Saint Mark's Clock Tower, Venice

Saint Mark's Square #2

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The story behind this image

Everyone and his dog was out photographing the famous clock tower in Saint Mark's square in Venice while Liz and I were strolling around sightseeing on a beautiful sunny afternoon.

That's all very well, but the light was so harsh and the colours so washed out that I didn't even bother pointing my camera at it.

Instead I resolved on an early start the following morning, to catch this iconic location at its best in the first light of the newly risen sun.

So next morning I was up and out in the pre-dawn glow, fully laden with kit and bursting with anticipation as to how the scene might look.

Well I wasn't disappointed. The crisp, warm, low angled light from the sun just over the horizon picked out detail and colour in the tower and surrounding buildings that just couldn't be seen during normal working hours.

And there wasn't a Coolpix clutching tourist in sight, just a couple of curmudgeonly old snappers doing the same as me.

We just grunted at each other and carried on in the time honoured fashion of battle hardened outdoor photographers everywhere, enjoying the scene before us without any need of human intervention.

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Image data

Filename - venice saint marks square 02.jpg

Camera - Canon 5D

Lens - 24-105mm zoom @ 47mm

Exposure - 1/60sec @ f8, ISO100

Location - Venice, Italy

This image - 800x640px JPEG

Conversion - ACR & PS-CS2

Comments - Polarising filter used to enhance colours.