Venice, Italy
My wife and I spent a wonderful week in Venice at the end of April and I have been processing pics ever since. If there is a more photogenic city in the world, I haven't been there. Of course, that also means that it is one of the most photographed places ever, so getting an original shot is not all that easy. I tried to steer a middle course between shooting the usual suspects and looking for the odds and ends.
The old part of Venice is a group of islands connected by bridges over many canals. No motor vehicles of any kind are allowed and only small children can have bicycles. Boats provide a bus system and there are also water taxis, which cost one Euro a minute, well beyond my means. The well-known gondolas are strictly for tourists--like the Cable Cars in San Francisco, though 20 times the cost. This was taken on the Grand Canal, the largest, richest and busiest canal of the city:
Don't be fooled by the dilapidated appearance of the buildings. While some are truly ruins, others are magnificent palaces on the inside. Here's a detail of a gondola's distinctive prow:
The old part of Venice is a group of islands connected by bridges over many canals. No motor vehicles of any kind are allowed and only small children can have bicycles. Boats provide a bus system and there are also water taxis, which cost one Euro a minute, well beyond my means. The well-known gondolas are strictly for tourists--like the Cable Cars in San Francisco, though 20 times the cost. This was taken on the Grand Canal, the largest, richest and busiest canal of the city:
Don't be fooled by the dilapidated appearance of the buildings. While some are truly ruins, others are magnificent palaces on the inside. Here's a detail of a gondola's distinctive prow:
There is a large, new part of Venice on the mainland, and most of the population lives there. It is just another modern European city, and I have never bothered to go there. The old part really does live on tourism and they make no bones about it:
We rented an apartment in a family-oriented neighborhood, off the beaten track. Here are a few shots from that area:
Despite what you may be thinking, the neighborhood was perfectly safe and quiet, with many small children playing unsupervised on the street. Remember: no cars. Here's a shot from Murano, a small nearby island famous for its glass craftsmen:
Venice is famous for the Basilica San Marco, a cathedral that features elaborate Byzantine mosaics. It is much smaller than the typical Gothic cathedrals that followed, but is awesome nevertheless. Here's a detail of one of the domes. It features the Cross of Saint Mark.
As in other Mediterranean cities, the Catholic Church exerts a strong influence. Even the local Communist Party office apparently has its shrine:
OK, so that's just a sample. There are more in my Venice Smugmug gallery. I'd love to hear what you think of them.
Thanks for taking the tour.
Cheers,
Despite what you may be thinking, the neighborhood was perfectly safe and quiet, with many small children playing unsupervised on the street. Remember: no cars. Here's a shot from Murano, a small nearby island famous for its glass craftsmen:
Venice is famous for the Basilica San Marco, a cathedral that features elaborate Byzantine mosaics. It is much smaller than the typical Gothic cathedrals that followed, but is awesome nevertheless. Here's a detail of one of the domes. It features the Cross of Saint Mark.
As in other Mediterranean cities, the Catholic Church exerts a strong influence. Even the local Communist Party office apparently has its shrine:
OK, so that's just a sample. There are more in my Venice Smugmug gallery. I'd love to hear what you think of them.
Thanks for taking the tour.
Cheers,
0
Comments
Virginia
"A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you, the less you know." Diane Arbus
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Sadly enough, the old Venice is too expensive for a lot of the original locals, so they have to move out. One of the downfalls of tourism...
As to your processing, I wonder how you process them as I think that a lot of them suffer from Shadow-Highlights glow... Something wrong with the contrast... What application do you use to process them? Can you post an original pic like the porto de la scrimia (the fourth pic from the top}? I would like to see it, and see how it changes after the processing...
http://photocatseyes.net
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Thanks so much, Virginia. Your Venice pics make me want to go back too.
Regards,
Thanks for your comments, photocat. I believe we aren't supposed to get into gory PP details on this forum, but you're right about that pic and I'll send you a PM with more detail.
Regards,
My Shots
Thank you for sharing,
Charlie.
For B&W fans, I put together a new gallery, which can be found here. This is a typical street scene away from the commercial center:
Cheers,
Thanks
Thanks a lot, Dub Dub.
Regards,
I have mixed feelings about Venice. While I didn't like it as a city as much as I liked Florence and Rome, I desperately want to go back to take some more pictures.