Venice - Itinerary

Itinerary

This is a sample itinerary, our itineraries are subject to change depending on weather and other circumstance beyond our control. Changes in the itinerary are always made to provide our guests the best possible experience, in a secure and professional way.

Day One

This Venice Photo Tour starts and finishes in Venice. We will meet and greet with the rest of the group at 4pm in the hotel lobby, go through a quick orientation and discuss the next 4 days’ agenda. We’ll also give a short tutorial on correct exposure and the use of the camera’s histogram to get the perfect shot every time.

We will have an early dinner at 6.00 - 6.30pm so that we can arrive in time to claim our spots on the Accademia Bridge for sunset and Twilight ‘blue hour’ photography. In the distance, along the Grand Canal, you’ll see the church of Santa Maria della Salute, a very photogenic building that offers a stellar anchor point for a wonderful composition. This is a magical place to photograph the sunset and blue hour.

Day Two

For those who wish to experience the early light, Martial will take you to a pre-breakfast session. There are some great canal and bridge compositions close by, we will also go back

After breakfast, we will make our way via Vaporetto to the Dorsoduro Sestiere (district). We love this district for getting away from crowds. Meandering east past the church of Santa Maria della Salute, we make our way to Punta della Dogana, a spectacular viewing spot looking out over the San Marco Basin, San Marco Square, the Giudecca, and the church of San Giorgio Maggiore.

After lunch, we'll introduce you to a few of our own 'Secret Photo Locations' as well as reviewing some of the images from the morning. All these locations are close enough to be able to return to them at different times of the day for the “right light.”

At 6.00pm we will make one of the last elevator trips up to the top of San Mark’s Clock Tower - The Campanile. Rising nearly 100 meters above San Marco Square this is a great time to break out your 200mm plus zoom lens to capture graphic patterns of church domes, tile rooftops, people, pigeons, and chairs and tables of elegant cafés illuminated by the low slanting light at day’s end. Dinner in one of the many fine and off-the-beaten-track restaurants. For the best quality and experience, we seek out the places that the locals frequent.

Day Three

After a leisurely breakfast, we will make our way via Vaporetto down the Grand Canal to the Rialto Fish and Produce Market. This is a great place to roam with a camera. We will explore the San Polo and Santa Croce Sestieri (districts), both wonderful areas for mid-day photography of canals and bridges and the slender elegant gondolas cruising by. We will photograph the stunning interior courtyard and stairwell of a 15th-century palazzo. This courtyard also features a beautifully carved Venetian cistern/well made from Istrian marble.

We will visit the Jewish Ghetto in the Cannaregio district. The word ‘Ghetto’ is derived from Venetian Italian meaning “a part of a city, especially a slum area, occupied by a minority group” and this was, in fact, the first Jewish ghetto. A sad aspect of Venetian history but an interesting place and a lovely quiet campo to visit nonetheless.

We will have an early dinner in the Cannaregio before making our way to the Rialto Bridge for pre-sunset shooting from the bridge.

Day Four

Okay, I know it can be painful getting up at 4:30 am and this is, of course, optional, but what a wonderful time to photograph in Venice! No crowds and great light. Our destination, San Marco Square, is one of the greatest photo opportunities in Venice: Looking south over the bobbing black gondolas across the San Marco Basin to the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore in the pre-sunrise light. This is a perfect blue hour setup with the gondolas and docks being illuminated in the foreground by street lights and the church in the distance being lit by floodlights. We will expertly capture the balance between the warm artificial light and the blue ambient light of the sky. With exposures up to 30 seconds long we will make good use of our tripods.

You will not regret finding yourself here at this hour. The lights in the many lamp posts are still turned on, allowing for great starbursts at f16. This early in the morning, there are no crowds, just a few photographers and late-night party goers heading back to the stable. This is absolutely the best time to be in San Marco Square for photography. We will have the place to ourselves (hard to imagine the crowded zoo only a few hours later) and will experience the magical pre-sunrise blue hour and then the sunrise before heading back to the hotel for breakfast and a very leisurely morning. Think “Great Big Nap.”

We will then catch a mid-afternoon Vaporetto for the 45-minute journey north across the Venetian Lagoon to the over-the-top colourful island of Burano. We never tire of visiting this amazing village and always come away with stunning images.

We will have an early light dinner on Burano so that we can be ready for sunset and post-sunset blue hour photography. Perhaps our favourite blue hour shooting, anywhere in the world!

We will catch the late Vaporetto back to Venice and our hotel for our last night in this magical city.

Day Five

If you are not continuing with us on the Tuscany Photography Tour, our Venice tour ends after breakfast. Easy public transportation to both the Venice Train Station and Marco Polo Airport is available.