Idnas71

Hello all... I'll be in Venice for a few days, March 9-12. I LOVE to take pictures and they are always my favorite vacation souvenirs. What are some of your favorite vantage points for photos, any time of day, and especially early morning/evening? My camera is just a simple point and shoot, nothing fancy. Thanks so much!

Statia

We have nice sunset photos from St. Mark's Piazza facing St. Giorgio Maggiore.

HowardR

Venice is an absolute photographer's paradise. A photo op awaits you at almost any corner you turn.
Standing on any one of the three bridges crossing the Grand Canal offers good prospects at sundown.
Don't worry about "only" having a point-and-shoot camera. That's all I had on my first trip there are got some great shot. For best results at sundown, use 400- or 800-speed film.
As for photos, in general, I wasn't kidding when I wrote that a photo op awaits you at every turn. Venice is indeed magical. Just go strolling and get lost in the maze of narrow alleys, small streets and little canals.
One of my favorite shots is of gondolas in storage in off-season. I happened upon the scene when turned one of those corners I mentioned. Unfortunately, I can't direct you there!

HowardR

PS: Venice is magical at sunrise when you almost have the city to yourself. Just stroll over to St. Mark's Place and enjoy the quiet serenity.

dan_woodlief

For sunset, I would try the Rialto Bridge or shoot across the canal from Piazza San Marco. Visit Piazza San Marco just after dawn when there are few people for photos of the square and again later morning or in the afternoon for photos of people, pigeons, etc. Take a quick boat ride over to the church of San Giorgio Maggiori and go to the top of the camapanile for overhead shots of Venice (great for tele or wide shots). The balcony on the Basilica is great for views of Piazza San Marco. I really like Cannaregio for a more tranquil, out-of-the way place. There are several wonderful churches along the way, as well as good shots of hanging laundry and small canals. San Polo, Santa Croce, and particularly Dorsoduro also provide lots of photo ops. Wandering through these neighborhoods is a must. If you have time, the island of Burano is a great photo trip that takes about half a day (I wouldn't go with less than three full days in Venice). Burano's canals are lined with very colorful buildings and is a photographer's delight. A ride up the grand canal offers good shots of buildings and water traffic, but the Rialto Bridge is probably my favorite spot for boat photos.

You may gain a little more insight from a few Web sites: www.oneeyed.homestead.com - my own site - see the travelogue for additional photos, www.jimtardio.com, www.terragalleria.com, and www.danheller.com.

JoyceL

Everywhere is great. Be prepared to buy lots of film!

ira

Hi Id,

Sunrise at St Mark's square

Sundown on the Grand Canal

Night time on the Grand Canal is good if you can take timed exposures

Any little cross street, canal and campo.

Enjoy your visit

Idnas71

I knew I would get some great and specific suggestions from you folks... many thanks! I usually allow three 24 exp. rolls of film per day, 800 speed. Should I buy some 400 speed also? Every trip I take it seems I get a different film speed, but I don't really notice much difference in the photo quality. I know 800 is best for night time. Don't have a tripod, but do have an option on my camera for a 15 second (I think) exposure, which I have never tried. Wonder if I can safely set the camera on the Rialto bridge and have it be steady enough to get a good night picture. i will try... it's all about trial and error with my photos anyway!

I'd also love to hear some good locations for sunrise/sunset photos in Luzern. I'll start another thread if I don't get any feedback here about Luzern photos.

Howard,
Did you visit the Gondola repair shop? Is that the same as winter storage? I think this would be a fun little place to check out... I hope it will fit into my tight schedule.

Dan,
Yes, I have read here and other places that Burano is the best place for photographers... and I'm afraid my short time in Venice might not allow for me to go there. But it is definitely on my standby list.

dan_woodlief

I would suggest that you don't need any more than 400 for most of your travel photography, except in the evening. You won't have trouble with shadows from tall buildings or anything, and most areas will get good light. Try some Kodak Ultra Color 400UC if you want to see a nice travel film. You can buy online from www.Adorama.com. The bridge might be sturdy enough, especially when there is little foot traffic. You might want to keep the strap loosely around your neck rather than drown your camera. If you looked at my site, I was very pleased with a photo I took at dusk in Rome by placing my camera on a wall for a long exposure. The key will be to get the camera level on the bridge. Sometimes I sit something under one edge of the camera to level it when using this method. Also use your self timer to prevent shake from pushing the shutter button.

PamSF

Well, one of our fondest memories came with a walk to the Accademia Bridge on our arrival to Venice. From there we could watch a full moon rise over the canal.

PamSF

Also from the bar terrace at the Danieli. We switched our camera to panoramic and got a wonderful shot of Venice.

Melissa5

Idnas71, since you like to take photos think about investing in a really good camera. Do you have a digital camera? they are fun because you can insert pictures right into your e-mails so that your friends/family can see the actual photo (not just as an attachment.)

Anyway we took a gondola ride just as it got dark and I realized that Venice as seen from the smaller canals is so charming and I wished we'd taken the ride just as the sun was setting...might have been some nice light for interesting photos if you had the right camera.

Boodja

I would suggest a sunset photo taken from the terrace outside the Bar at the Europa Regina Hotel, facing toward Santa Maria Della Salute.

Cheers!

mclaurie

No disrespect meant to Dan or anyone else, but Bailey Zimmerman's shots of Venice are awesome to me. Have a look
www.pbase.com/baileyzim

PamSF

Sorry..Venice is my favorite! Another wonderful place to take photos during the daytime is on Burano. The houses are all painted such vibrant colors and there are many wonderful statues on the houses. My best shot is of a Christ decorated with flowers up on a wall on one of the side streets.

aprillilacs

I agree -- Burano is a photographer's dream, especially in the late afternoon. I had taken so many photos in Venice (and the rest of Italy) by the time I got to Burano that I just said "no more" when I ran out of film -- but the late afternoon light, the brilliant colors of the houses, the reflections off the canals compelled me to buy yet one more roll at a local market. Some of the best pictures of my trip were the result. Highly recommended!

Francesco_DiGiorgio

Hi Id, I know its late but anyway this advise will be useful for the next time you go in Venice, in my opinion the absolutely best sunset spot is in Ria degli schiavoni, the bridge right near the Arsenale waterbus stop, But I warn you that the most beautiful and astonishing sunsets take place in Winter.
As for sunrise, I think the best place is the Canale della Giudecca, you could get the line 4.2 and travel in the canal at dawn, if you don't get the right waterbus at the right time well, stop at one of the stops (perhaps Redentore or later), the best sunsets take place in spring-summer, anyway at any time there will be beautiful sunsets and sunrises, I just say that in my experiences (I'm venetian and I live in riva degli schiavoni) I assisted at the best sunsets/rises in winter/spring-summer; in fact I have hubdreds and hundreds of beautiful photos of those events, some taken with my iphone 3GS and some with my 11 MPX camera. I'm sorry for the long comment, I hope it was useful