Ferry riders
Let’s jump back to Spring 2019, a time filled with European adventures and a visit to the Venetian part of Italy!
Way back in the Spring of 2019 I was studying in Scotland. My time over there was unforgettable and I can’t wait for the day when I get to visit again. But while out there, as much as I had a great time in Edinburgh I also took the chance to explore some other parts of Europe!
After classes were over, I spent quite a while hiking around Switzerland and Italy before spending a few days in Venice! It was an incredible experience. I remember cooking in my hostel overlooking the canals outside of where I was lodging. Unfortunately, while I was there, the weather wasn’t completely on my side. This day, April 10th, was the exception where I got sunshine and witnessed Venice in all her glory.
Location:
Venice, Italy
Date:
April, 2019
Camera:
Sony A600 & Nikon D800
Burano
I had arrived in Venice two days prior without a plan – and had spent the 8th and 9th just exploring the main island. On the 10th, I decided to branch out and visit Burano.
Burano is an island in the Venetian Lagoon known for the brightly colored houses. Upon some investigation many people recommended visiting so I pulled the trigger and bought a water taxi ticket! As I rode over the sun pierced the skies more and more. I was lucky enough to be there on a sunny day, breathing tons of light into the colors showcasing their peak vibrancy.
I loved hopping off of the water taxi and just checking out the streets. Without a plan in mind or anywhere that I’d be looking to end up, I let myself get “lost”. Whatever the island felt like showing me was what I would be seeing. It was bliss. After having been there for some time and photographing all different types of scenes I decided that it was time for me to head home.
Towards The Main Venetian Island
I hitched a ride with the water-taxi heading back to the main island and on the way got several great images. I took my time exploring the boat and snapped several shots of the faded lagoon colored seats and orange life preservers, but none of those images are the ones which I remember from that day. Those two are the image of the red-haired woman and the the scene that followed.
To this day (nearly five years later) I still adore this image. I love the way that her whole existence compliments the rest of the colors in the scene. The bricks of the architecture, the oranges of the life preservers, the eggshell tones of the paint on the metal – all are complimented by this woman, her hair, and her sweater. It is a timeless photograph.
After photographing that image, we began to get closer to the pier we’d be disembarking at. I walked towards the front of the boat to better position myself to get a good view of what we were seeing and I took out my Sony and captured this image. The color and contrast that the bright morning light brought to the scene blew life into it, and this image is a great encapsulation of the Venetian experience.
The rest of the afternoon was spent with a far more lackadaisical tempo. I strolled the streets with no where in particular to get to, and photographed what I saw along the way. If you ever find yourself in Italy, Venice is worth making a stop. It is truly a unique place unlike any other that I’ve visited on our planet. My favorite memory from the day that I didn’t explicitly capture in a photograph was finding a hidden alley that took me to the central canal. I got out there – sat by the waters edge and just watched the boats drive by.
I hope you enjoyed reading this memory as much as I enjoyed writing it. I’ll see you in the next one.