Hello everyone!!
Imagine this scenario:
You are going to Rome, but you are only staying for 2 days.
You will only have the opportunity to photograph 2 places with the blue hour, so how can you photograph all the other beautiful places with a boring blue sky without having to resort to photoshop and fake sky picture?
Also, any tip for a cool night sky after the blue hour?
I run into that dilemma a lot. In my experience, it's better to pick 1 shot for each blue hour and just own that composition and get one really good photo. If you try to take too many photos at one time you end up with a bunch of ok photos and none that really stand out. My first time in Rome was very much the same as yours. I walked away with some decent shots, but none that I was happy with. My second time I just committed to a location for each sunrise and sunset and ended up with some great images. If you want to pull off some good day shots, go inside one of the many historic buildings. If it's sunny, you can get some great comps with light beams coming in windows. St Peter's Basilica is great for this.
If you're there for 2 days, make sure to get up early and stay up late. That way you're getting 2 blue hours per day. There are so many good options to choose from, but the coloseum is best for sunrise as there are less tourists early in the morning. Foro Romano is good at both times of day. Near the vatican has many good comp options.
I don't shoot much after blue hour in a city since the city lights wash out the sky. Plus I usually head to bed so I can get up early for sunrise.
Thanks!!
Also, do you think that a 24-120mm FX lens is a good choice for cityscape photography in Rome?
Yes, that should be fine for most everything there. If you are planning to shoot interiors you may want something a little wider, but for the exteriors most of the iconic scenes are best shot from a distance that would easily get captured by the 24-120 focal length. Have fun, it's an awesome place to shoot!
Great, thanks!!!
Also, congrats on your shots! They are beautiful!!