The City of Venezia remains for me an incredible inspirational and fascinating photography location. The beauty of the houses and the canals keep impressing, even though I am originally from Amsterdam so well known to city canals.

Would you like a secret tip to reveal the beauty of Venice before the Tourist do? Start your tour at 05:00am in the morning, or earlier depending on sunrise. The light is beautiful and the city is virtually empty. I have been to the famous (and usually overcrowded) San Marco square alone. Another advantage is that no boats or gondola’s are passing through the canals, leaving the water totally stagnant. This creates the most beautiful reflections in the water of the Venezian houses in combination with the canals.

So early in the morning gives another opportunity for the real street photography if you are interested in people: From 05:00am onwards the local people who have to join their job (from police officers to security staff to the city cleaners) are taking their morning Espresso with some pastry for an early breakfast. Speaking about coffee, the Caffè Florian started at 1720 and is the oldest coffee house in town with an interior to match.

And so early is another opportunity to see the Gondola drivers clean their boats and get ready for another day sailing tourists around. But at 05:00 you are not a tourist nor a stranger: the city is welcoming you in its wake up.

The city this early in the morning is simply stunning and an architectural masterpiece. It does not matter where you visit or which of the 400 bridges you will cross. Most likely you will get lost, but here it does not matter as a new surprise and marvel is waiting at every corner. Finding an address is tough anyway: the streets are numbered and are difficult to find the logic for an outsider. Following any maps application on your phone can be challenging as well as in the narrow and high streets you will not find cellular coverage. Take your Marco Polo spirit and discover the streets.

Venice has many festivities on the calendar that might interest any photographer interested in art and culture. The Carnival in Venice is of course world famous for its elaborate costumes and masks. This tradition dates back centuries, to the Middle Ages, when masks were used for anonymity in social interactions, including illicit activities. Some masks became symbols with specific meanings and there are many shops that are selling the masks.

About Steven Kruit

Steven Kruit is a Dutch photographer with a passion for reportage, fashion and travel photography with a special interest for India and Bangladesh. He works as an expat in that region and has extensively traveled in the area. Being posted in that region also gives him the opportunity to make a small weekend trip, in case there are any festivals or other celebrations. He has a vast interest in the lives of the people and always tries to portray them in their power.