Click on the image for licensing terms
This is the famous Rialto Bridge on the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy.
I must confess to being quite disappointed when I first saw it, as I thought that such an iconic monument and historic attraction would have been better maintained.
Instead I was faced with graffiti and scaffolding, plus of course the expected three deep bank of tourists lining the parapets.
But I'd come all the way to Venice wanting to see and photograph the bridge, Liz and I having missed it on our visit last summer, so I dutifully set off to find a suitable vantage point from which to view the bridge in the best possible light.
Well that wasn't easy either, with viewpoints either side of the bridge hard to come by and blocked with canalside clutter.
In the end this image was the best I was able to manage on the day, and it required a lot of PhotoShop work to bring the tonality under control.
Also, given the garish clashing colours present in the scene when I took the photo, a conversion to monochrome helped imbue a thin patina of history over an otherwise un-atmospheric view.
Perhaps when we come back again I'll catch the bridge at dawn and the view will have been transformed into something more in keeping with the Venice of my imagination. We'll see.
Filename - venice rialto bridge 01.jpg
Camera - Canon 5D
Lens - 24-105mm zoom @ 24mm
Exposure - 1/100sec @ f8, ISO200
Location - Venice, Italy
This image - 800x533px JPEG
Conversion - ACR & PS-CS2
Comments - -1.33 stops exposure compensation used due to preserve highlights.
All content copyright © Howard Litherland 2009-2024 unless otherwise stated.