The Rio di Cannaregio turns into a real water stage with a show that every year attracts thousands of spectators, where floating structures transfer the theme of Carnival to the water: “Game, Love and Folly”.
“AMORIS CAUSA”
Onore alla più saggia delle follie.
Passione e follia danzano insieme al suono di serenate lontane e promesse sussurrate.
Who loves is intended to be in the balance between “here and now”. All because of love!
The fabulous show “AMORIS CAUSA” on the Rio di Cannaregio is made by Wavents, a Venetian company that offers high-impact shows and performances, with the partecipation of Antonio Bonura “Il Drago Bianco”, specialized in play of fire.
The question that often arises, when facing a photographic theme of this kind, is almost always the same. How Much Equipment Do I Need? How much material have I to carry with me? What if I need this lens instead of this other one? But, while I’m there, maybe I’ll bring this too…. and in the end we find ourselves with a backpack or bag that weighs about twenty kilograms and that, in addition to the risks of damage or theft, we will not know where to storage or keep because people crowded. Despite having a Press Pass, the situation is not the easiest …
Let’s go back to the material to be used. By studying the event first, you know that the show will run along the Cannaregio canal and that the various artists will travel it twice, once in each direction. This means that we will have the possibility of taking frontal shots the first time, and a series of back shots the second time. What lens to use? Fixed focal length? Zoom? How fast? What do I really care about shooting? Close-ups? Details? Wide shots? This must be decided from the beginning; the show has a total duration of about 20 minutes and we will have to make the most of it.
The light must be evaluated very well; the show is held in the evening and therefore we will certainly have spots and spotlights that will inevitably enter the shooting frame. But the primary question is: how many ISO do I have to shoot? And here comes a second question: do I know the limits of my camera? How far can I “push” my sensor? True, they sold the camera by telling you that it can shoot at 50,000 ISO but which results, at these values, what image quality does it offer? They seem obvious questions but in reality they are the “heart” of the problem in situations like the one we face today.
Looking at the equipment of those around me, I notice an extended use of zoom from 70 to 300 mm, of various brands, fast enough (between 2.8 and 4). I work differently. Personally I use small cameras or, better, smaller dimensions than the classic SLR cameras; I use Leica M-series cameras. The lenses, also these original Leica, are all fixed focal lengths. In my bag I have a 35 mm / 2 and a 75 mm / f2; both ASPH, aspherical, which therefore will suffer less from the problems of the “spurious” lights that could interfere during the shooting phase.
After a careful evaluation of the position I am in, of the very limited field of action that I have available, and of the type of images I want to take, I move to use only one lens: the 75mm. Aperture at minimum, then f2, in order to use shutter speeds fast enough to stop the various moments. The sensitivity chosen is 6400 ISO, in this way my shutter speeds are never less than 1/60, even in the least bright moments.
By the way … using Leica M, you have to focus by hand (or rather, by eye) because there is NO autofocus. A limit? An advantage? One more difficulty? I prefer to say, a different choice.
Following the shots I made, by clicking on each one, the larger image will open; the shots are deliberately NOT POST-PRODUCED, but they are exactly the files that came out of the camera (converted from RAW to JPG for reasons of inclusion in the article). Good exposure, good light reading, and the results come.
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Vinicio Tassani
reportage, portrate, bookcell.: +39.380.3158202
info@viniciotassani.it