Archway to Venice | Weekly Photo #49
I did have a trip to Amsterdam scheduled for the end of this month which we have had to cancel. I was really looking forward to going as it was my first visit to Amsterdam and I’d already started to prepare my must-see places to photograph. I don’t travel as much as I would like so when this trip was cancelled due to the wretched global situation, it was frustrating, but I do appreciate why it had to be done. I think all travel plans this year will be impacted in some way from cancellation to significant disruption while social distancing needs to be observed. I have tried to move the trip back to late August but we will have to wait and see how that goes.
One trip I did take was to Venice in 2018. It was my second visit and after travelling to this beautiful city just a year earlier in 2017, I fell in love with the place and wanted to return so, not long after I got back from my first visit, a return trip for the following year was booked and it then that I captured this week’s photo.
I have created a page on my website where you can see some photos and stories I wrote from my first trip in 2017 here A Weekend in Venice.
Fujifilm XT2 | XF35mmF2 | 35mm | 1/850 Sec | f/2.8 | ISO1250
One thing I like to do in Venice is to wander the streets and side canals without any particular destination in mind but to just see what I find. With so many twists and turns, it’s easy to get lost but every so often, you turn a corner and a new surprise greets you such as a beautiful church or basilica or a bustling square with bars and restaurants. As I wander around, I’m always on the lookout for a photo opportunity and whereas I will typically have a subject and composition in mind and work a location until I have the photo I'm after, sometimes the photo opportunities are spontaneous and I only have a split second to capture the shot and this photo is a great example of that.
As I crossed a bridge over a small side canal and descended down a flight of stairs, the light from this archway behind me caught my eye. It was just over my shoulder and looking back, I could have easily ignored it but thankfully I didn’t and turned around to see what was there. The gondola was being framed beautifully by this brick archway but was disappearing fast and I could instantly see the story, even mystery of the image. Without any time to check my camera settings, I switched it on and framed the composition the best I could and only just managed to take the photo before too much of the gondola had passed. After a quick check on the screen, I knew I had the shot but being Venice, I couldn’t dwell and had to keep moving to see what the next corner had in store.
I like this photo a lot. I like the pastel shades in the water, contrasted against the reds in the brickwork and I love the green of the foliage hanging down from the top of the arch. There are, however, some things I would like to change. First, I would have included a bit more of the archway, but this wasn’t possible as just to the left of the opening, there was some discarded building rubble that would have been too distracting if included. I also find the gondola cover a little messy, but you can only work with the subject you are given and I suppose in a way, having it there makes the gondola look a little more authentic.
Technically this photo isn’t perfect, but technically Venice isn't perfect either. It's about capturing the essence of the city and even with some rustic brickwork, an archway, and the stern of the gondola, you clearly know what this is and where it was taken. It’s subtly obvious.
If you want to see more photos from this trip to Venice, check out a post I wrote that features a set of black and white photos I took after the weather turned the following day. Photographing Venice in Black and White.
Until next week.
Trevor
This post is featured in my Weekly Photo series where I post a new photo every Monday. To have this delivered directly to your inbox, you can subscribe to the mailing list here.