This vertical frame looks east down Plankengasse from the shade toward the sunlit Neuer Markt. An ochre façade and its window reflections fill the left side. The Gold Göldner shopfront and an Apotheke bracket sign mark the lane, and across the square the Donnerbrunnen fountain and a corner building catch full light. The dark asphalt of the lane meets the pale new surface of the square, and there isn’t a parked car anywhere.
That last detail is new. For decades Neuer Markt was one of the city centre’s car parks, a historic square full of vehicles. In September 2022 a four-level underground garage with 364 spaces opened beneath it, and the square above was rebuilt as a mostly pedestrian space with large trees, planted beds and mist sprays for summer heat. The Donnerbrunnen was restored and put back in its place. For photographers the square became usable almost overnight.
Shade to Sun Is a Big Jump
The frame here works on the contrast between a shaded lane and a bright square, and that contrast is wide. The pale surface of the redesign reflects a lot of light, which makes the square even brighter than the old dark paving would have. Expose for the sunlit buildings and let the lane go dark, or bracket three frames two stops apart and blend them. Metering off the shaded façade will blow the far side of the square to white.
The lanes running into the square are narrow and stay in shade for most of the day, so this contrast is there whenever the square itself is in sun. Check which façades are lit before you choose your lane, since that changes through the day.
Keep the Verticals Straight
Inner Vienna is a city of tall, flat façades in narrow streets, and a wide lens tilted even slightly upward makes them lean toward each other. Keep the camera level and crop the empty foreground afterward, or fix the verticals in editing. A vertical frame helps, because it lets you include height without tilting.
What’s Worth Including
The Donnerbrunnen is the obvious anchor. Georg Raphael Donner made it in the 1730s, and the figures on the square today are bronze copies. The lead originals are in the Belvedere. On the same square is the Kapuzinergruft, the Imperial Crypt where the Habsburgs are buried, with a plain façade that’s easy to miss. Shot from the right corner, the old buildings, the fountain and the new square fit into one frame, and nobody has to clone out a delivery van.