Photographs taken with an Olympus OMD EM1 and 12-40mm f2.8 or Olympus OMD EM5 with Panasonic 35-100mm f2.8 - In my opinion the perfect mirrorless travel photography kit. All photographs © all rights reserved, Miles Pilling
The Gondoliers
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Heavy traffic on the Canalasso
All photographs © all rights reserved, Miles Pilling
Gondola traffic jam
All photographs © all rights reserved, Miles Pilling
Gondola tourists snap
All photographs © all rights reserved Miles Pilling
Gondolas everywhere and not one I can afford
All photographs © all rights reserved Miles Pilling In Venice you cannot avoid gondolas. They are one of those "got to do" things for a lot of visitors. Personally, we made the decision to spend our hard earned money on nice Italian food and water bus fares to parts of the lagoon further away from Basilica di... Continue Reading →
Italian text break
Each of these pictures were taken near Venice's Lido water bus stop on the way to the beach. It was a wonderful surprise to find that Venice can be a sunbathing and sea swimming holiday. The beach was beautiful. As we relaxed, ordinary Venetians carried on their working lives. I like the similarities and the differences of these two pictures of... Continue Reading →
Crashing a wedding shoot at Sky Over Nine Columns, Venice
I didn't literally "pap" these newly weds, but I couldn't sit by and let them have their wedding pictures taken in such a beautiful location without grabbing some candids myself! (Click on the images to see them in higher resolution) Heavy full frame camera gear there - I wonder if he's considered going mirrorless? If you've seen... Continue Reading →
Dog’s eye view at Sky Over Nine Columns
A dog level view of artist Heinz Mack's Sky Over Nine Columns. (Click on the image to see it in full resolution) . While my family walked around exploring this part of Venice, I was quite happy to rest on some steps with my Olympus OMD EM1 watching life pass by. I hope you like this photographic... Continue Reading →
Dog walk view at Sky Over Nine Columns
Another image captured at German artist Heinz Mack’s The Sky Over Nine Columns in Venice. It was a beautiful day with warm light reflecting off the gold of the Nine Columns and the blue sky was doing its thing - over the nine columns 😉 This cream suited man and his dog brought Graham Greene novels to... Continue Reading →
Washing (the) Italians
A friend recently told me, with a bit of sadness, that she found the streets of Venice were not garlanded with colourful washing anymore. I may have been lucky, but just a few water bus stops away from the main tourist spots we found areas where the washing lines were works of art. . I spent a very enjoyable hour in... Continue Reading →
Venetians 3
I like the way most Italians have an innate sense of style - whatever their age. Here are two photographs of older Venetians who have definitely retained their style mojo - notice the umbrella hooked over his left arm, star-studded belt and the lovely watch. . I took the next picture at the corner of a café that sold the... Continue Reading →
Venetians 2
Following yesterday's picture that I captured through the doorway of a Venetian café, here are a couple of candids that I took from inside. A different café, but same camera and lens set up. Olympus OMD EM5 with the Panasonic 35-100mm f2.8 OIS lens - I just don't see the point of lugging around a heavy DSLR... Continue Reading →
Venetians 1
(Click on the image to see it bigger) Even at the height of the tourist season, when we were in Venice, it was still possible to spot native Venetians amongst the thousands of non-Italians. There are also bars and cafés away from Piazza St Marco where you can pick up a more authentic Venetian vibe.... Continue Reading →
A tale of two cities
The occasional rainy weather during our Venice trip made for great umbrella pictures! This lady had remarkably found a comfortable spot to dream and contemplate life right next to the San Zaccaria water bus stop. She'd done well, because San Zaccaria is always thronging with tourists on their way to Saint Mark's Square or waiting for a gondola... Continue Reading →
Funeral parlour smoker
. I'm not sure if this was a Venetian who needed a cigarette after saying a last goodbye or the funeral director on a quiet day. Either way the image seemed to have an ironic message as well as posing unanswered questions. Hope you like it. All photographs © all rights reserved Miles Pilling
The tour guide’s umbrella
It can be hard to get a sense of the "real" Venice in the tourist hot spots surrounded by hundreds of other sightseers. That's why this umbrella, depicting a Venice long gone, being held aloft by a tour guide to keep her flock near by, appealed to my ironic sense of humour. It took several minutes of... Continue Reading →
Raining to death
The sales people for the Olympus camera I was using in Venice make a big deal about its weather sealing. I'm always cynical about marketing claims, so when I found myself by the Ospedale Civile and as Italians (apparently) say it started "piove da morire" (raining to death), I gave this claim a real world test. These are a couple of the... Continue Reading →
The end of the day
At around a hundred Euros for less than an hours ride, we passed on a trip in a gondola. For some it's a "must do" when visiting Venice, but it was never very high on my bucket list though they do make very picturesque images. Water buses are massively cheaper, much more comfortable and a lot easier to get on and off!... Continue Reading →
The Sky Over Nine Columns
. Patience pays off. I took this picture in front of German artist Heinz Mack's The Sky Over Nine Columns in Venice after sitting contemplating the beautiful scene for around 20 minutes. Hope you like it. There'll be more pictures from our trip to Venice coming soon, so do pop back for another look. All... Continue Reading →
Shadows of selves
"A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal... Continue Reading →
mindful photos 