Street Photography in Florence

The Ponte Vecchio is the old bridge lined with jewelers' shops, and it is packed from mid morning on. Greg Burnett stayed right beside it and used it as a backdrop again and again. Vito Tanzi says winter sunrise can give you the bridge almost empty. For street work, go the other way: come when it is busy and shoot the gap in the middle where people lean on the rail to look at the river. Stand at the end of the bridge and use the shop fronts as a frame. Hold your camera tight in the crush.

The square around the cathedral is the busiest place in the city. Vito Tanzi picks it as his favorite sunrise spot, when the marble glows and the city has not woken up. By nine the tour groups arrive, and with them the characters: nuns crossing in pairs and guides holding up flags for their groups. Use the striped marble as a pattern background and wait for one figure to walk against it. The dome is huge, so a wide lens helps. Tanzi names this square as one of the two worst pickpocket zones, so keep your bag in front.

Piazza della Signoria has been the political center of Florence since the 14th century. It is an open air gallery of statues in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. The statues give you a chance for juxtaposition: a marble gesture repeated by a tourist below it. Late afternoon puts warm side light across the square. Vito Tanzi calls the terrace of Caffè Rivoire the best people-watching perch in the city, and a coffee there buys you time to watch how the crowd moves. Street performers work the corners. Keep it quick and light when they notice you.

Piazza della Repubblica is a big square with an old carousel in the middle, a Florence landmark for generations, according to Lomography. Families orbit it all day, and at dusk its lights come on. Shoot with a slow shutter to blur the horses and keep a watching parent sharp. The arcades on the west side give you shade and a frame. Buskers play here most evenings. The cafes are expensive, but a standing coffee at the bar is not. Expect scooters and delivery bikes cutting through the edge.

The streets around San Lorenzo are lined with leather stalls, and the Mercato Centrale sits in the middle under an iron and glass roof. The ground floor still has butchers and produce sellers. Upstairs is a busy food hall. Go early in the morning, when traders set up and locals shop before the crowds. Look for the butchers at work under hanging lights, and wait for a customer to lean in. Vito Tanzi flags the San Lorenzo market area as a top pickpocket zone, so keep your gear on you. Stall holders are working, so be quick and polite.

Sant'Ambrogio is the smaller neighborhood market east of the center, and it feels far more local than San Lorenzo. Fruit and vegetable stalls fill the square outside. Butchers and a busy lunch counter work inside. It is a morning market, so go before noon. Older Florentines do their shopping here, and a quick chat with a vendor can open doors. Work the edges of the outdoor stalls, where daylight falls on the produce and the faces behind it. Ask before you point a camera across a counter. This is a place where people buy dinner, not a show.

Across the river, the Oltrarno is still home to many Florentines, with artisan workshops in quiet streets. Vito Tanzi calls it his favorite neighborhood. Visit Florence lists a local market in Piazza Santo Spirito on weekday mornings, plus Sunday markets twice a month. From early evening the square fills with locals and visitors drinking on the church steps. I'd come twice: mornings for workshops in San Frediano, evenings for the crowd lit by bar windows. Late at night it can get rowdy.

Piazzale Michelangelo is the terrace above San Niccolò with the classic view over the city. Vito Tanzi names it his favorite sunset spot. It is crowded at sunset, and that is fine. Turn around and photograph the people watching the view, from couples on the steps to rows of raised phones. Shoot them as silhouettes against the lit sky and the dome. Arrive an hour before sunset to find a place on the balustrade. It is a steep 20 minute walk from the river, or a bus ride.