Rome

Photographing Rome should be easy — or so I thought. With ancient architecture, dramatic lights, and layers of history everywhere, the city practically photographs itself. The catch, of course, is the crowds. Rome street photography often means working around people, phones, and tour groups, which makes clean compositions far more difficult than I anticipated.

One full day was spent photographing around the Palatine Hill and the Colosseum under grey skies and steady rain — not exactly ideal light for travel photography in Rome, but a useful reminder that waiting for perfect conditions rarely works here in winter. I saw it as good practice for photographing in less-than-ideal conditions and still trying to come away with solid images.

This collection is my attempt to photograph Rome as it actually feels: busy, layered, unpredictable, and occasionally frustrating. Not a highlight reel of landmarks, but a series of everyday moments, imperfect light, and small pauses that exist between the crowds of ancient Rome.

One year in with my first camera, the progress is there — just not always in the conditions I’d prefer.