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November 24, 2011

Solitude

November 24, 2011/ Marco Secchi

Alone let him constantly meditate in solitude on that which is salutary for his soul, for he who meditates in solitude attains supreme bliss. Guru Nanak

Marco Secchi

One of the BestTours on Tripadvisor. Photo Workshop. Have you ever walked on the streets and saw a moment that you wanted to capture, but you were too scared to take the photograph? Do you want to become more confident shooting in the streets and learn how to better interact with your subjects?

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Venice Carnival is one of the easiest things in the world to photograph badly. Not because the costumes aren’t incredible, they are, but because most people shoot it like a checklist: mask, portrait, done. Carnival isn’t a programme. It’s theatre moving through a real city. If you want photos that feel timeless, you need light, background, rhythm, and patience. I wrote a practical guide here: msecchi.com/journal/venice-carnival-photography-guide #venice #carnival #leica #gettyimages

The kind of evening where everything slows down. A church tower, a snow-covered street, and the sun disappearing like it has somewhere better to be. Southern Hungary, under 100km from Budapest, suddenly feels like a postcard you can actually step into. 🕯️❄️ #leica #gettyimages

Stop treating winter like a season to survive. Most photographers see the cold and the grey, and they leave the camera in the bag. Big mistake. Summer light is often flat or harsh overhead, but winter light has structure. I’ve just published a breakdown of the three conditions that turn a miserable day into a cinematic one: Blue Hour: It’s not just blue; it’s structural. Fog: It’s not "moody"; it’s a giant softbox that deletes clutter. Hard Morning Sun: The shadows stretch and the streets become graphic. If you’re still trying to shoot "golden hour" in January, you’re fighting the wrong battle. https://marcosecchi.substack.com/p/three-types-of-winter-light #winterphotography #streetphotography #venice #leica #photographytips #lightandshadow #marcosecchi

The first frame is from my Getty Images set, the next four are my personal favourites in black and white. Today Balaton Lake felt like a paused film scene. A ferry crossing a lake that’s nearly solid, fog dissolving the horizon, birds floating on shards of ice like tiny punctuation marks. Everything muted, everything calm…the kind of winter that slows time down, and you don’t even realise it.

A river in winter becomes a blank page. The ice smooths out the noise, the snow deletes the unnecessary, and the world suddenly feels lighter. Then a small flock crosses the frame, and the whole landscape wakes up for a second, as if to say, “I’m still here.” #leica #gettyimages

Winter slows everything down in rural Hungary. Snow softens the noise, simplifies the lines, and suddenly the world feels honest again. This is a small monochrome glimpse, shot with Leica cameras, from village roads, quiet yards, horse-drawn carriages, breath in the cold air. No drama, no spectacle. Just winter doing what winter does best. The image here is one from my Getty selection, but the full gallery goes a bit deeper. More frames, more silence, more pauses. If you feel like stepping away from colour, speed, and constant movement for a minute, the full set is here: 👉 https://www.marcosecchi.org/gallery/Winter-in-Rural-Hungary/G0000LVQmmpIMFSM Black and white feels right in winter. Less information, more feeling.