Happy Easter!
I’ll be back next week. Hope you have a great weekend!
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More fabulous Carnevale-goers
I’m really so in awe of all the creativity and playfulness that goes into these costumes. So apologies in advance if I use the word fabulous or something like that one time too many here. Lots of photos today. Here we go.
Remember her — the one on the right below? From two posts ago here (and probably still more of her to come, because she’s pure awesomeness, and because all the photography stars seemed to align correctly both times I ran across her). These two ladies just happened to meet, and it’s spontaneous performance art. Love it.
You mostly can’t pick where you want to place the subjects, and this was the best full body shot I could get, but I want to show how amazing her entire outfit is.
The “behind the scenes”. It’s not always this crazy, but I did get a little taste of what it’s like being a paparazzi . . . constantly on the hunt, scanning the crowd, and jostling with other photographers, though people were all pretty friendly. Sometimes I would try to weave my way in to the front — the very few instances where being small is semi-advantageous, but I usually move on if it’s crazy packed. Fun, but pretty exhausting. Unlikely I’ll be visiting Venice during Carnevale again, but if there’s a next time, I’m definitely learning a few key Italian phrases (plus French, as there were many French celebrants in costumes) so I can yell out things like — “hey beautiful/handsome, look this way please”, or “can you turn ….” Not kidding.
And this is just for any shutterbug out there who happens to find this post while planning your trip, if people give you a business card, it means they want copies of their photos — and will appreciate it if you do send.
With so many pro photographers around, I think it was the first time that I actually had bit of huge lens envy, the better to get rid of distracting backgrounds. I finally figured out on my last day that the pros with their tripods, reflectors etc would usually stake out a few key spots early in the day (though I think the photo below is towards the end of the day). Despite all good intentions, I never made it out early until my last day. Jet lag is my excuse and I’m sticking to it.
I hope you enjoyed this. Till next time.
Filed under: People photos, Travel, Venice | 7 Comments
Tags: photography, travel, Venice carnevale
Moons and stars and more abound in Venice during Carnevale.
Back soon. Thanks for stopping by.
Filed under: People photos, Travel, Venice | 4 Comments
Tags: photography, travel, Venice carnevale
Carnevale beauties
Hope you’re having a good weekend. We’re having summer weather in LA now . . . not sure if I’m ready for this, when it’s not even officially spring yet. Anyhow, just a quick post today of two gorgeous Venice Carnevale goers. There were many, many stunners, but these two were some of the first I photographed. It was quite fun, as every photographer just went crazy at their slightest movement. And they almost ruined me for the rest, because they were so good at flirting with the camera (that at times later I was chuckling to myself, thinking — I know you look amaaaazing, but hey, you gotta work it !). I can easily post many more photos of these two, but eight or ten here should give you a good idea.
I was really happy that I could see and capture her eyes, as it often was not possible to do. You’ll see her again in a slightly different setting.
Till next time.
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Tags: photography, travel, Venice carnevale
Like I mentioned last time, I’ve long wanted to visit Venice during Carnevale ever since my first trip to Venice many years ago, and through a bit of synchronicity and last minute timing, it was a dream come true. I arrived in Venice a few days after the start of Carnevale this year, which ran from January 26 to February 12.
Just a bit of historical background. Carnevale is celebrated in the days leading up to Lent, and is believed to have originated as a celebration of the victory of Doge Vitale Michieli (duke, or ruler of the republic of Venice/”Repubblica della Serenissima”) over Ulrico, Patriarch of Aquileia. Here’s an interesting piece of trivia that maybe some of you know already. The word carnevale is derived from the Latin ”carnem levare” or “carnelevarium”, which means to take away meat. Makes sense — party before the 40 days of Lent. (I know it’s spelled “carnival”, but I’m doing it the Italian way here). There are probably many explanations for the use of masks, but the common one is that they were meant to hide social status within the Venetian hierarchy, and to aid in high jinks and indiscretions I’m sure. The first documented use of masks for the event was in 1268.
Carnevale was mostly in decline by the 1800s, and was banned by Mussolini in the 1930s. In 1979, a group of Venetian artists revived the tradition. And so the long forgotten art of mask making came to life again in Venice, mostly in the form of handmade and hand painted papier mache, though you could find ceramic, as well as less costly versions everywhere you turn. Whether revival of the Carnevale tradition was a way to boost winter tourism or not, it worked (though not like Venice ever needed to beg for tourists). Today, the population of Venice increases manyfold during Carnevale. Carnevale events range from official parades and historical processions, to small chamber concerts celebrating Vivaldi, to theater performances, to exclusive masked balls with admission price of more than 500 euros per person. But mostly, a celebratory atmosphere just permeates the air.
The masks worn by the men in the two photos below are the traditional bauta masks (also worn by women though that’s a rarer sight); these are fairly simple and designed so that the wearer can eat and drink without having to remove it.
Even though Carnevale had started several days before I arrived, the two couples above were the only people I saw in costumes during my first few days. While obviously there was plenty to see and explore, I was beginning to think that you’d have to be really lucky to come across people in costumes. Not so (though torrential rain one day probably didn’t help) — things really picked up pace after the official parades. So if you happen to find this post through Googling as you’re making travel plans, here’s a tip: if you want to see costumed characters and only have a few days, come no sooner than mid way through Carnevale.
The official parade. . . . I wish I could give a better explanation other than it’s a parade.
The Festa delle Marie procession is another marker of the beginning of Carnevale. This is based on the tradition where the Doge and patrician families would contribute to the dowries of twelve poor village maidens, and hold a feast in their honor. Now this next part sounds a bit fanciful, but I rather like it. In 943, pirates broke into the church, stole the dowries and kidnapped the brides. The Duke himself and many Venetians followed the pirates and defeated them at sea. To mark this victory, the Festa delle Marie was instituted. Most of the information can be found here. Today there are no brides or dowries involved in the Feast of Mary, but twelve local girls are chosen by judges to be “Marie’s” and be part of the procession, which begins the waterfront basilica in San Pietro di Castello, to San Marco Plaza.
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And best of all for the girls, they are carried by gondoliers for at least part of the parade route.
And following the procession, Carnevale truly kicks off with Volo della Colombina (flight of the dove, or of the angel), where a woman is chosen to zipline glide from the bell tower of St Mark to a stage below. I was in no position to take a decent photo, but for show and tell purpose, it looks something like this — about 10 stories below looking up. See a 1 min video of this year’s flight here.
Let the festivities begin!
I hope you enjoyed these, because there are lots more coming. See you soon.
Filed under: Parades, Travel, Venice | 8 Comments
Tags: photography, travel, Venice carnevale
