Italy Precursor: Venice Fave

Italy is all that and a bag of chips.

In our limited time here the vibe and view are precisely what I expected.  And starting in Venice was a fascinating experience.  I find it mindblowing how that city developed into a labyrinth of narrow passages and canals with nary a road in sight.

While having no real time to screw around writing blog posts I figured I might try to throw out a favorite or two from each “port of call”.  And now that we’ve moved on I guess it’s time to start.  Below is a terribly clichéd catch at the gondola docks outside the Piazza San Marco.  Blue hour.  Blue gondolas.  Contrasting gold light.  Bobbing about with a long exposure and overlooking the island of San Giorgio Maggiore.

Slightly less mundane is this of the Piazza itself.  Another locale that’s been done to death.  And time as it was with a family by my side I didn’t have (cough – take – cough) the time to go really early or late and chase the light.  What I opted for instead was an extended exposure courtesy of the Lee Big Stopper.  This wound down the shutter speed to about 2-minutes which rendered the ever-present throngs of tourists into blurry mist (and aloud me to sip my wine as the seconds ticked by).  If nobody stopped they would have disappeared completely.

Which is why I’ve pompously named this Ghosts of San Marco.  Up next (with luck), Firenze.