Joseph F. Thompson as a cinematic world traveler with camera, cruise ship, world map and landmarks
Begin the AdventureSee Where I'm Going Next
The Story Begins

Come Travel the World With Me.

I have spent a lifetime discovering that the world becomes much more interesting when you are willing to walk out the door and see what is waiting on the other side.

I travel with a camera, curiosity, and the belief that every destination has a story. These photographs and stories are my way of bringing those experiences home—and sharing them with you.

So grab your imaginary passport. We're going somewhere.

Explorer of the Seas, Europe 2026
Upcoming · Oct–Nov 2026

Europe 2026 — The Next Adventure

Follow Joe’s journey through Europe as new photographs, destinations, stories, and discoveries are added along the way.

Follow the Europe 2026 Adventure
Selected Photography

A Wider Lens on the World

Places become stories when the camera catches the moment that made them matter.

Antarctica photograph by Joseph F. ThompsonAntarcticaTaj Mahal photograph by Joseph F. ThompsonTaj MahalAfrican Safari photograph by Joseph F. ThompsonAfrican SafariSydney photograph by Joseph F. ThompsonSydneyNorwegian Fjords photograph by Joseph F. ThompsonNorwegian FjordsMoorea photograph by Joseph F. ThompsonMoorea

Explore My Photography →

Adventure Journal

Stories From the Road and Sea

MEDITERRANEAN

Greek Isles: Memory & Renewal

History, sea light and the human moments that turn a voyage into a story.

Read the story →
2027 ADVENTURE

Silver Dawn: South Pacific

Los Angeles to Brisbane through Hawaii, Tahiti, Fiji and beyond.

Preview the journey →
PHOTOGRAPHY

Ten Photographs, Ten Stories

A personal selection from a lifetime of looking closely at the world.

View the photographs →

Read the Latest Adventure →

Voyage of Illusions

Sometimes a Photograph Isn't Enough to Tell the Whole Story.

Voyage of Illusions transforms the personalities, friendships, surprises and unforgettable moments of world travel into a graphic novel—another way of telling the stories that stay with us long after the ship sails on.

Enter the Voyage of Illusions →
Where I'm Going Next

More Horizons Ahead

ADVENTURE AHEADSouth Pacific2027
ADVENTURE AHEADAntarctica2027
ADVENTURE AHEADCanada & Great Lakes2027
Travel With Me

There's Always Another Adventure.

The photographs matter. The destinations matter. But what I remember most are the people, conversations, surprises and moments I never could have planned. That is why I created this site—not simply to show you where I've been, but to invite you along for whatever comes next.

Come Along →
top of page

TO LEAVE A COMMENT, PLEASE CLICK ''COMMENT'', INPUT YOUR EMAIL AND CREATE PASSWORD

Search

2026-10-17 — Venice to Ravenna — Embarkation Day

Writer: Joseph F Thompson Studios, LLC
Joseph F Thompson Studios, LLC
1 hour ago
3 min read

Pre-departure note: This is the staged version of my October 17 journal entry. I will add the day’s actual photographs, conversations, and observations as the journey unfolds.


A Day When the Journey Changes Character


There are travel days that simply move you from one place to another, and then there are days when the journey changes character. October 17 is one of those days. After two days in Venice, I will leave the canals behind and make the transition to Ravenna, where Explorer of the Seas will be waiting at Porto Corsini. This is the point where my Europe 2026 story turns from a city stay into a voyage.


Leaving Venice by Water


The morning begins in the way Venice seems to demand—on the water. My luggage and camera gear will make the first part of the journey by private water taxi, slipping away from the city toward Piazzale Roma. I have always believed that transportation can be part of the story rather than something to rush through, and this departure should offer one last chance to watch Venice from the perspective that defines it best: from the canal.


I will be looking for those transition photographs that are easy to overlook—the suitcase waiting at the pier, morning reflections on the water, the last Venetian facades passing behind the boat, a hand on the rail, and the moment the familiar rhythm of the canals gives way to the road.


From the Lagoon to Ravenna


At Piazzale Roma, the journey changes from water to road for the drive across northeastern Italy toward Ravenna. It is a practical transfer, but it is also a visual bridge between two very different worlds: Venice, with its stone, water, and centuries of layered history, and Porto Corsini, a working harbor where the next chapter is waiting.


Porto Corsini cruise terminal in Ravenna, Italy at sunset with a cruise ship alongside the harbor on embarkation day.
Porto Corsini at Ravenna—the moment the land journey gives way to the voyage.

First Sight of Explorer of the Seas


There is always something special about the first sight of the ship on embarkation day. A cruise ship looks impressive in photographs, but standing near one gives you an entirely different sense of scale. Against the harbor, cranes, terminal buildings, and lighthouse, the ship becomes both transportation and destination—a temporary home that will carry the story forward one port at a time.


Embarkation itself is a threshold. There will be luggage to hand over, documents to check, the gangway to cross, and that first step aboard when the trip suddenly feels real. I want to photograph the experience without letting the camera get in the way of it. Some moments are strongest when photographed carefully; others are best remembered first and photographed second.


My Photography Perspective


Photographically, this day is about transition, scale, and anticipation. I will be looking for the visual contrast between the intimacy of Venice and the industrial openness of Ravenna’s port, between small boats and a massive cruise ship, and between the quiet details of departure and the energy of embarkation.


The image I most want from this day is not necessarily the grandest one. I want one photograph that carries the emotional character of the moment—the journey behind me, the ship in front of me, and the unmistakable sense that another adventure is beginning.


Reflection


For me, embarkation is never simply the end of a travel day. It is the beginning of the story I came here to tell. Venice will already have given me two days of history, music, light, and atmosphere. Ravenna will give me the doorway to the sea.


From here, the route continues one destination at a time, with the camera ready and curiosity leading the way. Come Travel the World With Me.



Continue the Journey


Next Adventure → The October 18 report will be linked here when that chapter is ready.

 
 
 

Comments

TO LEAVE A COMMENT, PLEASE CLICK ''COMMENT'', INPUT YOUR EMAIL AND CREATE PASSWORD

Subscribe Form

© 2026 Joseph F. Thompson Studios, LLC.

bottom of page