On The Run

 

Living where I do it is fairly common to see people of all ages out running; morning and evening. There are lots of good places to go for a run, if that's what you are into. When in Venice I did wonder where people would go to stay fit. There was a small gym next to my hotel that had the usual equipment but with the canals and narrow streets it seemed unlikely that anyone would be out pounding the pavements throughout much of the city.

One afternoon however I spotted several people running along the Viale Vittorio Veneto, a path that has the lagoon on one side and three public parks. As I was seated looking out to sea I saw that the runners were doing circuits of the parks and covering quite some distance. I took a few photos of some of them but really the only decent shots were the first two above because he was running anti-clockwise and so I could photograph him running towards me with the landmarks of St Marks and San Zaccaria in the background. Often when I am doing this type of photography I try to be a little discreet however with this guy I was quite brazen, after all I could not hide what I was doing; I had a big white zoom lens pointing at him after all. On one of his passes he acknowledged me with a nod so I felt OK that I had not intruded too much.

For the third image I was taken by surprise, I was actually trying to photograph a man and his dog who was walking away from me along this incredibly narrow street, I had looked down to adjust the settings on my camera and as I looked up I saw this young woman hurtling towards me, and breathing hard as if she was being pursued by the hounds of hell. She had a really strained expression and she was sweating profusely. Unlike the runner in the previous shots she did not seem comfortable and she did not seem to be getting any pleasure from her exercise. I could see from further along the street that she was not being chased by anyone or anything and from her attire it was clear that she was purposefully exercising. As I often do when I see the pained expressions of folk out running I wondered why do people put themselves through this???

On a different note the final picture below is included as an amusing postscript. Here I was, walking through Venice when a man walks past wearing a jacket with PARIS printed across his back. It struck me as amusing and ironic so thought I would tag it on.

Together

 It was a sunny afternoon and like many other people around the city I spent a few hours soaking up the sun and enjoying the views. I also captured a few shots of people taking it easy. 

I like the shots of people deep in conversation, in pictures 3 & 4 for example the speakers were becoming quite animated and their expressions make me wonder what had got them so worked up.

My favourite picture today however is the first one with the older couple carrying their shopping bag between them with a small dog stopped in their path; guarding the way ahead, or maybe hoping for a bit of a fuss? Turns out he was a bit of a scaredy cat and ran to hide under the nearest bench where its humans were sat in conversation.

Passing Time

 So here is a small selection of shots of people round and about the streets of the city or passing the time of day in cafés.

As always when people watching I try to imagine what each persons story is; is the girl in the first image waiting for someone or just enjoy a moment of calm on her own?

The couples who are in bars, what has brought them together? what are they talking about?

For the men who are on their phones, I wonder whether they are responding to important messages that have interrupted their day in the city or are they casually passing the time while a companion is in a shop nearby?

There are so many possibilities and it is so much fun creating narratives for complete strangers. Sometimes I keep them to myself or other times I will share them with whoever I am traveling with and maybe collaborate on expanding the story into a wild and ridiculous fantasy.  If you have never done this then take it from me it is a fun way to pass some time.

The last image in today's post was a reward for patience. I had been seated near the group of people (possibly students on a break from their studies) on the bench, I took a couple of photos but thought they were fairly uninteresting and I was just walking away when the young woman leant forward to connect with the young man closest to her. It was a tender moment and I was really pleased to be able to capture it.

In the Spotlight

 I took lots of photos of people round and about the city while I was in Venice. Some good and others not so good and I had selected a handful to share today. However I thought that this image deserved a post of its own.

I think it was a bit of a lucky shot if I am honest, I had been walking along a narrow side street following this gentleman and another younger man (not in a stalker sense, just they were walking ahead of me) and I hoped to capture a shot of them silhouetted at the end of the street but one turned right to peer through a gateway and this chap turned left and waited for his friend. I think the shot was a little under exposed but I have been able to do some basic editing to bring out what I wanted to see in the image. I am super happy with this shot with the effect of the highlights and shadows. Although it is a very simple image I think it is really good. 

Around the Harbour

 Walking around any town there is always lots going on and lots of opportunities for a photographer. While I do like to concentrate on the architecture, the landscape or wildlife it is also fun to capture random moments and a seaside town like Whitby will offer plenty of those. Whether that is a seagull taking a rest on some lobster pots, visitors stopping for "fish n chips", a chimney pot or even a random box of tools on a market stall there are lots of things that will catch my eye. Many random images will get discarded either just after I have taken them or later when I get to review the days "catch", others will get through to a final edit and possibly even be shared here in my blog.

Of course just because I like these images and have chosen to share them does not mean they will be to your taste. They are a real mixture, too, so you may like one or more, or none at all. For me however they capture some of the essence of the town which is more than the iconic sites such as the harbour or the abbey and that makes the effort of capturing them worth my while.

People of Vienna

So I have gone overboard today and shared quite a few images from out and about in Vienna. Just random shots of people doing their thing as they enjoy the city.

I won't comment on each of the photos, I will leave you to make of them what you will.

I did wonder how the artist would cope with the queue of people in front of the coffee vendor but as it happens I needn't have worried, if you look at the painting he is working on you will see he wasn't including the coffee stand in his composition.

And in the final shot, while I had been quite taken aback by the animal headed buskers this group of lads were not the least bit interested, perhaps because they had got the attention of a pretty local girl to take their group photo.
 

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.

Getting Around

 I can't really say why but I really like trams and one of the things that I enjoyed about my road trip back in 2018 was the number of cities that had tram systems, some of them really old such as these in Prague and Vienna, also in Gothenburg but I don't have any pictures ready to upload and others like in Copenhagen which were super modern and fully automated. Amsterdam has a mix of old and new and somehow they fit with the city which is itself a mix of old and new.

As I say, I am not really sure what the appeal is, maybe it is the mixture of sounds; the rumble along the tracks, the electric buzz or the clanging bells but whatever it is there is something special about this form of transport.

Of course driving around these cities and having to negotiate the trams can be a bit of a challenge given that there are so few cities in the UK that have tram systems. In some places there are dedicated tam lanes and in others cars and trams share the same streets and so extra vigilance is needed.

Christmas at the Dock

 Here's hoping that everyone has had a good Christmas and is looking forward to a happy and successful 2023.

These shots are along the colonnades at Liverpool's Albert Dock (once home to Granada TV studio and the famous floating weather map). Tate Liverpool is also here now along with the Maritime Museum, shops, cafes and bars. Usually it is very busy along here but on a frozen morning, midweek in December there were few people around and it had quite a calm atmosphere.

Dog in a Dickie

 So here are the last few images that I will share from my recent road trip in Europe (I briefly visited France, Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium) my last stop being Bruges and I spent some time people watching.

The first couple of images are from a scene I observed in the main square where a large group of people had gathered apparently for a wedding. Somewhat bizarrely it seemed to be combined with a fencing display, perhaps the bride and/or groom were members of the fencing team, who knows? Anyway the star of the show for me was the dog in a bow tie.

The following three images were captured around the city, one of a walking tour guide who has the attention of his tour group, another of a happy cyclist and finally of an interesting character who passed me on a bridge.

I do enjoy people watching and trying to capture these candid shots but it is also frustrating when I see scenes a fraction too late and realise I have missed a good shot. I guess I just have to get out there more...

Bubba, The Aliens Have Landed

 OK so the aliens have not really landed but this Croquette vendors stall does look quite other wordly. Having eaten a substantial breakfast followed by a delicious waffle with chocolate and strawberries I didn't have enough room left to sample the croquettes but the stall certainly seemed popular with the locals. I have used a masking technique to make the vibrant colours stand out.

Having focused on  landscape and architecture for most of the week I decided to try a few street shots. Finding and capturing interesting shots of street life is not as easy as you might think. I like to capture candid images because as soon as people realise a camera is pointed in their direction their behaviour changes and you lose the spontaneity and natural feel. I tried to get some shots of a market trader who was calling out enthusiastically and his actions as he sold his wares were larger than life but he caught me watching him and his movement became more self conscious so I gave up and moved away.

I thought I liked the second image but looking back at it I am not so sure, I like the lighting but there is not really enough going on.

Probably my favourite of todays images is the one of the old man and his bike. His face mask is an indicator of the times we are in and his stooped posture seems to emphasise the burden of just getting on with normal life. I got this from a low angle and I have used a preset in lightroom which I think makes for a standout image.

The fourth shot is of a couple visiting a pharmacy, I was actually stood waiting outside and thought they were nicely framed by the doorway and  the old laytout of the shop.

The final image is of the shop window for a lace shop, this is the store I mentioned in my post a couple of days ago. Inside there is a wonderful selection of new and antique lace, some pieces several hundreds of years old. I spent a long time in the store learning a little about the history of lace making and the decline in the industry, as well as a little about the history of Belgium, and some of its past rulers.