From the Prague+ desk
Guides, advice and observations straight from the streets of Prague. Photography, cafés, interesting places and everything you need to know before and during your trip.
The most important tip in the whole guide has nothing to do with light or composition. Look first, then shoot.
You can wait for an empty bridge. Or admit that in the daytime you’re photographing one of the liveliest places in Prague.
Fog isn’t a spoiled day but the best atmosphere Prague can offer. Where to go for it and what to shoot up close.
One big white sheet above the city, with no detail in it. The easiest way to rescue a sky like that is to stop rescuing it.
We photograph Prague from its viewpoints. But the way up is often more interesting than the view waiting at the top — and the stairs do part of the work for you.
You stand by the tracks, wait for a red tram and get a tram in front of a house. But the city hasn’t moved. Three shutter speeds, three different photographs.
The advice says: go early in the morning or in the evening. But Prague doesn’t close between eleven and two — you just have to change the subject.
Ban yourself from the Castle, Charles Bridge and the Astronomical Clock for one afternoon. The ban forces you to look for other signs of the city — and there are plenty.
At most Prague viewpoints, the first thing you run into is a ticket office. These are outdoors, free, and each offers a different way to photograph the city.
In daylight you walk past them. After dark the difference shows: inside there’s no electricity but burning gas — and they run right across the centre.
You cross the Vltava on bridges, and the islands below stay a patch of green. Three kilometres by the water and an assignment for six frames.
After dark the lamps shine into an empty black sky. Half an hour earlier, the cold sky meets the warm lights of the city.
The tram isn’t ruining your shot; you just aren’t counting on it. The rails tell you in advance where it will go — the rest is careful composition and patience.
You want to photograph Charles Bridge, so you walk onto it. And you come home with photos of statues, towers and the back of the person in front of you.
Shooting in the rain has one fundamental drawback: it’s raining. But the most interesting moment comes a few minutes after it stops.
A familiar street is harder to photograph than a place you’re seeing for the first time. Pick one colour, give yourself an hour and bring back nine frames for a three-by-three grid.
Malá Štupartská, the Basilica of St James and nineteen kilometres to Zbraslav. How to make your own pilgrimage in Prague.
Stop looking for a café to match every spot. Pick one as your base and shoot in circles around it.
Finding a view at Vyšehrad is easy. Hitting the right hour is the hard part. Why dawn beats sunset here.
Finding a café in Prague is no problem. The goal is finding the right one. Three places for three different moments.
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