Venice Italy Photography Tips

Venice, Italy is a photographer's dream. It's a city of breathtaking bridges and canals, dozens of spectacular churches, charming narrow alleys to explore and remarkable scenery to shoot. Capturing its unique magic goes beyond the simple point and shoot photography that the typical tourist undertakes.

To capture the best images  a little strategic planning and insider knowledge can transform your snapshots into stunning works of art. Get ready to elevate your Venetian photography game!

Capturing some of the scenes in Venice without including the throngs of people getting in your way and ruining your shot can be challenging. Patience and smart timing will help. In the photo above of the Doge Palace and St. Marks Basilica above I waited patiently for the courtyard to empty out.

Venice Italy is best know for it's many, many canals. Remember to try both horizontal and vertical compositions of your subject. Both of the Venice canal photos below worked better using a vertical (portrait) orientation.

10 Best Things To Photograph In Venice

There are literally thousands of great photo ops in Venice, but you can't get them all unless you stay for a year or more. If you're like me-I only had 1 day-you have limited time to shoot photos.

1. ST. MARK'S SQUARE

Known as Piazza San Marco, it's the heart of Venice, Italy. The architecture, both inside and outside, is fascinating to look at and fun to photograph.

---

2. RIALTO BRIDGE

There are plenty of picturesque bridges to photograph throughout Venice, but he Rialto bridge seems to have the biggest demand to photograph. The bridge spans the Grand Canal in the middle of Venice.

Perhaps it's a popular hot spot for photography because its size and the surrounding beauty. You can shoot from the bridge or shoot photos of the bridge itself. It's a great location for shooting at sunset when the light can be stunning.    

The image above has great depth. The gondola in the foreground leads your eye to the next gondola, and then to the main subject, the famous Rialto Bridge in the background. Be prepared for crowds at the Rialto Bridge if you visit during prime hours. There are dozens of bridges to photograph, each with their own features for capturing a great image.

3. GONDOLAS

Other than traditional walking or bicycling,  moving around Venice in a gondola is the most intriguing for several reasons. Being on the water gives you a totally different experience than walking and you get a unique perspective of Venice from water level. No trip to Venice  should miss out on taking a few photos of gondolas. They're everywhere! They're everywhere! 

4. SCALA CONTARINI DEL BOVOLO

Located in the southern middle of Venice, it's not easy to get to, but it's worth the trip. It's located in the San Marco district, near Campo Manin. 

You'll need to have an ultra wide angle lens if you want to photograph the famous spiral staircase inside, but the view of Venice from the top is breathtaking. It's an architectural gem and you can only wonder how it was built. 

5. SAN GIORGIO MAGGIORE ISLAND

San Giorgio Maggiore Island is the island shown in the first photo in this article. Take a trip onto the Island of San Girogio, climb the bell tower and you'll see a striking view of St. Mark's Square, Doge Palace, and the bell tower.

6. CHURCH OF THE PIETA

The Church of Santa Maria della Visitazione, also known as the Church of the Pietà

7. THE ALLEYS

One of the hidden gems to photograph is the many alleys that are everywhere in Venice. Wander intentionally and step away from the main tourist routes.

---

8. BORANO ISLAND

The photo below says it all.

A short ferry ride from Venice, Burano is famous for its vibrantly colored houses. Every street and canal corner is a photo opportunity, offering a striking contrast to the more muted tones of central Venice. Make sure to take both wide angle views as well as zoomed in detail photos.

9. PALOZZO TETTA

This unique architectural building is surrounded by water on three sides.  It's often overlooked by tourists and it makes a great subject to photograph. The unusual position makes for an interesting photo.

10. BASILICA di SANTA MARIA della SALUTE

The Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute make a spectacular subject. The key is getting to the best vantage point. It located at the entrance to the Grand Canal on Venice Island.

Make sure you have an ultra wide lens if you're going to photograph it up close. The best view is from across the Grand Canal.

Use the interactive map (courtesy of Google Maps) below to zoom in on the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute. Click on "View larger map" to see the full-sized map with the ability to zoom in and out and change perspective. 

---

Best Camera Gear To Photograph Vienna

---

DISCLAIMER: These recommended tips about photo hot spots in Venice is abridged. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of subjects worth photographing. My list of the best 10 subjects to photograph in Venice is a combination of my own human thoughts gathered during my visit and artificial intelligence searching the web. 

The important thing is to book your trip to Venice with ample time to hit your targeted subjects AND enough time for simple wandering around and clicking.

---

The photo above was taken on the steps of the Church of Santa Maria della Pieta. I was fortunate enough to accompany the very talented Delaware Women's Chorus on their singing tour in Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia.

Closing thoughts

Every one of these photos that I shot in this post I used a full frame camera (Canon R6 Mark II) and a wide-to-tele zoom (24-105mm f/4.0). Although it's a great versatile travel lens, I'll never go on a trip like this without a wider lens too. You see, it was part of an experiment I wanted to do with using just one lens for the entire trip, which included Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia. See my current travel photography gear list.

Second takeaway: I'll never try to photograph Venice in one day again. With this excursion I was a part of a group of 50 people. We had a tight schedule, traveling to three countries in less than a week. Venice has way too many photo ops to attempt to capture its unique charm in such a short time.

---

---

---

---

---