photography in Venice

That’s a personal preference and also depends on what you want to do with the photos. Are you happy with them just being on your computer/phone or do you want to print them? If you want to print, know that you will maybe be able to get a quality 8x10 from a phone photo. I’m taking a small point and shoot, a waterproof point and shoot (in case of rain) plus my slr and a couple lenses. But I’m a photo nut and have 24x36 framed photos in my living room.

This is a question only you can answer for yourself. And of course, this has nothing to do with Venice specifically.

Shooting photos with just a phone does seem to be fairly popular, no?

Maybe all those people are perfectly happy and they have no need for a dedicated camera. You'll hear plenty of people say they have ditched their camera forever. The companies that make cameras (those that haven't gone out of business) are certainly selling fewer of them in recent years.

Yet some people still lug along heavy cameras (and even heavier lenses) on their travels. I'm in that camp, but plenty of people think that's insane. Sometimes, when I'm hauling a heavy pack full of glass and metal around all day in the hot sun, I'm tempted to agree with them. Then again, I typically come home with some shots that would be impossible without all that heavy inconvenience, and those photos are important to me - important enough to justify the weight (not to mention the cost and care necessary).

My spouse and I are currently planning a trip to Thailand. There are probably going to be some amazing birds where we are going. Just yesterday, she told (not asked) me that I had to "bring the big camera....and that zoom lens thing" (heavy, expensive, fragile - but the only way to get that shot). Then we started negotiating who would be carrying stuff (I may be stupid but I'm not crazy...).

All depends on your priorities.

Photogirl, Would you please share how your photos are displayed? Are they framed? I have been considering canvas blowup. I have always carried my DSLR because it is important to me and I enjoy photography!

AS mentioned - mostly it will depend on the quality you find acceptable - and being aware the smaller the camera, the smaller the processing chip that actually stores your photo. In essence the smaller the chip - the less information can be held. As a picture is enlarged the smaller number of pixels, in a smaller space - the sooner the fewer number will be noticeable when expanded and appear grainy. And of course the options as to photo editing are more limited with smaller chips because more information was never recorded. However one old adage is "The best camera is the one you have with you." I have seen examples of excellent photos - including some national exhibits - of pictures being taken with very simple, small cameras. And for many - it can be a burden that some just don't want to bother with. There is no "correct" answer. Need, is usually what one wants. Personally I carry a Sony "bridge camera." Not full frame, fixed 600 mm lens, which is usually more then adequate, for me. I too will be in Venice in about 14 weeks. I'll be the one that looks the most lost. Enjoy your trip.

I have an iPhone 8 and have taken many beautiful photos in Venice & other locations in Europe. My favorite souvenir from travel is special photos - on-line created books that are printed, and we have eight 12x16 & 16x20” canvas prints in a wall collection in my home office. Visitors love looking at them!

In order to get very nice photos, I recommend getting up early - better saturation of colors, and there’s less people in the way of taking photos. Also, spend some time learning how to balance the items in the photograph, etc. I used to look up photo galleries on-line while I was eating lunch at my desk, searching for photos that were really appealing. It helped me so much to begin to see why just taking a few moments to decide what & how to photograph and frame a composition vs. just taking a lot of photographs was so much more successful.

And have a WONDERFUL time in Venice!

I also am a photo bug. I don't have a good camera right now, though. What a pity to be in Venice of all places, without a decent camera! I may have to break down and get one, and not take the extra lenses.

For over ten years , I used a rather heavy Canon 60D ,I liked the flexibility and results . As the years began to accumulate , the camera started to gain weight ( at least , that is how it felt ) . After my 2018 trip and having met a fellow musician and photo enthusiast in Italy ( Lago Maggiore ) I switched to a Canon mirrorless camera with an 18-150 mm lens . Takes great pictures and is easily half the weight and size as my previous DSLR . Best thing I ever did . I can walk around all day now , without the feeling of an Albatross around my neck

I've been to Venice a few times. It's such an amazing place with an almost unlimited number of shot opportunities that I've always traveled there with a tripod and at least a decent camera. I have a 24x36 framed print of the Grand Canal at dusk, from the Rialto Bridge, shot with my Canon DSLR a few years back. This is a special photo that takes me right back to Venice. I doubt I could have gotten this with a phone at least without a tripod (two second exposure). But, if the light is good, you an certainly get really nice daytime shots in Venice with any half-decent camera that might be OK even if enlarged a little. If you aren't going to print photos and/or aren't going to shoot without a tripod.

I'm going to check out the Canon mirrorless camera. I think it's quite expensive.

My best shot of Venice was taken with a Minolta XD7. 200ASA, B&W Kodak film.

For photographers visiting Venice, the Tre Oci photo gallery on Giudecca is a must.
Been half a dozen times, for great exhibitions.

mlw,

I suppose the answer depends on what your criteria for "great pictures" is, and what type of pictures you want to remember your trip.

I always travel with a dSLR (Canon 7D) along with a small P&S and an iPhone. The camera gear is heavy but I'm willing to tolerate that. Photography is an important part of travel for me, as I may only visit some locations once in my lifetime and I want the absolute best quality pictures I can get. The settings and lenses of the dSLR provide the versatility and capability to get the shots I want under a variety of conditions. While I have taken some good pictures with an iPhone, there have been many occasions when the lack of flexibility just didn't provide the results I was looking for.

I was in Switzerland this past Sept. and all our pictures turned out so great. I have an iphone 7, my sister an iphone 11, and my bro in law an iphone SE. We also brought along a small canon camera and ended up not using it as it was so easy to take pictures with the iphones. Once home, I printed out over 100 pictures and had a Walgreens photo book made. All turned out great—super quality.

Everyone is focused on equipment. I'd like to offer a different view based exclusively personal experience. Last summer, both in Lisbon and Porto, I went on a photo expedition with a professional photographer. The focus was not only going to the spots I might have missed on my own, but also learning some new skills. My husband and I love our photos -- his taken with his phone and mine with a simple Canon B500 that's about 4 years old. How they were taken isn't as important to us--it's the memories. Put into Shutterfly books, we enjoy all our trips regularly, not just on his phone or a memory card in my computer. I often walk through the living room and stop for a minute or two to enjoy a "coffee table book" of happy moments. (Not a Shutterfly commercial; it's just the company a friend taught me about.) Both photographers welcomed guests with any type of camera - a cell phone or one worth thousands. Maybe you're already a skilled photographer, so you don't need the learning part as much as I did/do, but I can tell you it was a wonderful experience from all perspectives. Not only did I take some beautiful, much improved photos, but also I met two photographers who wanted to share their passion for photography and their cities. I look forward to experiencing future trips the same way.

" I'm going to check out the Canon mirrorless camera. I think it's quite expensive. " Many of the Canon models are , indeed , wallet busters . This model seems to fit the bill , and at $1350 is far more reasonable . It seems comparable to mine , which is no longer available Canon EOS M6 Mark II Mirrorless Camera with 18-150mm Lens and EVF (Black) - https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1502497-REG/canon_3611c021_eos_m6_mark_ii.html

I'd hazard a guess that if you are asking this question you either do not have a DSLR camera or are not expert at using it. A DSLR camera in the hands of someone who knows how to fiddle with the settings, pick the right lenses etc. takes better pictures than an i-phone. However, if you are going to put an "all purpose" lens on it and turn the settings to "auto" you probably won't do any better than with an i-phone. Some people are taking about blow-ups, and while that may be an issue if you want to crop out a very small portion of your picture and blow it up to poster size, in general today's good smartphones take pictures that have enough pixels to blow them up to poster size if your camera is at all decent. I have poster sized photos of the Grand Canyon that were taken with a Samsung J series phone.

As far as a non-dslr camera, that's what's on your phone.

I tend to use both my phone & Sony A600 with multiple lenses. I used to carry a Heavy Pentax SLR. But like others have posted it was just getting to heavy. My wife carries a nice Cannon point & shoot. If not for that camera I would never be in any vacation photo's!

My wife love to scrapbook our trips so having options is important. Inside churches can be very challenging. Both for traditional scrapbooks and the on-llne created books from Shutterfly and others.

Since you will be in Venice , take care not to find yourself in the situation that befell Katharne Hepburn on her trip to Venice in the 1955 movie " Summertime " https://youtu.be/hN3fd_zLIp0

Marsh - I have an epson printer at home that I printed my 24x36 prints on and framed them. I used to work in a photo lab, so bought the printer for cheap and refurbished it. I have seen the canvas prints and they are beautiful! Make sure you get them from a quality place, they are not all the same - you get what you pay for.
Wanderlust58 - what was the company you used for the photography tour? I am interested in doing something like that since my boyfriend is gone a lot and gets to go to all sorts of cool places (and I’m jealous!). Portugal also sounds really amazing!
Love, love, love Shutterfly books! I used to work there, so got to see lots of beautiful books! I make one for each trip we go on!

New smartphones take wonderful images and have pretty much taken over the point and shoot market. They are very versatile and you always have it with you.

I used to haul around my Canon 5D2 DSLR kit when traveling, but the kit I took weighed 22 pounds! I was looking for a much smaller kit that would give me most of the flexibility of the Canon kit. My research led me to Fuji and I bought the Fuji X-E3 when it was first introduced, just before my wife and I left for a trip to Paris and London. I found the images from the Fuji were just as good and since I was a full time pro for years, I'm pretty picky.

I've seen the Canon mirrorless and it is a nice camera. The Canon EOS RP and the Fuji X-T30 II are roughly the same price. However, Fuji lenses with the same coverage are less expensive. Think about the entire kit. For a little more money, the Fuji S-10 offers in body image stabilization (IBIS), that the Canon RP doesn't offer. This can make a difference in low light.

My Fuji travel kit consists of the X-E3, 18-55mm lens, 55-200 lens and a Samyang 12mm wide angle lens The Canon kit weighed 22 pounds, the Fuji kit weighs 6 pounds.

Steven, That's hilarious! I hope that wasn't the real canal they filmed it in. I think they are pretty bad.

Wanderlust58, the chef of the cooking class I took in Lucca had told me ahead of time about his friend who was a retired professional photographer, and I had arranged to spend a half day with him. But, he had to cancel a few weeks before I was there. It would have been a wonderful opportunity! Are there any you recommend in Italy?

Ruth, I do have an SLR camera which I don't use anymore. I haven't had the money to buy a good digital camera and haven't taken trips in 25 years. I did borrow a good digital camera to go on a photo trip in the mountains, and got great pictures. I used to lug around my SLR and lenses as far as Thailand but won't do it anymore. Venice is such a beautiful spot to photograph it's a shame to not have a good camera that I want to carry. So I'm in a dilemma.

mlw5000 , That was indeed the actual canal ( rio san barnaba ) on The Campo St Barnaba . The film's director , David Lean ( Brief Encounter , Great Expectations , Doctor Zhivago , among others ) , insisted that Katharine Hepburn do the shot herself , rather than using a double . Although she showered and washed thoroughly afterwards , she was not as careful about her eyes , and was affected by the effects of the polluted water for years afterward . Before visiting Venice this film is a must see . Shot in Technicolor , completely on location , you will see Venice in all its sumptuous beauty . I was last there a few years ago , and it hasn'https://www.google.com/maps/place/Chiesa+di+San+Barnaba/@45.4330696,12.3248607,19.75z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x477eb1cec1c0b987:0x372584de72141915!8m2!3d45.4330321!4d12.325226t changed a bit .

Depends on the iPhone. Until recently, I NEVER used my phone for photos and carried a bridge camera on all my trips. However, before my last trip, I got an iPhone 12, and it takes stunning photos. I did bring a bridge camera, also, but used my phone far, far more, except when I needed more zoom.

Speaking of Kath Hepburn, Summertime, Rio San Barnaba and photography.
In Campo San Barnaba, stand with your back to the “church” ( now a Leonardo da’ V display), canal to your right. Bridge Ponte de Pugni (Bridge of Fists) before you across the campo.
Just past that bridge is the studio of Fabio Bressalano, photographer. His stuff is pretty good, cliche free, very evocative of Venice and the lagoon. I have one of his photos in front of me right now.

I doubt that many modern photographers would suffer the same mishap as Katherine Hepburn, as one doesn't have to move around get the exact framing desired. These days we can let the zoom lens do the walking. A fall in the canal does make an entertaining movie though.

Jean, alas, I do not have specific recommendations for Italy as I only discovered this technique in Portugal last summer. I booked both of my photographers through Airbnb experiences. You don't have to book accommodations with Airbnb to use this service. I didn't pay in advance for either experience. Airbnb takes your card info, but the vendors only got paid after the service was provided. I also had email conversations with both of them before I went and asked about last-minute cancellations, among other things. Developing a relationship with people before you go, I think, goes a long way in ensuring a happy experience.

Photogirl, Thanks for your reply! How awesome that you print your own enlargements. I appreciate your advice about canvas prints.

I just looked at the Summertime clip. In one frame, looking south towards the Pont de Pugni, you can see the tan coloured awning on the vegetable barge moored close to the bridge.
Now, some 67 years later, there is still a vegetable barge there, and it still has the awning.