Charles Bridge is a historic bridge that crosses the Vltava river in Prague, Czech Republic. Its construction started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV, and finished in the beginning of the 15th century. It is one of the many iconic features of Prague and an important location I wanted to capture while in town.
Charles Bridge from the Maines Bridge
Spending only relatively short periods of time at locations while traveling requires some planning before you arrive. My primary Plan A was to shoot the bridge from atop the Old Town Bridge Tower looking across to the Prague Castle just after sunset at the blue hour. Plan B was to shoot from the Maines Bridge to the Old Town Bridge Tower (shown above). I didn’t have a Plan C.
Charles Bridge from Old Town Bridge Tower
I had to run from the Maines Bridge to the Old Town Bridge Tower figuring I need about 15 mins to get there and set up. I had to cross my fingers there was room for me at the top of the tower with the crowds before blue hour hit. A tight spot and my back is still hurts. Plan A came together and took some pretty long exposures that were to mitigated the large number of people on the bridge. This all worked, but weather conditions and scene were less than ideal. Once blue hour did occur the ambient sky light and city lights never mixed well for me. The sky had muddied grey blue clouds, city lights came on late and the castle lights overpowered everything with orange lights that were maddening.
Good thing I had a Plan B because Plan A turned out to be an epic fail.
John of Matha, Felix of Valois and Saint Ivan
Madonna and Saint Bernard,
After those attempts of some iconic shots of the bridge, the next evening I enjoyed capturing some of 30 different baroque statues that line the Charles Bridge. Fitting statues for the King Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor, to have added to the bridge.