tita1948 Loc: North Idaho

Please any suggestions for night time photography in Rome? Where to be, best time with the least people? I would like to get a good night time photos of the Colosseum, the Pantheon Trevi Fountain and dome at St. Peters.

Thanks for your help.

birdpix Loc: South East Pennsylvania

I was in Rome recently and found that early morning, before sunrise, is a great time to be alone. I was able to shoot the Spanish Steps with no one on them. I was even able to set my tripod up in the middle of the street at the bottom without a car even coming past.

If you have a clear morning, the Dome of St Peters is high enough that it is lit by the rising sun before everything else. It's sort of like Alpenglow. A nice view of it can be had from the Pont Sant'Angelo. Also, St Peters Square is usually empty at that time of day.

Even late night, especially during tourist season, Rome is very crowded. The Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona and the Trevi fountain are usually mobbed. The area in front of the Pantheon less so. I didn't get a chance to see the Colliseum at night but I don't think that would be a big problem.

Good luck and be careful out there!

http://edsbirds.smugmug.com/photos/i-4ZfDd9q/0/O/i-4ZfDd9q.jpg

Michael O' Loc: Midwest right now

Tita, sounds like a great trip. Don't forget the catacombs, entrance available out toward the outer city limits. Unfortunately, everywhere in Roma it seems to be crowded, and not just with touristis. But that is the reality of Rome, and your photos will
show it ! Enjoy ! And show us some shots when you get back !

Michael O' Loc: Midwest right now

davefales Loc: Virginia

We visited Rome over a weekend in June 2004. We stayed at a hotel three blocks from the Trevi which we had seen many years earlier. (We had thrown our lira (not Euros) over our shoulder then to assure a return trip.) Saturday and Sunday nights the Trevi was mobbed (I was not attempting photography), so we tried again early Monday morning.

As we approached, we could not hear the water flowing. We came around a blind corner to find the fountain emptied for cleaning. A workman with a really heavy-duty vacuum was sucking up all the coins off the bottom of the fountain. In retrospect, I wish I'd had a good camera then.

I tell the story because it would be a great photo op if you can fit it in your schedule. Have a great trip to one of the truly wondrous cities.

tita1948 Loc: North Idaho

Thank you everybody for your advice. Looks like I'm getting up early

Arca

Tita 1948,

I certainly hope you have a great time in Roma during your upcoming trip. It is a phenomenal place for photography, art, architecture and landscapes, not to mention vino, panne, pasta, prosciutto and vitello (veal). My taste buds are yearning right now as I write this.

I use large format (4" by 5") film cameras. One of my favorite images is that of the colliseo at night. In December, 2000 when I was last there, the colliseo was not illuminated on the outside, only some lights from the inside. Only street lights were minimally illuminating the structure. Using Velvia ISO 50 film, my exposure at f8 was 4'25" which took into account reciprocity failure of the film at such long exposures. There are grassy areas and sidewalks surrounding the structure and you can set up your tripod partially on the sidewalk and grass, over a railing so as to minimize your presence. Also at that time, the street lights were the pink-hued sodium vapor lights. Thus, unless you want your objects to appear green, use an FL-D filter (florescent to daylight filter). That is my best single instruction for film. If you have a digital camera, be sure you use the appropriate setting to correct for that type of light. My lens was a Rodenstock 90 mm F4.5. 90 mm in large format (4" by 5") is roughly equivalent to a 28 mm lens in 35 mm format. The entire colliseo is clearly in the picture. The longer exposure also avoided the presence of any human beings, as none would be in the picture for that length of time.

If you have the lung power and leg power, be sure to climb to the top of St. Peter's cupola. The view of Roma from that vantage point is breathtaking, in more than one way. There are no elevators to the top.

About 1/2 hour by commuter train to the west of Roma is the ancient town of Ostia Antica. This can be found in all of the guide books. It is never crowded and requires considerable walking so bring comfortable shoes. It is a fascinating and peaceful place, even if you are not into history or archeology. But it is interesting to know what was going on in Italy prior to ancient Roma. You will also need water and 'Balance Bars' or the equivalent. There are (or at least were) no restaurants in the ancient city. There was no restaurant anywhere nearby either. Or you could simply save your appetite until you get back into Roma again and visit one of their 'Cucina Toscana' which is 'Tuscan Kitchen'. This is shorthand for "fabulous Italian meal." Or you could plan a picnic with vino and sandwiches made at a butcher shop prior to leaving Roma. They have some of the best crustiest breads and rolls I have ever had in my life!!! I recall my favorite type is called the 'Rosette'.

'Trevi Fountain' is named after 'Three Streets' or 'tre via'. The street that seems to go straight into the fountain is short, about 1/2 mile or so. At the other end of that street is the famous 'Victor Emmanuel Monument' the king or head honcho that united Italy in the 1800's. It is the basis for 'Wedding Cakes' and is glorious to look at. You have to shoot through openings in the wrought iron fence, but the openings are a few inches wide and you should have no trouble getting a very good shot. This monument is also illuminated at night (at least it used to be).

If you don't mind, I will tell you my favorite Italian entrée. It is called 'vitello saltimbocca a la Romana'. It is thinly sliced and pounded veal, flash sautéed, with slices of Parma prosciutto and sage. The flavors are fabulous. The word 'saltimbocca' comes from the Latin 'saltare' which means 'to dance' and 'bocca' means 'the mouth.' Thus, 'saltimbocca' means 'to dance in the mouth'. Dare I suggest a wine? A 'barolo' such as produced by 'Pio Cesare' or an 'amarone' made by any of a multitude of vintners west of Venice, near Verona.

I am now really getting thirsty and hungry. In closing, I would be willing to schlep your tripod around in exchange for air fare. (If only my wife would let me go.) I am certain you will have a great time.

Arca

Arca

Tita 1948,

Arca again. In re-reading your entry, I forgot to mention the Pantheon. From the outside, it is difficult to get a straight shot of it, as it is surrounded by other buildings other than for a piazza in front of it. But, that piazza is usually crowded with people and vendor stands. That adds to the culture and beauty in a manner of speaking, but does detract from the architectural purity of the structure. The interior of that structure is amazing, with the circular domed ceiling lasting about 2,000 years. There is a circular hole in the ceiling and somehow the pigeons have not used it for target practice below, if you know what I mean. Flash photography was allowed, but I don't think tripods were allowed indoors. The only way to get the entire picture would be to lie down on your back shooting upwards through the hole in the ceiling.

Back outside for the exterior at night, you will probably have those pesky pink-hued sodium vapor lights to contend with. Use the FL-D filter or the proper available setting on your digital camera to avoid turning things green. You can not lighten the entire structure with a built in flash. Perhaps you can not illuminate the entire structure with an external flash. You could however use flash painting or a VERY powerful flashlight and paint the building with the light sources. If you have not done this before, practice before you go there.

Briefly, painting with light requires that you leave the shutter open while you walk around the areas that you want to be illuminated. While you are walking in front of the building, be mindful of keeping yourself out of the view of the lens and periodically flash the flash attachment so as to get the columns and other architectural features you are after.

Good luck with this location, as it is surrounded by other structures and it can not be separated to be by itself. The top of the dome as I recall is not illuminated from the outside, so it can be lost in the night sky.

Arca

PhotoGenesis131 Loc: Michigan

Loved Rome. I found by using my telephoto from a distance I could get shots without people. The one shot you don't want to miss is a photo of the pizza sold all over place, just before you eat it. The pizza photos are just plain better in Rome. Especially the crust. They sell it by weight and is also usually square.

mutrock

Everywhere you suggest is good. All are well lit. All are stunning. Trevi Fountain is especially great at night, but lots of crowds too.

tita1948 Loc: North Idaho

Wow thank you so much.

tita1948 Loc: North Idaho

That's funny :D 100 years ago I lived in N.Y.C. and all our pizzas were square. I thought they always came that way.

tita1948 Loc: North Idaho

I have received so many great ideas and I thank all of you who took the time to offer your ideas and advice.

How can I keep this topic open so that I can come back to it later and take better notes. I don't want to loose this. Do I bookmark this or set up a folder or what? Sorry I haven't done this before so I need details.

Thanks again :)

Arca

Tita 1948,

About one month ago, there was a thread which ran openly for several days, and it was just "THERE" and about 100 or more comments were listed. It dealt with a Ohio lady who happened upon a gentleman with a large format camera, I believe it was a 5 by 7 if memory serves me correctly. So many people were fascinated by this entry and subsequent comments, that people were simply getting reminder messages from the 'Forum' and comment again.

I guess if you keep a running commentary with this entry, it will keep itself going for a while, until people lose interest and have run out of ideas. At least, that is how I recall how it happened about one month ago.

Arca

tita1948 Loc: North Idaho

Thanks I will hope that works. So many people gaves me such great suggestions that I don't want to loos them.

Thanks