Tag: venice

My Favourite Photos from 2024

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It must be a sign of age, ‘cos I can’t believe that yet another year has flown by and we’re already in 2025! Normally my Foraging friends and I have always posted our favourite 10 pics from each year, once we reach December/January time and I thought this would be a good practice for my blog, as it gives me time to review what I’ve taken over the year, relive some of the memories behind the shots and then try and work out why I am drawn to certain images. I was lucky to travel an awful lot for photography in 2024 – from local seaside locations, to UK cities and then abroad into Europe. So here are my 2024 top 10 images – as usual fairly eclectic – and in no particular order.

Wonkey Donkey


Oh boy, this image not only has a long (and seemingly hilarious to those who were there) backstory to it, but has practically created a cult within Sidmouth Photographic Club!! So….I was on a Club trip to Weston-Super-Mare in the summer, standing in front of this interestingly named shop waiting for someone “appropriate” to walk past….and of course no one did. To stave off the boredom (and to at least get some sort of shot) Carol called out to a guy pulled up in his car asking him to pose. At which point a bunch of photographers papped him. Hilariously to the others, I had totally managed to miss the guy posing and ended up with a photo of his roof and the sky. So in revenge, I decided to create the above image, showing that I’d managed to capture a shot that everyone else had missed. And ever since I have been plagued with the Wonky Donkey moniker – yes, I’ve been given the book – yes, I’ve been made to read it out loud and yes, I’ve been made to memorise the rhyme!!! Therefore, this has to win the most memorable image of the year, not only for me, but for several of the Club members too!!

The Cyclist


This image was taken in Valencia in May on a photography trip with 2 Club friends; Jo B and Jo H (yes, it was a tad confusing at the start, so I added the surname initials!!). It’s a fabulous city for photography, especially the City of Arts & Sciences. The buildings are like alien spaceships and the water surrounding them add great reflections. We got up very early one morning to catch the sunrise and thanks to Jo H scouting ahead, managed to find the area where the best reflections/shadows were to be had with the rising sun. A very happy hour or so was spent clicking away at cyclists, runners, wagons, men with wheelbarrows etc. and I still have hundreds of images that I haven’t finished looking through yet. I have to confess that the camera was on burst mode to ensure that there would be at least 1 photo per person going past that could work – hence the hundreds to wade through. Would thoroughly recommend a photography trip there – although don’t be surprised if a Club Judge has seen hundreds of these images!

Wash Day


This image was taken on the island of Burano, during my visit to Venice with Debbie in January (arrgh – already a year ago!). I was drawn by the white washing against the blue wall through the red doorway and was lining up the shot when this woman walked through. At first I cursed, but afterwards I realised that actually, she made the shot and I loved the fact that her face was hidden – added a hint of mystery. It ended up being my favourite shot of the trip!

Into the Light


This shot was taken on a trip to the Barbican Centre in London with my Northern Foraging friends in June. Oh what an amazing location for street photography….but the best opportunities come when the sun is out, streaming through the openings, creating interesting shadows. I just loved the curves and light in this composition, even though technically the guy is in the “wrong” position (not on a third) – but I don’t care…it works for me, as I do like a bit of negative space in an image and I darkened it to add a tad more atmosphere.

Just Chillin’


Our Club runs bi-weekly photo trips during the Sumer shutdown and Rosemary and I volunteered to lead one in Teignmouth at the end of August. It’s a great place for photography with boats, beaches, a pier and long seafront. I have to admit that this guy sunbathing caught my eye and I took several of him from different angles. He was clearly enjoying parading himself in public and this angle just worked for me, giving enough information about him, without the need to see his face. A tad disrespectful perhaps…but photographers just can’t help themselves I’m afraid!

juptr

This composite image started life in Birmingham on a Club trip in February. Those of you who read the blog will remember that I came across a couple of lads filming a music video and I couldn’t help myself from hijacking their artistic endeavours. They were happy for me to take pictures and when it came to processing them afterwards, I felt I wanted to do something a little different – like an album cover. I used Generative AI to create the wall with the Union Jack, as I didn’t have any images of that (i.e. the software created it) and then added my photo of juptr, with some old school lens blur and scratches to add a bit of character. I really enjoyed trying to make the image a little different to a straight portrait.

Beach Botany


Rosemary and I went on several recces to Teignmouth to prepare for the Club summer trip and always managed to come away with something. On this day, we had very strong sunlight, so not ideal photographic conditions, but as we were wandering around Back Beach area, I spotted these legs sticking out between the beach huts and was immediately captivated. As with many of my photos, it’s not about the whole person – here, the flowers on her leg contrasted against the yellow and blue of the beach huts and created an interesting juxtaposition (we photographers love a good juxta!!). And yes, I did a beach clean in Photoshop to remove stones, burnt wood and half a paving slab – I’m such a neat freak!!

3-2-1


I had a wonderful trip to Sorrento in October with my friend Cyn, which was for relaxation rather than photography and I took many phone shots of the beautiful scenery. This was the only “serious” shot that I took – as we were looking down on one of the beaches, the composition just struck me and I waited for a bird to fly through the shot, making sure I was on burst mode to get it in the right place. The placing of all of the elements appealed to me and is slightly quirky (what a surprise!!). And no, I didn’t add the bird and/or shadow in post production (although of course I wouldn’t hesitate to do so if necessary!!).

Leake Street


In October, 3 of us from the Club had a fun-filled day trip to London and spent our time round Waterloo station and along the South Bank. This image was taken in Leake Street, an area underneath Waterloo station where street artists come to showcase their work. It’s totally safe – usually more tourists than street artists – and is an interesting backdrop for photography…although I struggled to find many shots. I do have a bit of an obsession with silhouettes, so was pleased when the above composition came together.

Caught in the Light


What was I saying about silhouettes and shadows?!! I spotted this opportunity in Berlin, when I was visiting a friend in September. The sun was so bright overhead that I was hunting for shadow locations and spotted this ideal position from a bridge looking down on the walkway. I find that these sort of shots work best when you find a suitable location and then just wait for the right people to walk through. You need some patience (so it helps if you are on your own) and again, burst mode increases your “decisive moment” success rate.


And so what do my favourite images from last year tell me? That I had some great trips both home and abroad, with something pretty much every month. That I still have a pile of images to process – and post on my blog…New Year’s resolution should be to keep up with my posting in 2025. That I’m still drawn to shadows/silhouettes, strong shapes/colours, legs(?!), quirky, sense of absurd. That I enjoy street and travel photography. And that you never know what you’re going to capture next – the joy of the random moments, where everything aligns and a wonderful scene unfolds in front of you just as you press the shutter or frustration when nothing motivates you (or even worse, you weren’t quick enough to capture the moment). Already looking forward to my adventures in 2025……

Venezia – una città magica

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“Venice is incredible. Although you may have seen it in pictures, you can’t grasp how beautiful it is until you visit.” – Gino D’Acampo

As I landed at Marco Polo airport, looking out over Venice with the sun setting, I knew it was going to be a special city. Debbie and I were very lucky with the weather and although it was REALLY cold, it was sunny every day. Staying just a couple of minutes away from Piazza San Marco, we got up at 6am FOUR mornings on the trot (yes, you read that right) to watch the sunrise there…I don’t think that’s ever happened to me before (and I have a witness)!! The early morning light was beautiful and of course I had to take the obligatory sunrise shot – but stopped short of the long exposure blurred boats. One morning we had a run-in with a group of (male) German photographers who were determined to stand in the exact spot we were already standing in – only to meet their match…needless to say we weren’t budging! We were lucky enough to have aqua alte each morning, where the water covers the main Piazza and several other low lying areas – special walkways are erected to avoid wet feet, but the water gave some great reflections.

We spent two and a half days wandering around the little alleyways, soaking up the atmosphere. Even in January there were plenty of tourists around the usual hotspots, but it was easy to lose the crowds. I must admit I found it difficult to take my usual ‘street’ photos, especially as we didn’t really come across many Venetians going about their business, apart from early mornings in Pasticceria drinking a quick coffee on the way to work. Very much enjoyed my breakfast croissant and hot chocolate (best ever tasted)! Everywhere was so scenic, that I couldn’t always see past the postcard views and it took me a while to get into my stride. You felt like you were on a film set and it must be amazing during Carnevale, with all of the costumes.

Being tight wads we didn’t pay the €110 for a Gondola trip, but at least other tourists did, so we could get a few pictures of them in action. It was so cold, that the gondoliers were wearing their straw boaters on top of woolly hats – did wonder if North Face had a contract with them, seeing all of the padded black jackets they were wearing!

On the last full day we spent a very enjoyable morning/afternoon sitting in the sunshine watching the world go by, moving from morning coffee, to aperitivo (Aperol Spritz of course) to lunch (spaghetti with cuttlefish ink) then gelato…even warm enough to take off my coat!!

And of course we had the obligatory hysterics multiple times, due to consuming too much sugar and getting up too early – was often a struggle managing the 5 flights of stairs to our attic apartment in the throws of an hysterical moment!! Thoroughly recommend Venice for a long weekend out of season and I have a funny feeling we’ll be returning….

P.S. I managed to contain my excitement over the washing and not post any!

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Burano

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I spent a wonderful few days at the beginning of January with my friend Debbie in and around Venice, and on one of the days we took a boat out to the island of Burano, famed for its coloured houses. Despite the bitterly cold wind, we thoroughly enjoyed wandering the little streets looking for photo opportunities. As we arrived mid morning, the island was busy with residents going about their daily lives and we got a feel for the true nature of the place, before the inevitable hoards started to arrive. With so much colour and prettiness at every turn, it was difficult to avoid cliched shots. At one point we were practically chasing a woman in a red coat down the street, to be able to photograph her in front of a green building – sadly, she decided to escape into one of the shops before we got our shot! There were plenty of young Chinese tourists around and I managed to hijack one of their photoshoots, as the guy stood posing! It did make me wonder how it must feel to see endless people using your house as an Insta backdrop – it must be hellish in summer.

It was fascinating to see how house proud the women were (certainly saw no men cleaning), with mops and brushes hanging outside most of the houses…probably to clear the debris deposited by the high tides that covered many of the walkways outside the front doors. By this stage, we were starting to get used to the fact that houses had boats, rather than cars, “parked” outside and it was wonderful to walk around without fear of being mown down by a car or moped. But it did mean that everything had to come in by boat, and there were men everywhere wheeling essentials round on trolleys.

And I found a new obsession to photograph – washing!! Be warned, there will be plenty more washing shots coming up in the Venice blog!!

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