These photos were shot on Fuji Superia 100 on a Lomo Kompakt Automat made by Lomo Optics of St. Petersburg. I find Fuji film gives the most vibrant colors, and using a slow daylight film like the 100 means longer exposures, deeper contrasts and tonal values, and some amazing nighttime effects. Big ups to Dana for loaning me a negative scanner. Thanks!

Captions are included where necessary. This is Set 1 of 3.

I like the opacity of the water and way the light hits the hull of the boat.

When the sun is at the right angle, ancient plastered walls are thrown into relief and you can see every tiny detail.

Water in Venice changes depending on the weather, the time of day and your location within the city. It could be an opaque grey, the richest turquoise...

... or a blue so deep it's almost black.

One of the benefits of the Lomo, being a primitive Russian compact, is that the results can often be unpredictable. The lens and the lightmeter don't always talk to each other too well, so you can get some interesting shots purely by accident.

Birds in the Piazza.

The Campanile di San Marco (St. Mark's Belltower) offers the finest view in all of Venice. The Campanile stands at one end of the famous Piazza. The tiny dots on the ground with the people are pidgeons.

Five domes of the Basilica di San Marco.

Inside the Campanile.

The four horses of St. Mark's are the only known example of a Roman quadriga, a monumental four-horse chariot rig. They were found in Constantinople in 1204 and brought to Venice. Napolean carried them off to Paris in 1815 but the French soon apologized and returned them. The original horses are inside the Basilica to protect them from the elements; these outdoor ones are perfect replicas. I like the weather marks that run down the copper.

The afternoon sun in a dark alley. The sign reads 'Restaurant of Two Ovens'.

A good view of the magnificent Basilica, with the Campanile on the mid-right. Thousands of birds loiter in the Piazza and periodically take to the air in huge flocks.

From the Rialto Bridge you can get a good view of the Grand Canal, Venice's 'Main Street'.