The red car and the blue car had a race...
Some of you will know that the line above is from a chocolate advert for Milky Way but it seemed appropriate given that the gondoliers have different coloured stripes. I don't really think they were having a race and there was no chocolate at stake either.
I have these pictures in colour and black and white and both look fantastic. I think for the close up the black and white works better but for the whole scene I think the colour shots come out on top. They are rich and full of life and the decoration of the gondolas and the lighting from the cafes stand out beautifully.
Here's a question for you; when you are in Venice what counts as street photography?
I figure that since the "streets" are mostly waterways then anything on land or water can count...
Today's offering are two shots from Venice at twilight, the first looking across the lagoon towards San Giorgio Maggiore and the second of a Gondolier about to set off onto the Grand Canal near San Marco and with a view of the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute in the background.
I didn't realise at the time I took the first shot that the woman in the gondola is sat up front taking pictures while her partner is sat back on the comfy seats. Now I never want to miss a good shot and anyone who has gone anywhere with me when I have my camera will know that I am always on the lookout and I often get left behind as I stop to take a photo (or two, or three) and I am always grateful for the patience of my companions who allow me to indulge my passion with few complaints. However, I think that if I had shelled out a handsome sum of money for a romantic twilight ride in a Gondola around one of Europe's finest cities and my partner was more interested in the view than in me I would feel like pushing them overboard.
As you can see I have chosen a selection of pictures from Venice, mostly of gondola on the lagoon and the Grand canal, there are also a couple of shots of St Georges an island across the lagoon. From the belfry on St Georges there are fantastic views of the city.
The last two pictures were taken from the Rialto bridge which was absolutely heaving, so after taking them I headed off to find some of the less busy areas and in the future I will share some pictures of the quieter backstreets and canals which are also really beautiful.
