Sandy Pinto - Young Girl Near Sorrento, Italy

“My fantasy is to live out of a post office box and run out of pages in my passport”.

In late May and early June of 2009, at least part of Sandy’s fantasy was fulfilled by taking an extended Mediterranean Sea cruise. While sitting on a bench in a village outside Sorrento, Italy, resting her wearies, this beautiful young lady kept flirting with the camera. “How could I resist snapping the shutter? Her nearby family was speaking some Slavic language so apparently she was also a visitor to Italy.”

This photo could have been the usual traveling snapshot, of interest only to the photographer as a memory jogger. But here the girl was caught in such a delightful pose, with one of those enigmatic smiles, as to have universal appeal. Her sparkling white dress, the dark blue sweater, the position of her feet with eye-catching sandals and most of all that swinging pigtail make this sunny little princess, looking directly at the camera, irresistible. One of those fleeting moments never to be repeated. There is some movement blur but that only adds to the reality of the scene.

Camera Model: Nikon D90
Capture Time: June 11, 2009 @ 4:45 PM
Metering Mode: Pattern
Exposure: 1/125 sec at f / 5.6
ISO Speed Rating: ISO 400
Focal Length: 52 mm
Focal Length 35mm: 78 mm
Flash: Did not fire