Always look back

A long time ago, I heard a photographer quip that whenever you are standing at a sunrise photo-op, jostling for space amongst entangled tripod legs, with a horde of Nikons and Canons pointed at the obvious, always look back. While the crowd continues to busily snap away, you may end up getting a very different perspective.

Being as underprepared and pressed for time as I was for possible photo ops in Rome, I was curious as to what Tiber Island would look like at dusk nestled bang center in the flowing waters of River Tiber. For the first 2 days of our stay in Rome, I created quite a ruckus of not having been to the waterfront and trying to capture what might turn out to be a fabulous set of reflections from the island into the river.

After a grueling Vatican trip, when we finally arrives on Ponte Garibaldi perfectly timed around sunset, I was completely disappointed by the non-aesthetic blob of landmass that stood unappealingly and unapologetically against the waters of the Tiber. Disappointed, we were about to walk away in a rush to capture the sunset from another vantage point, when I decided to cross the bridge and look on the other side.

I was rewarded with this fabulous view of St. Peter’s Basilica against the setting sun, and the Lungo il Tevere (Along the Tiber) festival in full swing along the left bank of the river.