Light Trails on the Grand Canal 2

 On 13th March I had just got back from a trip to Venice and I was really excited to share a light trail image of boat traffic on the Grand Canal taken from the viewpoint on Ponte dell'Accademia.

It was my first attempt at a light trail and of blending images in Photoshop and although I was happy with the overall image I knew there was something missing from the process and I needed to do a little more research to improve the image.

What I have shared today is a result of that further research.

The first two images are composite images from 10 30 second exposures (so 5 minutes in total) which I have layered and blended in Photoshop. Given they are long exposures there is some blurring of stars in the night sky and while I have not removed any of that in the black and white image I have applied some correction in the colour image as the brighter colours made the blurring more obvious and somewhat distracting.

The final two images are composites of four 30 second exposures taken from a slightly different angle. This is the image I shared on 13th March but with a better blending process which allows more detail to come through. As the overall exposure time was less than the first two shots there is less distraction from the stars but also fewer light trails from the boats. As I said in the original post, at this time of year there was less traffic on the canals than would be usual during the summer months and so the light trails were less prominent, however the relative absence of visitors to the city meant that I was able to get these shots without getting in anyone else's way.

Overall I have to say I am very pleased with these images and I am really happy to have learned a new technique which I hope to develop further at some point in the future.

Misty Morning Mood

 While I was in Venice I shot almost exclusively in black and white, but the beauty of digital photography (as long as you are shooting in RAW) you can process the final image pretty much how you want. When uploading the black and white images into Adobe Lightroom they are automatically converted to colour images so I then have the option of changing them back or working on the colour image.

I really like the foggy images in black and white although a slight adjustment to the blue channel in the fifth image of the gondolas in front of the Doge's palace adds another dimension which is really nice.

The sixth image is in colour and it highlights how much the fog has muted the colours that would normally be so vibrant along the Grand Canal.

As well as capturing the sights of the city I spent a lot of time capturing images of the people who live, work and visit Venice. I think Gondoliers make excellent subjects to photograph and although their persistent attempts to get people to take a ride  as they cry "Godola! Gondole!" (on almost every bridge over ever canal) can be a little annoying  I did enjoy snapping some pictures of them at work.

I really like the first image; three gondoliers had been talking to the guy on the path and discussing the proposed route they would take him along. During the course of this a fire service boat, with lights flashing passed by and as the tide was still quite high was having to approach each bridge with extreme caution and the one gondolier was watching the drama unfold while his colleagues continued their spiel.

Although it was mid week and still quite early in the year and tourist numbers were low there was still a number of large groups being led around by enthusiastic guides. I prefer to wander and explore on my own but I think I caught the tour group in a moment of intent interest as they craned their necks to see whatever their guide was talking about.

One of my bugbears is when people walk around constantly glued to their phones or mobile devices. The number of times I had to manoeuvre around individuals so intent on their little screens as they walked around that they almost marched into me. How crazy it is that you go to beautiful city like Venice and spend so much time looking down. Of course staying connected is important but it shouldn't be at the expense of appreciating the beauty that is around. At least the woman in the fourth image above had stopped to read or send her message rather than walking headlong into other people, if only more people had been like that. Ok sorry i will get off my soapbox now.

Hopefully that little rant hasn't detracted from your enjoyment of the pictures above. 

Out of the Fog

 On a foggy morning the atmosphere in Venice is amazing. The bright colours are muted and some of the landmarks disappear or fade and it creates the perfect conditions for some amazing photographs.

Obviously I took advantage of that and above are just a few images to get things going. There will be more but I will mix  them up a bit over time.

You can see from the third image that the ground in St Mark's Square is wet that is because the high tide had washed over into the square during the night and early hours. It didn't flood to any great depth but it did add to the excitement of being there. Especially when in the weeks leading up to the trip all the news reports about Venice had said the canals were dry. I had seen photos online of empty canals and low water but they only reflected a small part of the city at very low tide and did not really indicate that Venice was actually running dry, proving (if proof was needed) that you should not believe everything you read online.

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.

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.

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.

A Room With a View

 On the drive back from Alsace I had decided to break up the journey with a stopover in Bruges. I had visited the city before but had never stayed overnight and I wanted to see it after dark; It really is a fairy tale city and I hoped to capture some of the magic of the beautiful architecture and the reflections in the canals.

I booked a room in what was once a brewery and I paid a supplement for a room with a canal view and the images above show the view of the canal and the courtyard below both in daytime and at night.

I love the architecture in Bruges. The city has a really interesting history and is famous for the production of handmade lace for hundreds of years. The street on which my hotel was located (Wollestraat) is very old, it is a busy thoroughfare with lots of shops one of which is a fabulous lace shop. The shop was built prior to the Napoleonic era when Belgium was under the rule of the Napoleonic empire. A curious hangover from that era is the window tax. I say curious because the tax is still applied today but only to buildings that were in existence at that time, so the owner of the lace shop has to pay an annual tax on each of her windows but the shop next door which was built slightly later is not liable to the tax. 

Anyway, over the next few days I will share a few more pictures from my wanderings around this beautiful city which I hope you will enjoy.

Insta People

I don't often post pictures of people and I hesitated before sharing these today. However I do like street photography, capturing candid images of people going about their lives and I do like these pictures.

These shots were all taken in Burano, which as you can see from the third image is a beautiful and brightly coloured town criss-crossed with canals and full of character.

As well as the individually painted houses the town is famous for lace which is very expensive but beautifully hand crafted and alongside the artisan glass from Murano perhaps makes the best memento from a visit to Venice.

Visiting in February the streets of Burano were quiet, almost deserted in places; quite different to the summer months when it is much busier although still less crowded than Venice itself. It is a perfect time to appreciate the beauty of the place.

I took these shots because I was amazed to see how virtually all the young visitors to the island town were more focused on capturing selfies and the perfect "instapose" and staring at their phones rather than looking at what was around them. Perhaps I am showing my age but it seemed such a waste. 

Trick Of The Light

There really is something special about this image. There is so much colour and so many intricate patterns and all it is is light on water.

A few moments before a small boat had chugged past creating ripples across the width of the canal and what had previously been a recognisable reflection of a beautiful building became an ever changing abstract image with light and shadow,and in places it was almost like gold leaf spread across the waters surface.

Venetian Sunrise #2

Here are two more abstract reflections of the sunrise in Venice. I love the gold and green in these images, unlike the pictures of the last two days where there was a bigger variety of colours. It gives a real sense of sunshine on the water.

When you look into these images you can make out the windows of the building that is reflected and each time you look you will see something different, like the contours on a map, or a heart, or maybe even some cartoon faces. Maybe you don't see any of these things but hopefully you will find these eye catching.

I will post something different tomorrow but I have more abstract images to share in the coming weeks.

Venetian Sunrise #1

So from the title of today's blog you might have been expecting to see the sun coming up above St Marks Basilica or some other Venetian Landmark but if you have seen the post from yesterday you may have been prepared for these more abstract views.

Just like yesterday's images these show the sunlit reflections of Venetian buildings in the surface of the canals. The sun was still low in the sky so the reflections weren't washed out. With the naked eye and given the rapid movement of the water the light was glinting brightly and the reflections seemed more complete but by freezing the image and looking a bit more closely all of these intricate and unique patterns appear. 

I am really really pleased with these pictures because they are so unique.

Feel free to leave a comment.

Abstract Architecture

I hinted a few days ago that I had taken some different types of image around Venice.

I wonder if you can work out what you are looking at here...

When you think about Venice you most likely think "canals" or "Gondolas" and you probably expect photos of Venice to show picture postcard images of the canals and bridges and beautiful architecture but as well as photographing all of that I wanted to show something different.

On an early morning walk around the city I had been taking pictures of a city waking up but as I was looking at the canals I spotted some wonderful reflections as the early morning sun hit the buildings and was captured in the gently rippling water. My focus shifted from the formal architecture and street scenes to these abstract views. I took a series of photographs that morning and throughout the day to capture what I think is a special view of the city. Each picture is totally unique and every time you look at them something new is revealed. As I say I took a whole series of pictures I will be sharing some of this series over the coming days so hopefully you will keep a look out for them.

This approach is something new for me and so feedback would be very welcome.

More From Burano

Today here are a few images from Burano, a couple of picture postcard views of the coloured houses and canals and also of an old church viewed across the lagoon from Burano set against the backdrop of the snow covered Italian Alps.

There are a couple of shots of one of the posts that line the canals, I have chosen one in colour because with the colourful buildings behind it looks really good, the other one I have posted in black and white because it isolates the post from the background which was the effect I really wanted and I think it looks fantastic.

Going to work...

The morning commute for most of us means getting into our cars on our bikes or hopping onto trains or buses to get to our offices or other place of work. It is often frustrating as we jostle with others for space and at the end of the day we do it all again in reverse.

In Venice the commute is somewhat different. Of course many people cram onto the vaporetto (water buses) that travel along the main waterways but many others walk the narrow cobbled streets or take a small boat through the many canals which are the main thoroughfares.

Today's pictures show firstly one of the refuse collection vessels  which is moored up while the workers go door to door collecting the city's waste. The next two shots show a couple of bargees getting ready to go off to collect their load for the day. 

I like these images of the real Venice, away from the tourist sights and crowds. Of course at this time of day there were very few tourists about and it was a nice experience being about as the city woke up.

The Gondoliers 2

My last post about Gondoliers in Venice was really popular so I decided to share a few more pictures today.

Being a Gondolier seems like it might be a great job, after all you are working in a wonderful environment and meeting lots of people and helping to make their holiday. But there also seems to be a lot of down time. Walking around you would see them either sat alone or in small groups, mostly they would be people watching or doing something on their phones. 

Speaking of phones, did you notice the gondolier in the fourth picture? He is using his phone while navigating his way around the city while the couple in the boat are taking in their surroundings.