The Photographer's Guide to Cityscape: Gondolas in Venice

For a change, a picture that brings me back to Venice, my hometown. It has been a while since I had the opportunity to take some photographs of its beauty and I'm starting to look forward to visiting it again next spring.

If you happen to be in Venice with your camera, you'll be surely taking pictures of St. Mark's square. It is difficult to be original, but giving it a try is always worth it, and most of the times it is also good fun.

To get "my personal" shot of a much photographed scene here I went for a portrait format image and a wide angle lens. The wide angle lens made the church and bell tower in the back ground look even smaller and more distant than what they actually are, but at the same time it allowed to bring into the scene other elements close to me, like the eroded steps in the foreground, adding an extra layer to the composition and more depth to the image.

Location: St. Mark's square, Venice, Italy.

What to shoot: Plenty of choice, from the gondolas on the lagoon side to the Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale), the lively street life of St. Mark's Square and the Old Procuracies, or the still beauty of the Bridge of Sighs.

Ideal time to shoot: Sunrise and night.

Gear: Wide angles to Standard zooms.

Coordinates: 45.433292, 12.339987