A Gentle Pace

 Here on Burano cars are not allowed so the main form of transport is by boat and every household appears to own one, and unlike in the city of Venice itself, here on Burano bicycles are allowed.

The absence of traffic, the colourful buildings and the pleasant climate creates a relaxed atmosphere for locals and visitors alike. It is a real gem and definitely worth a visit.

The neighbouring island, Murano, is famous for glass making but Burano is famous for lace making and there are several places where you can buy traditional lace goods. The genuine article is very expensive although the quality is exceptional. I sound like I know what I am talking about and having been "dragged" around several of the specialist shops I should know.

Picture Postcard

 This really could be a picture postcard from days gone by and as I saw the gondola approach with a young couple on board I thought it would be the perfect capture of a romantic scene from Venice. And with just a quick glance you might think that too.

But take a closer look, the romance has clearly evaporated as the couple are not sat together, while the guy is sat in the cushioned seats his partner is sat up front checking the photo she just took on her mobile phone looks right. I know that is what she did because I watched her taking pictures of the Bridge of Sighs and the Doges Palace as they passed by, she was not sat there photographing the guy.

Now I know that St Marks Square looks great from the lagoon and lit up in the evening it would have been a special view. But it costs 100 Euros for a 30 minute ride in a gondola during the evening so if your reason for going aboard is to photograph the sights from the water it would be a heck of a lot cheaper to do it from a vaporetto.

However although romance had clearly died on this occasion I still think this makes for a great image.

I have only posted one picture today but I will put a few on  Instagram (chipster_63)

You Choose

 In my last post the colours were limited to mostly shades of blue so today I have decided to go with something much brighter and more vibrant but also to provide some balance I have used exactly the same image and edited it in black and white.

This is a street scene from the island of Burano in the Venetian lagoon. Like the main city the island is crisscrossed with little canals but by contrast there are more open spaces and the whole island has a brighter aspect with the tiny houses and shops painted in vibrant colours. It feels like a lively and welcoming place and for a photographer there is so much to see and to capture.

This was shot fairly early in the day, before the cafés and restaurants started filling up and before the main crowds of visitors arrived for the day. 

Most of the pictures I have from my visit on this occasion are full of colour and with more people too and in my opinion they look better in full colour (that is not to say I won't give some the black and white treatment) but for the picture above I think it works a little better in black and white. perhaps it is the angle from which it is taken, the buildings are not the main feature and so the row of tables and the people walking away in the background don't need the full colour, in fact the bright buildings are a bit of a distraction.

What do you think? If you have a view it would be good to hear your thoughts on this. And if you like this please look at some of my previous posts or make sure to come back to see what I post next time.

Going Green

 Offshore wind farms are popping up around the coast and getting ever larger. Not everyone is a fan of them but to be honest apart from the initial noise of the pile drivers during the construction phase I have not minded this one in Liverpool bay. It extends for miles and no doubt provides green energy for many thousands of homes.

I actually think the expanse of turbines looks quite cool and although they are quite a long way offshore there are times when atmospheric conditions are right that they  appear much closer than they really are. On the day I took this picture i liked the layer of mist around the base of the turbines which lends a slightly ghostly effect as they rise out of the mist against the flat backdrop of the cloudy sky.

A Stunning Display

It is hard to convey the full spectacle of this "murmurating" flock (I am not sure that is a word, I have just verbed a noun) of Knot and these pictures only show a small proportion of the flock as a whole. It really was an absolute treat on Tuesday lunchtime as the 10m Spring tide brought the waders close inshore to feed.

I had been out for a walk without my camera and was surprised to see a large number of twitchers gathering at different points along the promenade. I stopped to speak with a couple who informed me that there was a mixture of different species, including Redshank, Dunlin, Knot, Oystercatchers, Curlew and Ringed Plovers. Some I could recognise but others I was not sure of so it was nice to listen to someone who was in the  know.

Another couple of avid bird watchers let me use their spotting scope to get a close up view of the birds as they crept closer to the shore ahead of the tide. 

Spring tides happen regularly but 10m tides are not so common so when they do occur it provides a real spectacle as the number of species that feed out in the bay becomes apparent and it was not only twitchers but other walkers who stopped to enjoy the sights and sounds of so many thousands of birds.

Learning that the tide would reach its full height at 12:40 meant I had enough time to go home and get my camera and then nip back to take some pictures. The light was, as you can see pretty poor so it wasn't possible to get clear and detailed close up shots of the birds, a fast shutter speed was needed but that increased the ISO and then the grainy images were quite frankly very poor.

Instead I concentrated on some wider shots and although the flocks of birds were mostly wading in the shallows feeding every now and then something would spook them and with an incredible whooshing sound thousands of birds would take to the air and fly in the amazing formations you see above before settling to feed once again.

I think the majority of birds were Knot but I am sure there are others mixed up in there too.

I am particularly pleased with the first image which shows a large flock taking off and then the final image which has the flock starting to spread out with the wind turbines of Burbo Bank in the background, I like this shot because the flock of birds forms a layer in the sky which follows the lines and layers of cloud, the sea and the shoreline.

I feel really privileged to have witnessed this, had I not gone for my walk when I did I would have never known this was going to happen and now I know to look out for the next high spring tide so I can go down again, and hopefully next time the light will be a little better. But hey, I am definitely not complaining.
 

A Ball of Cute

 I am sharing some more recent images today, but will go back to some of my older files in the coming days.

These pictures were taken at Martin Mere early  in January. It was a very cold and dull day and so there is quite a lot of noise in these images. Even so I was pleased to capture these few shots of one of my favourite native birds, the Long-tailed tit. It is so cute and as they fly around in little family groups chattering away they are absolutely adorable. 

I haven't done much wildlife photography for quite a while and so I am looking forward to warmer days with better light so that I can get out and if I am very lucky get some better pictures than these. For now though, please enjoy the Long-tailed tit. If these don't make you smile you need to give yourself a really good talking to because they are gorgeous.

Well Ain't That Grand...

 So just a few more pictures from Venice to follow on from my last post but today instead of streets I have chosen some of the waterways. The first three images are views of the Grand Canal while the final shot is of one of the smaller canals hidden away in the heart of the city.

The only way to get around Venice apart from on foot is by some form of boat; water taxi, Vaporetto or Gondola or one of the barges that delivers goods, removes refuse etc. There are no cars and even bicycles are banned.

About Venice

 You wouldn't think it from these pictures, that Venice in summertime is a heaving mass of people. In fact around St Marks Square and the Basilica,  the Rialto Bridge and other famous landmarks it can feel quite stifling as you have to weave between throngs of people. However you don't have to go far off the beaten track to find a little bit of calm, a slower pace and a sense of what the city is really like.

Narrow streets with shops and restaurants, not just those filled with tourist tat and churning out crappy food, but nice boutiques, workshops, book shops and fine dining are there to be explored.

The tall buildings provide shade and a real atmosphere that is quite special. Of course you are never far from the hustle and bustle or from the canals but there is plenty of space in the city to find peace. 

I loved visiting the market, and the fish market, especially early in the morning as the traders are setting out their stalls and it was fun listening to the banter as they shouted to each other across the market hall. 

It is worth noting that the guy laying on the jetty is actually breaking at least two by laws and could face a hefty fine for his behaviour, perhaps he was lucky though and did not get pulled up.

Making Music

 This musician had set up his glass harp in one of the Campos in the heart of Venice. I cannot recall what tune he was playing but he was playing it beautifully. I can imagine that tuning the harp is a time consuming and quite precise matter to ensure that the music sounds right. I expect that this musician is well practiced at this and each glass probably has a marker to show how much liquid to add and where on the table it should be placed. I did wonder whether he carries spares in case he has any breakages, and whether the plaster on his finger was due to such a breakage on a previous outing...

I captured an image of the musician on his own but to be honest it was quite a boring shot but then the woman carrying her bottle of wine walked into the frame and the image became much more interesting as she paid him more than a passing interest.

Did you know that as well as the standard glass harp as seen in this picture there is also an inverted glass harp which is constructed using empty glasses of different sizes partially submerged in water, the deeper into the water the glass is pushed the deeper the note that is created. The inverted glass harp was invented by scientists at Stanford and Princeton Universities and they reckon that the sound produced is even cooler than the standard type of glass harp. If you want to hear a standard glass harp in action click here and for the science behind the inverted glass harp as explained by one of the inventors click here

Down Time

 

So, today's images sort of follow of the them from my last post in that there is a story to each picture however unlike the last post where the story was different in every picture today three images share the same story while the final image has a connected story.

If you have ever been to Venice or seen the city in films or documentaries the gondola are an icon of the city and the famous gondoliers are just as iconic in their striped shirts and straw hats. The canals in the more popular parts of the city are teeming with them throughout the day and night and during the high summer season the gondoliers rarely seem to get a break. Sometimes however they manage to get a few minutes to rest and catch up with text messages and so on and those moments can make for an interesting picture. I think my favourite image today is the first one, where the gondolier is seen through the railings of the bridge.

In the final shot for today the gondolier is preparing his boat for the day ahead, no doubt he is hoping for good trade that will keep him and his family afloat.

Take a break

 

There is a different pace to each of these pictures.

In the first a man is casually looking at his phone while enjoying a glass of wine at lunchtime. He is alone and unhurried, perhaps he is waiting for someone, or just delaying his return to the office, it is a lovely day after all and a few more minutes won't hurt.

In the second image there is so much happening, one woman is on her phone while her friend in the white blouse and a star tattoo on her wrist is holding back her dog as another dog walks by without its owner. People on the next table are deep in conversation but some are drawn to the dogs in case some drama develops. Meanwhile the couple sat at the open window talking to the barman who has become very animated, I wonder what has been said.

In the third image a waitress is taking a break, leant against the doorframe while customers are talking inside the café. Has the lunchtime rush just ended or is this a pause before the rush begins? What or who is she looking at, has something just happened along the street that is more interesting than going back in to work?

I like taking pictures of wildlife and landscapes, and architecture too, I like to create an image that evokes memories but as I look back through my portfolio some of the images I enjoy coming back to most are the ones that tell a story, or that I can create a story from. These images were shot during a brief stay in Venice in 2018 while on my road trip with my youngest son. We spent a lot of time walking round and people watching and every now and then I would try to capture a scene. I have lots of pictures of buildings , bridges and canals which I think are pretty good but the ones of people feel a little more unique. My last post also shows some interesting people with interesting stories too so if you have not seen that it is worth a few minutes to take a look... 

Candid

 Here are a few candid shots of people out and about in Vienna and Graz.

It can be fun to capture images of people while they are absorbed in something and not posing for the camera. Sometimes they are aware of the camera but don't seem to mind as in pictures 1, 3 and 6 and in the others they are totally unaware.

The guy on the step was taking a break from the kitchen where he worked. The guy in the Wookie onesie seemed quite pleased to have his picture taken and he raised his hand to acknowledge me, I think he was a bit down on his luck, however he did not seem to be low in spirits.

Mur Island, or Murinsel

 Welcome to Mur Island, a unique floating structure on the River Mur in Graz. It was designed by the New York artist Vito Acconi and created in 2003 when Graz was the European city of culture.

It is a fascinating structure which contrasts with  the renaissance architecture in much of the city. The island is connected to each bank of  the river by a walkway and the central part forms a sort of amphitheatre where there is a café and a playground.

I may have shared a couple of these pictures in the past but as I was editing them today I thought they were worth a share.

Graz is a fascinating  city, it probably would not feature high on peoples lists of places they must visit but having stayed there on my road trip I would say it is definitely worth a visit.

In The News

 

On my first morning in Vienna, in June 2018 I went to look around the Hofburg and Volksgarten not knowing that there was a major event in the offing. I arrived to find TV crews and lots of police, military and secret service personnel. There was also a group of people flying a Russian flag and carrying placards.

I tried, very politely, to speak to the presenter in the first image to find out what was going on but he ignored me but with a little help from Google I found that there was to be a visit from Vladimir Putin to meet with the Austrian President.

The group  of demonstrators I saw first were actually pro Russian activists there to support President Putin and cheer him on for his actions in Crimea.

It was fun watching the TV crews preparing, interviewing people and doing their presentations to camera. The first crew was Austrian, for OETV, the next two were from Russian state TV and the final crew were from Austrian channel Servus.

There was a second demonstration taking place in Heldenplatz (see pic 4) there were from Georgia and were protesting against Putin as you will see from their placards and posters. It was interesting but unsurprising that although they were permitted to hold their protest close to where Putin would be arriving they were not on his route, unlike the pro Putin crowd. The secret service presence was also much more noticeable around these protesters too.

Later in the day after all the formalities of the visit had been conducted Putin was attending the Natural History Museum to open a new exhibition. Again security was high. I waited around to see Putin arrive amid really intense security before he was ushered inside the museum. I would like to think he would nor get the same greeting now and I think the posters of the Georgian protesters are as relevant now as they were then.