Venetian Monochrome - The Floating City in Black and White 📷

In 2015 I was fortunate enough to travel to the city of Venice. As a tourist I was awed by the labyrinth of winding streets that seemingly led everywhere all at once. Squeezing through the narrow passages, people bustling on all sides and in all directions, I would often find myself caught up by the whim of crowd. I simply moved in the direction of the throng, not knowing where I might end up. Invariably the path would eventually widen onto a sun glazed piazza, enabling me to catch my breath and admire the centuries old architecture and the culture inherent in its design.

As a photographer my difficulties were far more technical in nature. One thing said about Venice is the peculiarity of its light; tall buildings cast imposing shadows that can dull the small open spaces, and the already mentioned alleyways get very little direct light for most of the day. It all adds to the surreal vibrance of the city. I recall thinking at the time how different the colour of everything seemed, even the shade of my skin appeared altered somehow.

Perhaps it was for this reason that I initially chose to shoot the trip in black and white. Though as time went by I began to realise that there was so much about Venice that was perfectly suited to black and white photography. The straight, architectural lines, the texture of the water, the harsh contrast between light and shaded areas, and the mere history of the place, seemed to warrant a monochrome portrayal.

One of the lasting memories I have is of waking up daily to the soft sound of water. Not like waves crashing on a shore, more like someone slowly surfacing in a bath, far off in the distance. That and the echoing songs of gondoliers are what stayed with me the most.

I'm very new to steemit so I was unsure how to approach this post. I wanted to briefly convey my experiences of Venice without boring you with a wall of writing. It is also my ongoing intention to show you various bodies of my work, informing you as to why I chose to shoot in a certain way, the challenges I faced, and the technical aspects of how I go about shooting and editing my photos. I'd be very keen to hear your opinions on this blog and its format, if it was something you enjoyed or would prefer I approach differently in the future, please let me know. I'll leave you with a few more photos for now, cheers everybody. : )