Looking to capture the magic of Venice through your lens? This Venice Travel Photography Guide—presented by professional photographer and Tamron Ambassador Dalton Johnson—offers expert tips, must-visit photo locations, and practical advice for making the most of your time in Italy’s Floating City.
With years of experience photographing landscapes and cultures around the world, Dalton shares his personal approach to scouting, shooting, and storytelling so you can return home with iconic images as unforgettable as your journey.
By Guest Contributor Dalton Johnson
What You’ll Learn In This Article:
- The best photography spots in Venice, from sunrise on Ponte dell’Accademia to night shots along hidden canals.
- How to plan your photo walks around Venice for different times of day (dawn, blue hour, golden hour, and night).
- Essential gear and lenses for Venice photography including wide vs. telephoto choices.
- Tips on capturing Venice’s atmosphere—gondolas, canals, architecture, and candid street moments.
- A sample photo itinerary for 2–3 days in Venice that balances sightseeing and photography.
Arriving in Venice: First Impressions Through a Photographer’s Eyes
The train slowed into the Venezia S. Lucia station blanketed in golden light. We had finally reached Venice. Our last stop on a month-long trans-Italy train adventure, with Rail Europe, timed just a few weeks before the summer tourism rush. As the train came into the station I grabbed my camera, mounted with the Tamron 17-28 F2.8, riding in the seat next to me and shouldered my oversized backpacking pack that doubled as my closet, camera bag, and dirty clothes hamper for this trip.
With three days, two nights, in The Floating City, I can’t begin to explain the overwhelming excitement I had as my feet patted across the concrete station floor in hopes of seeing my first glimpse of the Venice canals.
Golden Hour Arrival in Venice
Our arrival time was perfect: dusk. Not long for a first photography outing considering we didn’t even know where our hostel was located—but I planned to stay out all night to walk the city and photograph Venice at night.
Sunset Light Along the Canals
While searching for our hostel, the quote, “You can only experience something for the first time once, so take it all in now,” rattled around between my ears as Kristin and I traversed all of Venice on foot. Turns out, our stay was on the opposite side of the city as the train station, but we were rewarded along our walk: the Venice canals glowed orange in the sunset light. That glow, combined with the excitement of a first arrival, gave me my earliest photography impressions of the city.
Pro Tip: Golden hour in Venice happens fast—scout locations during the day so you know where to set up when the light drops.
Venice At Night
Checked-in and relieved of my backpack, Kristin and I headed out into the confusing streets of Venice under the night sky with three objectives:
- Find a bite to eat.
- Scout the canals and bridges of Venice for sunrise photography options.
- Capture some night photography of the Venice canals.
In my travel camera bag I packed:
- The Tamron 28-200mm, my go-to travel photography lens. I love this lens since it is lightweight, has a fast aperture at the wide end, and focus close for detail images such as food.
- My phone with the PhotoPills app so that I could see where the sun would rise in relation to the photographs I visualized.
Pro Tip: Venice at night is best captured with reflective light off the canals. Use walls, lamps, and bridges to frame compositions.
The Best Venice Photography Spots I Scouted
- Ponte di Rialto: Felt it would be too crowded and hidden at sunrise
- Ponte della Costituzione: Decided this would be best for sunset
- Piazza San Marco: Stunning, but hidden for sunrise, better late morning or early afternoon
- Fondamenta Zattere Ai Gesuati: This could be an amazing sunrise spot, but didn’t find any compositions worth returning for in the morning
- Ponte dell’Accademia: Decided this would be the best sunrise spot
The night’s wander was well worth the endeavor as our bellies were filled with Italian food worth writing home to Mom about and ideas turning in my head, over and over again.
Pro Tip: Visit top bridges twice—once to scout, once to shoot. Venice’s lighting changes dramatically between morning and evening.
Sunrise Photography Along The Grand Canal
My alarm went off at 4:00 am and I could hear the grumbling of my hostel roommates at the noise. While feeling guilty, I quickly collected my camera gear and set out on my morning photography mission solo.
Retracing my footsteps from the night before, I walked around an uninhabited Venice. At this hour, nobody was awake, the stores were closed, and the canals of the floating city were empty. It was as though I had the whole city to myself, but that would not last for long.
Blue Hour on the Water
Looking at my watch, I had enough to make a quick detour. So, I took an early left to the water’s edge. Filled with empty gondolas, blue hour had arrived. Pulling out my camera set up for the morning, the Tamron 17-28mm lens attached to a Sony a7r4, I slow my shutter speed down, to let in more light and flatten the water of Venice’s Grand Canal, between 1/4 and 1/6 of a second.
Pro Tip: Use a slow shutter to smooth out gondola ripples and reflections but brace your camera against a wall or bridge if you don’t have a tripod.
Street Photography in Low Light
Areas and images like this have always captivated my body of work because it shows people exist without having to showcase people. For me, images of people’s presence showcase who we are as humankind and what we are capable of doing. Also, the low light and deep blues where the only glowing yellow is artificial light makes for pleasant contrasting colors. This is what I am looking for when creating street photography in Venice.
4 Tips to Capture Iconic Dawn Photographs of the Basilica Santa Maria della Salute
- Use Telephoto Compression: Around 100mm on the Tamron 28-200mm provided great compression is ideal for framing the basilica from Ponte dell’Accademia.
- Arrive Early: Photographers gather before 5:00 a.m.—get there early to claim your spot.
- Tripod Optional: Handheld is possible if you increase ISO. Tripods can limit your mobility.
- Shoot Before Sunrise: The orange dawn light is often better than the sun itself.
Pro Tip: Raise ISO confidently—modern sensors minimize noise, and it’s better to capture sharp images than risk blur.
A Full Day Photo Walking Tour In Venice
Happy with my images from the morning, I returned to the hostel with warm cups of coffee for us. We sat around, waiting for a little while as there was only one restroom for eight people. During this time, I reviewed where I wanted to go around Venice during our walking tour.
For the most part, this trip was a collaboration between Kristin and I on what to do and what to see, so I would present my list, and she would present hers. We would see what overlapped and what didn’t. Then, pick and choose. I’m not sure if this is the easiest way to plan trips together, but it works for us.
Our Venice Photo Checklist
Here’s what ended up on our check list for a full day of walking and photographing in Venice in no particular order:
- Find the best croissants to eat by the canals
- Create a memorable image of the gondola rides, ideally a tower or clock in background
- Sip coffee while sitting outside at a cute cafe
- Visit the Piazza San Marco and dance together if there is live music
- Eat an entire pizza while sitting on a bench
- Create a few night time images of the canals
With the list created and everyone showered, we set off on our epic walking tour around Venice, Italy. My camera slung over my shoulder, ready for any of the decisive moments to come into play, I snapped image after image. Swapping lenses as we went along to challenge my creative muscles. The question often came to mind, “How do you photograph Venice?” The answer, be present.
Pro Tip: Alternate wide and telephoto lenses, or use an all-in-one zoom, during your walk—wide angles tell the story of Venice’s scale, while telephotos pick out architectural details and candid moments.
Embracing Venice’s Unscripted Moments
While I had several plans for photographs in Venice, the images which brought me the most joy to create were those that came from a random canal, a sudden water taxi cruising by, or a pocket of unexpected light between the tight buildings of the floating city.
The smells and humidity of Venice are not captured in the images but by leaving myself open to those special moments that Venice has to offer, instead of forcing some kind of expectation to occur, I filled my archive with images of Venice I am proud to share.
A Final Sunrise Before Leaving
One final early morning and then the long walk to catch a bus to the airport, so Kristin and I could return home after a month away on our trans-Italian train project, thanks to Rail Europe. While I still can’t put my finger on it, I wanted to visit Fondamenta Zattere Ai Gesuati for sunrise. This area intrigued me the first time I saw it, but there really was not a composition worth snapping. Just a wide open space in a cramped floating city. I did my best to convince Kristin to come with me, but she wanted to sleep before our long travel day, so I went alone and brought my journal.
Pro Tip: For Venice, carry at least one wide-angle and one versatile zoom. The city’s tight alleys and expansive canals demand flexibility.
Arriving pre-dawn, I found a place to sit and write. No shops were open yet, so my caffeine addiction wasn’t satisfied, but I enjoyed watching boats pass, the not-easily-found quiet, and the golden glow I first saw when arriving in Venice just two days before, saturating the buildings across the water.
I jotted a few notes into my journal and looked back at the entries from the last few days landing on one specific line: “It is true, what they say, you can only see a place for the first time, once.” and I would say my first visit to Venice captured my creative heart.
Ready to Photograph Venice? Equip Yourself with the Right Lenses
Your Venice travel photography journey is shaped by light, perspective, and the lenses you choose. Dalton Johnson relied on Tamron’s 17-28mm F/2.8 and 28-200mm F/2.8-5.6 all-in-one travel zoom to capture both cityscapes and detailed architectural frames.
Ready for your next travel zoom? Learn about Tamron lenses at an authorized Tamron dealer near you or visit the TAMRON Store.
About Dalton Johnson
Dalton Johnson is a commercial and documentary photographer/videographer who specializes in authentic content that tells a story. While most of Dalton’s portfolio comes from hard to reach places in the mountains and the ocean, he is no stranger to creating content that connects with the average Joe. Notching over 100 campaigns in his belt, for clients like Ford, Men’s Journal, B.F. Goodrich, Surfline, Patagonia, and many more, Dalton’s vast body of work has one thing in common, authenticity. Website | Instagram
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