This is the first of a series of spontaneous portraits I took during the last week of November in Venice, Italy. Most of the pictures that will follow were taken at the Zattere, one of my favorite neighborhoods in the Dorsoduro district in Venice. I would ask random people whether I could take their picture, expecting a mix of replies. The surprise was that everybody agreed, although a few with initial hesitance.
The silhouette above is actually not part of the series, but I liked it as an introductory image to a series that focuses on everyday people in a non-everyday place. It was taken on the Vaporetto from Burano to Venice, at sunset. It reminds me of my first impression of Venice, imprinted not by the Serenissima itself, but by Thomas Mann's Death in Venice, and Luchino Visconti's great film adaptation.