ST MARK'S SQUARE

VENICE ITALY

Image Number 246

St Mark’s Square is the principal public square of Venice.   It is dominated at its eastern end by St Mark’s Basilica with its great arches, marble decoration and Romanesque carvings.    To the right of the basilica is the bell tower, built in 1156 but reconstructed in 1902 after an earthquake.  On the left of the photograph is a long arcade known as the old procuracies, formerly the homes of high officers of state. The arcade on the right was rebuilt by Napoleon about 1810 and is known as the Ala Napoleonica (Napoleonic Wing).   It includes one of the world’s oldest restuarants, Florian – little changed since it was patronised by Mozart, Voltaire and Cassanova. St Mark’s Square is one of the busiest places on earth.  To shoot the empty square Atticus arrived before dawn and took this image before the sun rose.

TECHNICAL NOTES

Captured by Atticus Webb on a Zeiss Contax 645 medium format camera with a Zeiss wide telephoto 35 mm lens at f16 with an exposure of thirty-two seconds.    Fortunately the morning was still enough for the long exposure on the tripod and nobody entered the square. The image was registered on a transparency using Fuji Velvia 100 ASA film.  It was then scanned in high resolution by Bond Imaging.  The image has not been cropped and it has not been significantly manipulated.   

THE DOGE'S PALACE AT DAWN

VENICE ITALY

Image Number 241

The Doge’s Palace between St Mark’s Square and the Grand Canal is the most recognised symbol of Venice.  Typically the area is occupied during the summer months by many thousands of tourists.  To capture this image, Atticus Webb arrived just after dawn.  Even so, there were already visitors moving through the square.

TECHNICAL NOTES

Captured by Atticus Webb on a Zeiss Contax 645 medium format camera with a Zeiss medium telephoto 120 mm lens at f45 with an exposure of six seconds.    Fortunately it the morning was still enough for the long exposure on the tripod, making the other early morning people appear ghostly as they walked through the square. The image was registered on a transparency using Fuji Velvia 100 ASA film.  It was then scanned in high resolution by Bond Imaging.  The image has been cropped to remove extraneous detail but has not been significantly manipulated. 

THE GRAND CANAL FROM THE RIALTO

VENICE, ITALY

Image Number 240

The Grand Canal divides Venice into two parts, like an inverted letter S, and is about two miles long. It is the main thoroughfare of Venice and is constantly traversed by gondolas, launches, private boats and ferries.   The Grand Canal is intersected in all directions by one hundred and forty-six small canals and is crossed by three large bridges, two of which are iron, the third, the famous Rialto, being of stone.  This image was taken from the Rialto Bridge at about seven am. 

TECHNICAL NOTES

Captured by Atticus Webb on a Zeiss Contax 645 medium format camera with a Zeiss medium telephoto 210mm lens at f22 with an exposure of three seconds.    The image was registered on a transparency using Fuji Velvia 100 ASA film.  It was then scanned in high resolution by Bond Imaging.  The image has been cropped to remove extraneous detail but has not been significantly manipulated. 

BARGE

FONDAMENTA FOSCANNI, VENICE, ITALY

Image Number 239

Venice is distinguished above all cities, not simply for its canals, but because its treasures are largely intact from the fourteenth century.  We owe this to the fact that after Vasco de Gama discovered the route around the Cape of Good Hope in 1420, Venetian trade collapsed for evermore.  From then on, the Venetians could not afford to change the city they had inherited.   This image of a barge was taken directly across the canal from the apartment in which Atticus Webb was staying in the Dorsoduro area of Venice.

TECHNICAL NOTES

Captured by Atticus Webb mid afternoon on a Zeiss Contax 645 medium format camera with Zeiss 80mm lens at f11 with an exposure of 1/90th of a second.    The image was registered on a transparency using Fuji Velvia 100 ASA film.  It was then scanned in high resolution by Bond Imaging.  The image has not been cropped and has not been significantly manipulated.   

ICE CREAM SELLER

LUCCA, ITALY

Image Number 104

Lucca, a walled city in Tuscany, retains local character despite the millions of tourists who visit.   Unlike many other tourist cities in Italy, the population still includes artisans and residents whose lives are not wholly devoted to tourism.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 35. Exposure of 1/8th second and aperture F22.   150 mm Schneider Kreuznach lens.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

THE GRAND CANAL

FROM THE RIALTO
VENICE

Image Number 240

The Grand Canal divides Venice into two parts, like an inverted letter S, and is about two miles long. It is the main thoroughfare of Venice and is constantly traversed by gondolas, launches, private boats and ferries.

The Grand Canal is intersected in all directions by one hundred and forty-six small canals and is crossed by three large bridges, two of which are iron, the third, the famous Rialto, being of stone.  This image was taken from the Rialto Bridge at about seven am.

TECHNICAL NOTES

Captured by Atticus Webb on a Zeiss Contax 645 medium format camera with a Zeiss medium telephoto 210mm lens at f22 with an exposure of three seconds.    The image was registered on a transparency using Fuji Velvia 100 ASA film.  It was then scanned in high resolution by Bond Imaging.  The image has been cropped to remove extraneous detail but has not been significantly manipulated.

THE DOGE’S PALACE

THE DOGE’S PALACE AT DAWN
VENICE

Image Number 241

The Doge’s Palace between St Mark’s Square and the Grand Canal is the most recognised symbol of Venice.  Typically the square is occupied during the summer months by many thousands of tourists.  To capture this image, Atticus Webb arrived before dawn.  Even so, there were already visitors moving through the square.

TECHNICAL NOTES

Captured by Atticus Webb on a Zeiss Contax 645 medium format camera with a Zeiss medium telephoto 120 mm lens at f45 with an exposure of six seconds.    Fortunately it the morning was still enough for the long exposure on the tripod, making the other early morning people appear ghostly as they walked through the square. The image was registered on a transparency using Fuji Velvia 100 ASA film.  It was then scanned in high resolution by Bond Imaging.  The image has been cropped to remove extraneous detail but has not been significantly manipulated.

ST MARK’S SQUARE

ST MARK’S SQUARE BEFORE DAWN
VENICE

Image Number 246

St Mark’s Square is the principal public square of Venice.   It is dominated at its eastern end by St Mark’s Basilica with its great arches, marble decoration and Romanesque carvings.    To the right of the basilica is the bell tower, built in 1156 but reconstructed in 1902 after an earthquake.  On the left of the photograph is a long arcade known as the old procuracies, formerly the homes of high officers of state.

The arcade on the right was rebuilt by Napoleon about 1810 and is known as the Ala Napoleonica (Napoleonic Wing).   It includes one of the world’s oldest restuarants, Florian – little changed since it was patronised by Mozart, Voltaire and Cassanova.

St Mark’s Square is one of the busiest places on earth.  To shoot the empty square Atticus arrived before dawn and took this image before the sun rose.

TECHNICAL NOTES

Captured by Atticus Webb on a Zeiss Contax 645 medium format camera with a Zeiss wide telephoto 35 mm lens at f16 with an exposure of thirty-two seconds.    Fortunately the morning was still enough for the long exposure on the tripod and nobody entered the square. The image was registered on a transparency using Fuji Velvia 100 ASA film.  It was then scanned in high resolution by Bond Imaging.  The image has not been cropped and it has not been significantly manipulated.

BARGE

BARGE – FONDAMENTA FOSCANNI CANAL IN DORSODURO, VENICE

Image Number 239

Venice is distinguished above all cities, not simply for its canals, but because its treasures are largely intact from the fourteenth century.  We owe this to the fact that after Vasco de Gama discovered the route around the Cape of Good Hope in 1420, Venetian trade collapsed for evermore.  From then on, the Venetians could not afford to change the city they had inherited.

This image of a barge was taken directly across the canal from the apartment in which Atticus Webb was staying.

TECHNICAL NOTES

Captured by Atticus Webb mid afternoon on a Zeiss Contax 645 medium format camera with Zeiss 80mm lens at f11 with an exposure of 1/90th of a second.    The image was registered on a transparency using Fuji Velvia 100 ASA film.  It was then scanned in high resolution by Bond Imaging.  The image has not been cropped and has not been significantly manipulated.