Italia July 2026

Last week my kids and I went to visit our friends in Genova/Genoa, Italy. It was a pretty full-on, but amazing holiday. My kids and I flew to and from the small airport in Milan, Milano Linate, which is only a few miles from the city centre. Then we took a train to and from Milan - Genoa as there is a lack of direct flights to Genoa at the airports near us. It probably involved more traveling, but I enjoyed it in the end as I saw more of Italy, even if it was mostly through a train or taxi window.

Of course I brought my camera along. I have been wanting to use a lens that I bought off of a local friend (it’s a Sigma 30mm 1:14 DC Ø 62, for those who are interested in gear). I love the quality that this lens provides and I wanted to put it to use on holiday.

I only occasionally do black and white photos, but I felt this photo needed to be in monochrome due to the contrast of the light. When I took the photo I felt like the guy in the foreground looked like a statue, sitting in the shadows along a shopping corridor in the city centre of Genoa. It reminds me of the the professional street photographer Ovidiu Șelaru’s style. You would never know I was also looking after four children (my children + my friend’s children while my friend went into a bakery to buy us focaccia. Genoa has the best focaccia). I am pretty good at multi-tasking - taking photos in quick moments while busy doing something else. Being a mother and a photographer forces you to master this!

I took both street photography and urban landscape shots while I was there, and all of these photos were taken while looking after between one to four children! The beach photo is in Sestri Lavante, a resort town about 30 miles from Genoa. It was my first time shooting on a sandy beach and I was slightly nervous about sand getting into my camera, but it was fine. As you can see, this entire region of Italy is so beautiful. I found myself just taking in the scenery with the buildings’ vibrant colours, green hills and the blue sky. The great thing about learning photography is it makes you focus on your surroundings and notice details many people would ignore.