is what gear do I need to take the best photos? There is no doubt that specific lenses will help you take technically better photos. High-end cameras will help you take higher-resolution images. I believe that these are not the most essential qualities in taking great pictures.

Whenever I eat a great meal, my first thought isn’t hmmm I wonder what kind of oven this was baked in or what knives the chef used to slice the ingredients with. Great meals are not created because a chef used great tools. Great meals are created because of the way he or she combines the ingredients and prepares and serves them.

The best and most expensive tools in the world will not guarantee the best and most appealing creations in the world. Other more important qualities influence whether or not something is excellent.

So when it comes to great photos, I believe four essential factors separate the mediocre photos from the great photos.

1. Your eyes

By eyes, I don’t mean how well you can see. . . .

“Don’t aim at success. The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one’s personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one’s surrender to a person other than oneself. Happiness must happen, and the same holds for success: you have to let it happen by not caring about it. I want you to listen to what your conscience commands you to do and go on to carry it out to the best of your knowledge. Then you will live to see that in the long-run —in the long-run, I say! —success will follow you precisely because you had forgotten to think about it” – Victor Frankel

Above: Image by Gina Milicia

I’ve combined my four great loves, photography, Sicily, travel and teaching to create the ultimate photography experience.

I’m so excited to show you my beautiful Island of Sicily and share the lighting, posing and post-production techniques I use.

I’ve partnered with the best Sicily tour guide in the world, Carmel Ruggeri of Sicilian Food Tours. We’ve been doing these tours together since 2013 and having a blast!

Carm will take care of us during our stay and take us to authentic Sicilian villages and locations off the beaten track.

Carm is a successful and much-loved restaurateur so we will be privy to some of the best Sicilian food and wine and hospitality.

I can’t wait to work with you!

Email Carm at info@sicilianfoodtours.com to secure your spot.

Cover Image 1950 Vogue by Erwin Blumenfeld

“Erwin Blumenfeld is one of the most influential photographers of the twentieth century. An experimenter and innovator, he produced an extensive body of work including drawings, collages, portraits and nudes, celebrity portraiture, advertising campaigns and his renowned fashion photography both in black and white and color.”

Above: Image by Gina Milicia

Coco Chanel, the founder and namesake of the Chanel brand, once said, “Before leaving the house, look in the mirror and remove one accessory.” This advice can be applied to photography.

It’s easy to get caught up in lighting and post-production techniques that end up overpowering an image.

Next time you are adding props to a photo, lighting an image or retouching a shot ask yourself WWCD? What would Coco do?

Do you need the extra light? If the answer is no, then try applying the Coco protocol and simplifying your image.

Too many props? WWCD?

One too many Lightroom presets? WWCD?

A beautiful image doesn’t need diamond rings, red lipstick and high heels to stand out.

Chanel wasn’t the only artist who believed in the importance of simplicity.

Next time you are tempted to use the latest editing technique that all the cool kids are using on Instagram you might want to consider the advice of some of the following creative icons:

“Trendy is the last stage before tacky.” – Karl Lagerfeld

. . .

“Every champion was once a contender that refused to give up.” – Rocky Balboa

Above: Image by Gina Milicia

Above: Image by Gina Milicia

“The wise rest at least as hard as they work.” ― Mokokoma Mokhonoana

Have you ever tried to work on a computer that has Lightroom, Photoshop, Capture One, Mail, and the 27 tabs opened in Google? It’s slow and crashes often, right?

Have you ever wondered what happens to our bodies when we try and multi-task or continually overload our systems? The same thing, we slow down and if we’re not careful we burn out.

To “burn out” means you lack the physical and mental energy needed to work efficiently. This state is caused by overloading the body with too many external stress triggers like stress, lack of sleep and too large a workload. Our bodies can still function but only at about 25% capacity and for those of us in the creative industry the first casualties are creativity and inspiration.

Nurturing creativity and inspiration

Creativity and Inspiration are fickle. If you don’t nurture these relationships they will wither and die.

Working long hours, high-stress levels, lack of sleep and exercise and a poor diet without taking regular breaks . . .

Above: Image by Gina Milicia

“The creative adult is the child who has survived.” – Ursula K. Le Guin

Use this diagram I created as a guide to find your lenses sweet spot.

There’s this famous urban legend about a woman who has this lump growing on the side of her face and when she finally goes to the doctor he cuts it open with a scalpel and millions of baby spiders crawl all over her face. Then there’s the other urban legend about F8 being the sharpest f-stop on every lens.

The first was made up to scare the crap out of us about spiders and the second may have been true for lenses built last century but certainly doesn’t apply to digital lenses.

The truth is not all lenses are created equal and the ‘’sweet spot” or aperture setting the will create the sharpest image will vary from lens to lens. (If you really want to geek out on this subject and find out the science behind lens sharpness check out Ken Rockwell’s blog.)

So here’s the non-techy lowdown on lens sharpness:

So just to clarify, by sharpness I mean actual focus sharp not depth of field sharp.

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