Those of you who’ve been following my blog understand I have a love affair with Venice. And, it continues to deepen, particularly in regards to Venice at night.

On this particular March evening, we had just attended a book signing event at the Mont Blanc store near Piazza San Marco. I had brought my camera to capture the event. But, I hadn’t planned on doing any photography once the event concluded.

Then, a twenty-minute walk, to meet up with one of our dearest friends, yielded photos of Venice being claimed by nightfall.

I like challenging myself by adding improvisational assignments to my photo explorations. This stroll became a prime opportunity to go with the flow of the evening, and I challenged myself to see what I could capture in this short amount of time.

 

Venice at Night, ItalyWise

A Streep Lamp Comes to Life – Jed Smith © 2017

A single street lamp got me started.

Warm lights against a cooling evening sky and backdrop enticed me, and I began lagging behind our small group to start taking shots. I had nothing to lose, and everything to gain, by giving myself permission to experiment – and fail, if I wasn’t happy with the results.

Venice at Night, ItalyWise

Towards the Grand Canal – Jed Smith © 2017

The Grand Canal always beckons.

In telling my visual story of Venice at night, I would’ve been remiss if I didn’t capture the intimacy of the smaller canals that lead back to the grandeur of Venice’s main artery. On this particular evening, this felt especially magical.

Venice at Night, ItalyWise

The Vegetable Boat – Jed Smith © 2017

Even commerce by boat continues into the evening.

As we neared our meeting point, and the end of my twenty-minute window of opportunity, we came across a floating produce store doing a robust business. Venice at night is still full of life and activity.

Venice at Night, ItalyWise

Bar & Snack – Jed Smith © 2017

Bars and cafés become sanctuaries of meeting, eating, drinking and conversing.

I plan to do a follow-up series entirely on this subject matter. Believe me, there is ample opportunity. But, shortly after capturing this image, my brief window of opportunity came to an end, and I put my camera away and shifted to communing with our dear friend.

Only later would I have the opportunity to see if I had accomplished anything worthy of saving and sharing. For an impromptu assignment, I have to say I was pretty happy. Let me know what you think!