Photographs by Dominique R

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

Italy | Monday, October 11, 2010 | 5 photos

Venice is among the most photographed cities in the world. Yet, as a place that I love and to which I always return, I feel compel to photograph it.

The beauty of Venice goes a long way beyond those impossibly gorgeous, over-famous sites which only become tolerable at night, once the tourists are gone, or on cold winter days, when they aren’t there at all. Indeed, Venice’s beauty also lies in the small, remote canals that come from nowhere in particular, and lead to no well-known destination. Save for the occasional stray tourist, only Venetians go and live there —surrounded by Renaissance palazzi that, fortunately, aren’t on anyone city map… That is the Venice I have been trying to make mine, and that is where I find solace from the ever-increasing visiting hordes.

It is this interest of mine that makes me go beyond the obvious, however gorgeous or spectacular it may be, that I want to bring with me to Bhutan if I’m selected. Beyond the unique opportunity to learn and improve, it will allow me to bring my own viewpoint to the trip !

The photos I selected illustrate a few of the innumerable facets the Serenissima (as Venice was known throughout history) has to offer : the iconic gondolas, once a widespread means of transportation, now an expensive tourist attraction ; the gigantic cruise ships dwarfing the buildings that once both inspired and humbled Man ; the often chaotic sky over the lagoon as the Sun seeks to break through and chase away heavy rainstorm clouds ; the quiet and narrow canals that snake throughout the city… and one last look at another island in Venice’s lagoon, Burano, where even drying laundry matches the house’s color !

Dominique Robert
Lyon, France