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2015

 by Milan Hutera

Slovak International Air Fest 2015

At the end of August, I attended the Slovak International Air Fest 2015 in Sliac. This large airshow is usually plagued by bad weather, but this year it was rather OK. The highlight of this year’s edition were Frecce Tricolori – a demonstration team of Italy’s Aeronautica Militare.

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 by Milan Hutera

Summer Masters Samorin 2015

In August 2015, I attended the Summer Masters Equestrian competitions in Samorin. The races were held in the beautiful Hippo arena. Many well-known riders from Slovakia and abroad attended. The event also had an evening exhibition session.

Moon rises above the impressive metal statue of a horse during the evening session of Summer Masters in Samorin, Slovakia.
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 by Milan Hutera

Gateway to Space Exhibition

In June 2015, I photographed the Gateway to Space exhibition in Prague. This exciting exhibition maps the achievements of space exploration from the early days to present times. There were severa scaled-down and full scale models, including the Space Shuttle cockpit, sections of MIR space station and several space suits.

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 by Milan Hutera

Venice 2015

In March 2015, I was fortunate to visit Venice again after nearly 8 years. I was looking forward to explore this fascinating city again, but my visit was greatly affected by constant drizzle and rain. Nevertheless, I tried to capture as much as I could. The resulting photos are different than I wanted, but that’s the beauty of life – sometimes we get different things that we want and that’s not always a bad thing. Hopefully I’ll be back to this magnificent city soon.

The famous view of Gran Canal from Ponte dell' Accademia is captivating any time of day. But I feel the most interesting is just after the sunset during the "rush hour". The last light of the day is still visible in the sky, the city ligths come alive and the boats create those fantastic long streaks of light.
A late, cloudy March evening on the canal steps leading to Santa Maria della Salute, one of the most famous and most beautiful churches in Venice.
A quiet cloudy March evening at Santa Maria della Salute - one of the most famous churches in Venice.
The glass workshops on Murano island, close to Venice, were the leading manufacturers of high quality and cutting-edge glass ware and artistic objects. Today, the fine examples of their work is displayed in the Museum of Glass, or Museo del Vetro.
The arcade of Doge's palace is usually full of people during the day, waiting to get inside. It is peaceful and empty during the early mornings.
Homage to Michael Kenna 2. Michael Kenna is one of the premier black and white photographers of 20th and 21st century. The main ingredients of his well know body of work are the square format, useage of black and white film and photographying predominatnly at night. This often leads to bleak but many times thought-provoking images. He photographed the city of Venice fairly extensively over the past 30 years. This is another scene from Piazzetta San Marco from the bleak, late March Morning in Venice. The statue on top of the column depicts Saint Theodore with the spear, slaying a dragon. I positioned myself to include the nearby buliding as well. The statues on the balcony are the perfect spectators to this heroic act.
A wide selection of masks from the prestigious mask workshop, that supplied several pieces to Stanley Kubrick's final movie - Eyes Wide Shut. The masks served many purposes in Venetian republic and they were even used by doctors as a form of protection during the plague. After the fall of Venetian republic, the craft was almost completely forgotten until the 1980s. After the revival of Carneval, mask workshops were established again and had to re-learn the process of mask making from the ancient records.
Homage to Michael Kenna 1. Michael Kenna is one of the premier black and white photographers of 20th and 21st century. The main ingredients of his well know body of work are the square format, useage of black and white film and photographying predominatnly at night. This often leads to bleak but many times thought-provoking images. He photographed the city of Venice fairly extensively over the past 30 years. The winged lion of Piazzetta San Marco appears on one of his photos. The bleak, cloudy morning and impending rain ispired me to do this homage to his work. My version is slightly different. I took it from another angle so the other wing is visible as well. And naturally I left it at the standard 3:2 ratio instead of square format.
Santa Maria della Salute, one of the most famous churches in Venice at dawn.
A dark and cloudy March morning in Venice. The sway of gondolas is exaggerated by long exposure. The iconic church of San Giorgio Maggiore can be seen in the backgroung.
A dark and cloudy March morning in Venice. The sway of gondolas is exaggerated by long exposure. The iconic church of San Giorgio Maggiore can be seen in the backgroung.
Dark heavy clouds create perfect conditions for the blue hour at Isola de San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice
Vast amount of grills and bars almost block the view from the inside the Bridge of Sighs. Taken on a rainy March day, the Ponte della Paglia is nevertheless crowded by tourists. The church of San Giorgio can be seen in the distance.
An unusually shaped Murano Glass on display at Museo del Vetro
A piece of modern art made of Murano glass displayed at Museo del Vetro on the Murano Island. The author of this sculpture is Luciano Vistosi. The details of these scupltures were breathtaking.
A piece of modern art made of Murano glass displayed at Museo del Vetro on the Murano Island. The author of this sculpture is Luciano Vistosi
Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri in Italian) is a covered bridge, that connects Doge's palace (the left building) with the prison. It was built in the year 1600 and it is one of the most viewed landmarks in Venice. I must say I'm baffled by its popularity. It's located above a narrow canal, in the shadow of Doge's palace and not "stunningly nice". Nevertheless, millions and millions of tourists stop there for a long while and take the picture. This is how it looks without the crowds.
Rainy dawn at Isola di San Giorgio Maggiore, as seen from Ponte della Paglia.
The famous Venetian bookstore with gondola serving as a bookshelf.
The famous Venetian bookstore with gondola serving as a bookshelf.
A black cat guards the books in the famous venetian bookstore.
Ferro da Prora is the S-shaped front piece of Venetian Gondola, made of Iron. It is an essential piece of Gondola, because it balances the weight of a gondolier. The six teeth under the main blade represent the six districts of Venice (sestrieri). Three ornate pieces between the teeth represents three main venetian islands - Murano, Burano and Torcello.
Long exposure of a gondola, tied to a pole. The waters were particularly green after a long rain and the color was further enhanced by circular polarizer.
Rainy dawn at Piazza San Marco, Venice
Very rainy March dawn at Piazzetta San Marco.
Taken on a rainy March Morning, this panaorama depicts Ponte della Paglia on the left, the Doge's palace in the middle and Ponte dei Sospiri - Bridge of Sighs on the Right. This view was inspired by very similar photo of Italian photographer Paolo de Faveri. There are some subtle differences. The archway of Doge's palace is visible and if you're lucky, you can even catch a glimpse of "The Doge's Ghost" walking under it.
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 by Milan Hutera

Rotenstein 2015

At the end of May 2015 I visited the medieval festival along with a couple of friends, that took place at the castle called Červený Kameň (Red Casle or Rotenstein in German). Each year this two day festival attracts thousands of visitors. Various groups present their arts, crafts and abilities, including swordfighting, medieval drama, falconry, horse riding and jousting. I especially enjoyed show by Saint Bavon falconers. Along the traditional birds of prey, they showcased a bald eagle. It was great to see this magnificent bird in person for the first time.

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