Griboyedov Canal and the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood in Saint Petersburg, Russia

© Tomas Sereda/Getty Image

A midsummer twilight dream

Situated less than 500 miles outside the Arctic Circle, St Petersburg is the world’s most northerly city with more than a million residents. At the height of summer here, the twilight 'blue hour' coveted by photographers lasts well into the night as the sun hovers just below the horizon. A few hours of twilight are the closest you get to night - a phenomenon dubbed the 'White Nights' which usually lasts from mid-June to early July.

This particular view looks past the dark blue waters of the Griboyedov Canal at the dramatically named Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood. Framed against a light blue sky, the church's colourful exterior is almost as dazzling as the mosaics on the walls inside. The Griboyedov Canal, cutting south and west through a district dense with museums, theatres and parks, is part of Saint Petersburg's intricate system of man-made waterways that have earned it the nickname 'Venice of the North’.