There was a point in our trip to Italy when I tired of photographing things and began to create portraits of people. I already talked about candid's of people holding up the tower of Pisa and such. But I also did a few more intimate portraits of people who in a simple sense posed for me. I was telling my photography students the other day not to be afraid to ask people for permission to create their portrait. There were several instances, as we walked around the town squares, that I did just that. Now I don't speak a word of Italian. but I can smile and make jesters towards the camera and the person I'm talking to. In all but one case it worked and people were kind enough to let me create their portrait. Such portraits are not always perfect because I'm cognoscente of their time and kindness. While our encounters are short I often feel like for whatever little time we interact, I've made a friend as well as a memory for not only me but for them. I think I also took 5 or 6 family portraits while I was there. People would see my camera gear and ask me to photograph them with their cell phones. I would take the time to arrange and pose them and snap their picture. We would smile and laugh, I would be thanked, and we would go our separate ways, but with memories made. The architecture was fine, but the portraits make me feel like I came home with a piece of Italy that I will always treasure. So this week I'm going to share a few of those portraits, one or two at a time. The stories will be short, but I hope you will enjoy them. The first is simple a gal who was part of a group that represented a small historical museum, telling visitors about the history of their city, Lucca. They found someone who spoke some English who could talk to us. Afterwards they invited me to take pictures so I did. We had a grand time before having to continue on our journey.

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