Quintessentially associated with Venice, fog adds to the overall allure and mystery of the city. It is not normally associated with February, however, and especially late February it is quite unusual. Therefore it is providing a wonderful palette for some atmospheric shots as the sun is relatively high and makes an silvery appearance from time to time.
Due to the ephemeral quality of the fog which changes by the second, and as I’m on the move quite a lot, I am currently travelling very light. The iPhone is the camera of choice, pre-filtered in B&W (Noir) to capture the atmosphere immediately in camera. I upload as a TIFF file for some post-prod tweaks in Lightroom, but this is kept to a minimum and only involves darkroom techniques, such as dodging and burning.
The iconic foggy backdrops include the island and church of San Giorgio, the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute and of course, the Piazza San Marco with the bell tower. To add depth, contrast and atmosphere, foreground objects are included, and here the wooden mooring posts (bricole) and gondole add that feature.
iPhone SE (2022). Pre-filtered: Noir. Feb 23
iPhone SE (2022). Pre-filtered: Noir. Feb 23
I also managed a few chance shots waiting at the vaporetto stop of Santa Maria del Giglio looking down the Grand Canal towards La Salute. Taken at 5pm which would normally have good visibility, the depth of fog is dramatic and no post-prod was necessary to create this atmosphere.
iPhone SE (2022). Pre-filtered: Noir. Feb 23
February fog also featured in one of my earliest shots of Venice taken back in 2011 and gives another example of the timeless quality that monochrome offers.
Venetian Fog, Venice. Feb 2011. Canon Powershot S90, f2, 1/640
Venetian Fog (2011) was taken using a Canon Powershot S90, an extremely pocketable, handy camera and one of the first compacts to capture images in RAW format, over 10 years ago. Shooting in aperture priority, the physical portability allowed me capture this shot in a single frame as the jogger cut through the scene. Captured around 8.30am in the morning, it is now unusual to see so few people, even at at this time, in the piazza. At only 10MP, the S90 is now outdated in terms of image quality and also reaction speeds have greatly improved, but I do still miss carrying a compact and have yet to find a modern equivalent.
Next time, we'll look at ways of grabbing vintage-style shots on the go, without using filters... So, thanks for looking and I welcome any feedback. Ciao! AP
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