EXHIBITION: BIENNALE PEOPLE

Watching the watchers

‘Biennale People’ is a light-hearted, and at times humorous, street photography project and exhibition focussing on the public attending the art and architecture Biennale events in Venice from 2011 to 2025.   'Biennale People' seeks out characters, behaviours and reactions of people immersed among the artworks, caught in moments of distraction, respite or contemplation.

Featuring over 30 black and white prints, the exhibition runs from 25th October to 9th November 2025 at the Kunst Depot Venezia exhibition space in Venice (www.veneziakunstdepot.com). The event also includes a selection of high-quality photographic prints on sale.

Save the date and I look forward to seeing some of you there! For more information, please contact me directly or look out for more posts soon. AP.

Venetian Wanderings

A selection of shots taken in around Venice over September 2025

As well as taking in the latest Venice Biennale, demonstrations in support of Palestine, street work and also some portraits, September also saw the start of a new venture: Monochrome Venice Photo Walks! An exclusive and personalised walk and photographic tutorial session for individuals, couples and small groups.

Trialled in September, more are planned for October and November, so if you’re interested in a Venice photo walk, stay tuned for details of how to sign up or send me an email for information. Spaces are limited to a maximum of six people.

Also coming up soon, details of a new photographic exhibition in Venice later in October… together with some new prints. So, if you don’t follow me already here or on instagram or facebook, connect now, so as not to miss out!

Shot using Fujifilm X-E3 or Fujifilm X-T5 with 23mm, 35mm or 56mm lenses, and iPhone 15. All processed using Adobe Lightroom

Venetian Wanderings: July 2025

Recent monochrome snapshots using the harsh light to emphasise urban texture, shape and form. As always, mainly shot with Fujifilm X-T5, Fujifilm X-E3 or and an iPhone 15 and all edited in Adobe Lightroom. Recently however, the lens of choice has been a 23mm (f.1.4) lens rather than the 35mm I have been using extensively. To find out why, keep reading!

Inspiration has recently come from Joel Meyerowitz, especially from watching the 2016 documentary 'The Pulse of the Street' by Philippe Jamet (which can be seen here: https://www.thedarkroomrumour.com/en/film/joel-meyerowitz-the-pulse-of-the-street-a-documentary-film-by-philippe-jamet-new-york-usa-paris-street-photography-9-11) and his work in 1966-1967 around Europe when he started experimenting with colour and developing his own style.

As it's so easy to get caught up in the frenetic pace of a tourist town in full summer flow, Meyerowitz's slowed down, observational approach using a simple 35mm lens has been a timely reminder to simply stand back and watch the action unfold. As a user of the Fujifilm X-series cameras with a cropped sensor, a 23mm lens equates (more or less) to a 35mm lens on a full frame camera, so the Meyerowitz approach has inspired me to dig out this lesser used lens. Closely matching the field of view of the human eye, creating composition with the 23mm can be more intuitive and quicker. I have also been using manual focus methods (zone focusing) with this lens as physically it offers greater dexterity than most modern lenses, allowing faster shooting and eliminates the errors that occur when auto-focusing catches an unwanted subject (especially when dealing with reflections). So far, I have been pleased with results, so for now, the 23mm lens is staying firmly in the kit bag.

As is always tempting in the summer, colour has also started to creep into my work, further encouraged by looking at Meyerowitz's work (and which may or may not develop further in the future), but for now monochrome still remains my default format for evoking a little mystery, as well as enhancing the grittiness and texture of the scene.

Below is the book cover for Joel Meyerowitz's 'Europa 1966-1967'. And although the photographic style within the pages may seem a little dated compared to current street photography trends, a study of the compositions and documentary nature of these images reflecting a (apparently) simpler and easier time, is fascinating, and well-worth re-visiting.

https://www.joelmeyerowitz.com/

Until next time, thanks for looking.

AP