Snaps from Venice, Italy
Since it seems that Venice is such a popular topic, I wanted to post a few more random images before I move on to another location. I hope that these will bring back fond memories to those who have visited and inspire those who have not to perhaps start planning their next holiday itinerary. It truly is a unique destination!
Serenity on the Grand Canal
In Venice Tasso's echoes are no more,
And silent rows the songless gondolier;
Her palaces are crumbling to the shore,
And music meets not always now the ear:
Those days are gone--but Beauty still is here;
States fall, arts fade--but Nature doth not die,
Nor yet forget how Venice once was dear,
The pleasant place of all festivity,
The revel of the earth, the masque of Italy!
~ George Gordon Byron
Colors of Venice
ISO 200, f2.5, 1/30 sec, 50@50mm
The island of Venice, Italy, is an art gallery lovers dream. There are hundreds of small galleries all throughout the island, many located on hidden side streets, off the normal tourist paths. While walking down one of these small side streets (I guess you call them streets, however there are no cars on the island), I came across a small hardware store which doubled as an art supply store for the locals. On the far wall was this collection of photogenic pigments which the store owner told me were used for everything from coloring textiles to making paints. In addition, he just happened to be an artist himself, and had a show across the street in a very unique stone-walled gallery. If only I had disposable income!
The lesson that I learned from this shot was to ALWAYS have your camera with you when you travel. The first time I walked by, I didnt have my camera and rushed back to the hotel to get it. The following day, he had taken down the mask, and the shot was gone!
Ciao for now…
Rialto Bridge, Venice Italy
Nikon D90, ISO 200, f/9, 310sec, 18-200@20mm
My family and I spent a few cold January days in Venice last year. The bright side of the cold weather was that there were VERY few tourists, and we seemed to have Venice all to ourselves. This shot was a 5min exposure taken using a 9 stop ND filter. This enabled me to capture the light trails of the few boats that traveled beneath the bridge during the night. I created three duplicated bracketed images which I then HDR’d in Photomatix , then tweeked it a little in Aperture.
Lightbox3D 