Pre-wedding photo session under the clouds: love shining despite the rain!

Chinese couple posing in Venice for a wedding portrait
This prewedding photo session in Venice was successful even under unfavourable weather conditions

Edward and Ester are a young couple from China who hired me as a photographer for a prewedding session in Venice last November.

As you might well know, November is a time in the year where the city reveals its most real essence. Rain, clouds and grey skies endow the Venice with a special romantic charm….but you must be prepared to be able to appreciate this special atmosphere.

bride's make-up before a wedding photo shooting in Venice
Before beginning our photo walk in Venice, the bride got ready with the help of an expert make-up artist in her hotel room.

I must say that Edward and Ester were brave enough to have their pre-wedding photo session in this period and greatly dealt with the fall weather which we were not able to avoid (unluckily enough, the day after the sun was shining over Venice). The results were satisfactory for all of us.

bride standing under an arcade during a Venice photo walk
During our photo session we made the most of arcades as shelter from the rain!

They got dressed in their hotel suite where Ester also enjoyed a special make-up session with the help of the make-up expert Ilaria Giani. Ilaria even managed to meet all her requests which drew inspiration from Pinterest boards.

Then we went out for our informal photo walk, with the two of them wearing heavy coats between one shot and the other. They did not lose their good spirit and enjoyed playing with the bridal veil, kissing in the small Venetian alleys, hiding under the arcades, etc.

young couple hugging during a couple photo portrait in Venice
In the course of our photo walk we managed to take some romantic shots in different spots of Venice

They even plaid some jokes, which I dutifully caught in my shots, when we reached a white statue of a young naked boy at Punta della Dogana, one more piece of art most likely belonging to the Venice Biennale of Arts.

In order to warm them a bit, we stopped in a café where they enjoyed a real Italian cappuccino before we went back to the hotel. There they changed their clothes and wore gala suits to have a few more couple portraits in the magnificent lobby of their hotel.

young couple drinking cappucino in Venice during a wedding photo shooting
The couple enjoyed a break in the photo walking tour to warm up a bit in a café with a real cappucino.

The final phase of our wedding photo session included a gondola tour at nighttime, which gave us the chance to make the most of the light and shadow effects on the Canal Grande.

couple standing on a terrace facing the Canal Grande during a photo shooting in Venice
After our photo walk, the couple changed their clothes to have some more shots in gala attire with Venice in the background.

At the end of our couple photo session, they were tired but happy: rain and clouds were not match for their shining love which was evident in all the photographs.

bride on a gondola during a wedding photo session in Venice
At the end of our wedding shooting the couple also enjoyed a gondola tour by night.

For further examples of wedding photo services in Venice see my website.

post by Metella Iaconello

A Colorful Photo Portray in Venice: Shooting a Jewish Couple in Traditional Attire

One of the most exciting thing about working as a photographer for couple photo portraits, honeymoon, wedding and engagement services in Venice is that it gives me the chance to work for different kinds of clients, coming from different countries and sharing different cultures.

couple hugging on Ponte di Rialto during an informal photo walk in Venice
The first phase of Irina’s and Simon’s couple photo service in Venice enclosed shots in some romantic spots.

It was a real pleasure to hired by Irina and Simon, a young Jewish couple, for shooting a photo portrait during their honeymoon in Venice.  While we were walking along alleys and squares to get romantic as well as informal shots, I enjoyed their sensitivity and refined taste, as well as the chance to learn a bit ore about their culture.

young couple posing in a café during a honeymoon photo shooting in Venice
I had the couple relax during some breaks in our informal photo walk in Venice to get them at ease with my presence and work.

In the first phase of our informal photo walk in Venice, they just behaved as most young couples in love: I had them hug, kiss, and dance in many nice Venetian spots, giving them the possibility to get familiar with my presence and work.

In the second phase of the couple photo shooting, they changed their attire and wore traditional Jewish suites which added a touch of color and a special exotic flavor to my shots.

Jewish couple in traditional attire posing during their honeymoon photo service in Venice
Irina and Simon changed their attire and wore tarditional Jewish dresses for the last part of our informal photo walk in Venice

In the meanwhile they had relaxed and were eventually feeling at ease in front of my camera and even felt confident enough to start dancing in a square. That’s why the shots of this phase look so intense and even a bit “exotic”…don’t you think?

Jewish couple in traditional attire dancing during a honemoon photo shooting in Venice
At the end of the couple photo shooting, Irina and Simon eventually felt at ease with my camera and even enjoyed dancing in a square.

For further examples of couple photo portraits in Venice see my website.

Post by Metella Iaconello.

A Surprising Honeymoon Photo Shooting in Venice: Dear Bride, Don’t touch the frog!

During her honeymoon photo service a bride was reproached by the watchmen for touching the statue at Punta della Dogana

I was lately hired as honeymoon photographer by a just-married Russian couple. The couple was spending a few days in Venice before leaving the city for a honeymoon cruise and wanted to have high-quality pictures of their stay.

We started our informal photo walk in the city, stopping in some romantic spots to shoot the couple and, in some cases, letting the bride posing alone.

During our informal photo walk, I took some shots of the couple in some romantic spots in Venice

We arrived at the Chiesa della Salute and had some shots thereas well, with the couple sitting on the stairs or standing with the Canal Grande on the background.  

The couple sitting on the stairs of Chiesa della Salute church during their honeymoon photo service

Then, while I was not looking at her, the bride approached the statue of a young boy holding a frog which was standing there and touched the frog. Was she posing as Cinderella and trying to kiss and  turn it into Prince Charming?

In any case, she was immediately reproached by the statue’s watchmen.

As we later learnt, the statue is an important piece of art by the American artist Charles Ray sponsored by the tycoon François Pinault. Some critics find it a very creative piece of modern art, other consider it too provocative; some argue that the statue symbolize a look at the future, others argue that the frog hints to water, a key element in Venice … well, in my client’s eyes, it was just something like a toy to play with!

The bride touching the statue before being seen by the watchmen

It is so easy in Venice to let art enter as a key actor in your shots….

For more examples of couple photo portraits in Venice have a look at my web site.

post by Metella Iaconello

Dancing in the high water: a very informal and creative honeymoon photo shooting in Venice

Beautiful Russian bride walks in high water during an informal photo walk in Venice
An informal photo walk in Venice might enclose many surprises: this young Russian bride enjoyed walking in the high water during her honeymoon photo service

As already said in many of my publications and posts, Venice is an ideal location for couple photo shooting, especially in the case of just-married couple portraits . And this is the case not only during sunny days in spring or summertime: Venice is worth a photo service even during rainy days.

Lately I had the chance to shoot a young Russian couple that, after getting married in Russia, enjoyed a honeymoon trip to Venice and hired me for an informal photo walk.

Well, it happened that the city had just been deeply soaked by the previous day’s rain and there were many large paddles in the squares and alleys as we walked by. It suddenly came to my mind that I could make the most of this unique situation, so typical of Venice: I asked the bride if she felt like taking her shoes off and walk barefoot along the road which she did quite gladly…I assume she did not want the water damage her nice shoes!

young Russian couple dancing in high water during their couple photo portrait in Venice
Once we reached Piazza San Marco at the end of our photo walking tour, I asked the couple to dance in the high water

Later, when we reached Piazza San Marco I suggested the couple to dance in the paddles that covered large sections of the square so that I could portray them with this famous background in a very special condition!

beautiful young couple jump in San Marco Square during an inforal photo shooting in Venice
The couple portrait ended up with the couple jumping and having much fun thanks to high water!

Luckily enough, and as it often happens in Venice, in many other areas of the city there was no sign of high water at all which allowed us to take more “classic” and “dry” shot in the rest of the honeymoon photo shooting.

couple hugging during an informal photo shooting in Venice
During our photo walk we could enjoy many “dry” areas with no sign of high water, where I could take some nice couple portraits.

For further examples of honeymoon shootings see my website.

post by Metella Iaconello