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The Results Are In: Part 19

“It’s an incredible achievement to be selected among the best from the 6,378 entries from 69 countries we received this year” said Basil O’Brien, the awards Creative Director.”

I just got word from the folks at the Spider Awards that I received recognition in their 2020 photo context, which is a contest for black & white entries.

There were many, many photos submitted…to be exact, the number was 6,378. And, it is an international competition, where entries came from 69 countries.

The Spider Awards is a juried competition, which means that it isn’t just one gal sitting at her computer making decisions. There’s a whole panel involved…and the judges are the photo industry’s biggest names, like these so-called ‘captains of the industry’:

Musee de l'Elysee, Lausanne
Sotheby's, London
Travel/Discovery Channel, New York
Kunsthaus Zurich, Switzerland
Portuguese Center of Photography, Porto
Aeroplastics Contemporary, Brussels
The Guardian, London
Contrasto Galleria, Milan
ADK Creative One Inc., Tokyo
Hiroshima MOCA, Japan
MACBA, Barcelona
Pereira O'Dell in New York

The judges from these agencies viewed all of the photo entries, picked out ‘Nominations’ for further review, and then pared all down to the winners of 1st, 2nd & 3rd place, followed up by the ‘Honorable Mentions’. Unlike other contests, I didn’t have any photos in the top-three Winner’s categories (grrrrrr), but I did have a number of Honorable Mentions and Nominated photos.

So, here are the photos that made the Nominated and Honorable Mention recognition.

Nominated

Abstract Category

An afternoon walk in Venice after a rain shower was the time and place. This brushed aluminum tabletop caught my eye for its abstract quality, and where the accumulated rain drops seem to float above the metal surface.

Architecture Category

Driving from Jackson, Wyoming to West Yellowstone in January is definitely a chilly experience. This abandoned General Mills grain silo pulled me off the snow-covered highway to take this photo. Is it possible that the grain for my childhood Cheerios came from this very silo?

Fine Art Category

During a trip to Northern Ireland, we drove on a narrow strip of road through The Dark Hedges. These weren’t your between-your-house-and-your-neighbors type of hedges…these were ancient, gnarly trees. This was a dark, brooding, and moody place…so that’s what I work toward in this photo.

Coastal Maine is a fabulous place. I just love the whole culture of fishing and lobstering and the super-quaint fishing villages along the coast. Here, it was early morning…the tide was out…it was very, very quiet and peaceful. And this photos brings back treasured memories.

Still Life Category

Another thing I love to do is drive the back roads of Kentucky and Tennessee. Photo opportunities abound around every corner. In the spring, the dogwood are blooming in all of their glory. I seem to drive a herky-jerky path along these backroads as I constantly stop to take photos.

Honorable Mention

Aerial Category

Here we find a couple of aerial photos that you’ve seen in color from previous photo contests.

The first image was captured with my drone in the area of East Vail, right here in my home state of Colorado. It was springtime, and the sun was out, casting long, afternoon shadows.

Driving through central Nevada (which I absolutely love because of its geology and stark beauty), I noticed in my rearview mirror…well, nothing really…there wasn’t a car in sight…just a very long, straight stretch of nothing but highway. I just had to pull over to launch my drone to capture this image. It is arrow-straight all the way to the horizon, with nary a quiver.

Abstract Category

It’s back to Venice for another abstract photo. Canal steps like these are found along many of the canals of Venice. As the water level fluctuates with the tides, you may need to step down steps like these to gain access to an awaiting boat. Here, it seems that the tide was out…but would soon rise.

Well, my lips are a bit sore from tooting my horn, so I’ll rest them by having a glass of Italian DOCG wine. I hope you enjoyed seeing what the distinguished judges picked out from thousands of photo entries. Until next time…

Ciao for now,

Steve

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Transforming a Venetian Glassblower's Door

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We recently visited one of the Venetian glassblowing businesses located on the lagoon’s island of Murano.

I’ll tell you more about that visit to Fornace Estevan Rossetto in a future article.

“How did I do this, you ask? It’s simple…magic”

In the meantime, there was a door to the furnace room that I found to be of interest. At first sight, I wasn’t sure whether I could transform what I was about to capture with my camera into anything of substance artistically. But, as usual, I decided to go ahead and capture the image, to be worked on later upon returning home.

So, just below, you can see the journey from snapshot in the Venetian lagoon, to my artistic interpretation created in the comfort of my home.

Here is a snapshot of the door at issue.

As you can see, in the present state of the photo, there is a lot of distraction…and I noticed this at the time when I took the photo. But, I saw something in the muted colors and textures that I liked. That drove me to go ahead and take a photo of this dismal scene.

Notice the tub on the right. Notice the chain. Notice the gas lines and other piping. Notice the light fixture. I felt that I could deal with these things…see if I was right.

My first task is the removal of items mentioned above. So that’s what I did, but with the exception of the gas piping, which I felt was an essential part of a glass furnace operation. Right below is the photo version without these distractions. How did I do this, you ask? It’s simple…magic. This includes potions, incantations, eye of newt, eye of the needle, warts, boils (I have no idea where I’m going with this!), the occult…and of course, just a small dose of Photoshop.

Now that it’s cleaned up a bit, it is time to work on the color and contrast and such. Here we are now…

We’re really close now. But, I’m not satisfied with the still-dull colors and lighting. So, here is my final version.

So, was I right? Was there a hidden gem lurking there somewhere? You be the judge.

That’s it for today’s transformation. I’ll be working on some other things for you over the next few weeks, so stay tuned! And please, stay safe!

Ciao for now,

Steve

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Transforming A Corte

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Today I give you a short transformation. This is where I show you how one of my photos goes from a snapshot to something more in line with a fine-art photograph.

“I really like the lion medallions above each side of the entrance. And I also found the plaque, with what I will call a coat of arms, interesting.”

Last week, I showed you the sestiere of San Polo...one of the six districts (aka sestiere) of Venice. I have taken several photos within San Polo over the years, and as I was looking through those for last week's article, I came across the one which is the subject of today's transformation.

The site to be transformed is the Corte Petriana. A 'corte' is what we would call a 'courtyard' in English. I could find no translation for Petriana, so I would assume that's the name of the family to whom this courtyard belongs.

Here is the original snapshot of the entrance to the corte.

Ugh. I have to agree with you...not a very pretty site as it sits in the real world. But, as it is my job to transform the real into the Venetian world that I imagine, that's exactly what I did.

First, things are a bit wonky with the alignment of the entrance to the corte. Then, within the corte itself, there are some distractions, like a water pipe and an electrical conduit.

[As an aside, let me write a few sentences about water and electrical conduits. You will see these throughout Venice. They are not something that one enjoys seeing, but they are necessary. Imagine a Venice of 1,000 years ago, or even 300 years ago -- you will not see water or electrical conduits because they didn't exist. Water was gathered at the local pozzo (which I wrote about here), and electricity had not made it on the scene. The houses in Venice do not have basements (obviously) and all of the walls are made of stone. This pretty much necessitates running both water and electrical conduits up the outside of walls, and then through them. But just for you, in my quest to present you a Venice of days past, I feel compelled to bring a Venice to you without these distractions. OK, now back to the photo transformation.]

Next, I felt the whole areas surrounding the entrance to the corte was not what I would want to personally discover as I was wandering my romantic, ancient Venice -- so I got rid of the walls on each side of the narrow calle (aka street). This required a good bit of demolition and masonry work on my part, but that's my job, and I love it.

So here is the final photo of Corte Petriana.

And here is a black and white version if you prefer.

I really like the lion medallions on each side and above the entrance. And I also found the plaque, with what I will call a coat of arms, interesting. Here is an enlargement of that feature.

Note the crescent with the tree on the shield...hmm. Then there are the two dragon-like creatures at the bottom. A couple of angels are at the top corners. But then there is the curious main feature of person and child. One could assume that the adult is Mary, but it isn't too clear, and perhaps there is a crown on the head? The cross is the hand of the adult is the kicker for me...if the child is the Christ-child, the cross would be a concept that is about 30 years too early. If you have thoughts, please put them into the 'Comments' area, below.

Just so you know...and I figure that you are wondering...I had not Photoshopped the basketball backboard and hoop into the photo...it was there when I showed up...really. But, I decided to have a bit of fun with it, so I've titled the resulting photograph "The Court of the Venetian Baseketmaker". Your absolutely right, that was clever!

But, I decided not to stop there. So, in the next more whimsical and non-official photo, I've added a basketball in its arc towards the basket, as well as a bit of shadow of the ball's shooter.

So, there you have it. A transformation of an ugly snapshot into the more charming "Court of the Venetian Basketmaker".

Ciao for now,

Steve

Venetian Sestiere: San Polo

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A couple of weeks ago, I reminded you what a 'sestiere' is. Don't remember? Read that article here.

The San Polo sestiere ('sestiere' = 'district') is our second favorite – right after San Marco. But San Polo is not a distant second.

< Check out the map at left to see where the San Polo piece fits into the Venetian puzzle.

There is a lot to see and do – and eat – in San Polo. Click on the map and you will see the rather convoluted layout of this sestiere.

Overview

First, the term ‘San Polo’. You may remember that ‘San Marco’ refers to Saint Mark; well, San Polo refers to Saint Paul.

San Polo is the smallest of the six sestiere of Venice. It is also one of the oldest neighborhoods, as the highest banks of the mud flats where Venice began were located here. And today, it is one of the liveliest of the six sestiere – there is a lot to do here, both day and night.

Below you can see just a portion of San Polo as it sits across the Grand Canal from San Marco.

A portion of San Polo, across the Grand Canal from San Marco

Attractions

Some of our favorite Venetian attractions are found in San Polo.

Rialto Bridge

First, to get to San Polo from San Marco, you will most likely cross over the Rialto Bridge. Because of the need to get to the Rialto Market from San Marco, a wooden bridge was originally constructed in 1255. After being burned in 1310 in a bit of a revolt, and then collapsing (with people on the bridge) in 1444 and then again in 1524, a call went out for a design competition for a more substantial bridge.

In 1591, Antonio de Ponte completed construction of the current bridge based on his winning design -- his bridge has become one of the iconic structures in Venice. I'm not sure if he was born with the name "de Ponte" (translates 'of the bridge') or not, but it was sure a good gimmick to get the bridge job if he wasn't.

Here is a photo of the Rialto Bridge, taken from a romantic gondola ride.

[click any image for a larger view]

You can see that the bridge is composed of two inclined, shop-lined, ramps with a central portico.

And in the next photo, you can see the steps of the inclined portion of the bridge. And you get an idea just how big this bridge is, as the buildings in the distance are at the mid-point of the Rialto Bridge. Those are shops on each side of the bridge, lining its edge.

It is almost unimaginable how many feet have gone over these steps, as most every visitor to Venice for 400 years has been funneled over the Rialto Bridge.

A lot happens on the Rialto Bridge. Here are a couple of images from a photo shoot that I did for a bridal fashion magazine.

Just kidding. Even though I did take the photos, this is actually just a kind of reverse photo-bombing event…rather than me jumping into the background, I just joined the commercial photographer in shooting the false bride.

Another day on the Rialto Bridge, and another bridal fashion shoot. It must be some sort of bride magnet.

And such drama!

Around the bridge is a lot of action. As I’ve mentioned before, everything brought into Venice travels either by boat or foot. Here you can see that the area around the Rialto Bridge is a hub of delivery activity.

And here are a couple more photos showing detail of the Rialto Bridge.

Finally, it was from the Rialto Bridge that I took the photos to create one of my most popular images…”Busy Day on the Grand Canal”.

Rialto Market

Moving on just a few feet from the Rialto Bridge you will find the Rialto Market. As I’ve covered this market in detail in another article, you can see that article and photos of the market in “The Rialto Market of Venice”.

The Frari

One of the most beautiful churches in Venice is Chiesa Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari. [‘chiesa’ (key-‘ā-suh) = ‘church’] Also known as The Friari, it is not much to look at on the outside, as you can see here.

But, don’t let the starkness of the outside fool you. Inside are treasures of all sorts, like the almost 20 burial monuments.

Here is a monument to Antono Canova, who is perhaps second only to Michelangelo as a sculptor.

Though his body lies a few miles away in Tempio Canoviano (The Temple of Canova) which he designed and financed, his heart belonged to Venice, so it is enshrined in this monument. It's interesting that this heart tomb was originally designed by himself to be the tomb of Titian. But, there sits Titian’s final resting place (shown below) right across from that of Canova’s heart. It's nice to be famous, isn't it? I guess...wouldn't know.

One of my favorite parts of The Friari is the choir seating. It is made of carved wood, and each of the ‘seats’ is different, and includes both carvings and inlaid marquetry, as seen in these photos. Please click the photos to get see the beautiful detail.

Then there is Titan’s famous altar piece titled “Assumption of the Virgin”, which you can see here…but which we were denied viewing on our last visit due to restoration work…there is always something being restored in Venice…thankfully.

And there are other works, like Bellini’s triptych titled “Madonna with Child and Saints”, which sits in the Sacristy. I absolutely adore this assemblage! Here is its setting and a detailed photo.

You'll see more of Bellini's absolutely gorgeous work when we head to the sestiere of Dorsoduro in the near future.

It is fortunate that you are not prohibited from taking photos in The Frari, as you are in many other Venetian churches.

Some of you may recognize this golden angel from a recent family Christmas card.

Finally, there’s this poor gentleman, whose fate it is to hold up a good part of the church, whilst being eternally pestered by that seriously macabre figure behind him. Could that be hell, itself?

Scuola Grande di San Rocco

Then there is the Scuola Grande di San Rocco. Shown here is its grand room.

San Rocco (or Saint Roch) was known for his plague healing miracles, which is what got him institutional recognition in this city which was hit hard by the plague. There are a number of ‘scuola’ in Venice. A scuola is a Christian association of lay people that promote special works of charity…maybe like a lodge in the U.S. that takes on charitable work.

The Scuola Grande di San Rocco is chock-a-block full of Tintoretto paintings. Both walls and ceilings hold his huge masterpieces. The most famous being his “Crucifixion”, which is 40 feet across, and is shown here.

As one cannot take photos within the Scuola, I harvested these from the official Scuola San Rocco website here.

And for a more entertaining view of the inside of the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, just watch the Woody Allen movie, “Everyone Says I Love You”, where he just happens to bump into Julia Roberts in the Scuola.

My feet are already hurting from all the walking we’ve done thus far. Let’s move on to eating in the sestiere of San Polo.

Eating

Da Fiore

I will focus on the premier restaurant of San Polo, and all of Venice, in most people’s opinion…and I can’t argue.

Da Fiore is a culinary experience. I can’t put my finger on why that is. They are not into the culinary chemistry thingie that so many top-rated restaurants are want to put out these days (and yes, we've experienced a 22 course meal of these delights, where upon leaving the restaurant, my wife said to me, “I’d sure like a hot dog”). The dining room is not opulent, though it is charming and has the look of a ships galley to me for some reason…I think it is the curvature of the ceiling, perhaps?

What you get here is really great food…Italian, of course…featuring seafood, of course…serving great wines, of course. And the service is friendly, not overly stuffy, and attentive, of course. Here are a couple of our friendly wait staff.

One of the internationally recognized food critics puts Da Fiore in the top 5 restaurants in the world. ‘Nough said. Here are some photos from some of our visits there.

Here are a couple of photos from a visit on a cold January night in 2004. The grappa was to warm us for our journey back to our hotel in San Marco.

Poste Veccie

Of course, there are other fine restaurants scattered throughout the San Polo sestiere…and we’ve eaten at several. Poste Vecie is particularly nice. Our traveling companion Mike picked this one out years ago, and we were not disappointed. You get to it by passing between the two red-striped barber poles and over the small bridge…

…or by going down this narrow calle [‘calle’ (‘cä-lay) = ‘street’].

Poste Vecie is said to date from the 1500s and like many restaurants in Venice, it claims to be the oldest.

Ristorante Terrazza Sommariva

And there is very nice alfresco, canal-side dining just south of the afore-mentioned Rialto Bridge. Here is the quaint Ristorante Terrazza Sommariva. It is skinny and long enough that we had no idea that our traveling companions Debbie and Scott were eating at the other end during our ‘on-your-own’ time. Here are some lunch-time photos.

Shopping

I would have to say that the shopping for high-end fashion goods is not as prolific in San Polo as it is in San Marco…and personally, I like that. I like to find those little, out of the way gems. Here is one of those shops where the craftsmen carve wood into fabulous works of art, like these in their window. I stopped in for a chat one trip and got invited to visit the workshop. Fascinating.

And on the Rialto Bridge, we were so charmed with the fine jewelry in Jovon that we got my lovely wife a beautiful 35th anniversary ring. This shop, which specializes in carved coral cameos, has been on the Rialto bridge for 83 years, and is still owned and run by the same Jovon family. Again, friendly shop keepers are the rule in Venice!

Lodging

I can’t give you any personal experiences regarding staying in San Polo. There are a number of well-regarded hotels here, though. We find TripAdvisor to be an excellent source of user-reviewed lodging.

I would say stay here if you want to be close to some great food and want to be off the beaten path. But realize that San Polo does get lots of tourists seeing the marvelous things I’ve pointed out above, so you might not get the tranquility you seek if you are near the main thoroughfare between the Rialto Market and the Accademia (which will be covered in an upcoming article on the sestiere of Dorsoduro).

Fine

I found a lot of families out and about in San Polo.

I'll close with a few more photos taken within the sestiere of San Polo. Please click and enjoy!

And I say goodbye by presenting these two lovable characters. We love Venice, and we especially love its people!

I hope to bump into you as we walk the calle of the sestiere of San Polo.

Ciao for now,

Steve

ps: A reminder once more that language will not be a barrier in your Italy travels...you speak English...they speak English...everyone happy!

The Results Are In -- Part 12

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This one's kind of a big deal!

I am excited to let you know that I have been asked to participate in a large, international art show starting October 6th. This is a show that is held in a varying international venue every two years. This go-around is called the Berlin Foto Biennale. As you can undoubtedly tell, this current showing will be in Berlin.

“This one’s kind of a big deal!”

I was asked to participate because of my first place award in the 7th Annual International Pollux Awards. You may remember seeing that announcement back on July 14th of 2015. If you missed it, here is that announcement.

The promoters of the showing provided an invitation for me to send to those who might be interested. Here is that invitation, which includes my three photos that will be featured in the Berlin show.

If you happen to be in Berlin during October, consider this your invitation to attend so you can see this show featuring photographers from 41 countries.

The photos that I will have in the show have been printed as 24"x36" prints, mounted on diBond.

A just-returned-from two-week trip to the UK and Ireland prevent us from attending the opening vernissage and artists reception, but we will be there in spirit. [To save you the trouble of pulling out a dictionary, the term 'vernissage' refers to the night-before-opening showing of the photos for the artists' benefit]

As a regular reader of my articles, I thought you would like to know.

Ciao for now,

Steve

p.s. Well, at least one of the photos was taken in Italy! I'm sure you can guess which, by process of elimination.