Rodney Campbell's Blog

After a two hour journey on the high speed train from Florence we were arriving in Venice.

Venice

NIKON D750 + 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 200 mm, 1/400 sec at f/6.3, ISO 400

Venice, the capital of northern Italy’s Veneto region, is built on more than 100 small islands in a lagoon in the Adriatic Sea. It has no roads, just canals – including the Grand Canal thoroughfare – lined with Renaissance and Gothic palaces.

NIKON D750 + 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 160 mm, 1/160 sec at f/8, ISO 360

Note: These photographs (especially the wider shots) look much better when larger. To see larger versions in an inline overlay slideshow gallery viewer click any of the images.

NIKON D750 + 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 55 mm, 1/60 sec at f/8, ISO 160

Our first real experience with Venice is a trip by Vaporetto (water bus) from the main train station along the grand canal, under the famous Rialto Bridge to our stop (S. Angelo) near our accomodation in Venice.

NIKON D750 + 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 250 mm, 1/500 sec at f/5.6, ISO 160

Rialto Bridge

NIKON D750 + 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 90 mm, 1/250 sec at f/6.3, ISO 100

It was our last full day in Florence and we’d booked in advance for two of Florence’s premiere art galleries. First thing in the morning we were heading to the Accademia (it’s main claim to fame is Michelangelo’s David). In the afternoon we were visiting the Uffizi Gallery.

Michelangelo’s David

NIKON D750 + 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 135 mm, 1/160 sec at f/5.6, ISO 8000

Whilst there are other sculptures, paintings and even a musical instruments exhibition; the focus in the Accademia is of course Michelangelo’s sculpture of David – said to be the most famous sculpture in the world.

The Hand of David

NIKON D750 + 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 210 mm, 1/100 sec at f/5.6, ISO 12800

David

NIKON D750 + 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 250 mm, 1/250 sec at f/5.6, ISO 5600

I’m sure my girls thought – ok we’ve been here now – can we go…

Seeing David

NIKON D750 + 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 42 mm, 1/50 sec at f/5.6, ISO 4500

5:25PM (35 minutes after sunset) and Firenze is drifting into night.

As it’s now much darker I’m shooting on Manual (Auto ISO disabled) and fixed the ISO (1000 in this pano) and locked Aperture (wide open at f/4) and let shutter speed fluctuate for the HDR brackets.

This panorama is comprised of four horizontal frames wide with each frame composed of five (1EV) bracketed exposures for a total of 20 frames.

Firenze Night

NIKON D750 + 16.0-35.0 mm f/4.0 @ 16 mm, 1/20 sec at f/4, ISO 1000 x 20 Frames

Note: These photographs (especially the wider shots) look much better when larger. To see larger versions in an inline overlay slideshow gallery viewer click any of the images.

Campanile di Giotto

NIKON D750 + 16.0-35.0 mm f/4.0 @ 16 mm, 1/80 sec at f/4, ISO 1000

Palazzo Vecchio Tower

NIKON D750 + 16.0-35.0 mm f/4.0 @ 35 mm, 1/80 sec at f/4, ISO 1000

Just after 5:30PM with darkness setting in, my girls and I finally decide it’s time to leave. It’s been an amazing sunset and twilight, time to head out for dinner.

NIKON D750 + 16.0-35.0 mm f/4.0 @ 16 mm, 1/40 sec at f/4, ISO 1600

If you are ever in Florence – don’t miss the opportunity to climb the Duomo Dome – the view is spectacular and well worth the hassle of getting up here.

I was waiting till it got darker so that the streets of the city of Florence would be lit up against a deep twilight sky. I only had to wait ten minutes or so before it started getting good. Here are a couple more Duomo panoramics as it moved towards night.

This panorama (@ 5:15PM) is comprised of seven vertical frames wide with each frame composed of three (1EV) bracketed exposures for a total of 21 frames.

Whereas before I was shooting in Aperture priority with varying ISO. As it’s now much darker I’ve switched to Manual (Auto ISO disabled) and fixed the ISO (800 in this pano) and locked Aperture (wide open at f/4) and let shutter speed fluctuate for the HDR brackets.

Duomo Wings

NIKON D750 + 16.0-35.0 mm f/4.0 @ 16 mm, 1/30 sec at f/4, ISO 800 x 21 Frames

Note: These photographs (especially the wider shots) look much better when larger. To see larger versions in an inline overlay slideshow gallery viewer click any of the images.

This panorama is five minutes later (@ 5:20PM) and is comprised now of five horizontal frames wide with each frame composed of five (1EV) bracketed exposures for a total of 25 frames.

Firenze Twilight

NIKON D750 + 16.0-35.0 mm f/4.0 @ 16 mm, 1/80 sec at f/4, ISO 1000 x 25 Frames

Once we had finally reached the top of Brunelleschi’s Dome the view over the city of Firenze was spectacular.

We’d arrived at the top at 4:55PM – a few minutes after sunset and probably 20 minutes after I’d hoped. It was very crowded up here so there wasn’t a lot of room to move. There was time for a quick circumnavigation of the viewing area at the top before settling on this view west towards Giotto’s Campanile and the setting sun.

Firenze Sunset

NIKON D750 + 16.0-35.0 mm f/4.0 @ 16 mm, 1/20 sec at f/7.1, ISO 100 x 30 Frames

Normally with intense light variation like this (very bright sky and city in shadow) I’d be shooting with grad filters on a tripod. Alas tripods are not allowed (plus we were way cramped in up here, and being jostled by the masses).

Instead I opted to shoot handheld HDR panoramas. This panorama is six vertical frames wide with each frame composed of five (1EV) bracketed exposures for a total of 30 frames.

The view you see is approximately 250° with the Basilica of Santa Croce the church on the very far left of the pano and the Accademia gallery on the right. Just down there two to three blocks to the left of the bell tower is where our apartment is.

In my early panoramas I shot in Aperture priority and let ISO fluctuate (via Auto ISO) to maintain shutter speed. I opened the aperture as it got darker to aim to stop the ISO from going to insane.

Note: These photographs (especially the wider shots) look much better when larger. To see larger versions in an inline overlay slideshow gallery viewer click any of the images.

A view east away from sunset.

Twilight over Florence

NIKON D750 + 16.0-35.0 mm f/4.0 @ 16 mm, 1/15 sec at f/7.1, ISO 125 x 15 Frames

This panorama is five horizontal frames wide with each frame composed of three (1EV) bracketed exposures for a total of 15 frames.

Firenze Fire

NIKON D750 + 16.0-35.0 mm f/4.0 @ 18 mm, 1/20 sec at f/5, ISO 220 x 15 Frames