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Photography - Vanishing Point

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  For photographers, finding a vanishing point , or an implied vanishing point in nature or human-made environments can result in a very sharp compositional opportunity. While they are often found in long roads, tunnels and tall buildings, the collection below shows that wherever they are, a good photographer can turn them into a powerful image.

Stockholm Sundown

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Strandvägen is a boulevard on Östermalm in central Stockholm , Sweden. Completed just in time for the Stockholm World's Fair 1897, it quickly became known as one of the most prestigious addresses in town. Strandvägen Sundown

SUMO - By Helmut Newton

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The Helmut Newton SUMO was a titanic book in every respect: it broke records for weight, dimensions, and resale price. At 35.4 kilos, TASCHEN and Helmut Newton created a landmark book that stood head and shoulders above anything previously attempted, both in terms of conceptual extravagance and technical specifications.  SUMO - Ny Helmut Newton Published in an edition of 10,000 signed and numbered copies, the SUMO sold out soon after publication and quickly multiplied its value. Copies now feature in numerous important collections around the world, including New York’s Museum of Modern Art,while legendary SUMO copy number one, autographed by over 100 of the book’s featured celebrities, broke the record for the most expensive book published in the 20th century, selling at auction in Berlin on April 6, 2000, for 620,000 German marks – approximately €317,000. A decade on from its first appearance, the XL SUMO brings this unprecedented publishing venture to an even wider audience with...

Monochrome - Stockholm

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Some of the best subjects for monochrome shots are those with lines and shapes, as well as interesting textures and patterns. After all, these are what viewers will take notice of when colors are taken out of an image.  Stockholm City Hall Stockholm Swimmer So, if you have an image that is full of textures but bombarded with erratic colors, your best bet is to go monochromatic . 

Winter Ice - Albedo

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Albedo is a non-dimensional, unitless quantity that indicates how well a surface reflects solar energy. Albedo varies between 0 and 1. Albedo commonly refers to the "whiteness" of a surface, with 0 meaning black and 1 meaning white. A value of 0 means the surface is a "perfect absorber" that absorbs all incoming energy. Absorbed solar energy can be used to heat the surface or, when sea ice is present, melt the surface. A value of 1 means the surface is a "perfect reflector" that reflects all incoming energy. Albedo - Stockholm, Sweden Albedo generally applies to visible light, although it may involve some of the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum. You understand the concept of low albedo intuitively when you avoid walking barefoot on blacktop on a hot summer day. Blacktop has a much lower albedo than concrete because the black surface absorbs more energy and reflects very little energy. Sea ice has a much higher albedo compared to other Earth ...

The Royal Palace of Stockholm

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The Royal Palace of Stockholm stands proudly on Slottsbacken in the Swedish capital’s charming Old Town. Designed by master architect Nicodemus Tessin the Younger – this enormous jewel of a regal building was inaugurated in 1754. Tessin learnt his craft in France, Italy and England, where he studied architecture and landscape gardening for many years. A former pupil of Lorenzo Bernini, he drew heavily on the Baroque architecture of Rome – which explains why he decided to model The Royal of Palace of Stockholm on a Roman palace. The Royal Palace

Architectural Symmetry

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The functionalist-style townhouses were designed by architect Paul Hedqvist and built by Olle Engkvist in 1929-1932. They later became known as Per-Albinhusen after Engkvist’s friend, prime minister Per-Albin Hansson, who moved into Ålstensgatan 40 soon after they were built. Today the popular townhouses are listed buildings due to their national architectural importance. International functionalist architecture developed during the aftermath of World War I and was inspired by a need to build a better world for the growing population through highly functional housing. Functionalist structures typically feature identical mass-produced elements, cubic shapes, clean-lines and the use of basic raw materials. The genre was a major influence on Funkis architecture which became popular in Sweden in the 1930’s. Ålsten - Bromma

Stockholm in Black & White

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The complimentary and opposing colours that bring a colour image to life are all reduced to black and white or shades of grey in a monochrome image and you have to look for tonal contrast to make a shot stand out.

Krug 1988

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At the House of Krug each Krug Vintage is crafted to be different, created to reveal the expression of a year’s specific character, captured uniquely as only the House of Krug can. There are as many stories as there are Krug Vintages. Upright structure and the solid acidity not found in particularly hot years, Krug 1988 reveals sharp purity. In the mouth, it is full of sensations: orange blossom, dry figs, ripe quince, and mild spices such as cinnamon and ginger. With a crystal finish and lingering palate, Krug 1988 is a treasure trove of emblematic savoir-faire from the House of Krug. Krug 1988 The first of the trilogy of Krug Vintages of 1988, 89 and 90 – a feat never again repeated at the House of Krug – 1988 is undoubtedly the subtle elder sister of 1989’s louder, younger exuberance. Krug 1988 stayed a bit close for quite some time, nearly austere at the beginning but today after more than 20 years in Krug’s cellars it is entering into a new, expressive phase, it is opening up beau...

2001 Massolino Barolo Riserva Vigna Rionda

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2001 Massolino Barolo Riserva Vigna Rionda - 🍷🍷🍷 - Stunning bottle , at mid of drinking window? (Pic from my cellar..) Barolo Vigna Rionda Riserva 2001

2004 Giuseppe E Figlio Mascarello Barolo Monprivato

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2004 Giuseppe E Figlio Mascarello Barolo Monprivato. Classic and typical with cherries, spice, soil, tar and leather. Concentrated with complex nuances. Great Barolo. Many years to go… Monprivato is one of the most distinctive Barolos around.  It boasts a level of elegance, clarity of expression and beautifully nuanced complexity that's heartbreaking. There's a unique and very compelling mingling of fruit, flower and earth with an incredible finesse.  The life of Monprivato is legendary.  It can age for decades. Over time, it shows its breeding to an even greater extent and gets even more beautifully aromatic and transparent. With time, a beguiling depth and perfume emerges.  2004 is a very strong vintage for Piedmont, but even in this context the Monprivato is brilliant.  Few wines reached this level of refinement and delineation. Monprivato - Vintage 2004

2007 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate - Le Coste

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2007 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate - Le Coste, a wine worth devoting yourself to… ”Powerful, complex and multi-faceted - red fruit, leather, cherries, blackberries, herbs, tar, orange peel, a hint of medicinal tones and a floral touch and perhaps also some meaty and animal features.. First labelled and sold as a single-vineyard wine in   1934, Brunate is one of the Grand Crus of the Langhe region, even if the classification has not yet been made. Why? Because of its ability to deliver high quality fruit year-in, year-out. It is at the base of the La Morra slope, in a plum south amphiteatro which generates plenty of steamy heat by day and because of its position low down, it chills down quickly by night, preserving the perfumes and extending the hang-time.

Barolo from Vigna Rionda - Vintage 2004

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 ”Protected from cold, eastern winds by the high ridge of Serralunga, Vigna Rionda gets full southern exposure. This combination allows grapes to reach ideal ripening before harvest almost every year. High vineyard altitudes of 985 feet provide marked day-night temperature changes that prolong the growing season and create complex aromas in the finished wines.”   Vigna Rionda - Vintage 2004

Barolo OtinFiorin Piè Rupestris.

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  The vineyards in Gabutti in Serralunga d’Alba are unanimously regarded as one of the most prestigious ‘crus’ of the Barolo-producing area.  They are located at the centre of a land with an extraordinary vocation for growing nebbiolo, a vine which produces wines with remarkable character and structure perfect for ageing.  This is the birthplace of Barolo OtinFiorin Piè Rupestris: it is 100% Serralunga in its character ‒ a paradigmatic wine thanks to its severe and authoritative tone, with an austere but also generous and sharing manner ‒ as well as in the organoleptic characteristics: liquorice, juniper, tar, balsamic notes, spices and undergrowth are just the most recognisable and typical expressions of an aromatic patrimony which sketches, year after year, a veritable narration of the land.  This is made authentic and trustworthy by our unequivocally natural choices and by an attitude alien to mediation. A narration which changes and evolves in time, under the sig...

2013 M. Marengo Barolo Bricco Viole, Barolo DOCG.

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2013 M. Marengo Barolo Bricco Viole, Barolo DOCG. (Far too young today...) "A bottle of good wine, like a good act, shines ever in the retrospect" - Robert Louis Stevenson. Add caption

2015 Sommarovina Valtellina Superiore Sassella D.O.C.G

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This was a very nice Nebbiolo, light colored with intoxicating aromatics, and a surprising balmy and rich bouquet, concentrated fruit with hints of plum, licorice and perhaps also with slight nuances of violets. Silky ripe tannins with typical acidity. (Wine Spectator gave this wine 91 points for the vintage of 2009.) A great wine in summary… Producer Notes: Deep ruby red color with garnet shades. Fresh fragrance with hints of red fruits, hibiscus and rose supported by intense balsamic and spicy sensations. The taste is warm, persistent and elegant with a pleasant ending of licorice and almond, confirming it as a wine of character, austere, compact .

2004 Elio Grasso Barolo Ginestra Casa Maté

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2004 Elio Grasso Barolo Ginestra Casa Maté. Distinct tannins, cherries, violets, roses, ham/meat with some wood and a hint of tobacco. Grape:  Nebbiolo First vintage:  1978 Aspect and height above sea level:  south-facing, 300-350 metres Soil type:  moderately loose-packed, slightly clayey, limestone-based Vine training system and planting density:  Guyot-trained at 4,500 vines per hectare Average age of productive vines:  around 40 years Harvest period and method:  second 10 days of October, manual harvest The vinification procedure for Barolo Ginestra Casa Matè involves alcoholic fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, with daily pumping over. After completing malolactic fermentation, the wine matures in 25-hectolitre barrels of Slavonian oak. Bottling normally takes place in August. The Barolo Ginestra Casa Matè then stays in the binning cellar for 8-10 months before release. Front Label

1996 Bollinger Champagne R.D. Extra Brut

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1996 Bollinger Champagne R.D., disgorged Feb 07. Rich, very 'Bolly', complex, ripe and slightly oxidative. Front Label Bottle  

Mamete Prevostini - 2014 Corte di Cama Sforzato di Valtellina D.O.C.G.

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  Mamete Prevostini - 2014 Corte di Cama Sforzato di Valtellina D.O.C.G. This bottle initially appeared a bit angular and tight on the nose, but it soon revealed it’s pure and delicate Nebbiolo character. This wine was full-bodied with a high level of alcohol (15.5%). While still young, it showed real ‘elegance’ and a balanced acidity with rather ripe tannins. We found cherries, licorice (or anise..), a spectrum of different spices, typical dried fruit with hints of both vanilla and raisins — and perhaps also hazelnuts? A beautiful wine that will be stunning after another 5+ years in the cellar…  More on Mamete Prevostini: https://medium.com/@perkamperin/two-great-wines-from-mamete-prevostini-226c4fd8ead0

Pasta alla Norcina

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Pasta alla norcina  is a typical recipe from Umbria; specifically the ancient town of Norcia, famous for its sausages and cured meats. There are actually two versions of pasta alla norcina. This one is made with Norcia sausage crumbled into a pan with oil and onion, fresh cream, truffle and pecorino. This is a very simple recipe with few ingredients  but so flavourful and creamy you’ll want to make it part of your regular pasta menu. Remove the casing from the sausages and crumble the meat filling. Peel and chop the onion finely. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta, add salt and bring to the boil again. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft then add the crumbled sausage meat. Brown the sausage, while stirring to prevent it from sticking. Pour in the wine. Allow the alcohol to evaporate (while stirring). Lower the heat, cover, and finish cooking the sausage in its own juices for 10 minutes. Un...