Off to explore&photograph Rome! Any suggestions?

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Pete
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Hi guys, I'm heading out to Rome next week and after seeing a few people on here that have visited, I wondered if any of you had any tips or suggestions.. for instance on locations to shoot besides the obvious big ones! and also, I wondered if any places didnt allow you to set up tripods? or wouldnt allow photography all together? vatican etc?

Any tips or comments would be welcome!
Cheers,

Pete
 
Hi try the collesum at night,I stood across the road outside the tube station,it is far better and if you go into the pantheon there is a vaulted ceiling which is stunning, the Vatican is fine for photos outside but the guards will not pose for pictures and if you have read the davinci code the castle a great view. One word of caution,there are loads of black-market sellers in these sites and they can hassle and keep everything away on the tube,I have seen the pickpocket in action and managed to get in the way! Are you of to Pompeii ?
 
I don't know about the the Basilica itself because I didn't get a chance to go in there (I went on a Wednesday, same day as the Popes address), but it's fine to take photos inside most parts of the Vatican museum. Inside the Sistine chapel, they tell you to put the camera away pretty much as soon as they see it.
To be honest the camera will probably never leave your hand. Rome is such a photogenic city. One of my favorite places to explore with the camera was the baths of Caracalla


RomePC-38 by Leokull31, on Flickr


RomePC-41 by Leokull31, on Flickr


RomePC-37 by Leokull31, on Flickr
 
Just rome around a bit...plenty to see.
 
As above. Italy is pretty relaxed about photography and there are no restrictions in the Vatican Museums - apart from the Sistine Chapel - St Peter's Basilica or any other churches I've visited either. No entry fees for churches, unlike the UK.

Rome is hilly, and a lot of the side streets in the older parts of the city are cobbled. You'll probably do a lot of walking, and I suggest taking comfortable shoes. A decent wide angle lens is very useful too, but you'll be fine with something starting around 17mm in most places.

The queues for the Colosseum can be challenging. It's much easier to buy a ticket for the Palatine Hill at the office across the road, and this allows entry to the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and the Forum without having to stand in line. The queues for the Vatican Museums can also be horrific. Book in advance - online - or take a guided tour and let them sort out the tickets.

Ostia Antica - the old port of Rome - is quite close and easy to get to. It's quite well preserved and is well worth visiting. Not too well known, so it doesn't get very crowded. Pompeii and Herculaneum are about 2.5 hours journey by intercity and local trains. Herculaneum is smaller, better preserved and more manageable, and doesn't get as busy. I wouldn't try to see both in one day - it's just about possible - but you'll have to rush and you won't get the most out of it.

Termini is the main railway station and metro (underground) exchange, and you can get buses and taxis outside it. It's fine during the day, but can be a bit dodgy later at night. I've never had any problems though. If you want a taxi, take an official one at the rank in front of the terminus, avoid the drivers touting for business at the side - they can be a rip off. The metro is handy if there's a station where you want to go, but there are only two lines which intersect at Termini, and there are no cross connections between the stations. Buses are good, if you get a map.
 
I'd definitely go for the Palatine Hill and the Forum but also would advise you to just wander around the streets and squares with maybe the odd bar thrown in to review your images. But most of all to just enjoy one of the worlds most beautiful cities.
 
I've just come back from Rome! I would suggest you get the usual photos of the tourist sites, the ones your family expect to see! But once you've got those, go and walk around the streets and alleyways.

Find markets, locals and bars! They're far more interesting to shoot!

Look for modern architecture as well as old as Rome is a booming modern city as well as an historic one!

Never try and get the whole ruin in one shot, it's far better to zoom in postage stamp size and get the shot of an ancient roman scratching his name in the marble!

Don't shoot the coliseum at night, you just end up with immigrants selling tripods and flashlights in your shot! It's better to go in the day and shoot the tourists instead as there are hundreds and hundreds of them!

If you want some great architectural shots of the coliseum, take plenty of heavy ND filters and shoot long exposures in the day, that way all the tourists fade like ghosts and you won't be disappointed!


Most of all, enjoy it as Rome never lets you down with shots.

Oh, really really really really important. Tape your lens to your camera if you have a DSLR as the immigrants there are very, very, very good at spotting an expensive lens and they wont bother swiping your camera or bag, they go straight for your release button and swipe your lens. I saw it happen twice in one week!
 
Thanks very much to everyone for such informative and usefull replies!!

Ive heard a bit about the pickpockets and will be walking with a locked bag.. had no idea people were resorting to stealing lenses off cameras.. jees.. fortunately my kit is basic but i will be doing what i can to keep it safe! Still unsure if im going to take my tripod with me.


I have 6 days in Rome and at the moment have just planned to stay within rome itself.. though given what people are saying.. i may take a train out to pompeii if i can get there, see the main sights and get back within a day!?



Thanks very much for the details around buying tickets for the museums etc... would any of you any specific ticket bundles to get the best deal? like the Roma pass?
(sorry i know this isnt strictly a photography related question....)


Thanks again guys, cracking response!
Pete
 
Rome for me is about roaming the old town and taking in the atmosphere. It's brilliant for street photography and gems on every corner. The trevi fountain and sitting on the Spanish steps provides excellent candid opportunities.

I found the Colosseum a bit of a disappointment, full of tourists and restrictions on where you can go, but the other ruins are pretty decent.

Enjoy, one of my favourite cities :)
 
I agree with all of what MartynK said. (y)

I went to Rome last July, and am hopefully going again this July. I went to Ostia Antica too and found it a fascinating place, though I didn't get many good pics. :shrug: It was bigger than I thought it was though, and it's very easy to get to. :)

I always buy a Travel Pass wherever I go abroad. Rome can be walked, but if you end up far from where you're staying at the end of the day, getting a bus back is very handy. ;) The buses only tend to get really packed at rush hour, but are very regular. I didn't use the metro that often, and at rush hour it is extremely busy.

If you want to go to St Peter's Basilica, get there early in the morning. I went about 8.30ish, and went straight in. After a look around I got the lift up to the base of the Cupola (dome), an extra 1€ but worth it. ;) The climb up the Cupola is harder than you would think, but worth it to see the inside of the cupola close up, and for the 360 degree views of the city from the top. I wish I'd videoed the accent up the dome, as the walls get very 'fun fair(y)' as the walls of the dome start to curve near the top. ;) :LOL: Got a video coming down, but going up would have been better. When I came out at about 10.30am, the queue was a 360 degree loop of the square. :eek:

I also went to EUR to see the 'Square Colosseum', the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana. And also to see the Museo della Civiltà Romana (the Museum of the Roman Civilization). There is a huge model of Ancient Rome in the museum to 1/250th scale and also a complete cast of Trajan's Column which was just amazing. If going to the Museum though, check first for opening times, as they have some funny opening times, shutting quite early.

vp_studio said:
Don't shoot the coliseum at night, you just end up with immigrants selling tripods and flashlights in your shot! It's better to go in the day and shoot the tourists instead as there are hundreds and hundreds of them!
Click to expand...

I don't agree with not getting pics of the Colosseum at night, you can get some very nice images with the traffic passing by. There is a little raised platform facing the Colosseum beside the Forum which is a very good vantage point.

There's one of the Colosseum in this thread of my visit to Rome last year. This picture was taken on the Metro Station facing the Colosseum.

vp_studio said:
If you want some great architectural shots of the coliseum, take plenty of heavy ND filters and shoot long exposures in the day, that way all the tourists fade like ghosts and you won't be disappointed!
Click to expand...

I'm going to try this in and around the Pantheon. It's my favourite building in Rome, and somewhere I like to visit a few times during my stay to try and get 'the' picture. ;)
 
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