Blue Skies Ahead 前程晴朗 明るい未来が待っている

The rain had been falling over Venice, washing the narrow streets and leaving the ancient paving stones dark, gleaming and reflective. Yet in the middle of this grey Venetian day appeared Harlequin—as though Carnevale itself had decided that a little rain was no reason to stop the performance.

Dressed in a spectacular fantasy of black-and-white stripes, chequered patterns and flashes of delicate pink, Harlequin brings mischief and optimism into the sombre street. The extravagant costume seems to play with every convention: stripes run against checks, spirals rise impossibly from the headdress, and beneath it all sits the enigmatic painted face of a character who has spent centuries entertaining audiences.

At Harlequin’s feet, the enormous black-and-white umbrella has been cast aside. It is almost a declaration: the rain will not last forever.

And that is where this portrait found its story.

Harlequin has always been a survivor—a clever, mischievous figure from the tradition of the Commedia dell’Arte, forever improvising his way through troublesome circumstances. Here, the character seems to have wandered out of the theatre and into the wet streets of Venice. Even the umbrella becomes part of the performance, its alternating panels echoing the geometry of the costume while the rain-soaked pavement reflects the colours of the city around it.

There is humour in the scene, but also optimism. Behind the mask, Harlequin appears to know something that the rest of us occasionally forget: storms pass, circumstances change, and today’s grey skies need not belong to tomorrow.

Photographed during a rainy day at the 2026 Venice Carnevale, “Blue Skies Ahead” is therefore less about the weather than about an attitude toward it.

The rain may have arrived at Carnevale.

But Harlequin is already waiting for the blue skies ahead.

Rain changes Venice.

The crowds thin, the colours deepen, and the ancient paving stones become mirrors. On this rainy day during the 2026 Venice Carnevale, the weather created something far more atmospheric than the clear skies a photographer might normally hope for.

Against the warm ochres and reds of a narrow Venetian street stands an extraordinary Carnevale figure—a living composition of black, white and soft pink. Bold stripes collide with harlequin checks, extravagant ruffles and spiralling headpieces, while the delicately painted mask preserves that wonderful ambiguity so characteristic of the Venetian Carnival: playful, theatrical, elegant and just a little strange.

At her feet lies an open black-and-white umbrella. Rather than simply being protection from the rain, it becomes part of the portrait. Its sweeping alternating panels echo the stripes and geometric patterns of the costume, almost as though the umbrella itself has fallen out of the character’s fantastical world.

The rain provides the finishing touch. Wet stones catch fragments of light and colour from the surrounding buildings, while the subdued sky softens the scene and gives the photograph the atmosphere of a cinematic still. There is a feeling that the performance continues despite the weather—or perhaps because of it.

That is one of the pleasures of photographing Carnevale in Venice: perfection does not necessarily come from perfect conditions. Sometimes rain, an empty street and an abandoned umbrella can transform a costume portrait into a little piece of visual storytelling.

For a fleeting moment, the distinction between Venice and theatre disappears.

The city becomes the stage, the rain becomes the lighting, and Carnevale carries on.

A manga series was done for some of my Venice photos. The scenes look like they are from a fairy tale or Japanese anime, but the real scenes actually happen in our actual travels.