27 Apr Small Doses – Spring 2026

Posted at 21:30h in Small Doses by

Small Doses  ·  Spring 2026

Small
Doses

Film, place, and the life between weddings.

Film photograph of a small red wooden hut standing alone in a flat coastal meadow, tall poles surrounding it, sea visible on the horizon under a wide overcast sky

It's the end of my birthday week and I've been feeling a little confused about aging. Spring has kicked into full bloom mode and the poppies — and every other flower in Tuscany, or at least that's what it feels like — are everywhere. A good reminder of why we ended up here in the first place. Unexpected beauty in every crack on the pavement, on ancient stone walls along the windy road from our house to Florence, which we've been driving a lot this past month. It's also a good reminder work is about to pick up again, and all of our lives will be lived between weddings and sittings in a dark air-conditioned room for most of the remainder of the year.

My desk is a mess as usual, while Marilia's is as neat as ever, as we prepare for the season ahead. New memory cards awaiting to be unboxed and formatted. Empty gear boxes, a lens cap, film to be developed. I really should clean up. May will be our busiest month since we started shooting weddings fifteen years ago — and aging is a quiet worry in that context too, if I'm honest.

Film photograph of a red mountain train passing through a snow-covered alpine landscape, snowy peaks and blue sky with clouds in the background
Film photograph of snow-covered outdoor café furniture, yellow table tops visible beneath fresh snow, wooden slatted chairs around them on a snowy terrace
Film photograph looking up at two deep red Scandinavian timber buildings, their rooflines forming a V-shape against a pale sky, autumn chestnut leaves in the upper frame
Film photograph of a lone figure walking along a harbour promenade, a blue boat moored to the left, modern glass office buildings lining the waterfront under flat grey sky

But like the flowers that have exploded from the slowly defrosting (not really defrosting, but poetically speaking) ground, spring nearing its peak means summer is almost here. And we have never been this ready for a wedding season. This one is taking shape in a way that feels different. We feel like we worked years building up to this one, so it can move us forward somehow.

Film photograph of a quiet interior room, a single dark chair beside a round table, a coat hanging on a hook against warm yellow-cream panelled walls, natural light from a window
Film photograph of a Leica M6 camera resting on a café table between two cups of coffee, a hand reaching for one cup in warm backlit light
Film photograph looking up through pine tree branches, dark green canopy against an overcast white sky, shot on film with soft grain and black border

On my birthday, as we sat replying to emails, a message landed from Carmencita with our latest personal film scans. It stopped me. Because even if we didn't exactly freeze over this winter — we slowed down, turned inward, took a lot of photos for ourselves — those scans were proof that we really were in defrost mode. We played with film. We played in the snow. We traveled north — the Bernina Express, Alto Adige, Sweden, Copenhagen, Valencia — with family, with friends, and just us two.

Film photograph of a group of four people gathered together in front of the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias in Valencia, dramatic white architectural forms reflected in still water behind them
Black and white film photograph of a train carriage window, blurred landscape rushing past outside, strong contrast between the dark interior and light coming through the glass
Black and white film photograph of a dark street at night, a single wall-mounted light illuminating a patch of brick building and cobblestoned pavement in deep darkness
Black and white film photograph of a person's hand reaching through a wooden fence to touch a pale horse, snowy hillside and pine forest visible in the background
Film photograph of an isolated Romanesque stone church on a snow-covered hilltop, mountains in the background beneath a dramatic cloudy sky

Since Ora Legale — our daylight savings, which we've taken to calling make everything more beautiful time — slow afternoon evenings have finally become a reality again. The days feel magically longer. There is more of everything.

The day after Easter, Pasquetta — a national holiday here — found us driving aimlessly, looking for somewhere open to eat (we're still getting used to the planning ahead thing). We stopped at a small door we have driven past at least once a week for four years without really noticing. We thought it was just a regular alimentari. It turns out to be a staple of local Florentine cuisine, minutes from our house.

Film photograph of a mountain hut interior, sunlight falling across a wooden table and two chairs, hunting trophy mounted on the wall, framed prints and a figurine visible in the corner
Film photograph of long afternoon shadows cast across a snowy alpine slope, the shadow of a person with a camera visible in the foreground, wooden chalets and larch trees in the background

Forno Giotto, in the little frazione of Casenuove, outside the town of Cerbaia (on the road full of flowers from Florence to our house), serves schiacciata like so many places do — but the bread. Warm from the oven, perfectly salty, matched with whatever farciture you choose. No fixed menu. You pick the ingredients, pick the size. We joined a line of at least ten Florentines who'd had the same idea, ate outside at the picnic tables in the April sun, and finished the day with the dulce de leche gelato from the Dolce di Latte gelateria almost across the street — handmade gelato, and our favorite in all of Tuscany. You're welcome.

Film photograph shot through a café window, people dining inside visible through the glass with reflections overlapping the scene, warm pendant lights hanging from the ceiling
Film photograph of a freshly cut log and an axe resting on a chopping block, sawdust and split wood scattered across the ground in warm daylight
Film photograph of a small herd of Haflinger horses on a snowy mountain slope, dense pine forest behind them under a clear blue sky
Film photograph of a wooden firewood storage shed packed with split logs, bare trees and a mountain behind it, remnants of snow on the ground in winter sunlight
Film photograph of snow-laden bamboo or ornamental grass, golden dried leaves bending under the weight of snow, green blades still visible beneath
Film photograph of a dark mountain forest interior, shafts of sunlight breaking through dense fir trees and illuminating patches of bright moss on the forest floor
Film photograph of a woman sitting alone on a bench in a covered walkway, partially framed by a concrete column, sunlight falling across the pavement in an alpine town
Film photograph of a covered railway station platform, an orange vending machine beside a concrete pillar, Swiss station clock on the right, mountains visible beyond the car park
Film photograph of a hand holding up a dandelion seed head against bright backlit golden sunlight, green garden foliage blurred in the background
Film photograph of a dark vintage estate car parked at the end of a gravel track, surrounded by lush green spring foliage in warm late afternoon light
Film photograph of a wooden orchard ladder leaning against a fruit tree in a Tuscan garden at golden hour, cypress trees and other trees visible in the background
Film photograph of a person lying on a blanket in a garden, shoes placed neatly beside them, a flowering viburnum shrub in the foreground, soft afternoon light
Film photograph of a lone figure standing on a frozen lake near a partially submerged stone church tower, snow-covered mountains and pine forest in the background under a cloudy sky

These are some of those frames — winter into early spring, all shot on film. We hope you're in full bloom mode too — and anticipating something you can't wait to burst into.

The full edit — all the frames from this winter — is in the gallery below.

— Frankie & Marilia

Film photograph of a crowd of people relaxing on the terraced gardens of the Giardino delle Rose in Florence, the dome of the Florence Cathedral and the city skyline visible in the background

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The full edit

Winter into early spring — all shot on film.

Small Doses is a series we created many years ago to share more personal content in longer form. Established in 2012, we brought it back this year as we felt a need to connect, yet feeling like Instagram wasn't really the place for it. Forward it to someone who might like it — and join us in more Italy / photography content. Feel free to reply and ask us about anything, we're always looking forward to chatting.

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