I wonder where this will take me:
That's generally the first thought I have before heading down some unknown road, alley, street or into a forest with no path (I've done this and I don't recommend it). This time was no different. You want to go to Venice? Great! My suggestion? Just start walking. Seriously, it's like a massive corn maze except there's no corn and no entrance and no exit. So I guess on second thought it's nothing like a corn maze. It's definitely like a maze though! You can walk and walk and walk for hours and sometimes you end up where you started. Sometimes you end up in a neighborhood with a bunch of locals that speak no English. Sometimes you reach a dead end and by dead end I mean a canal with no street access so you're only choice is to dive in or turn around. Since diving in is not an option (it's not legal to swim in the canals) your only other choice is to turn around. Or you can sit there, like I did, for as long as you like.
So I sat down. I had the wide lens on and I wanted to grab that perfect shot of the gondolier rowing by. I think in my head I wanted the entire gondola but I quickly realized that wasn't possible from where I was sitting. Those things are pretty long and the opening I was sitting in was pretty narrow. Still, I wanted something that looked Venetian! I want that iconic Italian man, oar in hand, singing a song and pushing his skinny boat through the canals of Venice as the sun beautifully lays down a golden glow. What a mouthful. So I sat. I sat and I waited patiently.
Here's something I'll let you know about me. I don't care how long it takes me to get the perfect photo, I'll sit there and wait for it. Most of the time it's because I want the people to leave. That might be slightly ironic considering the people photography contest I've entered by making this post but it's the truth. Sometimes it's because I want humans to show up and populate my time-lapse though. For instance, on this same trip, I sat at the bottom of the Spanish Steps in Rome for two or three hours, replacing batteries and memory cards, because I started it too early. One thousand photos of the Spanish Steps is pretty boring when there's no one on them. The point is I don't mind waiting. I actually like it. Taking photos is what I'm there to do so time never enters into the equation.
In this particular case I just sat at the end of the alleyway on the edge of the water. It was a staircase that led to the canal and then dropped off into the blue. The main mode of transportation here is boat so you'll find these spots everywhere. Places you can tie off the gondola to and step onto land. I wasn't looking for this spot, I never am, I just accidentally wandered over to it and decided to stay. I took a few photos of the ristorante awning and the flag waving above it. I poked my head around the edge of the building to see if anyone was coming and boom! There he was.
Alright, as usual I'm going to be radically honest with you. It didn't happen that easy. He wasn't there. Actually when I first looked there probably wasn't anyone there. After waiting a while someone finally did come by and I took my shot. It sucked (or I thought it sucked). Then another dude came by, nothing. The wrong angle, the wrong look, the wrong whatever. So in all reality I sat there and let a couple roll by before I really figured out what I was doing. That's just what photographers do. No one gets the perfect shot the first time. The story just sounds better when I blow it full of hot air and make it sound like I've got some secret skill that no one else can obtain. Garbage. I'm pushing a button on a device that someone else made. I change some numbers on the digital interface, turn a couple dials, aim and point. A few hundred clicks later one of them might turn out looking good. Sorry to burst the pretty bubble. That's just how it works. At least for digital photographers. You old school film guys got me beat.
The first guy floated by and I was too close. The second guy comes into frame and I hadn't learned my lesson. The third one showed up and I was ready to go. I sat up on the top step, framed my shot and started firing. I love this photo (the first one). He's doing his job but he's looking right at me. He's telling these two tourists about something special but has the awareness to notice me right behind him. For me the third time really was the charm and not just for the photo. It took three times for me to realize I'm no different than any tourist there. I just feel like this guy saw me and thought, "Every corner I got a camera in my face."
I hope that's not what he was thinking. I like this picture more than any thing I could have imagined I'd get while I was sitting there (again, the first one). There's a contrast here that I love. On the one hand you have two people sitting in the gondola completely engaged in what he's telling them. I don't think they ever saw me. On the other hand he's looking right at me with a kind of serious undertone making sure I know who's boss. My initial reaction is that he's irritated with me. That's not what I wanted but it may have been the result. I don't know for sure, he turned around right after spotting me and continued rowing his boat.
In reviewing this photo and writing up this article, it definitely allows me the opportunity to think about how I engage with people. In the past I have often stood around with my camera and not said a word. Not always but frequent enough to comment on it. Like in an awkward way where people wonder what you're doing. It's something I'm actively working on improving. I think most people, if you stop to talk to them, wouldn't actually mind you taking their photo. In fact I think a lot of people would feel special or honored that you find them interesting enough to point your camera at them. It's just that first step of actually communicating with them that is the most important and it's one I often skip. I truly believe that communication can solve just about anything including my continuing conflict around taking pictures of strangers. Because if he was in fact thinking what I thought he was thinking, the chance to talk to him could have solved it.
I think him and I both would agree on the fact that his country, his culture and his city are stunningly beautiful. At the end of the day that's all I'm trying to capture. I just want to capture that beauty.
All photos were taken by 
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