Twilight In Venice

Venice is such a beautiful city and in the early evening, as the sun is setting it really comes into its own.

So as you walk around the back streets and along the canals you really get to see this wonderful city at its best.

The Gondoliers

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. 

Last Light At Castlerigg

Recently I shared a couple of pictures of the night sky over Castlerigg in Cumbria and today I am sharing a few images from earlier in the shoot (around 10.45pm) as the last daylight faded away. I used fairly long exposures to ensure some detail in these pictures and I think they all work really well.

The first shot is looking in the general direction of Helvellyn, the second is looking towards Blencathra while the third is looking towards the fells beyond Keswick. The low cloud gives the pictures a nice atmospheric feel and while they help create a powerful image I was frustrated because I was hoping for clear skies to get good shots of the stars. 

I got very little sleep that night as I stayed up in the hope of the perfect shot and then I waited for the sun to come up. You can see how that went over the next few days so please come back tomorrow for another selection...