Street Photography: Why Venice? With Brian Lloyd Duckett

Brian Lloyd Duckett is a Foramtt Hitech Ambassador and an official Fujifilm X- Photographer

Brian Lloyd Duckett

Okay, I admit it: the magical city of Venice is not normally associated with street photography. It’s a place thousands of photographers visit every year to learn landscape or travel photography; they

shoot the blue skies, the green waters, the reflections, the sunsets and the bridges. They shoot the pigeons in Piazza San Marco, the colourful houses on the island of Burano or the view from the Rialto Bridge. But rarely the streets!

Brian Lloyd Duckett

I’ve been visiting Venice as a photographer for a number of years – and for me it’s strictly street. Once you get away from San Marco, Rialto and the tourist ‘yellow routes’, it’s a street photography wonderland. Night or day, monochrome or colour, winter or summer – Venice has it all. Whether it’s the amazing light, the architecture, the quirkiness or the characters, Venice delivers.

Where to?

The city is made up of a number of districts – sestiere – each of which has its own character and style. For street photography, head for Cannaregio, Castello, Dorsoduro and San Polo and dig deep. Get into the heart of those areas, into the alleyways and the dark corners. Don’t be afraid to explore and be prepared to get lost (as even the locals do). It’s a very safe city and, if you do get lost, it’s so compact you can’t go far wrong.

My favourite locations are Cannaregio and Castello, covering the northern-most part of the island, from west to east. Here you’ll find far fewer tourists and will get a feel for what ‘real life’ in Venice is all about. If you like a stylised, minimalist approach to street photography, try shooting around here in the middle of the day when the light is at its most contrasty and people are indoors, having lunch or taking their siesta.

“I usually avoid the busiest months of June, July and August when it’s hot, humid and over-run with tourists

Brian Lloyd Duckett

The nearby large island of Giudecca is only a fiveminute trip by waterbus and is largely frequented by locals. You’ll find a smattering of ‘real’ shops (the grocer, the butcher, the baker, the gelateria, the laundrette, etc) and some uniquely Venetian bars and restaurants. The island is a long linear strip of land with views of the city on one side and wonderful, minimalistic views of the lagoon seascape on the other.

Take time to venture further afield away from the main island. Chioggia, for example, which is actually on the mainland, is a working fishing town which offers good opportunities for street photography – and it’s an interesting journey in itself. Most of the smaller islands are easily accessible by waterbus and the sea breeze is a great antidote to the stuffy city.

When to Visit

I usually avoid the busiest months of June, July and August when it’s hot, humid and over-run with tourists. My favourite time to visit is during February which also happens to be the driest month of the year. It is often foggy at night and early in the morning which can provide a sinister or evocative canvas for street photography. The annual Carnevale (carnival) takes place during February, filling the city with people wearing masks and elaborate costumes.

Also consider May, during which time the city hosts either the Art Biennale or the Architectural Biennale (in alternating years); both are events of international significance and bring a lot of characters to the area.

Brian Lloyd Duckett

Brian Lloyd Duckett

Street photography in Venice: my top tips

• Travel light: I take one camera and one or maybe two lenses (35mm and 85mm) and that’s all. Maybe a tiny travel tripod but nothing else apart from some filters. It’s worth taking a selection of ND filters and a polariser. You’ll do a lot of walking and having just a small shoulder bag (or no bag) will make life easier.

• Shoot the sunrise; a great spot is by Piazza San Marco, overlooking the lagoon. Find out the sunrise time and arrive at least 20 minutes early. Then, after dawn has broken, head inland into the streets and squares, just as the city is waking up. There’s bags of atmosphere, moisture in the air, few tourists about and wonderful light. After shooting for an hour or so, find a bar and enjoy your first cappuccino and brioche (croissant or pastry) of the day. Live like a local!

• Shoot RAW: Venice is a terrific place to shoot in both monochrome and colour and you’ll want to keep your options open.

• Relish bad weather: out of the long summer season you can expect rain, fog and even snow. The fog can be particularly photogenic and can contribute to intensely atmospheric images (November and February are great for foggy cityscapes and seascapes). I’ve taken some of my best photographs of Venice in adverse weather conditions. See it as an opportunity!

• Chase the light: Venice is all about the light, which is as good as it gets. Watch the light as it shimmers on the water and appears in shafts between tall buildings and at the end of dark alleys;

look for the intense shadows and the rich colours of the Venetian landscape. Good light is easy to find in Venice: seek it out and build your shots around it.

• Avoid the tourist areas: they are overcrowded and it’s difficult to get a clean shot of anything. This generally means keeping clear of the main ‘yellow’ streets which connect the main attractions, such as the road from the railway station to Rialto or from Rialto to San Marco.

• It’s a good place to start to overcome your fears of street shooting: everyone in Venice has a camera and people don’t think twice about being photographed. The locals can sometimes appear a little grumpy but have largely become de-sensitised to being photographed and will generally just let you get on with it.

• Venice waterways open up a whole new world of unique photographic possibilities that you won’t find anywhere else on the planet. In bright light the water is a vibrant emerald green, shimmering with reflections and sparkling with light. Alternatively, you can use a polarising filter to eliminate the reflections and concentrate on the amazing colour of the water.

•A little under-exposure will work wonders. If the sun is mostly behind me, my default setting is 1-2 stops of under-exposure. This will saturate the colours, keep the highlights in check and give a rich intensity to shadow areas. Your exposure compensation dial should become your best your friend!

• Try to think of a couple of projects before you go. Your shooting time in Venice will be more focused and meaningful if you have a vision to work towards. If you’re short of ideas, try something like ‘Working Venice’, focusing on the local people who make the city tick – think gondoliers, street cleaners, bar staff, police officers, boatmen or shopkeepers. Or perhaps develop a more documentary-focused project about the chaos caused by the invasion of tourists.

Brian is a Formatt Hitech Ambassador and an Official Fujifilm X-Photographer. He is a Londonbased professional documentary, travel and street photographer whose first two books, ‘Mastering Street Photography’ and ’52 Assignments: Street Photography’, have become international best-sellers.

Brian runs documentary, travel and street photography workshops around the UK and in Venice, Lisbon and Prague (with more locations coming soon). Workshops are for small groups (maximum 6 participants) or for individuals.

“There are many compelling reasons to visit Venice as a street photographer. Whatever your style, whatever your project and whatever your motivation, you’ll find opportunities in every corner of the island, around the clock and at any time of the year.”

www.streetsnappers.com

www.brianduckett.com

Instagram: @streetsnappers