Okay so today I really wanted to get some stunning pictures of Monaco. You know, like the kind you drool over on postcards? Yeah, those. Seemed simple, right? Just point and shoot? Ha, nope. Reality hit fast.
First, I grabbed my gear. I always overpack. Stuffed my bag:
- My trusty DSLR body
- Standard zoom lens
- That fast prime lens I barely use
- Tripod (thinking I’d need evening shots, wishful!)
- Phone (backup cam, obviously)
- Water bottle (Monaco ain’t cheap for drinks!)
Headed down towards Port Hercules bright and early. Wanted those crisp morning yacht shots before the crowds wrecked it. Found a decent spot, set up the tripod. Framed up this gorgeous superyacht with the rising sun behind the hills. Looked perfect in the viewfinder. Clicked the shutter.
Checked the screen. Everything was weirdly dark. The yacht looked like a shadow. Tried adjusting the settings myself. Messed with:
- ISO – cranked it up, just got grainy garbage.
- Aperture – open wider? Still dark
- Shutter speed – Slower? Then the whole thing was a blurry mess.
Got super frustrated. Sun was climbing fast, light changing. Scrapped the tripod plan in a huff. Yanked out my phone instead. Just started snapping like crazy. Tried walking around the port, getting higher angles, lower angles. Kneeled on the pavement like a weirdo. Nothing looked quite right.
Took the elevator up to Monaco-Ville. Figured, classic view of the port from above? Easy win! Found the spot. Packed with tourists. Like, everyone and their selfie stick was there. Could barely squeeze through. Managed to raise my phone above my head, hoped for the best. Snapped a few. Looked chaotic, messy. Not the serene money shot I envisioned.
Afternoon sun was brutal. Shadows harsh. Wandered towards the Casino, feeling kinda defeated. Saw the fancy gardens nearby – Jardins St Martin. Found a little shady corner with a view down the coast. Not Monaco-central, but nicer light. Put the big camera back on, ditched the tripod. Went handheld, used the prime lens. Finally started getting decent shots. The Mediterranean blue popped without harsh sun wrecking it.
My phone kept doing this annoying thing – trying to over-brighten everything when I pointed towards the water or the sky, making the buildings looked washed out. Found the little sun icon on the screen, tapped it, dragged it down a bit. Just forced my phone to keep things darker. That actually worked! Suddenly my phone shots were way better.
Got home. Dumped everything onto my laptop. Started looking through the hundreds of pics. Honestly? Most were trash. But then… gems started appearing. That weird phone trick paid off. The handheld shots from the garden came out beautiful. Even a few rushed port ones had a nice vibe.
Started editing. Kept it super simple.
- Cropped out distracting tourists and random cars.
- Pulled up the shadows just a touch on a couple.
- Maybe nudged the vibrance a tiny bit.
Mostly though, I realised I didn’t need to go crazy pushing sliders. The raw material was there when I finally relaxed and worked with the light instead of fighting it.
Ended up with maybe 5 or 6 shots I truly loved. Kicked myself for overcomplicating it so much. Lesson learned? Sometimes simpler gear and just paying attention to the damn light wins over lugging equipment and technical panic.
