Private Venice Photography Tour
Join a professional photographer whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Easyjet Traveller and Ritz-Carlton’s magazine, and learn how to photograph Venice: the real city behind the postcard.
Venice Photo Tours are private, six-hour photography experiences in La Serenissima. They combine tuition and a photo walk through quiet campi, working canals and back lanes, as well as the classic views. We start early, before the day-trippers and water taxis, when Venice belongs to the people who live there. Every tour is tailored to you: your camera, your level and what you want to come home with.
What we photograph
Venice at first light: the Grand Canal and Rialto before the crowds, with gondolas under covers and mist over the lagoon towards San Giorgio Maggiore.
Reflections and water: canals as mirrors, rippled light on stone, and how to judge exposure and timing when the subject never stops moving.
Architecture: Gothic palazzi, bridges and church façades, plus how to handle the narrow lanes, deep shadows and bright skies Venice is famous for.
Street life: the city at work, with market traders, boatmen delivering to the canal-side doors and neighbours talking in Cannaregio and Castello, a long way from San Marco.
A typical day
We usually start at dawn, which is the best time of day in Venice:
Dawn: meet at Rialto for a briefing on your camera settings, then work the Grand Canal and Riva in the early light.
Morning: into Cannaregio or Castello for backstreets, small canals and street photography as the city wakes up.
Late morning: across to Dorsoduro and the Zattere for wide views over the Giudecca Canal, finishing with a coffee and a review of your images.
Prefer evening light, blue hour on the Grand Canal or a trip out to Burano? Tell me and I’ll design the day around it.
The details
Duration: about 6 hours.
Meeting point: Rialto Bridge, or your hotel if it’s within the historic centre. Let me know where you’re staying.
Group: private, just you and the people you bring, up to a maximum of six. No strangers.
Price: €1650 per couple, plus €50 for each additional guest. Children with adults go free.
Level: beginners to advanced. Any camera is fine, including phone, compact, mirrorless, DSLR or film.
Tripod: I can bring one for low-light work at no extra cost.
Booking: a minimum of two weeks’ notice, please.
Good to know
Footwear: Venice is all bridges and steps, so wear comfortable shoes and pack light.
Water buses: vaporetto fares aren’t included. Most of the day is on foot, but a trip to Burano or the islands means a ticket.
Bad weather: fog, rain and acqua alta give some of the best Venice photographs there are, so we’ll work with them. If the weather is exceptionally bad, we’ll reschedule or adapt the day.
Cancellation: cancel more than 28 days in advance and 50% may be refunded. Inside 28 days no refund can be given. I’ll always try to reschedule if your plans change.
Feedback: after the tour, send me a few of your images for a critique.
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