The stunning city of Prague
A gorgeous view over the equally stunning gorgeous city of Prague…
There are few cities more beautiful than Prague - perhaps none. Sure, Paris is gorgeous, but that’s probably the only other city that even comes close to matching Prague’s beauty. This is a famous view in Prague, looking over Tyn’s Church from the top of their city hall. It’s just such an amazing sight to behold!
A great view in Prague
A stunning view over the equally stunning city of Prague…
Prague is just a gorgeous city - I think it rivals Paris as possibly the most beautiful city I have visited. So much amazing architecture, street scenes and more. This photo was taken from atop their City Hall building (also known for it’s astronomical clock). You buy a ticket, ride the elevator, and then walk out onto the area around the tower - giving you the ability to view the city from all sides. But this view is the most popular, and you can see why in the photograph. That gorgeous church sits there down below, just looking stunning and photo-ready. I went up there twice in the 5 days I spent in Prague. I would love to return and shoot it again, even though I have a lot of photos from this spot already. Such an excellent view!
Sunrise in Prague
Sunrise in Prague found me on the Charles Bridge, where I was nearly alone…
Prague is a gorgeous city, and the Charles Bridge is the best place to be at sunrise!
There is just so much to see and shoot in Prague. I could spend a few weeks there just wandering around and having a great time. I have even thought about doing a workshop there sometime in the future - I think that would be a lot of fun.
When I was there last year, I got up super freaking early one morning (4:30am I think) so that I could get out to the Charles Bridge for sunrise. It’s really the only time you will get to enjoy that spot in relative solitude. It’s incredibly packed during the daytime, and still pretty busy into the night. At sunrise, all the sane folks are asleep. :-)
I also did a video about creating this image. I went through a LOT of indecision on this one, unable to really pick a direction with my editing and stick with it. If you want to check that one out you can see it below:
Looking out over Prague
Amazing views over the gorgeous city of Prague, taken from atop their Old Town Hall...
Commanding views over the gorgeous city of Prague!
When we were in Prague, I was pretty much firing shots all day. I literally had the camera out all the time because I find the city just so gorgeous and interesting. But one place that really had me jazzed was when we went to the top of their Old Town Hall building. There is an elevator to the top, which is nice considering the height, and the views are just amazing.
The most popular view there is looking out over Tyn's Church with the twin spires. It's incredible, and I took many photos of that view. But I also enjoyed wandering around the top of the tower and taking shots from the other sides. The views just go for miles across the rooftops of Prague. It was a lot of fun and I definitely recommend going up there if you visit Prague.
Looking for a list of the best places to take photos in Prague? Click right here!
The rooftops of Prague
A collection of 4 photos over the rooftops of Prague, some tips on where to shoot there and more!
So many great views in Prague!
Prague may be one of the prettiest cities I have ever seen. It's certainly in the top 2 or 3 (I have a soft spot for Paris!). The city really is gorgeous, and I love that there are multiple spots where you can climb up and get an aerial view over the rooftops. You can't do that very easily in a lot of cities. You don't even have to be sneaky about trying to get these views. No breaking in necessary. They just come with the territory.
For example, a couple of these are views from the towers on either end of the Charles Bridge. From them you can see rooftops in three directions and the amazing bridge in the other. Another one of these views is from the top of the Old Town Hall building, which is right in the middle of their Old Town Square. You can even take an elevator to the top, and then you can literally see for miles. You can see St Vitus Cathedral in the distance, and a multitude of things much closer. That might be the best view in town.
So if you ever go to Prague, be sure and visit these spots and have the camera ready (and make sure it's secured to you somehow, just in case, since you may be leaning over the side at times). You'll be glad you did! And don't hesitate to return to these spots a couple of times. With weather changes you will get different results. You can see the below photo is from the same spot as the last one but they are totally different due to the sky differences.
And by the way, if you are looking for photo spots to capture on your trip to Prague, I have a list right here of the Top Photo Spots in Prague. I collected these over my last visit there and there are over 20 spots to photograph. It's really an amazing city. Enjoy it!
Sunrise on the streets of Prague
Sunrise in Prague, and I am out on the streets with my camera...
I love European street scenes, especially at sunrise!
Whenever I visit Europe, I try and get up for sunrise at least once to get out in a city and capture it before it gets busy. It's my favorite time of day and usually a great one for shooting in a city. There are no crowds and the warm golden light of sunrise offers up some great possibilities.
When I was in Prague back in April, I spent one morning wandering all over the historic town center, capturing street scenes and just enjoying the peace and quiet. Prague is a beautiful city, which means there are a lot of tourists there. Getting up and out for sunrise is the best way to really photograph it because I had the place to myself.
Sunrise over the Charles Bridge
A beautiful start to a day in Prague, watching a glorious sunrise over the Charles Bridge...
More from Prague - and plenty more coming!
Dang, Prague - you are gorgeous. I adore that town. It's just so lovely. I already want to go back!
One morning there I was up SUPER FREAKING EARLY (4:30am to be exact) so that I could get out and shoot the town without the distraction of crowds (and believe me, there are a lot of crowds there - it's a popular place). My primary destination was the Charles Bridge, which is pretty kick ass if you ask me. I love that bridge, too.
So I was out shooting like crazy (see this and this) and at some point found myself with this view, just as the sky lit up and got all awesome looking. A good morning for sure!
A morning on the Charles Bridge
A lovely way to start a day in Prague - shooting on the Charles Bridge before dawn!
A lovely spot in Prague, especially at sunrise!
I was just in Prague barely a week ago, and I've been missing it ever since I left. It's such a beautiful town, and there is so much to shoot there. You'll be seeing a lot from Prague in the coming weeks, as I work my way through all these photos. I did my best to capture it all, and spent one morning up early so I could get shots like these from the Charles Bridge.
The Charles Bridge is an iconic structure in Prague and believe me when I tell you that it can get seriously crowded. During the daytime it is literally elbow-to-elbow. There are so many tourists walking around and vendors selling their wares that it's a bit of a madhouse.
Hence, I got up one morning at 4:30am so I could get my butt over here and fire away in the pre-dawn quiet. It was incredible. There were less than a handful of people on the bridge - some apparently returning home after a rather lengthy night out - and a couple of other photographers. Otherwise, it was miss and it was blissfully empty. So nice.
Over Bratislava
Bratislava is a beautiful little town...have you been yet?
If not, I think you should go. Of course, that's easy for me to say since I am sitting in a chair at home and just typing this on my laptop. But I really do think you should go. It IS a beautiful town, but it's not a large town. It's a manageable town, which is important.
Why is that important? Well, if you are like me and you are in Europe (or anywhere new, really), at every turn your head is spinning because there is so much awesome stuff to see (and in my case, and maybe yours - to point the camera at). I have said that about Paris at least once or more here on the blog, and if I haven't said that about London then I should have.
And that's what I liked about Bratislava. Yes, there's great architecture, churches, bridges, old buildings, a town square, and more. And it's all great to look at, and all great to photograph. But the great thing to me is that the historic town center is fairly compact and easy to navigate. In other words, it's not huge and potentially overwhelming like London or Paris.
And in case you didn't know - it's only about 45 minutes in a car from Vienna, Austria which is a place you are probably going to try and see someday anyways, right? Why not take a little detour and soak up another town, which happens to be in another country, but is still close by?
Or you could take a boat ride down the Danube from Vienna - it's about 2 hours if I recall. And yes, I took the boat ride, and the scenery was fabulous. But I just realized I never posted anything from that little trip here. I need to get busy!. Ok, that's it for today, thanks for swinging by!
Beauty above Bratislava
This is probably the prettiest view in Bratislava, and I have to say there are a lot of beautiful spots to shoot in this town. Although it is not very large, it packs a lot of awesomeness in a not-too-big space. I loved my visit there, partly due to being able to hang out and shoot this awesome scenery with my friend Miroslav Petrasko (see his awesome work here). He took me up to this incredible spot (I had no idea you could get there) and we shot through a nice sunset and on into this incredible blue hour. It was a pretty awesome way to spend a day!
That’s one of the great things about photography and sharing it online. I have been fortunate to connect with and in many cases meet up with and shoot with talented folks around the globe. We live on a big planet, and so many of us are so far away from each other, but thanks to the wonders of social media, I now have friends in far-flung places. And when you are fortunate enough to get together in person with like-minded folks, it’s an incredible experience.
Old door in Bratislava
As I have shared before, I have a thing for doors. They just get to me somehow. So whenever I am out shooting, I am casually scouting out interesting doors too. It's hard because often my mind in pulling me in two directions at once. I usually shoot whatever is closest first, unless the further thing is likely to disappear or change in the span of a few moments. I think of that as being logical, but it's just laziness, probably.
I caught this one while wandering some back streets in Bratislava, Slovakia. It wasn't an overly beautiful door, but I did like the writing above it - although I have no idea what it says. I am a fan of languages, though I really only speak one (apart from Pig Latin haha). That one potted plant sitting there gave it a nice touch, I thought.
Sometimes these little scenes that I capture bring back just as fond a memory of a place as the big cityscapes do. How about you?
Back streets and cool doors
Ok, I will go ahead and admit it: I have a couple of addictions when it comes to my photography. The first is that whenever I am in a new place, I really enjoy wandering around in the back streets. It’s just fun and interesting, and you never know what you might find.
The other addiction I am referring to is that I love to photograph doors. It doesn’t really matter if it’s a big door, small door, red door, blue door, old door or new door (hey I sound like Dr. Seuss!) – they usually catch my eye, assuming it has at least some interesting elements about it.
The nice thing is that these two little addictions often go hand-in-hand. When I wander on back streets, I find cool doors. You gotta love when your addictions are complementary!
I found this door wandering on the back streets of Bratislava, Slovakia. Isn’t it cool?
Rosenborg Castle
This beautiful castle sits at the heart of Copenhagen, Denmark. I didn't look at pictures of it before I went, but had read about it and made sure to pinpoint it on my town map when I got there. I am usually interested in anything that has the word "castle" in the title. :)
It was an easy walk from my hotel, so I hopped over there one day to check it out - not knowing what to expect. Imagine my surprise when I found this incredible and beautiful castle, surrounded by water - it's like walking into a fairy tale, but without the evil witch or poison apples!
Technicals: Nikon D700, 14-24 wide angle lens (at 21mm), 7 exposures at f/13
Software: Photomatix, Color Efex Pro, Aperture
Looking down the Danube
Here's another shot from my recent trip to Bratislava, which is a great town. I would really like to go back there sometime. You know how you visit some places, and even though you may like them, you feel like "ok, been there, done that"? I don't feel that way at all about Bratislava. It was beautiful, the people are nice, and the old town is condensed enough that you can see it all confortably in a couple of days, then just hang out and enjoy the culture without feeling like you should be out "doing something". It's a place where you can just relax. So if you get the chance, be sure and visit this jewel on the Danube!
Sunrise in Bratislava
I really enjoyed Bratislava - it's a beautiful town and I shot like crazy when I had some free time. It's just so historic and beautiful. But I must say, I had the hardest time getting there. My flights were supposed to go Austin > Chicago > Madrid > Vienna and then in Vienna get a car to Bratislava (about 45 minutes away). The original plan had me landing around 12n in Vienna on Saturday.
Unfortunately, I missed my connection in Madrid, so I ended up re-routed from Madrid through Rome and then to Vienna, where I landed about 6pm. It was 7pm+ by the time I got to my hotel in Bratislava, and I had been awake at that point for nearly 30 hours (I can never seem to sleep on planes). I was wiped out. I had a short stroll through Old Town, ate dinner, and promptly crashed, hoping to sleep for 12 hours straight. Around 5:30am I woke up with the morning sunlight streaming through my curtains - it was bright and sunny and the new day was here! I looked out my window, saw this incredible scene, and took a picture. Then I went back to bed and slept til noon. I was so bleary-eyed at 5:30am that I am lucky this one was even in focus!