The Eternal City. The Capital of the World. Those are just two nicknames of Rome. And they are telling. The history of almost three thousand years lives and breathes in every corner, every street, every stone, every human being. Old and modern architecture and lively people from different cultural backgrounds make for a rather easy and very pleasant experience at Street Photography workshops in Rome.
Street Photography in Rome: The best places to hit the streets
Spanish Steps
The Spanish Steps (or Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti in Italian) with its 174 steps connect the Piazza di Spagna with the Piazza dei Monti. Down there the Fontana della Barcaccia, a Baroque-styled fountain; on the top the Trinità dei Monti church, a Roman Catholic church from late Renaissance period. Eating is forbidden there. But many tourists are still drawn in to the beauty of the scenery with its many pots of azaleas in April and May.
Colosseum
The famous Flavian Amphitheatre originates from 70-80 AD. It’s iconic for both, the modern Italian capital and the ancient Imperial Rome as well. So, many tourists come to visit the Colloseum all year. The location is perfect for Street Photography because it’s possible to take photos inside and outside the Colloseum. With or without modern Roman soldiers. The nearby located Arch of Constantine can be included on your Photography tour as well.
Piazza Navona
The long square with its three fountains is highly popular with tourists and locals as well. The Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi with the Egyptian obelisk is situated in the centre of the square. The other two fountains, Fontana del Nettuno and Fontana del Moro, as well as lot of restaurants make Piazza Navona a place to stay. The possibility to include water and shadows together with lots of people makes Piazza Navona a great spot for Street Photography.
Castel Sant’Angelo
What makes Castel Sant’Angelo so picturesque is the combination of the ancient Mausoleum of Hadrian, the Roman emperor of the early second century AD, the ancient Ponte Sant’Angelo with its four statues and the river Tiber. The site is famous with tourists and great for Street Photography because of the almost legendary status of Castel Sant’Angelo for its later use as a Papal fortress and prison.
The Jewish Ghetto
Although the old Jewish Ghetto was demolished in 1888, there is still a huge Jewish population in the southern part of Rome’s eleventh district Sant’Angelo. Narrow lanes with small Jewish owned shops and trattorie (traditional restaurants) hold the impression of a lively village. Street Photography at the site of the old Jewish Ghetto will picture locals as well as a non-Italian culture.
Forum Romanum
The Forum Romanum or Roman Forum was the ancient marketplace of the city and is now located at the very heart of Rome. The ruins of once important governmental and religious buildings draw in tourists from all over the world. Modern dressed people together with remnants of the Temple of Caesar, the Temple of Saturn or the Tabularium create interesting contrasts that are perfect for Street Photography.
The best photo galleries for Street Photographers
The streets of Rome are so rich in surprising and exciting interactions, colours and scenes that it’s just natural for the city to keep several places to show a good amount of photographic exhibitions all year. Therefore, there are just four photo galleries for Street Photography as a tiny glimpse of tips of what Rome has to offer as inspiration and visual poetry.
Once the monastery of Sant’Egidio, the building was restored and opened as the museum of Roman folklore and poetry in 1976. It was only in 2000, when it was reopened as the Museo di Roma in Trastevere (piazza Sant’Egidio, 1/b – 00153 Roma). Especially temporary exhibitions of photography are well designed. Themes are the everyday Roman life, folklore like costumes and dancing, festivals and crafts.
Leica isn’t just a camera brand. Especially with Street Photographers it long reached a cult status. Within the Leica Store Roma (Via dei Due Macelli 57 – 00187 Roma) there is an exclusive gallery with temporary exhibitions of modern photography. The place for the store / gallery was chosen very thoughtful: it’s situated right in the heart of Rome, next to the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain.
The Louvre in Rome? That’s right! But Il Museo del Louvre (Via della Reginella, 8a – 00186 Roma) in the Italian capital is all dedicated to photography. It’s situated in the Jewish Ghetto area and combines library, shop and gallery for Street Photography enthusiasts. The huge collection of Giuseppe Casetti depicts all facets of the social life in the streets of Rome.
A more touristic building is the Palazzo delle Esposizioni (Via Nazionale, 194 – 00184 Roma). The name is telling: the neoclassical cultural centre and museum contains several exhibition, including a large collection of lack-and-white photographs of Hollywood stars. There are also temporary exhibitions of Street Photography in the palazzo that also contains a cinema, an auditorium and a library.
Impressive Street Photography from Rome:
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Street Photography Workshops and courses in Rome
Eolo Perfido
Experienced Street Photographer Eolo Perfido offers three types of Street Photography Workshops in Rome. First, a One on One Street Photography Workshop. This workshop is usually created for one person, one day, i.e. eight hours. It’s also possible to book just four hours or even two days. The most important skills, Eolo Perfido will focus on with you, are composition, light and social skills. You can bring your own camera. Still, Eolo provides a Leica Q, if you need a good camera for the Street Photography course in Rome. The workshop starts with meeting Eolo at the Leica Galerie Rome, right next to the Spanish Steps.
Second, Eolo offers a One on One Online Street Photography Workshop. This is created for busy people with narrow agendas or geographical constraints. Most important skills you will learn in this workshop are the ability to interpret different situations and cultural sensitivity. You can book Eolo for one, two or the full four hour/s skype video sessions. Before the first session, you need to answer a few questions, such as your online portfolio and your camera equipment.
The third type of workshop is a Street Photography Group Workshop. It’s only available in the Italian language. Otherwise it’s suitable for everyone, from absolute beginners to professional Street Photographers. The 16 hours of workshop contain one session of photographic theory, two sessions of practising and one session of editing and post production. Participants will meet at Studio b49 at Via Placido Zurla 49b, the private photo studio of Eolo Perfido, located in the fifth city district, about twenty minutes south-east of the main railway station Roma Termini.
Italian Street Photo Festival
For three days (including the weekend) in late April 2019, The Italian Street Photo Festival took place in Rome. It was only the second outing but already a place for young, experienced and enthusiastic Street Photographers from all around the globe. The Italian Street Photo Festival is the first of its kind in Italy and wants to promote the beauty as well as the importance of Street Photography. International influential Street Photographers come together with an interested and ambitioned audience.
At the Italian Street Photo Festival you are able to take part in contests, workshops, portfolio reviews, photowalks, talks and exhibitions. Relevant Street Photographers will be there for answering questions about new equipment and techniques as well as body language and observation. For contests and portfolio reviews, you can bring your own photos, get helpful feedback and tips to improve yourself and your work. Workshops and photowalks are practical parts, held in the lively streets of Rome, together with experienced Street Photographers. The talks and exhibitions are there for meeting other Street Photographers, networking and inspiration.
The main venue of the Italian Street Photo Festival is Officine Fotografiche (Via Giuseppe Libetta, 1 – 00154 Roma). It’s about a 15 minutes walk away from the train station Roma Ostiense. Several talks and portfolio reviews also take place at Cine TV Rossellini (Via Giuseppe Libetta, 14 – 00154 Roma), just a few steps away.
Rome Photography Workshop
Rome Photography Workshops was brought to life by Mauro Benedetti. Other Street Photography guides are Audrey Demat and Brian Koperski. With the aim of being suitable and useful for amateurs, professionals and students, this Street Photography course in Rome offers an amazing range of options. You can opt for an individual tour or you can be a part of a group of three to five ambitioned Street Photographers. You can choose a journey along Rome’s well-known sights or you can book a custom tour to hidden gems and lesser known places in the Eternal City.
There are a lot of themed Street Photography courses in Rome. You can choose from Food Photography, Monuments and Architecture, Portrait Tour and a special Street Photography tour. For every tour you are also able to choose Morning Light, Evening Light or City Night. Every tour or session lasts for four hours, so there will be plenty of time to capture the street life in a respectfully and unobtrusively way. Usual sites that are visited during the workshop are: Colosseum, The Jewish Ghetto, Campo dé Fiori, Piazza Navona, Castel Sant’Angelo, Monti and Porta Portese. Usually, you can offer suggestions other places. Or let yourself get surprised with the Custom Tour.
The philosophy and mission of Rome Photography Workshop is to make the experience of every participant of the Street Photography course in Rome visually pleasant as well as useful in terms of learning by doing about all facets of Street Photography. Available are half-day tours, full-day tours and weekend intensive tours. Those start with Friday night and continue for the whole of Saturday. There will be a break at any time for coffee, gelato or pizza. Equipment can be rented. You only have to carry comfortable shoes and a handful of cash for possible taxi rides.
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