ITALY, VENICE: Ponte dell'Accademia does look extremely flimsy but it is worth trying, long exposures seem to work perfectly alright, no apparent vibrations from the crowds crossing the bridge. 

ITALY, MATERA: Matera has more than enough angles for photography, the only decision is where to go in the morning and where in the evening...

ITALY, MATERA: One of course arrives on time for the sunrise and appreciates the good weather conditions but getting a hot air balloon into the frame is pure luck, who could have known such early morning trips over the town exist...  

ITALY, POLIGNANO: While a nice evening location is more difficult to select in Polignano, the morning shot cannot be anything else than the Covo dei Saraceni with various possible compositions.

ITALY, MONOPOLI: A perfect place where one can swim until sunset and then just put the camera on the tripod right on the city beach, take a couple of photos and go for dinner.

FRANCE, SAINT-MALO: The last touch of civilisation before entering the wilder parts of Bretagne and already very cold, even when just standing around with the tripod. No swimming obviously, better stay on the ramparts. Whether in the morning...

RANCE, SAINT-MALO: ...or in the evening.

CZECH REPUBLIC, PRAGUE: The light on a crisp winter afternoon has a quality which the summer never offers, well worth accepting the frozen fingers...

CZECH REPUBLIC, PRAGUE: The short distances in Prague make it possible to just walk over to the next classical site as the afternoon turns into evening.

CZECH REPUBLIC, PRAGUE: Coming back to the same spot before sunrise requires more discipline but the morning light justifies the effort...

CZECH REPUBLIC, PRAGUE: A crowded place with a cathedral which seems too big for the size of the courtyard makes for a tricky shot which requires the usual post-processing treatment to eliminate the visitors from the frame.

HONG KONG, CENTRAL DISTRICT: Early morning just after sunrise seems to be the only moment of the day when there is no traffic between the Central Pier and Kowloon, when the water remains quiet and the ferries stationary and when the photographer has a chance to take this typo of picture.

HONG KONG, CENTRAL DISTRICT: A similar view across the water to Kowloon, taken a bit earlier (just before sunrise) and from a more elevated position (15th floor). 

ITALY, ROME: Piazza di Monte Citorio in front of the Italian parliament is of course permanently full of people, especially the very decorative policemen. Emptying the square is only possible in post-processing, layering several versions of the photo on top of each other.

BELGIUM, BRUSSELS: One of the few advantages of a global pandemic - even the most crowded places become empty. The amount of time saved in post-processing feels almost unreal...

BELGIUM, BRUSSELS: Not all life stops during the Covid times, the public transport keeps operating...

SPAIN, SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA: Technically, there is nothing to this shot. Therefore, while waiting for the sunrise, one has enough time to think what is more insane - the cathedral's facade or the legend which gave rise to all the pilgrimage...

HONG KONG, VICTORIA PEAK: Many photographers will argue that this is the ultimate cityscape scenery, full stop. It only takes a couple of evenings at the Peak to see why...

MALAYSIA, KUALA LUMPUR: The Petronas Towers may be problematic on many levels, from moral to environmental but nobody can say they would not have photographic qualities.

LAOS, LUANG PRABANG: Even though the Haw Pha Bang temple used to house the palladium of Laos, the number of pilgrims and tourists is still relatively limited, making it possible to get a good shot when the light - not the crowds - allows. 

CZECH REPUBLIC, PRAGUE: Only little space is available between the trees in the park from which the traditional New Year's fireworks can be observed. To secure a good spot, one must arrive a couple of hours in advance and accept possible frostbites...

FRANCE, ROCAMADOUR: Getting up before dawn to take the photo is just a minor inconvenience, one cannot help thinking about all the penitents who were climbing up this rock on their knees...

CHINA, SHANGHAI: The skyline of Shanghai changes so quickly that a 2011 photo quickly becomes a history document... 

ITALY, ROME: A sunrise photo from underneath the Ponte Sant'Angelo belongs to the absolute classics in Rome, the main decision for the photographer being only on which side of the bridge to take position.

ITALY, SORRENTO: Given Sorrento's location at the center of a small bay, it is tempting to try takeing a photo from both ends of the village. Unfortunately, the composition of the morning shot does not work, no need to chase the sunrise. On the other hand, the west-to-east sunset picture can hardly disappoint, whatever the weather...

ITALY, NAPLES: Taking a photo of the seaside promenade, one must accept a compromise on composition - a visually pleasing alignment of buildings and bulwarks but no view of mount Vesuvius on the horizon or the other way around. Too bad, the silhouette of the volcano really provides a spectacular background...

HONG KONG, CENTRAL DISTRICT: Cities are usually much easier to photograph in the evening, just because more lights are on. Not so in Hong Kong. As those guys don't seem to care about electricity consumption, morning shots like this one work alright...

GERMANY, FRANKFURT: The skyline of Frankfurt does appear somewhat misplaced in Europe and one rather feels like in Vancouver. Understandably, the locals call the banking district Mainhatten.

GERMANY, FRANKFURT: Frankfurt is in fact a comparatively small town, even if this view from one of the downtown bridges suggests otherwise...

ITALY, POSITANO: When photographing Positano, the difficult part is framing the picture. A church just right of this image seems to belong to the photo but including it in the frame results in a strangely unbalanced composition... 

SPAIN, MADRID: The area in front of the royal palace is of course always crowded. But the thirty minutes between the sunset and the moment when the lights go on are more than sufficient to collect enough photos to empty the space in post-processing.

SPAIN, MADRID: The Almudena Cathedral, located just behind the royal palace requires the same photographic technique and therefore an additional evening in town.

ITALY, PALERMO: The dome of the church in the background is actually the best place to photograph Palermo"s famous fountain of shame But as the church is accessible only during the day, compromises have to be made. A sunrise photo does not make it possible to appreciate the beauty of the fountain but the atmosphere of the place is still here...

ITALY, AGRIGENTO: Sicily's numerous antiquity monuments as well are only accessible during the day. This, in combination with the permanent sharp sunshine, limits the chances of getting some decent photos to the very few cloudy days...

GERMANY, FRANKFURT: The viewing platform on one of the high rise building offers probably the most misleading impression about the size of the city. Even though the light was better at dusk, the German village only really turns into an Asian magapolis after dark...

SPAIN, LA CORUNA: Incredibly, the city of La Coruna offers some wonderful nature photo opportunities within walking distance of the lively modern city center. However, in the early morning, the quite atmosphere of the city marina is perhaps the best location.

THAILAND, CHIANG MAI: Tourists greatly outnumber the monks at Wat Phra Sing, especially at dusk. A computer is therefore as important as the camera for this shot.

ITALY, BELLAGIO: All the villages by the lakes in the north of Italy have the necessary elements for a good photo but finding a good composition usually turns out a bit more difficult than expected...

SPAIN, RIBADEO: A number of excellent photography spots is located in the vicinity of this border town between Asturias and Galicia which makes Ribadeo to a natural choice for staying overnight. A pleasant view from the hotel room back to Asturias from across the river comes as a bonus... 

SPAIN, CUDILLERO: The top terraces of the village offer not only pleasant evening view to the fishing harbour but also directly into the small restaurants where one is inevitably heading after the photo session... 

THAILAND, BANGKOK: By day, this scenery was just a busy dirty river and an ugly construction site. But just like with so many Asian cities, the evening turns Bangkok into a very photogenic place.

SPAIN, SAN SEBASTIAN: The main attraction of San Sebastian is food and at the time of the evening blue hour, everybody, including photographers, is heading for the famous pintxos bars and restaurants. Fortunately, there is the classic view across water to the Kursaal auditorium, located centrally enough for the lazy photographer to wait for the sunset and to be in at the dinner table ten minutes later...

HONG KONG, CENTRAL DISTRICT:The traffic in Hong Kong lives up to expectation. Well, mostly. Collecting enough headlight traces for the middle overpass on this photo took an hour...

HONG KONG, CENTRAL DISTRICT: Looking at the Central District back from Kowloon lets everyone appreciate this insane skyline, with the ferris wheel in the foreground helpfully emphasising the dimensions of the skyscrapers.

JAPAN, TOKYO: The contrast between the red bricks of the old Central Station and the blue glass of the modern high rise buildings makes this area optically very pleasing, especially in the evening light. Interestingly, the streets surrounding the station remain very quiet even during the rush hour. Most people arriving at the station probably just continue directly by metro...

ITALY, TURIN: There is only one composition available, as the hill overlooking the city centre from across the river is completely covered by trees, except for the one terrace where all photographers gather. The photos will only vary depending on whether the background would be dominated by clouds or by the Alps.

TAIWAN, TAIPEI: As with so many Asian cities, the central part of Taipei consists of shopping malls. But Taipei being comparatively small, there are not hundreds of them but just a handful, all featuring various terraces, service entrances and similar, ideally suited for city photography.

TAIWAN, TAIPEI: Taipei has just one landmark and only one spot from which to photograph it. Even though more than one thousand steps lead up to the small viewpoint, there are always too many photographers. Securing a good position for the sunset requires arriving in the middle of the afternoon and waiting for hours in the scorching sun...

SINGAPORE, MARINA BAY SANDS: The long promenade along the waterfront allows every photographer to pick a composition. Combined with the evening city lights and the permanently present rainclouds, this is always a superb spot.

JAPAN, TOKYO: In the evening, Tokyo gets its ominous Blade Runner quality but during the day, despite all the skyscrapers, one can"t help the impression that at some level, Tokyo would have loved staying a fishing village.

SPAIN, GRANADA: The  panoramic view of Alhambra from the little terrace in town is still spectacular, even if the same photo has already been taken so many times...