Venice by Night – Photographs of One Short Evening Walk Around Dorsoduro in Venice
We had visited the fascinating and ancient city of Venice in Italy a few times before and, as with this journey, always in October. You can find a few photographs of Venice from previous trips on this page. We were hoping for the same pleasant weather we had been lucky enough to experience on those other trips however, as with the rest of 2024, the weather was quite erratic to say the least. Aside from the day we arrived, and the day we left (of course), it poured down with torrential rain and the high winds filled the city’s bins with the broken skeletons of dead umbrellas.
Whilst I probably should have been trying to make photographs of the city during this deluge I wasn’t really in the mood. Between navigating the huge puddles that were caused by the famous acqua alta rising from beneath, and the torrents of rain falling from above, I was being kept busy enough without stopping to get my camera out.
On the second night in Venice the raindrops finally stopped falling and I went for a wander with my trusty Fujifilm X100V camera to see what I could find in the darkness. Our apartment was well located just off of the Campo San Pantalon so I didn’t have to go very far to find some inspiration for photography.
Warm Light Spilling Out onto the Wet Pavement.
The first thing I came across was the Osteria La Lanterna with its warm light enticing customers to walk to the Campiello Mosca and take a seat. In the same square were the lights emanating from a cluster of umbrellas that had sheltered outdoor diners from the elements whilst they ate their dinner dressed in hats and scarves. The staff were putting away the chairs and table cloths but the lights still shone out of the dark corner of the square, reflecting off of the ancient wet pavement.
I’d never noticed on previous visits to Venice but, when walking around in the evening on this particular trip I realised it was quite a dark city. Completing a small loop by riding the Vaporetto along the Grand Canal I expected the magnificent architecture to be lit with floodlights but the intricately designed façades sat in shadow and even the wooden Ponte dell’Accademia was a dark archway across the water. Because of the darkness I noticed that whenever there was some light it became very alluring and seemed to draw you down the black alleyways towards the shop windows and restaurants nestled at the end.
Upon disembarking the water taxi we found a toy shop perched on a corner where, in the daytime, a floating market would be open selling a huge range of fruits and vegetables. The two large windows of the shop were brightly lit and reflected upon the Rio de San Barnaba. I knew it would make a good image but I wanted some human interest so I wanted for just the right person to walk in front, capturing their silhouette in both the window and its reflection. Further around the same corner was a narrow street with a bar at the end. A patron had slipped outside for a cigarette and was now enjoying a glass of wine whilst watching football on his phone.
We were out for about an hour that night but I felt at least that I had made an attempt of capturing the city as I noticed it. Had I gone home without making any photographs I would’ve been disappointed in myself so it was quite a relief but also good fun. My next planned trip is to India I am inspired to go out in the evenings with my camera a bit more.
