Hello, my name is Charl Durand and I'm a photographer and passionate Venetophile, a person who loves Venice.

What is the 100 Venice Bridges Challenge?

You probably know that Venice is the city of picturesque canals and romantic scenery. It’s a wonderful place with a proud heritage that is unfortunately in jeopardy due to climate change and the strains of mass tourism.

With names like Bridge of Sighs, Bridge of Fists, Bridge of Sails and Bridge of Miracles, the bridges that span the more than 100 canals of Venice are an intrigueing and central part of the historic city. Yet, surprisingly little has been published in English about the vast majority of them, apart from the main four bridges that are a tourist staple in Venice.

This dearth of information on the bridges of Venice led me to putting together the Venice 100 Venice Bridges Challenge project.

On 24 April 2013 I'll be photographing and documenting one hundred of Venice's prettiest and most interesting bridges, from the majestic Rialto bridges to small, quaint ones hidden in the narrow alleys of Venice. From the crack of dawn till way after dark, I'll be taking photos of the bridges, making notes of their architecture, number of steps, the canal they cross, and general location. I'll be working from a carefully researched and pre-planned route that will criss-cross the city, taking in the most noteworthy bridges. The result will be a body of material that will be of interest to researchers, travelers, and all persons interested in this unique place, and that will be published in bookform.

You can expect much more than the standard Venice touristy photography to take place during the 100 Venice Bridges Challenge. I'll be using special lenses including fisheye, wide andgle, Lensbaby and other gadgets to create memorable, unique and atmospheric images of the bridges.

Why a challenge?

Instead of taking weeks to visit the bridges, I'll be doing it in one day. To enable me to do this in such short space of time I'm currently busy researching the background and getting to know the location of the bridges, as well as getting fit enough to climb all those stairs!  While doing it all in a day is in part to create a compact, topical storyline, it also adds an exciting feature to the project - Challenge supporters will be able to 'walk' with me as I pass from bridge to bridge, posting updates including photos on Facebook and Twitter. In that sense the Challenge is a participatory event.

The benefits of supporting the Challenge

The funding generated by this project will be used to publish a full colour, quality, limited edition leatherbound book on the bridges of Venice that will describe their design, history and tie them to the legends and myths of the city through stunning photography and inspiring narratives. 

Once the Challenge is completed I'll be sending supporters postcards with photos of the bridges, postmarked Venice. I'll also be designing a special commemorative poster featuring the most picturesque bridges, a copy of which will be sent to supporters in that category.Support the project now and you'll receive any combination of the above after the Challenge is completed!

Your support is vital to the success of the project!

Without your support, compiling information on the bridges of Venice and publishing a collector's item book will not be possible. Your contribution will help me publish the first phase of the 100 Venice Bridges book, which for me as a lover of Venice will be a great milestone. 

If you know and love Venice...

The 100 Venice Bridges Challenge is also about contributing to preserving the fragile history of Venice. The city, well recognised World Heritage Site, is in jeopardy due to rising oceans due to global warming and the strains resulting from mass tourism. The Hundred Bridge Challenge will add to the heritage of the city by documenting this unique feature of La Serenissima.

About myself

I've visited Venice many times, taking photos and learning about this unique city and its people - you'll see a gallery of my Venice photos on my personal site. I've published several other travel-related photography books and have worked in the publishing field for many years, so there's no doubt this project will be a success.

Lastly, my traveling and other expenses have all been paid - my time in Venice is part of a larger Europe tour, so rest assured that's not what the project is about.

Participate and stay in touch!

Regardless whether you're supporting the publishing of the 100 Venice Bridges book, please join the Challenges's Facebook page and Twitter account. This way you can follow the Challenge on the day, when I'll be posting updates live as I visit the bridges. You can also read about preparations on the Challenge blog. And, tell your friends about Venice, and the Challenge!