Venice

Work has been crazy recently so when I was asked to attend a meeting at our HQs near Venice I made an effort to take a few days out to look around and try and capture something a little different from the millions of other photos one may have seen of Venice canals and streets.

This first image captured my attention, first because of the contrast between the elegant old and tacky new. This was my first thought when I saw this scene, but the image is far more than this simple contrast. Despite the strong leading line from the bottom right by way of the stone wall, the eye is also pulled into the frame from the left by the saturated colours on the shutters. The leading lines converge and the eye is pulled forward with the rounded doors down to the sun lit church in the background. The dramatic sky adds to the tension of the slightly unbalanced composition.

This next image gives me a very different feeling. A feeling of the state of mind I was in while I sat in this square watching the world go by. There were so many people walking their dogs. I was watching them closely and taking several photos when suddenly the young girl's dog took chase of the other small dog. Suddenly the scene jumped from total peace to this dynamic scene. I've caught the girl in the centre of the two adults using their mobile phones but intrigued by the sudden commotion. The shadow of the tree helps to frame the action.

The couple sitting down at the door to this magnificent building were very aware of me taking the photo because a was waiting patiently for a pigeon to walk by. I took another photo without the couple once my intrusion urged them to leave, but the perspective of size was then lost along with very obvious line of sight from the bird to the couple then the building.

Unlike the first image, I only wanted to capture the contrast of old and new in this one. I was pleased that the graffiti was only painted on the moveable shutters, and once the gift stand was open the graffiti disappeared. I find sometimes for impact its best simply to place the main object dead centre.

Did I get any photos of gondolas and the grand canal? Yes I did but you've seen them all before