Rodney Campbell's Blog

I had mentioned in an earlier post that my morning sunrise session was very hazy in Venice. And whilst it may have looked romantically like fog or mist (which would have been great) it was in fact just extremely heavy smog and pollution. In fact it hung around for most of the day and even my shots after midday show it to be remaining very hazy.

Whisper

NIKON D750 + 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 28 mm, 1/30 sec at f/7.1, ISO 450

Note: These photographs (especially the wider shots) look much better when larger. To see larger versions in an inline overlay slideshow gallery viewer click any of the images.

Rialto Haze

NIKON D750 + 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 28 mm, 1/40 sec at f/5.6, ISO 100

This view from on the Rialto bridge probably typifies what it was like out this morning. This is at 10AM mind you, with an almost total whiteout… It might not have smelt great and I’m sure it was bad for the lungs, but it looked very beautiful and serene at the time and of course it comes up magnificent in photographs :).

Lost from View

NIKON D750 + 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 35 mm, 1/60 sec at f/5.6, ISO 100

This was the only day that Venice was like this for us – every other day the air was perfectly clear. I’m not at all sure what arbitrary amalgamation of conditions made this occur this day.

Silent Wanderings

NIKON D750 + 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 78 mm, 1/100 sec at f/5.6, ISO 100

If there’s one classic landscape photographers image of Venice, or one location that die hard landscape photographers want to shoot in Venice – it’s here shooting from the Ponte dell’ Accademia during twilight.

Thankfully this bridge (which is one of only four which span the Venetian grand canal) was less than ten minutes walk from our apartment. So I woke “early” for another sunrise session again. “Early” is relative here in Venice in winter – with sunrise at a very lazy 7:50AM you don’t really need to rise particularly early to get here an hour beforehand.

Accademia Twilight

NIKON D750 + 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 28 mm, 65 sec at f/11, ISO 100

This image is my first of the morning – taken at 6:47AM (still many hours after when I’d typically be shooting twilight in Australia :)).

Note: These photographs (especially the wider shots) look much better when larger. To see larger versions in an inline overlay slideshow gallery viewer click any of the images.

The arched bridge is wooden so that is typically an issue because it noticeably moves as people walk across it and move about – meaning careful shutter speed selection and timing is critical.

However an additional complication at the moment is that it is having major repairs. There is now lots of metal scaffolding on both sides of the bridge (about 1.5m wide on both sides and spanning the canal). As if that wasn’t enough it has this tall wooden construction hoarding on the outside faces basically almost entirely blocking your view from the bridge). What this means is that if you shoot from the bridge – even with your tripod at maximum height you can only shoot long tele shots – anything wider will have the view majorly impaired.

I was already aware of this, having been here on our first day in Venice, so I’d already formulated a solution. I just hopped over the fence and shot from on the scaffolding over the hoarding.

There were pretty much just photographers here at this time of the morning and eventually many of them joined me.

NIKON D750 + 16.0-35.0 mm f/4.0 @ 35 mm, 62 sec at f/8, ISO 200

It really is a lovely spot but it was extremely hazy this morning. At first I thought it was fog or mist but it soon became apparent that it was very heavy smog rolling in. I’ll cover this more in later posts…

Out of the Blue

NIKON D750 + 16.0-35.0 mm f/4.0 @ 35 mm, 150 sec at f/10, ISO 100

7:15AM and my last shot from the bridge as I’ve decided to move on before sunrise. The smog is getting quite thick now (and smelly). I’m heading back out to the nearby Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute (Basilica of St Mary of Health or commonly known simply as the Salute).

Santa Maria della Salute

NIKON D750 + 16.0-35.0 mm f/4.0 @ 16 mm, 15 sec at f/11, ISO 100

I was intending to shoot over the lagoon towards Venice/San Marco and San Giorgio Maggiore, alas by the time I got right out to the point the smog was settling right in. It had now completely enveloped the lagoon and the city and you could see almost nothing through the heavy haze.

So – we’re definitely in Italy :).

In Italy

NIKON D750 + 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 122 mm, 1/125 sec at f/5.6, ISO 250

and with vibrant bold colours everywhere the girls just want photographs in front of it all :).

Bold

NIKON D750 + 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 40 mm, 1/40 sec at f/8, ISO 100

Note: These photographs (especially the wider shots) look much better when larger. To see larger versions in an inline overlay slideshow gallery viewer click any of the images.

Coloured Clothes

NIKON D750 + 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 90 mm, 1/100 sec at f/8, ISO 250

Alas it was time for us to leave and head back to Venice proper. Who knew it was going to be so hard to leave… literally…

To get back to Venice you can catch waterbus #12 directly back to F.te Nove “A” (the journey takes approx 1hr and leaves every 20 min @ 6/26/46 past the hour).

There are a lot of tourists visiting these islands so the queue at the ferry terminal was insane – many many hundreds of people queued up to get into the terminal and onto the limited space on the waterbus.

Colourful Fishing Village

NIKON D750 + 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 28 mm, 1/250 sec at f/8, ISO 100

We didn’t make it onto the next waterbus and instead had to wait patiently in line for the next before we got on.

Once back at F.te Nove (which is on the northern side of Venice – where we hadn’t yet been) we decided to walk back through the sestiere (neighbourhood) of Cannaregio on our way back to the apartment.

The waters in the canals all over Venice (including these outlying islands) is a nice deep green. When they are nice and still (when the boats aren’t travelling along them :)) they are great for producing nice reflections to mirror the world above. In this case in Burano they mirror a very colourful world above…

Red on Green

NIKON D750 + 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 58 mm, 1/60 sec at f/8, ISO 250

Note: These photographs (especially the wider shots) look much better when larger. To see larger versions in an inline overlay slideshow gallery viewer click any of the images.

Burano Reflections

NIKON D750 + 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 28 mm, 1/50 sec at f/8, ISO 100

I’m not sure the 100% overcast conditions helped or hindered the colourful buildings and reflections here – but it certainly makes portraits nice and easy anywhere.

NIKON D750 + 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 28 mm, 1/80 sec at f/5.6, ISO 100

Even the old buildings (and the patina – to die for) get in on the Burano reflections action.

Burano Doors and Windows

NIKON D750 + 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 65 mm, 1/125 sec at f/5, ISO 100

Open Down Under

NIKON D750 + 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 65 mm, 1/60 sec at f/7.1, ISO 110

After spending a while exploring the town it was time for some portraits in Burano. Having such a marvellous colourful backdrop enabled me to spend a little time doing some portraits with my girls.

Colourful Burano

NIKON D750 + 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 56 mm, 1/60 sec at f/8, ISO 125

Note: These photographs (especially the wider shots) look much better when larger. To see larger versions in an inline overlay slideshow gallery viewer click any of the images.

Three in Burano

NIKON D750 + 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 90 mm, 1/100 sec at f/5.6, ISO 125

Teenage daughters don’t allow you a lot of time setting up and taking photos (they are too busy arranging their own phone based selfies). However I did manage to get them to stand still for a few moments and sneak in a few shots.

Looking Back at Burano

NIKON D750 + 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 112 mm, 1/125 sec at f/5.6, ISO 160

I really wished for my 70-200/2.8 or 85/1.4 – alas too big and heavy to carry around the world :). The longer end of the trusty all purpose 28-300 would have to suffice. The bokeh isn’t anywhere near as tasty at f/5.6 but still kills the iPhone :).

Burano Dreams

NIKON D750 + 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 250 mm, 1/250 sec at f/5.6, ISO 320

NIKON D750 + 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 300 mm, 1/320 sec at f/5.6, ISO 450

NIKON D750 + 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 300 mm, 1/320 sec at f/5.6, ISO 500