Venice is a magical city at any time, but during the annual Carnival, held usually in February depending upon when Easter occurs, the city has a further fascination. If as a photographer you do not like crowds and photographing people, then the carnival is most certainly not for you.

Venice is full to capacity, the hotels are booked up well in advance, the restaurants are packed and the crowds in St. Mark's Square are a frustration.

The Carnival dates back to the thirteenth century.

Carnevale means farewell to flesh, in other words, preparation for the Lenten fast. In those days, it began the day after Christmas on Boxing Day (when the government gave permission for masks to be worn), reached its peak on Carnival Thursday, and ended on the day before Ash Wednesday.

The Carnival flourished during the 16th and 17th centuries when the anonymity of the masks encouraged outrageous behavior and then gradually died out until 1979.

It was revived mainly as a tourist attraction.

It is interesting to note that just as in the years when the carnival was at its peak and people from all over Europe came to Venice to join in, so today many of the "Masks" are not Italians, but come from France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland - I even found an American lady who was attending for the tenth year. She lives in Las Vegas and like most of the "Masks" spends her year making her elaborate costume ready for her next visit.

The time of year means that the weather can be a problem - it will be cold. However, when the sun shines, as it did for my group on the first two days, it is very pleasant.

Even in dull misty conditions, photographing the "masks" is still good.

On the last day of our visit, the rain turned to snow, so there were no masks to photograph.

I might note though that I have seen some fine pictures of snow on gondolas and bridges since I returned.

St. Mark's Square is the hub of activity.

The arcades and the streets around St. Mark's are hung with fairy lights and everywehre there are stalls and shops selling masks for the visitor to wear or take home as a souvenir.

The "Masks" stroll around showing off their beautiful costumes, pausing to pose elegantly and patiently for the hundreds of photographers.

It is a magical time in a magical city!

The pictures were supplied by Jane Black and the text was used with permission from the Photographic Society of America. Our appreciation to Jane and PSA for their generosity.

The monthly PSA Journal contains a large amount of photographic information (traditional as well as digital) in every issue and it often has special features such as Jane's on photography in a prime photographic location or a mini-photo essay "Distinctive Image" by some well known photographer - exhibitor.