Costumed guests arrive at the "Ballo Tiepolo"
Guests arrive in their costumes for the "Ballo Tiepolo," put on by the Carnivale event company C.C.I. in Palazzo Pisani Moretta in Venice.

Behind the Lens: Dave Yoder at Venice Carnival

ByKrista Rossow
February 21, 2012
5 min read

As it’s Mardi Gras today, we thought it would be a fitting time to share this insider Q&A with travel photographer Dave Yoder (who often shoots stories for National Geographic Traveler magazine), who traveled to La Serinissima, Venice, during Carnival (Italians call it Carnevale) last year to photograph the festivities for Traveler‘s Jan/Feb feature story. Photo editor Krista Rossow asked Dave to tell us more about how he was able to capture the magic, and here’s what he had to say.

Krista Rossow: What did you find the most challenging about photographing in Venice, a city that has been photographed more than a million times before, especially during Carnevale? How do you keep your coverage fresh and distinctive?

Dave Yoder: Being assigned to find new pictures at Venice Carnival was a frightening challenge. It’s been so heavily photographed that I arrived with scarcely an idea about how to accomplish that. I decided to concentrate on getting moments, as well as going deeper into the backstage of the events, and try to get access to some of the more exclusive balls and events. I ended up spending more time making arrangements than I did shooting, but in the end, I think it was the homework that made the difference.

KR: Who was the most interesting or surprising character you met while photographing in Venice?

DY: I happened to sit down at a restaurant beside a neurosurgeon and neurologist husband and wife, from a prestigious US hospital we’ve all heard of, who were attending a photo workshop in preparation to pursue their dream of becoming photographers and leaving medicine. We had a long conversation about the arts, and the practice of medicine as an art, and how similar our approaches are to our very different jobs. At the risk of a bad pun, my advice to them on the market value of the pictures they were taking at Carnevale was a bitter pill for them to swallow, but it was an enlightening evening.

KR: Sometimes the photo editor’s favorite images never see the light of day just because they don’t fit with the story line or work in the layout. Do you have a favorite image from this shoot that didn’t make it into our magazine or onto our website? Oh, and I’m also adding in one of my favorite photos that didn’t see the light of day (except as my desktop image)….a candid shot of costumed people at a ball waiting at the edges.

DY: I rather like one of the last pictures I took on the assignment, of a boy in a blue animal outfit, passed out in a stroller while a parent took him home after a long day. I like how the boy is precariously perched, tail dragging, lights completely out.

KR: What is your favorite piece of equipment or accessory that you’ll never be caught without while on assignment?

KR: What advice would you give to amateur photographers who want to shoot Carnevale?

See more of Dave’s photos, then check out Krista’s pics from last year’s Mardi Gras festivities in New Orleans, Louisiana — the biggest Carnival celebration in the U.S.

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