Venice carnival photography course 2016
Well sad to say but the Venice carnival is over once again and with it my Venice carnival photography course. As always I had a lovely group of photographers with me this year. It was a really early carnival this year because Easter is also very early and the timing of carnival is governed by when Easter falls each year. Even though we were in Venice at the start of February the weather was very good. A small amount of rain on the first day but sunshine for the next three days. Perfect. We had the added bonus of Venice being slightly quieter than normal because of this.
On the first day of my photography course we concentrated of street photography in and around the famous fish market which offered protection from the Venetian rain. The afternoon was fine so it was off to St Mark’s Square (or as it’s correctly called, Piazza San Marco) to photograph the people in their elaborate costumes. We finished with a night shoot by the Venice Arsenale. After all that photography it was time replenish our energy with good Italian food and a drop of wine.
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Day two: dawn bright and sunny, so we took a slow route to the famous Accademia bridge which offers one of the best views in Venice, photographing the canals and architecture on the way. After lunch it was time to photograph more people in costume but this time in a quieter area of Venice away from the crowds. We finished the day with another night shoot before looking for somewhere to eat. (Most important).
Day three offered a change of pace, we let the water buses take the strain and saw Venice from a different perspective. I don’t think you should visit Venice without venturing out to one of the islands. Our destination was the island of Burano which I think is one of the most photogenic. With its brightly painted houses and relaxed pace of life it’s a real must for any photographer. Unsurprisingly the day ended with good quality food and wine.
During the photography course I covered a range of photography techniques from controlling depth of field, using shutter speeds creatively, how to use different focal lengths to the best advantage, fill flash for people photography plus of course emphasizing the use of good composition and light and colour to name but a few. I am really pleased with the standard of pictures all my students produced over the duration of the course. Having the beautiful city of Venice as a back drop helps, of course.
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As we had a midday flight booked I offered my photography students a sunrise shoot on the last morning. That way we could get some extra photography in and still be in time for our flight. I’m glad to say everyone took me up on the offer because the light was fantastic, perfect for photography. After a couple of hours in St Mark’s Square it was time to say a reluctant farewell to Venice for another year. I’m already looking forward to next year’s carnival.
