Villaggio Mall Gondola Canal

This image of the gondola canal was taken inside the Villaggio Mall, which is in the Aspire Zone of Doha. You can either drive (parking near 25.258877, 51.444950 in the public lot), take a taxi or ride on public transportation to get to this location. If you're taking public transportation, you'll take the Gold Line to the Al Aziziyah stop and then head north toward the mall. Once you're in the mall, walk through the entrance and then reference the GPS coordinates to stand where I stood to get this perspective of the canal. There will be bridges over the canal and I stood on one of the bridges to get this view.

You can photograph the interior gondola canals of the Villaggio Mall during any month of the year, but I suggest avoiding the Ramadan period as to not disturb the holiday.

Since you'll be indoors, any time of the day or night during opening hours are suitable.

Symmetry will be an important element of your composition. Make sure you're standing in the center of the bridge to ensure you're capturing a well-balanced photo.

I liked incorporating the bridge in my shot to add some dimension. If you'd like to do the same, while on the bridge, it's best to get on your knees and then shoot in between the two columns.

Vertical format is what I prefer at this photo location because in one image, you can photograph the canal, the boat, the architecture and the interior "sky".

Wait for the gondola to cross the bridge and then snap a photo from the back so you can feature the classic Venetian hat of the gondola driver.

The Gondolania is definitely worth a visit while you're nearby, but please note that pictures taken from a camera are not allowed without authorization. You can, however, take photos on your mobile phone.

I recommend taking photos of the Villaggio Mall canal during the early afternoon and then walking over to the Torch Hotel to see the sunset over Doha from the top of the tower.