Beginning to think about the new year

I can't imagine Florence without the Arno. It's like a shimmery version of a piazza, offering a lovely pause amid the otherwise dense urban fabric. I love how it changes with the weather, the time of day and the season. Sometimes glittering silver, other times taking on a shade of olive green—or blue, or brown—there are also those serene autumn afternoons when the palazzi cast copper and gold onto the water, creating reflections that look too dazzling to be true. The water turns bright green in the presence of grass or trees that sprout along the banks, and the sunset can light it on fire. Sometimes, for example early in the day, controluce, the river is so pale that it appears practically colorless.

It's not just the rainbow of colors that appeals to me, but also the sense of structure found in many of the reflections. Orderly rows of windows overlooking the Arno reflect as vertical bands of alternating light and dark, while the narrow streets that end at the river's edge create dark abysses between the reflections of buildings. With one side catching the light and the other in shadow, corner buildings appear as two differently-colored rectangles side by side. The arches of the Uffizi's river-facing façade create their own distinctive pattern, as do the towers and bridges. Depending on the texture of the water (which in turn relies on the whim of the wind), the reflections are either perfectly mirrored, or abstract beyond recognition—fascinatingly so, in either case.

The Arno's ever-changing palette & personality has inspired many photos over the years. I've brought together a dozen (from the last 14 months or so) for Florence Reflected, a calendar I designed for the fast-approaching New Year. Here are a few photos showing how it came out...

And below is the cover, followed by a composite image of all twelve months. {The calendar can now be found in my online shop, PaperSynthesis.}

 Here's hoping that these last weeks of 2012 are merry & bright...