Can anyone provide me with some info regarding night photography in Rome & Venice? How are things (monuments etc) lit up? Is there a problem walking around late at night? What about using a tripod at night time to take 4x5 photos? Can I stroll into Piazza San Marco or the Spanish Steps at 4 AM with a tripod and take some photos? Would I want to? I'm planning a summer-time trip.
Last edited by cyrus; 10-Jun-2006 at 22:01.
My recollection of nights in Rome includes four considerations that bear on your question. First, things are illuminated, but you will have to deal with extreme contrast. And yes, I would think that the results could be very interesting.
Second, the streets are active until quite late at night. Remember that the "dinner hour" in Rome starts around 2200 - so you will encounter throngs of people until well after midnight. That would force you to either use long exposures an hope that you don't have someone standing in one place too long, or else wait until the streets clear and hope that the lights remain on. Frankly, I'm not a night person, so I wouldn't really know what goes on past, say, 2300.
Third, you need to be very careful about pickpockets in Rome, and you are at relatively greater risk if you are standing rather than moving. Standing around waiting for a long 4x5 exposure might also expose you to some risk. Take along a friend whose job is to watch your back.
Fourth, there is a subset of the culture in Rome that does tend to congregate on the sidewalks late at night, especially along Via Veneto. They are easy to spot - young ladies wearing very high heels and very short skirts, and obviously selling something. They could be the subject of an interesting photo essay!
Its been awhile since I've visited Italy, but as I recall both cities were well lighted and beautiful.
Be careful in Rome---pickpockets and thieves are active, especially in tourist haunts. I wouldn't recommend shooting late at night while solo any more than I would in say, New York or downtown L.A.
I did walk through Venice late one night---I actually saw the dawn over the lagoon---and felt quite safe. Be aware that it's easy to get lost in Venice at night if you don't understand the unique way addresses relate to the Piazzo. My memory is sketchy about the details so ask the concierge at your hotel to explain it.
Have a great trip!
BTW, the cops in Italy don't seem to have much of a sense of humor when dealing with tourists!
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
I think you may have a hard time with large format set up in Venice. The alley ways are narrow and they are busy. I myself did not find Venice a very pleasant trip. However there is some one on this forum or photo.net from Italy that suggested another area that was less of a tourist trap and had nice ruins and architecture. I'll see if I can't find that message if you are open to change? I don't know how anyone could consider that place romantic. Maybe it's me and my taste?
Also if you are going to be there at night you want to make sure you have a place to stay overnight on the island or keep a very close eye on the last train out of there for the night. It was a busy one when I was there, and this was after there tourist season.
Dan
I was in Venice through christmas. Not a bussy time. With only a shoulder format but as I recall wishing I had brought along some thing larger. There were many empty streets, tight and narrow. Light is very low. If the water is up LF could pose a situation. I was totaly unmolested and felt quite safe. My wife was with me but still there was no one there. The main tourist spots were an other matter with easel artists dotted all about. The train station and nearby streets were an other matter.
There was a good response to this type of question in photonet. 28 may 2006 It high lighted the pros and cons of LF in europe.
There is a tight restriction on public lighting in Venice, and as a result it is extremely dark there after sunset. If possible, you might want to arrange to be there during a full moon.
Thanks for the replies. I was mainly interested in night photography rather than day photography in Venice since this trip will be at the height of the tourist season, and I assumed that nights will allow more tourist-free shots. Alas, I fear the difficulties of taking a tripod as a carry-on item, and the new moon and lack of public lighting, may defeat my ambitions of night photography. There are of course plenty of other quaint old Italian towns - Perugia or Assisi come to mind - but they'll have to wait for my following trip to Italy.
Last edited by cyrus; 12-Jun-2006 at 09:45.
[QUOTE=cyrus]plenty of other quaint old Italian towns - Perugia or Assisi come to mind - QUOTE]
Those are the towns I was trying to think of! Assisi & Perugia!
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