Il Bucato

Especially in monochrome, Venice appears timeless. And although it is an over-expressed clichè, it is still something that attracts me about the city. Places change, people come and go, the fabric of society ever evolves, yet, in hidden corners of Venice, time appears to stand still. This is particularly true around the neighbour of Castello, where the tradition of hanging the washing (il bucato) across the streets provides a draw for tourists and photographers. The shot below exemplifies this.

Il Bucato, Castello, 2025

Taken in 2025, it could equally pass for 1925. We have a man (I like to think a local, who has grown up on these streets) strolling the calli whilst the white washing hangs out above him. Both elements providing their own little narrative of life in these apartments and how, despite the advances of technology, the traditional ways are very often the best.

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AP

Fish Market

Today's tour takes us around the famous Pescheria (Fish Market) located at Rialto.  Set in a Neo-Gothic open-sided building that is adjacent to the Grand Canal, the Rialto Fish Market is undeniably a tourist hotspot, and photographed incessantly. Nevertheless it still makes an interesting subject, especially in monochrome, given the light, textures and characters one can find.  Photographically it also provides opportunities for creating sequences and stories and to adopt a documentary or reportage approach.

As the market it's inevitably busy and difficult to stay in one place for very long, it's usually best to work fast with the camera in autofocus and aperture priority mode. To isolate individual elements, many of these following shots were taken wide open with the Fujifilm XT2 mirrorless with a 60mm f2.8 portrait lens which allows shooting fast in low light conditions for candid portraiture.

Rialto Fish Market (March 2022). Fujifilm XT2 60mm f2.8

Rialto Fish Market (March 2022). Fujifilm XT2 60mm f2.8

Rialto Fish Market (March 2022). Fujifilm XT2 60mm f2.8

A previous visit used a wide angle lens (Fujifilm 18mm f2) to capture an environmental portrait, including the impressive foreground swordfish and as much of the market as possible.

Rialto Fish Market (March 2013). Fujifilm XT1 18mm f2

The Fujifilm XT2 mirrorless 60mm f2.8 portrait lens also offers a macro function, to hone in on some of the textures.

Rialto Fish Market (March 2022). Fujifilm XT2 60mm f2.8

And then, after its all packed away, the clean up begins which offers a visual contrast to the hustle and bustle of the previous few hours. AP.

After the Fish (March 2014). Canon Powershot G15.

Naturally Vintage

One of my personal objectives as a photographer is to find ‘natural filters’ and produce effective shots in camera rather than using post-production to generate effects later.  Good vintage effects can be found throughout Venice but seeking out the dirty, salt splattered glass of the vaporetto (water bus) and the vaporetto stops, work best in my opinion.  One of my personal favourite locations for this includes the San Zaccaria vaporetto stop in St Marks basin where gondolas frequently pass by and there is the amazing backdrop of the church and island of San Giorgio.  There are also great curved mirrors (used by the vaporetto drivers to assist mooring) which add naturally, distorted abstract elements. 

Shooting in manual focus mode often works best to help pinpoint focus, but sharpness is not the aim here. Shooting at a aperture of around f4/5.6 also allows distant elements to be included but with keeping emphasis on the forground subjects. In the past I have tended to use a slower shutter to add some motion blur but these days I am shooting at high ISO around 6400, to generate more grainy tones in camera.   Minimal post production help lift shadows and reduce highlights, but I love these timeless, slightly abstract images.

Fujifilm X-E3 w.35mm on manual, f5.6, ISO 6400. Feb 23

Strangely  almost exactly a year apart, here’s a similar shot from the same location.

Fujifilm X-E3 35mm on manual focus, 1/25, f4, ISO 200. Feb 22.

Fujifilm X-E3 35mm on manual focus, 1/2400, f5.6, ISO 6400. Feb 23

The stop offers a clear view of tourist-ladened gondolas which frequently pass across the bay. Shooting through the glass adds optical effects including increased 'grain' from a dirty window or rogue reflections, which can mimic film defects which, in my opinion, provide a more unique experience than just shooting cleanly.

Fujifilm X-E3 35mm on manual focus, 1/10, f5.6, ISO 200. Feb 22.

Reflective effects and abstractions are endless around Venice, and we'll look at various reflection shots, using glass or mirrored surfaces as well as from the water, later in the series. AP.