Tag Archives: venice

Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Night, Photographs: Travel

Venice Canal, Evening

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Venice Canal, Evening
Evening lights come on along the Rio de San Giovanni Laterno, Venice.

Venice Canal, Evening. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Evening lights come on along the Rio de San Giovanni Laterno, Venice.

During our August visit to Venice we stayed in a little place that was perfectly situated. It was outside of the zone of maximum tourists and the a bit quieter, yet there were restaurants nearby and we could easily walk to just about any place we wanted to go. It was also directly on one of the canals, and our room had windows overlooking it. (Our windows actually appear in the photograph.)

I made this photograph at that wonderful hour of the day when there is still some light in the sky, but when it is getting dark enough that lights are starting to switch on here and there. On opposite sides of the canal and in the distance you can see lit openings where water taxis can pick up and drop off clients. (At our hotel this was nicely outfitted with four comfortable seats, making it a perfect place to sit and watch things pass on the water.)

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Night, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Venice Restaurant, Evening

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Evening Restaurant, Venice
Patrons sit outside at a Venice restaurant on a summer evening.

Venice Restaurant, Evening. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Patrons sit outside at a Venice restaurant on a summer evening.

When we visited Venice in August we stayed perhaps no more than a five-minute walk from this spot. Our little hotel was in a quiet corner without the tourist hubbub that characterizes the most popular areas of this city, but we were only a few minutes away from busier areas. As we walked to them we often passed through the square where this restaurant is located as we headed to a bridge across a canal. It was an interesting place, but until this evening I never quite saw how I wanted to photograph it.

We had been out late — I don’t recall the details now, but it probably involved looking for a place to eat late dinner. For some reason I was “in the zone” for night photography on this evening, and I carried my small camera as we walked, making spontaneous photographs along the way. We were headed back toward our hotel, and after we crossed that familiar bridge I spotted the table set up outside this restaurant, mostly illuminated by light spilling out from the indoor seating area, and I made a couple of quick exposures as we passed by.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Woman, Empty Venice Street

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Woman, Empty Venice Street
A woman walks along a narrow and deserted Venice street in the early morning.

Woman, Empty Venice Street. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A woman walks along a narrow and deserted Venice street in the early morning.

The whole concept of “travel” is complex and, I think, fraught with trade-offs and contradictions. The world is a huge place, far too big to fully experience and see all of it in a lifetime. Do we go to many places and experience each of them less fully? Or do we got to fewer places and try for a deeper experience with those? I don’t have the answer — just the question. Our visit to Venice on this trip relates to that question as, even though we had been to Italy before, we had not ever been to this remarkable — and now tourist-filled and other wise endangered — city. Part of us did not want to go there, given the issues with modern Venice, but another part of us thought, “Venice! How could you NOT go there at least once!” So we went.

The place is just as crowded as you have heard and possibly seen for yourself. But it is also just as remarkable as you have heard. Arriving there for the first time (a story I’ll share in more detail later) was one of the most remarkable moments of our trip. But those crowds! Fortunately, we stayed in a place that was outside the main tourist zone — yet close enough to get to places we wanted to visit quickly. On this morning I went out early, when almost no other tourists were out. It was possible to photograph empty streets or, as in this case, individuals passing through this remarkable place.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Southern California, Photographs: Urban/Street

Red and White Cars, Fence

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Red and White Cars, Fence
Red and white cars parked behind a white-painted metal fence, Venice Beach

Red and White Cars, Fence. Venice, California. April 1, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Red and white cars parked behind a white-painted metal fence, Venice, California

Just because I made the photograph on April Fools Day doesn’t necessarily mean that it is a joke. Or does it? (Probably not.)

We were in Venice, California for a) our daughter’s birthday and b) a visit to the G2 Gallery, a great gallery space that presents a lot of work that I/we can relate to — work by Jack Dykinga, among others, was there when we visited. Once we finished in the gallery it was time to look for coffee and food, so we wandered off down the street. As usual, I lagged behind making photographs of various bits and pieces of the urban landscape. This was an odd little place. It appears to have originally been a church, but is now some sort of office. The entire building is painted start white, including the metal fence across the front. Inside were a bunch of white cars (!), but with one bright red one. A photograph was called for…

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.
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