venice

[mechman]

i am going to Venice Italy with my wife for 25th wedding anniversary in march/april does anyone have any tips for various shots ie landscape portrait etc

[Preacherman]

Hi Mechman. I went last year and the one thing I wish I had was a wide angle lens. Even so you will get plenty of photo opportunities. Just take loads. Enjoy. PAUL

[Big Nick]

I just got back from there in mid-November. It is amazing you are going to love it. I highly suggest you bring a wide angel (I used a 10-22mm and hardly took it off) A tripod and go out for night shots. Some comfortable shoes because you just walk everywhere there. Most importantly enjoy your trip.

[mechman]

hi what do you think of the 0.45 adapter that can be got? would you recommend that or a specific wide angle lens as you mentioned

[Big Nick]

I would say whatever you are comfortable with, what lens are you putting the adapter on? Is it sufficient for your current wide-angel shots?

[mechman]

18-55mm kit lens was intended i also have a 28-80mm? available i am new to this digital and had not used a camera in anger since my army days in the 80s so its pretty new to me i understand the practice its the theory that gets me

[Swisstony10]

I went to Venice two years ago. I joined a cruise there, so I was only there for a day and a half, but even so I have what may turn out to be some very useful Venice-based tips (some of them are transferrable to any city):

Have a fully charged battery. And a spare. And a spare spare. And have a charger which is in Venice, not Bristol.

Get a good guide book, and do at least one trip without taking many photos - the sights of Venice (or any city) should be enjoyed as much as they should be photographed. I guess I mean that you shouldn't only see the city through a lens.

Go on a gondola ride. Seriously. It's a big cliche, but you still totally should. If you want to be a little bit different, do it once it gets dark. Venice feels, looks, sounds, and smells completely different at night, and the canals are way less crowded. And the gondoliers are extremely knowledgeable about the city - they take a tremendous pride in it, and because it's quieter, you can actually hear what they're explaining to you.

Enjoy the city. But unless you carry some really good GPS kit, a really good map, or have a local guide with you, do not attempt to walk from anywhere to anywhere North of the Rialto bridge after 2am. Drunk. With three drunk women who have no sense of direction and a camp Canadian pianist who just wanted to get a kebab. It's just not worth it - streetlights are non-existent, every alleyway looks the same until you wind up at a watery dead-end, the signs are designed to turn the city into a magical labyrinth of doom for the unwary traveller. And you can't just hail a taxi and ask them to take you somewhere, because there aren't any.

Venice is just a fantastic place - I have to go back there (sober, and in daylight, with GPS). You'll have a fantastic time, and you'll bring back awesome pictures!

Russ.

[spencer28n]

Originally Posted by Swisstony10

Enjoy the city. But unless you carry some really good GPS kit, a really good map, or have a local guide with you, do not attempt to walk from anywhere to anywhere North of the Rialto bridge after 2am. Drunk. With three drunk women who have no sense of direction and a camp Canadian pianist who just wanted to get a kebab. It's just not worth it - streetlights are non-existent, every alleyway looks the same until you wind up at a watery dead-end, the signs are designed to turn the city into a magical labyrinth of doom for the unwary traveller. And you can't just hail a taxi and ask them to take you somewhere, because there aren't any.

Russ.

Haha. Venice is amazing, I'm looking at a 24 x 36 framed shot of a canal that I took in April. Italy overall is my favorite place in the world. Have fun!

[Big Nick]

Originally Posted by spencer28n

Haha. Venice is amazing, I'm looking at a 24 x 36 framed shot of a canal that I took in April. Italy overall is my favorite place in the world. Have fun!

Like this?



Ive never used an extender, but If you feel that it works well then I think you should be fine. Remember you can always stitch photos to. Also either lots of memory and or something to upload your photos to at the end of the day so you don't have to start deleting untill you get home

[Eduard]

We were there this past October. Stayed at an awesome B&B for around 80 euro a night. Perfect location, too. PM me if you want the details. We had a lot of rain the first two days so I was glad that I had brought my 18-200 lens at the last moment. Didn't have to change lenses in the rain. BUT, the rain made for some great reflections. If you want to shoot at night, bring fast glass. I had a 17-55/2.8, 50/1.4 and 35/2.0 and used them all. Yes it is expensive, but the view and image possibilities from a gondola ride is amazing! We did the Viator 1/2 day walking tour. It was okay for an orientation. We bought but rarely used the water taxi pass preferring to walk. (We had a pedometer and averaged between 7 and 8 miles a day!) Enjoy!!

Here are my two favorite shots: