Rainy Day Blues in Venice
“Ah, Venice!” The famous line from Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade says it all. Staying in Venice is anything but boring. Sailing around in a vaporetto, emerging from the catacombs on a well known piazza or fooling around with Elsa Schneider. The real life Venice is no different. Over the years, I found out many people are prejudiced against visiting Venice. Apparently, Venice is dirty, smelly, and overrun with couples in love. If you’re looking for these things, you will certainly find them here. I much rather search for beauty, uniqueness, history and atmosphere of the place. I first searched for these things in 2007 and in spring of 2015, I had the opportunity to visit Venice again. My visit was, however, affected by almost constant rain. The photos I got on this trip are substantially different than I planned. …
A Salute to Santa Maria
Santa Maria della Salute is probably the most recognizable Venetian church after Saint Mark’s Basilica. During my first visit, it was undergoing a major maintenance and the dome was covered in scaffolding. I was really happy that nothing obstructed the view this time around and I could make a couple of nice photos. At least from the outside. You can take photos inside, but if you want to use a tripod, you need a permission from local authorities. I’ll try to get it next time I’m there.
I took three photos of Santa Maria during the first evening. The first one is probably the most famous view of Gran Canal from Ponte dell’ Accademia bridge. You can take a photo of this scene anytime of the day, but after sunset it really comes alive. The Gran Canal is the throughfare of Venice. Just swap the tarmac for waterway and cars for boats. The evening rush hour looks like this:
Before I made the “rush hour” photo, I also made this photo of the Santa Maria waterfront. The incredible crowds that visit the church during the day was already reduced to a handful of people, sitting or standing on the steps.
Eventually, everyone went home or to the hotel. It kind of pays off to be a starving photographer for a while.
The next morning I made another photo of Santa Maria. This time from the other side of Gran Canal.
Hommage á Michael Kenna
In case you’re not familiar with Michael Kenna – he’s a British photographer famous for his black and white landscape photographs. He still shoots film, most notably on Hasselblad medium format, which natively outputs photos with square aspect ratio. I own one of his photo books, Mont Saint Michel, which was published in 2007 and depicts this breathtaking island located in Normandy. In one of the interviews, Michael stated that he doesn’t like to shoot scenes and sceneries with people that much and this is one of the reasons why he prefers to work at night. In the last 30 years, he frequently visited Venice as well. In 2010 he published a book of his venetian photographs, simply called Venezia. I hope I’ll be adding this book to my shelf soon.
However, I must add, that you probably have to be “in the mood” for viewing Michael’s photographs. Thanks to the dark, night sky and black and white rendition, I find his photos somewhat bleak and depressing. Nevertheless, they can be inspiring and often times offer a completely different view on the places that are mostly overrun by tourists. During my visit to Venice, I made two photos as homage to Michael’s work and will also present some other photos in black and white.
The first photo depicts a winged lion, located on one of the columns next to Doge’s palace. The dark morning sky made a perfect backdrop to this photo, that Michael himself made as well.
The scene captured on the second photo is located just a few meters away. The second column on Piazetta San Marco houses a statue of Saint Theodore, who was the patron of Venice before Saint Mark.
Incomperhensible Bridge of Sighs
Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri in Italian) is a covered bridge that connects the Doge’s Palace and a nearby Prison. It was built around the year 1600. The legends of old say the condemned saw the last of Venice through its windows and they could do nothing but “sigh” at the loss of their freedom. Some modern legends say that eternal love will be granted to those who kiss under the bridge during a Gondola ride, during the sunset, while the toll of Saint Mark’s bells can be heard…. Oohkay…. These says, the Bridge of Sighs is one of the most popular attractions of Venice. And to this day, I cannot understand why…
For starters, the bridge is not that beautiful. It’s rather short and located in a narrow, dark canal. However for some reason it attracts throngs of tourists every day. And for some reason, each and every one of them needs to make a selfie with the bridge, using their own hands. Or worse – selfie sticks. I had to do it differently. I arrived to the bridge in early morning. Luckily, there’s no signs of tourists at 5:15 AM. I made the first shot. And I was instantly disappointed. The canal under the bridge was dark and murky. I quickly came up with different composition and included the banister, that prevents all those tourists ending up in a canal every day.
The tiny barred windows offer nothing but a glipse of the beautiful Venice. Or not, if the poor bastard was condemned on a rainy day. Looking out of the windows I could see the rainy weather, Venetian lagoon and parts of San Giorgio Maggiore. And I did sigh. Despite the rain, throngs of tourists were making selfies with the bridge.
I don’t have to be interrogated in the facilities of Doge’s Palace, nor thrown into the rocky prison next to it to admit I don’t have that much talent for photography. For the last photo of Bridge of Sighs, I borrowed the composition from Italian photographer Paolo de Faveri. He too created a very similar looking panorama of Ponte della Paglia, Doge’s Palace and the Bridge of Sighs. Even the the weather, during which both photographs were made, was very similar. However, there are some differences. I positioned myself a little differently and on my photo you can see through the arcade under Doge’s Palace.
On the full size photo, you can even see “The ghost of Doge”. It’s a silouette of a man, who took a shelter there from the horrible rain.
The beauty of Murano glasswork
If you’re planning to spend more than one afternoon in Venice (yes, there are many travel agencies in Europe, who offer 1 day or 1 afternoon trips to Venice), you must definitely visit the Glass museum – Museo del Vetro, on the island of Murano. The artisans on Murano island are renowned for their top quality glass work. In past, many glass working techniques have either been invented or perfected on Murano. Perhaps the most famous technique invented here is called “milk glass”.
I’m not sure if it was because of the constant rain or the distance, but there was hardly anyone in the Glass museum. The journey from Saint Mark’s square is quite tedious and takes approximately an hour. But it’s well worth it. You’ll find many stunning examples of glasswork spanning many centuries, including chandeliers, glasses, goblets, decorations and of course vases.
However, Murano glass can take many forms and shapes.
Between February 9th and 30th May, you could visit an exhibition dedicated to well known Murano artist and sculptor Luciano Vistosi. Vistosi learned the art of glass making in his father’s workshop. Later, he focused on creating high quality glass artwork that reflected the latest trends in design. Vistosi passed away in 2010 and over the years, his sculptures were photographed by the premier Italian photographers. Here are some of my photos of his sculptures:
Most people would probably consider this to be too “artsy fartsy”. However, the sculptures are incredibly detailed, with amazing textures. When they are properly lit, one could spend many hours photographying the lightplay in the countless number of compositions. If Vistosi would be able to visit his exhibition, he’d be greatly displeased by the amount of dust on his sculptures. During the post processing, I had to remove a considerable amount of dust particles from the surface of the sculpture.
At the end of my visit to the Glass museum, I was slightly disappointed. I’d discovered a beautiful brochure about the history of glass making on Murano at the museum’s book store. However, it was only in Italian. When I asked the vendor about the English version, his only words were “Sorry, sold out”. Another reason to return….
The details of Doge’s Palace
Doge’s Palace is a center of political, social and cultural life in Venice. More than a milion tourist visit it each year. At first glance, the building looks quite ordinary, especially from a distance. But upon closer inspection, you’ll find lots of fine and memorable details. Inside, you’ll find stunning art pieces, beautifuly crafted ceilings in almost every room and one of the largest chambers in Europe. Because of on going maintenance of Saint Mark’s Basilica and constant rain, I decided not to do many grand views of the Palace. I focused on smaller details instead.
Porte della Carta is a ceremonial entrance to the palace. It’s a shame that it’s somewhat hidden between the Palace and the Saint Mark’s Basilica. This Gothic masterpiece was built by Italian sculptor Bartolomeo Bon between 1438 and 1442. The statues of Doge Fracesco Foscari and Saint Mark’s Lion are the centepieces of the gate. It is lit by a couple of spotlights during evening hours.
The arcade under the Doge’s Palace is swarming with tourists during the day. But you make it there early in the morning, it’s usually completely empty. But once I snapped away a few photos of this classic composition, the cleaning brigade started their daily routine. All those broken selfie sticks and umbrellas need to be cleaned before the littering tourists come again. This vicious circle cannot be beaten, unfortunately.
The facade of Doge’s Palace contains several statues and reliefs. The most accessible is located on the corner of the Palace, next to Ponte della Paglia bridge. If you’re standing on the bridge, you can almost touch it. If you find the gentleman on the left a bit “under the weather”, you’re correct. This relief depicts the biblical scene called Drunkeness of Noah.
The famous arcade on the first floor is probably one of the most memorable aspects of the Palace.
Once you get inside, you’ll find many breathtaking paintings and absolutely incredible ceilings in almost every room. This photo of a ceiling is from one of the smaller rooms in the Palace.
In addition to all those ceilings and paintings, the Doge’s palace also has a large selection of old letters, peace treaties and naval maps. They all show how important the Venetian republic was back in its day. But like most of the exhibits, no photograph can truely show their beauty. You have to see them in person!
Island dreaming
The monks dedicate their days to contemplation, meditation and prayers. One of the most important monasteries in Venice was established in 10th century on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. Over the centuries, this benedictine monastery became one of the most important religious and cultural places in Italy. In 19th century it fell to ruin and was used as a military warehouse for some time. It was restored in mid 20th century and it’s now the headquarters of Cini foundation.
For us photographers, the time for contemplation, prayers and meditation comes during the so called blue hour. It’s a part of the day, when the sky turns dark blue. It usually happens about an hour before the sunrise and an hour after sunset. If you want to capture the blue hour in the morning, be prepared to wake up early. The summer mornings are especially difficult. Sometimes, being on the spot at 3AM might be too late, depending on the weather and clouds in the sky. During my visit to Venice, I managed to capture the island of San Giorgio Maggiore during the rain-less blue hour.
The most notorious view of the island must contain the Gondolas. This six second expousre shows the movement of Gondolas and their “parking poles” by incoming waves from the lagoon.
It was raining the next morning, but the view of the island from Ponte della Pagila is worth seeing in any weather.
Maybe I was bothered by the constant rain, maybe we could plan the sightseeing part better. But to this day I have not visited the island itself. The visit of the monastery is one of the top priorities for my next trip to Venice, whenever that might be.
If you’re allowed to shoot, make it count
Venetians are the people of many talents. It certainly took a lot of talent and courage to build this magnificent city and to create a powerful navy that ruled the Adriatic sea. Nowadays they tempt you with countless museums, art shows and culinary experiences found in the most unexpected places. And they make your life a misery by constantly forbidding the photography. Especially in the mask shops. The mask is a tangible product. If I take a photo of it, I will hardly run back home and make an exact copy of it. Luckily, renowned mask workshops allow visitors to photograph the displayed masks. All you need to do is be polite and ask beforehand.
In past, the masks were used primarily for the famous Venetian carnival and other forms of entertainment. But they also served as a protection for doctors in times of plague or other highly contagious diseases. That is why the mask with large beak is called “Il dottore“. After the fall of Venetian republic, the craft of making the masks was forgotten. In the 80s, the tradition of Venetian carnival was reinstated, but the process of mask making had been forgotten. The workshpos had to be reopened and they also had to dig into the archives and re-discover how to make the masks for this ocassion. During my trip to Venice I visited two renowned workshops. The first workshop pioneered the rediscovery of the process of mask making. They also issued a nice brochure about the Venetian masks that I purchased. The second workshop, pictured above, offers a beautifully decorated, high quality masks. Both workshops supplied various masks for Stanley Kubrick’s last movie – Eyes Wide Shut. I won’t tell you the names or locations though. I’d take the fun out of researching and exploring Venice.
Another well known spot is the second-hand bookshop with a gondola bookshelf. When I asked about making some photos, the owner just waved his arm and continued his conversation with his acquaintance. Since it was early afternoon, my guess is, he had answered this question for 287th time that day.
You can find lots of interesting books in this “dump”, both old and new. I found an unopened book from Taschen, dedicated to some classic painter. It was exactly 1 cent dearer compared to the official Taschen webstore. I was amazed, because everything needs to be carried by boats and by hand in Venice. When I first published the Slovak version of this blog in June, some shark from an investment group gave an interview, where he stated that Austrians don’t know how to do business properly in their ski resorts. His investment group owns majority of ski resorts in Slovakia and if you’ve ever ski both in Austria and Slovakia, you’d laugh him out. The prices and services in Slovakia are terrible compared to Austria. I wonder what he’d say about the prices in this bookstore….
Some day in distant future, an investment group will purchase this bookstore for sure. There will be admission and security. But until then, the store and its books is under protection of this guy…
We are human and the well known fact is – humans make mistakes. It’s not that hard for me to admit I made a mistake here and there. Even though I was allowed to photograph in these shops, I did not do everything possible to make the photos of highest quality. Certainly, taking my time and working on tripod would’ve resulted in higher quality photos. But, I have yet another reason to return there.
Gondolas – a Venetian necessity
You cannot make a photoblog from Venice without the Gondolas. Period. This incredibly elegant boat made of eight kinds of wood consists of approximately 280 parts. And these days, the perfect romantic getaway in Venice apparently MUST include a ride on the Gondola. Well, I beg to differ…
If I was the Shakespeare in Love, or the Venice’s own Cassanova, I would not waste my money on this ride. Apart from considerable sum of money being lifted from your pocket, you often get an off-key version of ‘O sole mio. A song from Napoli. I’d rather take my love to experience the outstanding cuisine, beautiful atmosphere of some Venetian restaurants and to taste some excellent wine. You can find lots of wonderful restaurants in Venice, but also lots of awful ones. But I’m not going to talk about the food now. This is a “Photoblog”, not “Foodblog”. Some day, I might write a few words about my gourmet adventures in Venice. But back to Gondolas.
The front metal, S-shaped part of Gondola is called Ferro da Prorà. And it’s not just for show. Its purpose is to counter-balance the gondolier, standing on the far side of the boat. The six “teeth” in the front part represents the six parts of Venice. The lone tooth pointing backwards represents the island of Giudecca. The three ornaments between the front teeth represent the three venetian islands – Murano, Burano and Torcello. This centerpiece is beautiful in every kind of weather.
Mysterious and Green – such can be the mornings in the canals of Venice. Especially after the heavy rains.
This “dreamy gondola” was in fact my last photo of this trip. However for the grand finale, let’s get back to the place ruled by two species – pigeons and tourists.
Rainy Day Blues
Saint Mark’s Square, or Piazza San Marco, is the main square of Venice. During the day, it’s mostly overrun by tourists. During the night, it’s under the dominion of pigeons. Just after dark, another kind of creature can be found here – a caste of people making their living by selling selfie sticks, umbrellas and glowing propellers. Depending on if it’s raining or not and what other attrocious souvenir is currently “in”. But is it possible to be completely alone here? Take a look at this photograph and see for yourself:
Most people don’t realize this, but Saint Mark’s Square actually consists of two squares. The more interesting one, with the Doge’s Palace and the overview of Isola di San Giorgio Maggiore is called the Piazzetta. On that dreadful morning, hectoliters of water were pouring out of the sky, but that didn’t stop me from making the photo, that has eluded me for the past several days.
It might seem that I was completely alone on Piazetta that morning. But there was another photographer, standing just outside the frame. However, he was vastly better equipped for this kind of weather than me. So I made a mental note – never leave a hotel in Venice without an umbrella!
Epilogue
My visit to Venice in March was imperfect, just as this blog is imperfect. Why? For starters, there are only 29 photos in it. It would be nice to have a round number, don’t you think? I think if I included a photo of the musical quartet, that was making a nice atmosphere on Saint Mark’s square during the first evening,would kind of ruin this set. I also think the rainy message from the heavens speaks clearly: “You’re not done in Venice.” So far I’ve spent seven days in Venice and there’s still so much to see and experience. In another words – there are always good reasons to return to Venice.
Last days of Tutankhamun in Slovakia
The treasures of entrance room
Burial chamber with photo projection
The “mess” of treasure room
The wall of burial capsule
The detail of stone sarcophagus
The statuette of a small coffin
The outer coffin
The middle coffin
The cover of inner coffin
Tutankhamun’s burial mask, as seen at the exhibition
Tutankhamun’s visage
The face of Tutankhamun
Tutankhamun’s mask and sunstar
One of Tutankhamun’s boats (a scaled down model)
A treasure case with Anubis statuette (the God of Afterlife)
Statuettes of Tutankhamun
Statuettes of Tutankhamun – a detailed view
Tutankhamun’s chariot – used for parades
Tutankhamun’s chariot – a detailed view
The statuette of Sopdu (God of the Sky)
Tutankhamun’s canopic jar
Vesebt’s (Pharaoh’s servants)
Tutankhamun with blue crown
My top photos of 2014
It’s that time of the year again and I’m once again contemplating my best photos of the year for Jim Goldstein’s “Best of” project. When I first went through the photos I took in 2014 I thought “It’s getting harder and harder every year.” The troubles of ordinary life finally caught up with me. During my studies at the University, I had quite a lot of free time and was able to shoot quite a lot, even during the business hours. When I began my doctoral studies and was inducted into our family business, the free time for shooting nature and landscapes was suddenly a rare comodity. And now, when I’m fully involved in our family business and have a side-project on my own, I find that I have very little time for the landscape photography that relaxes and stimulates me. This year I’ll be presenting only a handful of photos I shot during the year and I’ll try to explain why I chose them.
My top photos of 2014
I took the photo titled “Canola Star” on a very cold and windy April evening just outside the village where I live. It was one of my first real landscape attempts with the Canon 16-35 f2,8 L II lens I purchased at the begining of the year. This lens is famous for its great rendidion of Sunstars. A small opening in the heavy clouds appeared at the perfect moment and I was able to photograph the Sun just before it disappeared behind the horizon.
Another spring-time photo is titled “The Stars are Blooming”. I took it at the end of March on a dusty road close to my home. I took almost identical photo last year, but the tree was completely leafless. Once again, I waited for the cloudless and moonless evening and when I arrived to the familiar place, I noticed that the cherry tree was already blooming. I also wanted to capture more of that amazing purple sky, so I once again used the Canon 16-35 II. My small but very powerful LED flashlight provided the intensive light during the long exposure. I think the lighting came out a bit too strong this time, particularly on the grass at the base of the tree. But I already have the same scene lit in a more “mellow” way, so I think the more powerful light suits the whole idea of “spring awakening” more.
The photo titled “Waterfall and Ladder” was taken in one of the most beautiful spots in Slovakia – the Kvacany valley. I stopped there on my way to a photo shoot at the begining of October. Unfortunately I only had a couple of hours to walk through and photograph the beautiful Autumn colors and to get to this small waterfal, which I haven’t visited for five years. When I got there I noticed it hadn’t changed a bit since my last visit. I think I could’ve positioned myself even lower and even closer to the water to get a bit more dramatic perspective, but at least I have a reason to go back there as soon as possible.
My most popular photo of the year is called “A Clash of Fronts”. I took it in June, which is probably my favorite time of the year because of the stormy weather. And I just love the fields full of wheat. On this day, I originally went to a different location, but quickly decided to move to a spot I know very well. I spent several hours there, waiting for the perfect light and I must say it did. I was totally amazed by the contrast between the warm orange clouds coming in from the West and the dark blue clouds coming from the East. The beautiful warm light was also present on the wheat field. I decided to upload this photo to my 500px account. To my surprise, it recorded more than 4 000 views and lots of votes (my photos usually record less than a 100 views and only handful of votes and comments).
I took the photo titled “The Peak of Fall” on the same day I took the “Waterfall and Ladder”. To be honest, I think the real peak of the fall in Kvacany valley came a few days earlier, because the leaves already started coloring themselves into brown tones instead of red. It was also very windy that day (it’s visible in the top right corner of the photo). However, I’m very happy with this busy forest compositon and it motivates me to go back next October and spend more than a handful of hours in this beautiful place. During my brief stay in Kvacany valley, I also experienced this classic “pro photographer” tale – Me with my big professional camera on a tripod and a large group of German tourists, who stopped next to me and started taking pictures of the place with their cellphones and compact cameras. I was photographying the forest with my pro gear, so it must be something special :).
My last “top photo of 2014” is called “When the Wind Reigns”. I took this photo the next day after my very successful outing that produced “A Clash of Fronts”. I decided to explore the new location about 20 kilometers from my home. When I arrived to the location, I discovered a large wheat field with some rolling hills. Once again, the weather was very windy and created some amazing evening light and clouds. I also have a vertical composition of this scene in my archive, that shows the movement of the wheat more. But I just love the expansive view of the horizontal oriented photo and the beautiful cloudy sky.
These are purely landscape photos I consider my best of the year. However, I took more photos that are either travel oriented or they are landscape photos, that showcase my vision but somehow they “aren’t there, yet”. Nevertheless, I decided to present them in “honorable mentions” section.
Honorable mentions
At the end of May, I spent a few days travelling through Slovenia with Rob Tilley. I fist met Rob in person the year before in Moravia. At the begining of 2014, Rob contacted me again and asked if I wanted to join him for a few days during his travels through Slovenia and Croatia. I even invited my “non photographer” friend to join us on this Photo trip. I think we successfully inducted him into the photography world and showed him a different side of traveling. During our brief stay we visited the city of Bled and it’s beautiful lake, Triglav National Park, the ancient city of Ptuj, Maribor and we ended up in the beautiful port city of Piran. During our exploration of Triglav, we briefly met Slovenian photographer Luka Esenko, who was leading a photo workshop in the Vintgar Gorge. I wrote an extensive blog containing 40 photographs from our trip on my blog in Slovak language. I even promised Rob to translate it into English and post in here on my website, but I just haven’t gotten around to do it yet. However, the photos can be enjoyed regardless of the language, so if you’re interested in seeing them, you can see them on my blog in Slovak language.
This photo displays the beautiful main square of Piran. It was taken on our last morning in Slovenia, just before 5 AM. The time is even visible on the church tower. The city of Piran looks a lot like Venice, except it has no canals. It was a shame we didn’t stay longer, because this city is definitely worth exploring. But in my case, it’s “only” 600 kilometers away, so it’s not that difficult for me to go back there. All I need is time and some budget for traveling…
I took the photo titled “Cosmic Whirlwind” in June. This massive dead tree is located on the edge of a forest about 15 kilometers from my home. Unfortunately, due to the busy surroundings, I can only include the top portion of the tree in the photo. I visited this location earlier during almost full Moon night and the quality of the light was amazing. However I did not do a long exposure that time. Couple of days later, I returned to do a hour-long exposure and I hoped that the Moon will once again provide the interesting light. Sadly, the Moonrise didn’t happen until Midnight, so I had to use the flashlight to subtly illuminate the tree. I even hoped some small clouds would appear to add some dramatic streaks, but they didn’t happen either. I still think this photo is worth presenting and I’ll be visiting this location until the photo fully matches my vision.
We visited High Tatras couple of days before Christmas. We stayed at Strbske pleso, which is a beautiful alpine lake, but it’s covered with hotels, pathways and a sky jumping bridge. I discovered a nice view of this trio of moutains called “The Crown of High Tatras” several years ago and I try to photograph them whenever we are around. Unfortunately, the weather almost never co-operates during our stay in High Tatras. I call it “My curse of High Tatras”. We were staying in one of the hotels right next to the lake, so I was looking forward to photograph the mountains in morning light. During my outing, I got several nice “pre dawn” and morning photos. This photo shows the beautiful morning light on the trees in front of the mountains, but only the very highest peaks are illuminated… So I think my “Curse of High Tatras” has not been dispelled yet…
The “other stuff”
As some of you know, I’m also a sports photographer. I even present some of my tennis photos here, but for the lack of time I didn’t update my “Sports section” in a while. So if you’re interested in seeing my sports photos, I’ll redirect you to the galleries of Tennis Arena Magazine. This year I did quite a lot of shooting that included a Fed Cup Tie between Slovakia and Germany, Davis Cup tie between Slovakia and Austria, Davis Cup between Slovakia and Latvia, some editorial stuff (The Fashion line of Dominika Cibulkova, The Wimbledon-grade grass court in Bratislava), the Tennis Champions exhibition that featured tennis stars John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl, the annual ITF tennis tournaments in Trnava and Bratislava and the Tennis player of the year Ceremony. I also began shooting some architecture assignments and I hope I’ll be doing more of them in 2015.
I wish everyone Happy and productive Year of 2015! I hope I’ll be able to do more landscape photography and more traveling and I hope I’ll be able to share more photos in “My top photos of 2015”.
