Photographing Venice
Photographing Venice. Learn how to take more successful images with greater individuality and meaning, that create truly lasting memories.
In one of the world’s most photographed cities, it’s a real challenge to develop a more personal vision and take photos that stand out from the crowd. It’s all about being prepared and more open to ideas, widening the scope of your subject matter and knowing how best to quickly develop your image-making skills. Also, you need learn to adapt your photography and subject matter, in response to rapidly changing weather and lighting conditions and to the massive daily influx of people.
This post offers an analytic approach to image-making in Venice, that will improve your photography in a much shorter time. Using only a limited number of images to illustrate and support the article, I have attempted to convey the quest for a more personal vision and one that captures the essence of Venice and its watery environment.
Introduction
Developing a Personal Vision
Relationships and Balance
Confronting a Scene
Conclusion
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A heartening quote for visitors by the Italian classicist Valgimiglia, stated that: “Cities of the heart should be seen through the eyes of others”.
Introduction
One of the biggest problem is this: going into an urban or natural landscape of outstanding beauty and atmosphere, can and does strangely overawe the brain. Over decades, I have seen competant photographers (and artists) go to Venice, but return with what are essentially “travelogue type images” displaying the same repetitive viewpoints, subject matter and approach, albeit with technical proficiency. Even the world famous artist Claude Monet, soon after arrival in Venice in 1908, made the following quote – “It is too beautiful to be painted! It is untranslatable!” Fortunately, he didn’t give up. Unfortunately you need time – often several days to relax into a place or landscape to get the best out of it.
How do you take more successful images with greater individuality and meaning, that create truly lasting memories? You need to be better prepared, especially for those with limited time in the city. You need to better understand the image making process.
Research is key – the more you learn about the city’s history and culture, the more successful your photography will be. Look at online photo-sites, image-based books and when your there – even postscards. Make a plan of where you want to visit and what you want to photograph. How your preconceptions of the city, differ from what you perceive when you’re actually there; are what helps fire the imagination and creativity.
To succeed, you have to learn to adapt your photography and subject matter, in response to the rapidly changing weather and lighting conditions and to the massive daily influx of people.
You must also try to look beyond the superficial or the commonplace and search for images which try to communicate what this city’s about – what artists variously call, its “essence, spirit, soul or truth”. Not just what you physically see; but expressing “what you feel about the place” too. It is more than just “documentation”. The magic and essence of Venice extends beyond the main tourist locations. Even with limited time in the city, get into the maze of back streets and small canals; as one of the best things to do is getting lost! Many artists over the centuries, appreciated the duality of Venice – the “superficial” (tourist locations) and the “hidden” (the real inspiration for their art).
Conceiving an image requires a forensic approach, a checklist of questions and the four-part actions of: analysis / what’s the attraction / image selection / execution. When you confront any scene, ask yourself “What is it that attracts” – is it the subject matter, the quality of light, the pictorial elements (form, line, shape, colour and texture)? Are there signs or symbols present, characteristic or iconic of Venice.
The city can get unbelievably crowded in the high season, therefore with experience, you learn to move into a more “selective” mode of picture taking. Essentially, you move away from the wide-angle views of reality, to a more abstracted approach to subject matter. Some of the finest images are those that communicate in a simple and direct way, using the Japanese concept of “minimalism”. Essentially, you reduce the complexity of picture elements down to the minimum and so, less becomes more – more for the imagination.
A successful image is where as a viewer, you don’t feel the need to re-arrange the picture elements, and the eye doesn’t want to wander off the edge of the frame. A great photograph may show the property of “transcendence”. This is the evocation of something beyond the mere description of what is in front of the camera; a special magic, where the point/intention/message/meaning of the final on-screen or printed image, moves across easily from the image-maker to the viewer and elicits an emotional responce. A common analogy would be that “the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts”.
“Classic View from the Molo towards San Giorgio Maggiore at Sunset”. An almost timeless image, where the sun’s last golden rays are reflected on the wonderful gondola prows.
Photographing Venice – Developing a Personal Vision
It’s certainly a challenge to develop a more personal vision and a degree of individuality. Firstly to succeed, you have to learn to adapt your photography in response to the rapidly changing weather and lighting conditions and to the massive daily influx of people. It is also valuable to understand that Venice is a composed of a grid or network of canals that run North-South and East/West. Knowing the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, one can start to plan the best time of day to be at a designated place.
Interestingly, tourism was just as much a problem for early Victorian artists, writers and poets. After the fall of Napoleon, they flocked in to wallow in the romantic decay and decadence. Even then, they perpetually moaned about the “bloody tourists”, that only appeared interested in visiting the main attractions and the superficial nature of outer appearances. Some claimed that to make art, you need to be “far from the maddening crowd”!
Venice is full of distracting elements and hordes of tourists every day of the year. With general views it is often impossible to control the picture elements. To do that in Venice, you need to develop a more selective approach to photographing any scene that confronts you. Basically,by moving your viewpoint or location – you can exclude them or use them, as part of the picture composition. When it’s really busy, just move to the backstreets and the labyrinthe of smaller canals. Venice has many locations for looking down on the crowds and its architecture and lagoon islands – campaniles and roof-top terraces, offer new perspectives on the city, as well as a truly memorable experience.
“Resting Gondola” next to the church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli. A beautifully simple and direct image. Often “less is more” – more for the imagination.
To start to develop a more personal vision, you must try to look beyond the superficial or the commonplace and search for images which try to communicate what this city’s about – what artists variously call, its “essence, spirit, soul or truth”. Not just what you physically see; but expressing what you feel about the place too. In photography the final image will always be linked to reality; therefore, the aim should not just be to document; but encapsulate a degree of “experience and sensation” within the image.
Another key function of photography is about making and retaining memories; highlighting the importance of the relationship between permanence and transience; all modulated by the passage of time and by its unique lagoon environment.
Essentially the art of photography is to make visible. About trying to develop alternative ways of seeing and communicating to viewers those things most people would pass by unnoticed. Looking for symbols, icons and meaning; which characterize your vision of this city. It is discovering that beauty comes in many forms from the obviously attractive to the superficially ugly. Finally, another aspect is advancing technique forward, in order to execute your personal vision on screen or in print.
With experience, you will “make your own luck” and become much more productive. The old saying “we all look but do we see”, is very appropriate.
“View from the Campanile on San Giorgio Maggiore in Fog, looking towards the southern entrance of the Grand Canal” Sea mists roll into Venice, caused by cold alpine air from the north meeting the warmer lagoon waters.
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Photographing Venice. Relationships and Balance.
Expressed in simple terms, Venice is a city of relationships and the balance between them, that you can utilize to feed the imagination and develop new ideas for subject matter. Awareness of them are brought to the surface by two main factors. Firstly, who could have imagined that such a city could have ever been built and survived on what was hundreds of low-level islands in what was a malarial-infected swamp. Secondly Venice is a very compact city and easy to get around. You notice more because of the sheer density of buildings and the narrowness of the streets and canals. Being sensitive to and understanding these relationships, generates ideas that offer great potential for widening the scope of your subject matter and development of your photography.
Venice is about the relationship of “man and nature” and “resourcefulness over adversity”. It’s also a “structural and yet fragile city”, where you can sense the relationship between “permanence and transience”, the “superficial and the hidden”; the “public and private”, the “real and imagined”. There is also a relationship and bond between the “state, church and people”.
Another relationship which Venetians are very aware of is “decline, survival and reinvention”. Think of “living” (breathing, challenging, inspirational, vibrant, changing, adaptive, re-inventive, future) versus “dying” (decline, decadence, museum, theme park, expensive, aging population). This can be summarised by a contemporary art-world mantra: “changing place – changing time – changing thoughts – changing future”.
Beauty also exists in a variety of forms and can be found even in areas considered to be unattractive or abhorent. For example, street art and graffiti, (often fired by political and religious tensions and the needs of people to express themselves publically) and romantic decay (described by so many artists, writers and poets over the ages).
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L. Wall detail. Western Dorsoduro. Rising damp, helped by high tides, rainfall and winter frosts, cause layers of paint and stucco to deteriorate and expose random islands of mineral rich brickwork, and in this photo an inset electric service box. Great subject matter for a more abstract approach, focusing on colour and texture, as well as the passage of time. Service boxes always attract layers of paper – posters, stickers and messages, together with graffiti meld together over time, givng an impression similar to that of “mixed media” artwork.
R. Fondamenta di Pescheria (Fish shops), Southwest Dorsoduro district.Old, boarded-up shops, crumbling walls, and layers of graffiti all evoke the concept of “Romantic Decay,” a theme especially prominent after the fall of the Republic and frequently explored by many returning artists, writers, and poets during the early Victorian era.
Mantras.
When photographing in Venice, I keep a mental check-list of simple phrases or “mantras”. which help with keeping me focused – expanding old ideas or themes, creating new imagery and developing a more personal vision.
Stone – water – colour – texture
Venice is a city of stone, water, colour and texture and the interface and interaction between these elements. Structures are modulated by light (both direct and reflected), by water (canals, flooding, rain), pollution (air and water borne) and the passage of time. Over successive visits, one can clearly see the effect of time on the relationship of permanence and transience.
Many of the city’s buildings are built with bricks from the Veneto mainland and then rendered (stucco) and are rich in iron and other minerals. Walls, when affected by the ravages of time and saturation with moisture; encourage the cyclic growth of organisms. The result is that potential images that you would pass by un-noticed in dry periods; come alive with colour and texture in the late autumn and winter months.
Another feature is the posting of advertising and personal communications on walls, doors and most particularly power boxes; whether freestanding or set into brickwork. Modulated by time and the weather, they seem to merge and degenerate into surfaces; as if returning “back to nature”. Careful selection at the taking stage can result in images of striking similarity to the world of the abstract expressionists and other “mixed media” artwork.
Images showing the effect of direct and reflected light at the water’s interface – so iconic of Venice and its watery environment.
Changing place – changing time – changing thoughts – changing future
A popular theme amongst the contemporary art crowd seen in both word and neon tube installations. It makes you think about the survival and future of this great city and what is permanent and what has changed. It is also reflected in the nature of the street art that barely lasts a season and so photography provides a unique record of the social, political and religious climate of that time. Bush, Obama, the late Princess Diana, the Catholic Church, the Pope and Antifa are just some subjects that have featured over the years.
Reality in Venice is mediated by its history and culture, religion, politics, economics, art, literature philosophy, music and even its cuisine. How do you turn this reality into satisfying images?
One’s conception or idea of a place, is formed by your preconceptions before you get there and your perceptions on arrival. If your preconceptions are different than your perception, this evokes are response. So the more you know about a place before hand, the more potentially successful and productive your photography will be. Research is the key. If visiting for the first time, a good tip is to look in all the postcard shops to see what scenes to photograph and gain an idea from what viewpoint they were taken and what time of day.
Changing one’s relationship with nature is the way to stimulate the imagination. From climbing a mountain to writing your novel in the garden shed – it seems to work!
A degree of anxiety stimulates the imagination and thoughts and emotions start to formulate ideas. Concentrating on the scene before you, free of distraction around you; more experienced photographers enter into a state of heightened perception or awareness. For photographers, the old hunting adage “it’s the chase and not the kill” is only half the equation; you need all your craft skills to materialize the ideas and bring the images back home!
Simplicity – purity – harmony – balance
Maturity brings an increasing emphasis on a more spiritual attitude to life, together with a greater appreciation of beauty in all its forms. These principles of simplicity, purity, harmony and balance, as embodied in Japanese concepts of Zen, are very relevant to my photography.
In nature, every action has a reaction and we function best when there is harmony and balance.
When confronting any scene, ideas need to be balanced by craft skills; to materialize and communicate them both in camera and the final image.
From a visual viewpoint, I am particularly interested in the idea of the “minimum”, which is essentially the pursuit of simplicity, exploring the possibilities it offers as a means of working creatively. Stripping out the extraneous matter, whether it is detail or perhaps colour, allows the essentials to shine through and brings rewards in clarity and directness of vision; communicating the photographer’s intention more forcefully.
In the damp winter climate, the exposed Venetian brickwork under layer(s) of plaster stucco, often grows yellow to red, iron containing micro-organisms. In dry months, the colour effect seen, would be muted and far less noticeable.
L. Concentrating on the pale stucco, you can make out and imagine biomorphic forms – a man’s head and a creature wielding a club; raging against the Christian symbolism of a small wall shrine (often Madonna and Child). The red pigmented brickwork, could represent the “fires of hell”. The meaning of the image is suggestive of the pertual battle of “Good against Evil”.
R. Note, the removal and addition of the church’s exterior elements, gives meaning to the image, suggesting the passage of time. Time, moisture, and the foci of exposed brickwork with overgrowth of micro-organisms, appear to suggest the island nature of Venice.
Take simplicity for instance: less is often more, more for the imagination. Suggestion can also be very powerful – a person’s shadow, more powerful than the person. Reflections in water, more poetic than the reality. It is fascinating to think that in order to achieve this minimal state, the mind needs to intensely rationalise in order to produce a more emotional outcome. Simplicity however, whether in art, architecture or life itself, requires discipline and comes with experience.
Photography is about communication and can be seen as a 3-way process; a relationship between the subject matter, the photographer and the viewer. Looking at it in this way allows you to be more analytical and develop a greater understanding of every stage of the process, so increasing your ability to take a greater number of pictures that communicate well.
A successful photograph may show the property of “transcendence”. This is the evocation of something beyond the mere description of what is in front of the camera; a special magic. A common analogy would be that “the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts”. However, there is no guarantee that such pictures are transcendent to everybody; for example, the underlying symbolism within the picture elements may not be understood or sometimes images may need a caption.
Another term, “equivalence” describes the process of photography, whereby the emotional response equivalent to that which the photographer saw and felt at the time of exposure; is imbued into the final print. The underlying concept, borrowed from Symbolism, was that the emotion carried was not just dependent on the subject matter but transmitted at some deeper level by other picture elements. If the photograph mirrors feelings within the viewer; then that person experiences a degree of “equivalence”.
Analysis – attraction – selection – execution
Our vision has developed from a survival instinct to scan, lock on and react quickly to potential predators.
Seeing with both eyes gives us the capacity for depth perception. Focused on a fixed point with binocular vision, we have in the horizontal plane approximately 210 degrees of peripheral vision and about 55 degrees of central sharp and well resolved vision and we can freely move both our eyes and our heads. Wide peripheral vision allows for movement detection, whilst narrow central vision concentrates on detail resolution.
It could be said that in certain respects, a photograph is more representational than human vision. Our vision adapts to changes both in the quantity and quality of light perceived; film or digital sensors do not. Our eyes adjust and compensate to very bright conditions and also to variations in quality, such as the reddish light found around sunrise and sunset, or the blueness of shadows in strong sunlight. One of the big advantages of digital capture over film stock, is in the ability to control contrast and the rendering of shadow detail. With colour transparency film, you had to expose for the highlights and let the shadows look after themselves. In the narrow canals of Venice under sunny conditions, the extremes of lighting contrast can be great and were often beyond the ability of film stock to render shadow details properly.
Approaching San Francesco della Vigna church from the south, over a small bridge on the Rio di San Francesco ; you pass under the Palladian-style overhead gallery, supported on striking red and white columns; built in the mid-19th century. Like in many classical traditions, columns in Venice represent strength and stability, and the enduring nature of the Republic and its governance.
Photography’s greatest strength lies in its capacity to document and the ability to record fine detail, allowing us to capture what we perceive and can describe as “reality”. A photographic image, unlike a painting will always be bound to reality. However, since its discovery it has also been increasingly used as a vehicle for personal expression and today it is accepted as an independent fine art form. In simple terms, all photographs display a “continuum” of both objective and subjective vision. Starting with reality we use the camera system’s viewfinder or LCD screen to frame or select, part of our environment that interests us. If captured in colour and with good resolution, this image is the closest to reality and hence the most objective vision that we can achieve. Every other stage of the photographic process from conception to execution and to the final print; is subject to personal variability and therefore subjectivity.
As the scene we confront becomes more becomes more abstracted from reality, we start to lose the parameters of linear and atmospheric perspective, which contribute to the sense of depth in a picture. Artists such as the “Abstract Expressionists” in particular, used a flattened perspective in their work and created the allusion of space and depth by manipulating the elements of colour and texture and often by the addition of physical matter; such as printed text, sand, plaster and wax.
Old Doors and Service Boxes. L. Old Gas Service Box. R. Electric Service Box. Capturing images ecapsulating time, memories and the beauty of decline. Whether made of wood or metal, these aged door surfaces often become layered over time with paper – posters, stickers, and personal messages; frequently embellished with graffiti. Each door has its own story to tell and its own unique charm. By capturing fine details through a close-up approach; they compel you to examine their form, colour, texture and marks of human intervention.
Confronting a Scene.
Conceiving an image requires a forensic approach – a checklist of questions and actions.
What is it that attracts – is it the subject matter, the quality of light, the pictorial elements (form, line, shape, colour and texture)? Are there signs or symbols (icons) characteristic of Venice and any underlying meaning? What feelings are generated? What picture elements do I want to bring out?
Often the best and most powerful images communicate in a simple and direct manner. However, some successful photographs contain areas of subsidiary interest and detail that keeps the eye moving the around the picture; producing lasting enjoyment. Occasional images may give up their secrets only very slowly, or take a significant passage of time to be fully appreciated. Furthermore, the overall form of the final image (which may include its frame and mount) should have an overall sense of “rightness” about it, leaving little inclination to change or rearrange the picture elements.
“Graffiti Girl”. In Venice, Street art, has reflected both international concerns and the relationship between the state, the church and the people. Open to destruction by weather and dampness, this form of public expression; also makes visible the balance between “permanence” and “transience”. It reflects over time, changes in society and attitudes, which makes their documentation worthwhile and valuable. Once common-place in Venice (as in many italian cities), it is now considered unlawful, being slowly removed; but allowed in certain locations and contempory galleries, and even marketed as a tourist attraction!
FINAL NOTE. Especially in Venice, there are important things to remember, when composing the image in your view-finder or screen. As far as architecture is concerned – not all structures are vertical!. Firstly, it is often important to make the main centre of interest vertical. Do use a grid on the viewfinder/screen. Secondly, if you point your camera or phone up or down; you will get a pronounced perspective distortion. These are quite easily compensated for in Photoshop, under Filter > Lens Correction. For example, if your structure to be photographed includes things such as a church spire or campanile, you need to leave a considerable amount of extra space around your intended finished picture in the viewfinder or screen (possibly around 20% or more). This is because when correcting perspectives distortions in software, you may lose much of the church spire or campanile! So, if it’s busy with crowds and you want to take images above their heads, always remember about perspective distortions and leave a some extra picture space! High resolution digital cameras and phones, allow you to do this without losing too much image quality.
The great thing about digital photography is that it’s a great learning tool – you can take hundreds of pictures, experiment, and learn a lot more quickly than in the analogue days and at a much lower cost! Do remember however, that batteries run down quickly, not so much when you take a photo, but when you keep reviewing them. Always have a spare charged battery at hand.
Conclusion.
This unique and beautiful city of Venice offers an infinite wealth of photo opportunities to harvest.
Adaptability to the changing weather, lighting conditions and to the massive daily influx of people is important. Reality in Venice is mediated by its history and culture, religion, politics, economics, art, literature philosophy, music and even its cuisine. Essentially, the more you know before you visit the more productive you will become. Being sensitive to all the relationships mentioned above, helps you become more perceptive, open to different ideas and greater success.
<< Attempting to develop a more personal vision, in what is probably the world’s most photographed city; is challenging, yet rewarding >>
Photographing Venice Photographing Venice Photographing Venice Photographing Venice
“Venice: Reality and Illusion”. A single original photograph, together with three other horizontally and vertically reversed images; were combined to form a new composite. Photographs can be selected for showing how direct and reflected light, acts at the interface of air and water; to produce the magic, of “reality and illusion”, or in other terms “solidity and liquidity”. Others can be chosen, capturing reflected light only, that tend to give more abstracted and decorative effects. The fascination of the technique is in its unpredictability.
In both photos, the iconic elements of Venice are combined: water, reflections, gondolas, bridges and steps-down into the water. These composites, set up by experimenting with the order of the same image, show incredible depth – often as if looking into a tunnel or well. Fascinating new structures and forms appear.
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Here’s a selection of my image-based posts, that demonstrate a greater sense of personal vision and individuality, that hopefully stand out from the crowd.
See my unique “Depicting Venice” series of composite images and learn how they were conceived and made. The are several ways to order the images into a block. The fascination is in its unpredictability.
Depicting Venice – Ian Coulling
>> Graffiti and Street Art in Venice. It is a multifaceted phenomenon intertwining history, culture, artistic expression and social commentary. It has served as a unique form of expression and communication, and part of the city’s identity. Graffiti and Street Art in Venice
>> Photographing Venice – Old Doors and Service Boxes. Transforming decaying walls into art. The effects of time, moisture and microorganisms, on its brick and stucco walls. Photographing Venice – Transforming decaying walls into art.
>> Photographing Venice – Old Doors and Service Boxes. Capturing images ecapsulating time, memories and the beauty of decline. Whether made of wood or metal, these aged door surfaces often become layered over time with paper – posters, stickers, and personal messages; frequently embellished with graffiti. Photographing Venice – Old Doors and Service Boxes
>> Best High Views in Venice. For photographers, campaniles and roof-top terraces, offer new perspectives on the city, as well as a truly memorable experience. Best High Views in Venice”
>> The Street Artist “Blub” in Venice. In 2019, the Florentine artist made a mark on the historic city with his small-scale “Paste-Up” works. The Street Artist Blub in Venice
>> Characters in Stone. Everywhere you turn in Venice, you can see statuary and plaques; that decorate, both religious and secular buildings, on walls, doorways and in public spaces and gardens. Characters in Stone
>> Why I love Venice. I hope this is expressed through my photography and blog posts. To me, this unique historic city is the most beautiful and interesting place in the world. A jewel in the crown of Italy. One of unsurpassable beauty tinged with picturesque decay – giving a romantic ambience so loved by travellers, writers, poets and artists, over the centuries. Why I love Venice
(3369) Experience Venice’s Spectacular Beauty in Under 4 Minutes | Short Film Showcase – YouTube
The Renaissance equestrian statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni in Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo. Taking a low position looking southward into a dark and stormy sky, I have simply lined up this famous statue with the roof-tops lining the campo.
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