Ponte Vecchio sunrise

The Ponte Vecchio in Florence is always crowded with people. On my previous visits to this city, the river has always been high and rushing. We arrived in Florence at the end of September and the river was low. I got up before dawn and walked the few blocks to the river so I could catch the sunrise over the famous bridge. The clouds started to break up and made for a dramatic scene. The majority of people you run into at that time of day are other photographers who compete for the right spot to have that perfect composition. On this morning, I arrived first and set up my tripod and waited. After 20 minutes where I had captured this shot and while the sky was still dramatic, I signalled to the nearest competition that I was done. I had not even finished packing before my spot was claimed by a German and an American who were begrudgingly trying to share the centre spot.