I like people watching. I try not to take images that would embarrass people and these are hopefully portraits to which the subjects would not object. Two were taken with consent. The first is a candid shot. A man reads his paper over the morning coffee. A scene repeated all over the world each day. He looked elegant.A very smart waistcoat. Note the slippers (red in the original frame) – he has not walked far.
This is Giorgio Nason, a glass jewelry maker – his card says (vetraio). We spent over 30 minutes chatting to him and bought some pieces. He has worked from his small rented workshop for over 25 years. His uncle was a renowned glass worker / artist on Murano. His workshop and shop (combined) are very close to the Santa Maria della Salute church. 
And finally a Hungarian busker. I know he is Hungarian because Giorgio told me. He was extremely good and had a hat full of money. He also had CDs for sale. Most buskers throw a few coins in the hat to encourage others. This man had a hat full of coins. I enjoyed his playing and his air of serenity.
My lack of expertise with Lightroom has caused me a lot of grief and I woke up at 4am trying to solve my problems – all related to the database not the images. I have originals and back ups of those. I am still exploring what I shot on the trip. Some pleasant surprises and memories and a few “why on earth…..? shots. To be continued.
Portraits
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I find myself drifting into the same contemplative state of mind that comes over me in the better galleries. Once again you capture the person in the moment.
Thanks Simon. I think I’ve shot less but better on this trip. 1500 files over 2.5 weeks and some are doubled up, RAW/jpeg.
Three stylish gentlemen. And, indeed, three poignant portraits. I especially like the expression on the busker’s face – the cool of the master…
Yes, he looks serene. Very appropriate for Venice.
I too like the Hungarian player. I hope the jet-lag will soon get better. 4am is a bit early !
Better than the first night Gerard. That was a midnight wake up!
I absolutely idolise the lute player. His name is Boka Bence.
He is such a good player, and you see him in all seasons of the year, in Venice. I’d like to know his life story, he looks sad. I understand he started as a guitar player, then a friend gave him a lute that he had made.
Ah! Not a mandolin. Thank you Yvonne. He does look sad.
I think all artists have an air of sadness to them.
Wonderful candid shots!
Thank you MWPG. I have found out more about him. He has an unworldly air about him. I think he may really be a Time Lord.
Hmm. Then I’m the impossible girl! ⏳
I am guessing that the gentleman reading his paper is the unpermissioned one. Looks like a hip shot.
That lute is a very cool instrument….was it electric? Seems to have a cable attached. Mandolins are fairly small…some are used for slicing things. 😉
Is glass jewelry prized? I often hear that some jewelry is made from colored glass to look like valuable gem stones.
Steve, you are correct. The gentleman newspaper reader was the rogue shot but not from the hip. He was just absorbed. The lute player was using a small amp I think but he played under an arch which also gave interesting acoustics.
Murano glass is very famous but not as a precious stone. It is decorative, sometimes creatively designed but thankfully what we bought were relatively inexpensive pieces. It is difficult to know the price / value of it so we did not want to make expensive mistakes. Large glass sculptures need to be shipped too.
These are all quite good. I love the people watching too. Gives one a perspective of how other people operate and how they go about their daily lives. I find all of these to be excellent.
Thank you Yvonne.
Molto belli questi ritratti. Io ho difficoltà a fotografare le persone, penso sempre che possano alterarsi…
Però piano piano sto iniziando a provarci 🙂
Ciao, Pat
I really like the black and white shots, there is something about monochrome and candids that work well together.
Thanks Ben. I usually do both but end up preferring the B&W.
Especially nice in black and white. These all make me feel that people there know how to live, have come to terms with being human and are expressing their human-ness well. Wonderful.
B&W is like that. I took some shots at lunchtime with a very expensive camera (Leica M). The colour rendition was awful and beyond rescue. So I processed them in B&W and they are transformed. Sadly it is not supposed to be like that but fortunately I prefer B&W.
Me too, sometimes. Much of life is like that, isn’t it? Not the way it is supposed to be, but good or better, nonetheless.