This last blog post from Venice will highlight some of the more artistic, iconic views of the city that I trust will show the wide-ranging photo opportunities that exist in The City of Light. Venice has many nick names and the one I’ve chosen today serves to highlight the fact that lighting is the most important factor that must be considered when talking any picture. Being at the right place with bad light means you are there at the wrong time. Deb and I spent our first half day in Venice with a professional photographer, Marco Secchi, and our time with him was invaluable. Marco showed us the sights of Venice, had us at the right places at the right time when the light was perfect and helped us plan the rest of our time in Venice allowing us to find the best places to fully experience the city in the almost three days we spent there. Most of the images in today’s post were taken while we were with Marco. If you ever plan to be in Venice, you need to arrange your travel plans around Marco’s schedule!
Some of the 450 gondolas that ply the canals.
These next two images illustrate how two very similar pictures can create different results based on a slight change in composition. I probably took a dozen or more shots of this scene, and am still not sure which of these two is the best result. Always take time when you find an interesting scene to explore many different angles and compositions in order to arrive at the best result.
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Sometimes when the sun is in the absolutely the wrong place for a photography, you can be creative and make it work in your favour. Thanks to Marco for teaching me to think ‘outside of the box’ and take a shot like this one.
The Bridge of Sighs taken using the old white marble rails of the bridge as a frame.
And a more traditional view.
The ornate veranda columns of Doge’s Palace and the interesting shadows they cast.
A charming Venetian Street.
The next two shots are of the crypt below San Zaccaria, a church named after Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist. Zacharius’ body is on view in the church. The crypt below the church was flooded, however by climbing down a few old wooden stairs it was possible to get some pics. Unfortunately I did not have a tripod with me at the time so these shots are taken hand-held, ISO 4000 f/4 at 1/4 of a second.
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A gondolier navigating the narrow canals. No three point turns here!
You could spend days simply photographing the windows and doors of Venice. This next image demonstrates how over the centuries nothing remains square in the city that is slowly sinking into the lagoon on which it is built.
This next shot has all the quintessential components that make it easily recognizable as being from Venice.
It’s great for a photographer when the colour of the clothes on the line match the boat 🙂
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The long history and rich tradition of the gondolier is evident in the ornate detail of their gondolas.
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The Acqua Alta Bookshop was the most interesting and unique bookshop we have ever been in. You have to see it to believe it and we were so happy that Marco took us by for a visit.
Unfortunately graffiti is a problem in Venice (as in most cities) so I’ve purposely included in this next shot of a well.
Here is an image of the same well composed to exclude the graffiti and create a completely different result.
And for something totally different, a close up of red and green peppers at the market.
Every archway leads to a wonderful view.
Although you’ve seen this final image before, it represents the sun going down on our time in Venice. I trust you’ve enjoyed this three part series from Venice and these photographs have either brought back fond memories of a past visit or perhaps persuaded you to add this beautiful city to your list of places to visit.
All of the images from Venice can be seen in the Venice Gallery
Venice is an incredible city that is one of those “bucket list” places to visit. The Floating City as it is often referred to was formed around the sixth century as the Roman Empire’s power base was diminishing and attacks from the Lombards and Huns caused the people to form the defensive stronghold that became Venice, protected from easy attack by the lagoon that separated it from the mainland. The first Doge of Venice (most senior elected magistrate, elected for life) was elected around 700 AD and a continuous rule of Doge’s lasted for the next 1,000 years.
The entire city of Venice is a World Heritage Site and although in 1500 it was one of the most populous cities in the world by the end of WWII the population was 175,000 and in 2010 the population dipped below 60,000 which is less than the average number of tourists who visit the island city every day. The declining population is likely due to the very high cost of living, ironically created by the volume of tourists, causing many native Venetians to relocate to the mainland.
Arriving in Venice by car, you cross via a bridge/causeway, continue past the docks where the cruise ships rest and arrive at a multi-level parking garage where you gladly leave your car, grab your luggage, and head for the entrance of the Grand Canal where any manner of water transportation awaits. We chose the Vaporetto, which can be thought of as a water bus. This pic below shows the first Vaporetto stop at the mouth of the Grand Canal with the parking garage in the back ground.
The image above was taken from the apex of the Calatrava Bridge, which is pictured below. This bridge is one of only four that span the Grand Canal and was completed in 2008 making it the newest bridge in Venice. The Calatrava Bridge is a bit controversial in that it is a stylistically modern design, constructed of steel and glass seems esthetically disconnected from rest of the city, however it is the last ‘modern’ sight you will see until returning to your car.
Calatrava Bridge
From the same vantage point atop the bridge but looking down the canal you get your first feel of Venice.
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Although the Calatrava Bridge is the youngest and most controversial of the four bridges that span the Grand Canal, the Rialto Bridge is the oldest,most famous and most photographed of the quartet. The first iteration of what is now the Rialto Bridge was a pontoon bridge constructed in 1181 and replaced with a timber structure in 1255. The present stone version was completed in 1591. The Rialto Bridge and the gondolas that ply the waters beneath it are two of the most iconic fixtures of Venice. Trying to include both effectively in the same frame was a bit of a challenge but I hope we succeeded.
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There are about 450 Gondoliers in Venice and based on tradition, you are born a gondolier in that a gondolier’s training and licence is passed from generation to generation, typically from father to son, however the first female gondolier in over 900 years was licensed in 2010. To be a gondolier in Venice makes one part of a proud and revered profession which I believe is captured in this next image.
There are many quaint boutique type hotels in Venice and staying in the city adds to the charm of visiting Venice. A good example of this type of hotel is the one we stayed in, which began life as a fifteenth century palace and I would highly recommend. In fact, click here to visit their website.
There are also hotels on a much grander scale. This angelic marble statue marks the stairway leading to the upper floor drawing room of one of Venice’s more spectacular hotels.
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Perhaps the best known landmark of Venice is the Piazza San Marco, or as Napoleon referred to it, the drawing room of Europe. The vast expanse of the piazza can easily accomodate tens of thousands of people and it is certainly the social centre of the city.
St. Mark’s Basilica dominates the east end of the Piazza San Marco while its campanile (a stand alone bell tower associated with a church) rises proudly from the piazza.
At the south east end of the piazza is another smaller area known as the Piazzetta di San Marco which runs between the Piazza and the lagoon and is bounded by the Marciana Library and Archaeological Museum on one side and Doge’s Palace on the other.
The objects that look like picnic tables in the fore ground are actually stacked portable walkways that are found throughout the public walkways of Venice. When needed they are separated and lined up end to end allowing pedestrians to stay dry and walk around the city when it is flooded which happens approximately one hundred days annually.
The Library, Archaeological Museum and Column of St. Theodore, one of the two patron saints of Venice.
The Piazzetta taken from the lagoon with Doge’s Palace on the right side of the frame.
Next to Doge’s Palace, separated by a canal, is the New Prison. The famous Bridge of Sighs was built in 1614 to connect the two buildings. The bridge is completely enclosed with only small grated openings that allowed prisoners, freshly convicted by the magistrates in the palace, to catch their last view of freedom looking out through the grates to see the lagoon and the island of San Giorgio Maggiore as they were being led to the prison. The sighs they would utter gave the bridge its name.
In this next twilight image it is interesting to note the stark differences in architectural style of the palace on the left and the prison on the right.
Venetians typically do not have freezers in their homes and rely on fresh food daily which is probably a good idea that we should all emulate. Markets are found throughout Venice and greatly add to the charm of the city.
I trust you have enjoyed this more travelogue type view of Venice and that it has given you a good sense of feel for this wonderful city. The next blog post will be a more artistic photographic tour of Venice.
To close this post, we head over to the island of San Giorgio Maggiore and to the top of the bell tower of the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore which provides the perfect vantage point for a view of Venice. While at the top of the bell tower my 24-105mm lens suffered a catastrophic failure and and this was the last time I used the lens on our vacation. I’m sure the photographers reading this will feel a little sorry about my misfortune 🙂
On our last day in Rome, we headed to the train station and found the Avis Car Rental location where our Citroen Picasso, with its diesel engine and six speed manual transmission was waiting for us. Over the next two weeks we would travel over 4,000 km in our little rental, which included a few harrowing escapades, not the least of which was exiting from the very first roundabout we entered (about 200m from the car rental agency) by going the wrong way on a one way street which necessitated reversing back into the roundabout which was not well received by the many cars flying through the circular intersection. It was a fitting introduction to driving in Europe! Anyway we eventually made it to the Autostrade and quite enjoyed the 530 km drive from Rome, north-east to Venice.
Venice is an absolutely spectacular city located in the North East region of Italy on the edge of the Adriatic Sea. The city itself is built on a collection of 118 closely knit islands in the Venice Lagoon that are separated by a complex series of canals yet connected by many small pedestrian bridges. There are no vehicles in Venice other than the boats in many forms that ply the waters of the canals and it doesn’t take long to appreciate the charm of a city without cars!
One of the best decisions we made in the planning of our trip was to spend our first half day in Venice with Marco Secchi, a professional photographer born in Venice who now shares his time between homes in Venice and London. We met Marco early at the Rialto bridge and spent the entire morning walking through the city, learning about its rich history and taking in the sights of the city from the perspective of a native Venetian. Marco also taught me much about capturing the essence of Venice with a camera and how to ‘see’ the good shots that presented themselves to us, which was a new thing for a bird photographer! If you are planning to visit Venice, you simply must do so when Marco is available to show you around, even if you are not a serious photographer, he will even show you how to use your iPhone camera! Check out Marco’s website, his photography is superb and you can also book him for your own tour of Venice! Tell Marco that Deb & Scott sent you 🙂
Like Rome, I have too many images to include in a single blog post, so this will be the first instalment of two or perhaps three posts. It was difficult to know how to categorize the images to best present them, however I thought I would start with some photographs showing Venice at night.
For those with a keen eye, you will notice that this first shot was not taken at night but rather in mid morning with the sun still high in the sky. It is included not because it looks a little like a nightscape but because it is a perfect example of an image Marco taught me how to take. In fact, while I was sitting down on the ground to frame the image properly Marco was calling out when the next wave was about to crash on the shore line to help us create the best possible photographic result. Never would I have ‘seen’ to take this picture looking directly into the bright sun, yet Marco’s instruction resulted in one of my favourite pictures of Venice.
Sunset on the Grand Canal.
The lesser light of the sky above San Giorgio Maggiore.
Looking along the shoreline adjacent to Piazza San Marco (St. Mark’s Square).
This next image was taken very close to where the previous one was taken but now looking into the Piazzeta leading into Piazza San Marco and the side of the Basilica di San Marco (St. Mark’s Basilica).
The Campanile of St. Mark’s Basilica was first built in 1156 and then rebuilt in 1912. It is free-standing in the Piazza.
These next four images are of the Bridge of Sighs, one of Venice’s many famous landmarks. They were all taken after sunset and required shutter speeds ranging from 8 to 15 seconds yet don’t immediately appear to be night shots. I can promise you it was much darker when these pics were taken than it appears in the photographs. They are included here to encourage you to always have a tripod with you experiment with tight photography. Often the deeper shadows and cool light make for interesting results. The first two images are entirely natural light while the last two have the bridge flood lit. Notice the green colour cast on the first of these pics taken before the flood lights had heated up to their normal operating temperature.
ISO 100; f/22; 8 sec; 65mm
ISO 100; f/22; 10 sec; 24mm
ISO 100; f/22; 8 sec; 65mm and green cast from the flood lights while warming up.
ISO 100; f/22; 15 sec; 55mm and floodlights now providing ‘natural’ colour.
As a general rule you want to take night shots while the sky still has some natural light ands therefore retains some blue colour. This is important as the sky will continue to ‘frame’ the buildings and objects within the composition and create the necessary silhouette. Once the sky is completely black, the objects in the fore ground run into the black back ground and lose their definition which is typically detrimental to the effectiveness of the image. All of the previous images were taken while there was still some light in the sky and thus all the objects within the images are well defined. The images that follow are all taken after the sky has become completely black, however when in Venice you just can’t put your camera away so you break the rules and steady your tripod!
A small piazza a couple of blocks from our hotel where we were enjoying a late dinner sitting outside on the restaurant patio. Beautiful!
The Casino di Venezia.
The Rialto Bridge is probably the most famous and photographed bridge in Venice. Here it is from behind.
And from the front.
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And finally a view looking down the Grand Canal from the apex of the Rialto Bridge.
I trust you enjoyed these night shots from Venice and if you haven’t already done so dust off your tripod and try your hand at photos after dark. You will be pleasantly surprised by the results!
Deb and I got up early on Friday morning of the Thanksgiving Weekend and headed to Mizzy Lake in Algonquin Park to watch the sunrise and hopefully see a bull Moose. We didn’t see any Moose however enjoyed a wonderful morning and were able to take a few pictures along the way.
The Pileated Woodpecker is the largest woodpecker in North America and is about the size of a crow. Woody Woodpecker is perhaps the most famous Pileated Woodpecker! They are fairly common in Ontario however we don’t often get to see them up close. Deb spotted this one who was working on a fairly isolated Spruce tree, so it was just a matter of waiting for him to fly to another location allowing the opportunity to get some in flight images with a nice clear back ground, which is quite unusual as they are most often seen in the deep forest.
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The Gray Jay is a common bird in Algonquin park and is a very friendly bird that readily comes to your hand for a peanut. In fact they often follow you along the trails, especially if you have food for them as shown in this short video clip taken with my iPhone.
Most of the Gray Jays in Algonquin Park are banded, usually with two coloured bands on one or both legs. The bands normally indicate the year and location the birds were banded which allows researchers to monitor the life spans and migration patterns of the birds. It was nice to find a few non-banded birds which make photographers happy as the bands create visual distractions in photographs.
The Mizzy Lake Trail is one of our favourite trails in Algonquin Park and it is accessed from Highway 60 at the Arowhon Road. The trail, like much of Algonquin is characterized by Spruce Bogs. Below are some sunrise and early morning images.
Just before sunrise.
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To conclude this post, let’s start a bit of a discussion on depth of field especially as it relates to landscape photography. Typically we want everything in a landscape image to be in focus which requires a small aperture in the range of f/18 to f/22. Also, the shorter the focal length of the lens the greater the depth of field is at the same aperture (compared to a longer lens). The small aperture and the desire to use low ISO’s for better image quality results in longer exposure times which is why it is mandatory for a landscape photographer to carry a tripod at all times. Also using a tripod makes you consider the composition and take more time to set up the best possible shot that achieves the goal you have in mind for the finished product. The next three images share the same composition and differ functionally only my the aperture at which they were taken.
f/22, 1/25, ISO100 ,29mm. Everything in the image is in focus. The whole scene is the object and your eyes wander throughout the image.
f/8, 1/160 sec, ISO100, 29mm. The shallower depth of field starts to make the red leaves become the object of the image.
f/2.8, 1/1250, ISO100, 29mm. The entire middle and back ground are out of focus and the red leaves become the only object receiving all of the observer’s attention.
So the question becomes, of the three images, which is your favourite? That is a very subjective question and there is obviously no right or wrong answer, it is simply a matter of preference. As a photographer it is good practice to take the same image at different apertures as well as focusing on different objects within the frame in order to use fluctuating depths of field to your advantage and achieving very different results. It is surprising how this practice will improve your landscape skills and help you develop a better eye for that perfect landscape image.
The bird images in this post were taken with a Canon 1D Mk III and a 500mm f/4 L lens with attached 1.4x TC for an effective focal length of 700mm, using a Jobu monopod and Jobu Jr. gimbal head. The landscape images were taken with a Canon 5D Mk III and 16-35 f/2.8 lens on a Gitzo travellers tripod with Markins ball head.
The conclusion of my last post stated that the next blog entry would be from Venice, however in sorting through the pics from Venice it became obvious that the number of interesting images will require multiple blog entries. So while I’m working the Venice posts, here are a few shots from the tiny island of Burano….close to Venice but a charm all its own.
Burano is a 52 acre island that was first settled by the Romans in the sixth century. It is about 7 km from Venice and you arrive on the island via a 45 minute Vaporetto ride. The population of Burano is about 2,800. The main export of Burano is lace and although that is mostly for the tourist trade, historically the island is known for the best quality of lace in the world. Leonardo Di Vinci visited the island in 1481 purchasing a lace that was used for the altar in a European church and soon all the churches around the globe wanted Burano lace.
As you approach the island, long before you arrive you notice the leaning campanile of the Church of San Martino which dominates Buranos’s skyline.
For a photographer, although lace and leaning towers are interesting, what Burano is really known for is its colourfully painted houses and reflective canals which in the late afternoon light provides photo opportunities like non other.
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The colourful houses of Burano also provided countless windows and doorways that in and of themselves were fascinating objects to photograph. I trust you enjoy this sampling.
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This last image is probably my favourite; not sure why but I guess that’s the subjective nature of photography!
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