NEW BOOK
Perhaps a year ago, JoAnn Locktow, Publisher at Bella Figura Publications, asked me if I would be willing to submit some black and white photos for possible inclusion in a third book in her series, Dream of Venice. She explained that the book would be a compilation of the work of a number of photographers, that there would be no pay for the photos used except a copy of the book and credit for the photo(s) chosen.
It seemed like a very worthy cause to me so I sent in some photos that I thought would be suitable. The theme of the book was to show Venice as a city that was alive and lived in (my paraphrase) – a city with real people and situations where life went on in its own way.
Many months later the photos were chosen and I was thrilled to hear that one of my favorite photos of Venice, taken on my first visit in 2012, had been chosen. It was one of those shots that I favor, including people taken candidly, telling a story.
In the last week or two the book, Dreaming of Venice in Black and White, has become available for preortder. You can order your copy now here.
Apart from the fact that my photo is in the book, I highly recommend it. It is a beautiful book with some fantastic photographs and I am very proud to be numbered amongst the contributors. In fact, I recommend all the books in this series. They are probably the most popular books on Venice currently on the market and with good reason.
THE STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO
I took this photo during our first visit to Venice in 2012. I was walking into St. Mark’s Square and saw this man and boy approaching the archway. They were walking towards me fast. I reacted quickly without even stopping to analyze why it seemed such a wonderful moment. To me this tells a story about a father and his son, the father going to work and the son to school. The son is so clearly emulating his dad and wanting to be like him. It is in his walk. And the father is proud to have a son taking after him.
The fact that the background is St. Mark’s Square in Venice tells another story. A city that is not just a theme park for tourists to devour but a real, vibrant, alive place where fathers go to work and boys go to school and are working hard to grow up like their father.
The original photo is in color but it is more striking and telling in black and white.
