m.touch travel
Venice Photo Tours
Your Photo Mentor
Mario was born and raised in Venice. For nearly 37 years he was a chemical engineer and industrial photographer all around the world. Now he is now a full time professional commercial and travel photographer and specializing in small-group photographic workshop. Mario is a documentary photographer specializing in Wedding, Honeymoon, Special Events and Location Portraiture, and is available to cover outstanding Events, Carnival or Assignments in Venice or anywhere in Europe. He teaches a mix of traditional formal photography seasoned with a dash of romantic photojournalism to express a unique and individual style. Mario has recently authored the recent book "100% Venice" for the Dutch publisher Mo' Media.
What you will learn
Mario's knowledge of Venice is intimate and his passion for Venice contagious. "I want my students not just to photograph, but also to have the opportunity to learn about the city they are visiting and interact with its people. I strive always to find a comfortable balance between giving to my students what they want, and giving them something they did not expect". We keep my groups small so that I can offer a very high degree of personal tuition. My goal is to give my students the ingredients to continue their journey of learning in photography through visiting Venice, working with a teacher born in Venice, and having lived and worked literally all over the world, and able to bring a unique combination of experience and knowledge to the workshops. My street photography has recently featured in an article in the Washington Post, and my style leads towards getting under the skin of a city and its people. During our time, I will guides through the practical and theoretical considerations when attempting this most interesting area of photography. Tour in English
Client Testimonials
If you are looking for a photographer to shoot your Wedding, check out I was lucky enough to meet him in Venice last year. He does wonderful work. Christine (DK)
Just to let you know that we got your photos yesterday & we're really pleased with them. Thanks again, Emma & Steve (UK)
Just a short note to say we have now had a chance to view the photographs and are pleased at the quality at natural style shown. We hope that we find you well, we have many fond memories of our visit to Venice and rest assured we will return when our work commitments allow. Thank you for the friendship you showed during our visit, we wish you and your family well for the future. Regards and Ciao Richard & Jenny (UK)
We are already back in Austria and working. What stays are the beautiful memories of our time in Italy, especially the Wedding. We've already looked through the photos and are very pleased with them. Thank you for the nice job! ciao, Katja & Thomas (Austria)
Other Photo Tours in Italy
Rome thru the Lens
Adventures thru the Lens in Venice
Discover one of the most unique cities in the world with an Adventure thru the Lens. Join us in for a magical tour in Venice photographing some of the most famous places in the world the Venetians’ life, their markets, the bars and the mysterious and hidden places.
The Bridge of Sighs, the Rialto Bridge or the famous food market on the side of the Grand Canal.
We will move around Venice not as tourist but as Venetian .You will also learn how to approach people and capture the spontaneous emotions, expressions and interactions among people that tell the story of Venice and the people who celebrate it with you.
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A Day in the Life
On this unique photography tour we will move around Venice not as tourist but as Venetian photographing some of the most famous places in the world and understand from a photographic point of view, the Venetians' life, their markets, the bars and the mysterious and hidden places.
more details
125€p/p
A Day in Life of Venice - Characters and Commerce of Venice
Tour Code: MT-VEN-PHS1
Scheduled Departures :
April 1 - Oct 31st 8.00am to 12:00pm
Wednesday Morning + Sunday Morning
Private Departures :
Nov 1 to Mar 31st 9.00am to 1:00pm
Saturday Morning + Sunday Morning
Duration: 4 hrs
Cost: 125.00€ p/p
(300€ private up to 4 people)
Tours Highlights : Saint Mark Square , Mercerie, Rialto (Fish & Vegetable Market)
Places visited will be Saint Mark Square , Mercerie, Rialto (Fish and Vegetable Market) You will also learn how to approach people and capture the spontaneous emotions, expressions and interactions among people that tell the story of Venice and the people who celebrate it with you There are photo opportunities on every corner and each location we visit offers its own unique photographic challenges and we will explore different styles of reportage story telling..
Sunset at Venice - Where the Venetians are living
Tour Code: MT-VEN-PHS2
Dates
April 1 - Oct 31st 8.00am to 12:00pm
Saturday Evening + Thursday Evening
Nov 1 to Mar 31st 9.00am to 1:00pm
Saturday Evening
Tours Highlights : Saint Mark Square, Doge’s Palace, Lagoon, Ponte della Paglia (in front of) Ponte dei Sospiri – The Bridge of Sighs and surroundingarea.
On this unique photography tour we will move around Venice not as tourist but as Venetian photographing some of the most famous places in the world and understand from a photographic point of view, the Venetians’ life, their markets, the bars and the mysterious and hidden places.
You will also learn how to approach people and capture the spontaneous emotions, expressions and interactions among people that tell the story of Venice and the people who celebrate it with you. Places visited will be Saint Mark Square, Doge’s Palace, Lagoon, Ponte della Paglia (in front of) Ponte dei Sospiri – The Bridge of Sighs and surrounding area. There are photo opportunities on every corner and each location we visit offers its own unique photographic challenges and we will explore different styles of reportage story telling.
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Hidden Venice
An interesting walk and shoot thru the back streets and canals of Venice. Private tour
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300€ up to 4 people
Saint Isepo Parish
Tour Code: MT-ROM-PSL3
Scheduled Departures : Mon,Tues Fri, Sat 8:00am
Private Departures : On Request
Duration: 4 hrs.
Cost: 125.00€ p/p or (300€ private up to 4 people)
On this unique photography tour we will move around the parts of Venice less traveled starting in Castello the largest of the six Sestieri of Venice. The district grew up from the thirteenth century around a naval dockyard on what was originally the "Isole Gemini", although there had been small settlements of the islands of "San Pietro di Castello" (for which the Sestiere is named), since at least the eighth century.
The district became divided between the Arsenale, then the largest naval complex in Europe, and the monasteries in the north of the quarter.
It was later altered by Napoleon, who planned what are now the Biennale Gardens, and stills more recently the island of Sant’ Elena has been created, and land drained at other extremities of the quarter.
You will also learn how to capture the spontaneous emotions, expressions and interactions among people that tell the story of Venice and the people who celebrate it with you. There are photo opportunities on every corner and each location we visit offers its own unique photographic challenges and we will explore different styles of reportage story telling. Your guide is a professional photographer and a life long inhabitant of Venice.
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3 day Package
Imagine seeing Venice as a Venitian.
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Become a Venitian
Private Tour
Tour Code: MT-ROM-PSL3
Departures : On Request
Duration: 3 days / 4 nights.
Cost: From € p/p
First day Tour
"Light, Colours & Composition"
In Burano, we will be fascinated from the magic of the "Colours" and we will deepen study the "Composition". In Murano, we will visit a glass factory, where we will photographwith low "Light" trying to discover the art of making glass.
Time 8.30am to 5.30pm
Meeting Point: Your Hotel or at Vaporetto stop line LN in Fondamente Nuove.
Ending Point: the same location.
Tour Points: Burano Island, in the afternoon Murano Glass factory.
Second day Tour
“A Day in Life of Venice” a walk through Characters and Commercial Activities of Venice
Time 8.30am to 5.30pm
Meeting Point: Your Hotel or under the Clock Tower (Saint Mark Square)
Ending Point: Saint Mark Square
Tours Point: Mercerie, Rialto (Fish and Vegetable Market)Campo San Polo.
Third day Tour
“The Venetians’ Venice” an opportunity to discover where the Venetians are still living
Time 8.30am to 5.30pm
Meeting Point: at the Student Hotel or under the Bell Tower in Saint Mark Square
Ending Point: the same location.
Tours Point: Saint Mark Square, Ponte dei Greci, Arsenale, Via Garibaldi, San Pietro di Castello Fujll Day
Twighlight:
Time: 6.30am to 9.00pm
Meeting point: in front of Porta Della Carta (Doge Palace in Saint Mark Square)
Ending Point: the same location.
Tours Point: all around Saint Mark Square and the view of the lagoon in front of Saint Mark Square.
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Special Dates
Imagine learnging photography during Carnival or other Festivals in Venice
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Festival Tours
Tour Code: MT-VEN-SPD
Scheduled Departures : 3:00pm Feb - June Wednesdays (June + Thursdays)
Private Departures : On Request
Duration: 4 hrs.
Cost: 125.00€ p/p or (300€ private up to 4 people)
Nov : All Saints' Day and Day of the Dead
In Catholic Europe, All Saints' Day and Day of the Dead, is an important occasion--rather like Memorial Day in the U.S., but with religious overtones.
The saints of the prayers aren't the usual religious celebrities (the ones who get churches named after them), but are ordinary people grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters, children, and others who have made their way to the heavenly throne cited in the mass.
In the past time in Venice, families traditionally crossed a pontoon bridge to the island cemetery of San Michele to place flowers on the graves of their saintly or secular relatives. Today, they make the trip by vaporetto, but the idea is the same: to honour the dead and keep in touch with the loved ones they expect to see in the hereafter.
Therefore, if you're in Venice on November 1-2, you don't need to leave flowers at the cemetery but don't forget to give fave*to your fave!
* Characteristic sweet, available only in those days.
Nov. : Feast of "Madonna della Salute"
The feast of "Madonna della Salute" is the last remaining ruly Venetian festival. Like the festival of the 'Redentore', it also began as a thanksgiving to celebrate the end of a terrible plague attacking the Venetian population. However, it is different from the feast of the ' Redentore' in that it has preserved its religious identity.
For the occasion is constructed a bridge, made of boats, to enable the church to be reached from the city centre. Even today, few Venetians miss the opportunity to go to the Salute. Venetians use to follow, since childhood, this tradition and the procession to the Salute Church continues from morning to night.
Stands with itinerant candles sellers of all the dimensions, candles that end in arm to the altar boy put on purpose to the entry: in practice a braid candles seller/believer/altar-boy. Candy stands pancakes and to products of Sicily together with sellers of toy balloons inflated to helium and. and other souvenirs serves as contour to this pagan choreography.
Sometimes to photograph people and ceremonies is not easy, in this occasion there are no problems outside and inside the Church and more important under different conditions of light.
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Advanced Workshop
Discover the magic of the "Light and Colours" of the Venice Lagoon islands, Murano, Burano and, S. Erasmo and Pellestrina, unknown islands to foreigners but well known to the Venetians as supplier for the Venice market.
more details
A Professional's Paradise
Tour Code: MT-VEN-Prof1
Private Departures : On Request
Practical photographic techniques (Film or Digital) - Light and shadows - Seeing subjects - Composingpictures - Reportage & Street Photography in Venice - Digital Workflow
Throughout the year you will discover the magic of the "Light and Colours" of the Venice Lagoon islands, Murano, Burano and, why not, S. Erasmo and Pellestrina, an unknown islands to the foreigners but well known to the Venetians as supplier of fruits, vegetables and fish for the Venice market and then the beauty of Venice. In Murano, we will visit a glass factory, where we will photograph with low "Light" trying to discover the art of making glass. In Burano, we will be fascinated from the magic of the "Colours" and we will deepen studythe "Composition".
Digital Workflow
This section will focus on the building of a digital workflow. It will be a detailed run from the import of photos through archiving, will also be discussed the selection of camera storage media and card readers, as well as recovering photos.
The program will be broken down in the following sections:
Optimizing Your Computer
Whether you are handling many lower resolution photographs, or a few high-resolution ones, an optimaldigital workflow requires a computer that is configured for speed, stability and ease of operation. We will look at some of the key elements of a computer system, with an emphasis on the selection of a photo-quality monitor in particular.
End-to-end Colour Management
For you to see what your pictures actually look like, to be able to print them effectively and to be confident thatwhat your client sees is what you captured, colour management is a necessity. This section will look at the process of calibrating and profiling a monitor, profiling desktop inkjet.
Photo Importing and Selection
I will address how to copy from a stack of Compact Flash or Secure Digital cards with ease. Mundane chores such as destination folder creation, caption/key wording, embedding of ICC profiles, renaming, initial backup and even cataloguingcan all be done nearly automatically. The emphasis will be on taking a little time up front, before the transfer commences, to save a lot of time later, while also removing the risk of accidental loss of photographs at the import stage due to user error.
Working Smart in Photoshop
This section will be a veritable potpourri of information on the best use of Photoshop. We will look at configuring the preferences and colour settings, implementing a standardized workflow within the program, the how and why of sharpening, using automation whenever possible, printing from within the application and augmenting Photoshop with best-of-class plug-ins and supporting hardware.
Archiving and Retrieval
Digital photography allows for the efficient creation of fully searchable, browsable and distributable catalogsrepresenting thousands of photographs, while the media available enables photos to have longevity not possible previously.There are hurdles to overcome and decisions to be made to ensure that archiving happen in a few steps as possible.In addition, that retrieval the next day or the next year is simple. However, building a truly useful and durable archive is possible and practical today.
Film
Do you use film B&W or slide? No problem with my Leica’s I will guide you on the same way!