Slickrock and Shadow

 Gordon Smith enjoying dinner in Paris  Unlike a road trip from one state to another state in America, a trip to Europe requires more selective packing. When I traveled there for 3 weeks with my family, we decided that we would be traveling very light. Everything that we took to Europe and everything that we brought home had to fit in our carry-on backpack. Besides the usual requirements of shirts, shoes, pants, socks and shaving equipment, I was most interested in knowing what camera equipment I could bring. What would fit and how heavy would it be to carry? My camera is a Canon 1Ds Mark 3. An all-purpose lens such as the 24-105 f/4 L IS is a no-brainer. If I could only take one lens, this would be it. I took the majority of my photos using this lens. The architectural wonders of Europe also made me want a wider lens with perspective correction. The 17mm tilt-shift lens fit the bill. This lens is very big and heavy but nothing else can do what it can. It made the cut. The 7...

Young women sits in window in Venice. Although you cannot see it, the canal is below her. During my journeys in Europe, I saw many students.  They were traveling overseas or studying abroad and searching for cultural experience.  The deep history Europe offers is undeniable.  You simply cannot be unmoved after touring the Louvre, climbing an ancient castle rampart or watching the sun set over the Salute Cathedral in Venice.  I felt enriched when I first visited Europe as a student and I enjoyed seeing others repeating that same experience.   As a photographer I tried to capture some of that with these photos of young students in ancient surroundings.  The contrast between young and old, life and death, student and history is what I hoped to show. My daughter in the window of Beynac Castle Study abroad: student before ancient tomb in La Frari church of Venice.  

 Gondolas and Venice Lagoon  A great way to have a wonderful photographic city all to yourself is to wander around at night.  The crowds vanished for me as I went from the Accademia bridge to La Salute church and then ended up back at St. Mark's Square.  There are lots of things to keep your camera snapping.   One essential tool is a tripod.  Although it is challenging to carry a tripod while traveling light, I managed to bring my Gitzo Traveler tripod (GT1542) with Markins Q10 ballhead.  This was large enough to support my camera with some medium-weight lenses and yet small enough to fit into my backpack which I carried on to the plane along with all my other photographic equipment.  This allowed me the freedom to take very long exposures and get creative. Italian Couple  Night Water Taxi 

Old Venice This is another discovery as I wandered off by myself.  I found this beautiful opening onto it for now.  Directly across there was the doorway to another building.  I tried to frame these 2 portals so that they would mirror one another, emphasizing the arch on top as well as the rectangular opening on all the other side.

Spooky Alley and Doorway As I got lost in Venice at night I came across this spooky alley.  Nobody was around even though this was only about a one minute walk from a main thoroughfare filled with pedestrians and shops.  You do not have to wander very far to find yourself alone in Venice.  All you have to do is duck into a dark alley to disappear from the crowd.  I tried to capture the desolate, spooky feeling in this photograph. Focal length 45mm; aperture f/11; shutter speed 30 seconds.  Shot with a tripod.

Doge's Palace:  Arches and Columns The Doge's Palace is a must-see to any visitor of Venice.  So much history, power and art are on display here.  The exterior is an architectural wonder.  The interior is also magnificent.  Although photography is not encouraged inside, the details outside can be photographed freely.  Here are some of my shots.  In order to have an empty corridor of arches, I had to arrive very early in the morning.  I came back later to enjoy the official tour. Details of the Doge View from the top of Doge's palace stairs You can sneak a few photos here and there.  I found the "no photo" policy widely abused by all travelers.  Everyone had their cameras out and shot here and there.  For about every 1,000 photos I saw taken, I heard one guide saying "no photo." Art-covered ceiling inside Doge's Palace While I was there I also got to see Manet's Olympia displayed next to Titian's Venus.  T...

Eight Massive Columns inside Saints John and Paul Cathedral In Venice there is a wonderful church in the north part of town.  Nobody goes there at least not very many people.  However it is incredibly beautiful, religiously peaceful.  I felt like I had made a wonderful discovery when I walked through the doors of Saints John and Paul Church.  It is not named after the John or the Paul in the New Testament but you do not need to know that in order to enjoy the beauty. Altar Extremely wide and high pillars stretch forth the ceiling.  The ceiling itself is a wonderful work of symmetry.  As you can see from the photos, the place was empty.  I did not have to Photoshop anybody out to have a clean view. Light of God Cathedral Heights At this church I used my 17 mm tilt-shift lens almost exclusively.  In order to prevent lens distortion, I shifted up and composed very carefully for taking the shot.