Rome, The Eternal City
I snapped a lot of pictures in Rome, one of the more photogenic places I’ve visited. These are among my favorites from an artistic point of view.
Vatican’s Map Gallery
Being the map junkie that I am, I could have spent an eternity in this hall, but one must abide by the relentless tide of humanity that traipses through the Vatican. Here, I tipped the camera upwards to capture the ceiling, but also to avoid the throng. Each map along the walls is a hand-painted mural of some part of the Papal empire.
The map gallery at the Vatican, a 400-foot-long gallery of topological maps of parts of Italy painted in the 1580s. Impressive.
Trevi
Possibly the world's most famous fountain, Trevi lies at the junction of three roads (tre vie) and is under a constant state of siege from its admirers.
I concede this is a bit cliché, but sometimes I just need to walk over those heavily trampled paths. I don’t know why… Perhaps to prove something to myself. I’ve not been exploring photography in earnest for that long, this may be a way to check the basics off my list. Regardless, it’s a beautiful place to work on one’s checklist.
Sculpture Detail
Two photos of two different sculptures. I love the detail in these, especially the veins popping through the skin, but also the textures of the stone.
Oceanus: Marforio statue in the courtyard of the Palazzo Nuovo at the Capitoline Museum dates from the first or second century.
Michelangelo's God of the Nile's midriff, with a tiny fold of skin and veins in the arm.
Colosseum
This 2,000-year-old stadium is something to behold. Its scale is almost too large to effectively photograph. I had to use the 10mm lens to capture its scale.
Inside the colosseum, where 70,000 spectators watched the gladiator battles. Something about the light in this shot...
The edge of the outer wall of the Colosseum.
Evening Storm
A thunderhead formed at the end of the day as we were having a drink at the terrace cafe behind the “Alter of the Fatherland” monument. It’s a great view of the Forum below and toward the hills of Rome.
A storm cloud brews as the sun sets.
Light Pours in St. Peter’s
Light pours into the nave of St. Peter's Basilica.
I found St. Peter’s to be awesome in scale and grandeur. I took many photos of the basilica, but I like the lighting and textures in this photo. It does not convey its magnificence, but shows a more intimate side of the massive cathedral.
Tiber at Night
A long exposure of the Tiber River which snakes through Rome. This is a 13-second exposure which allows for that glassy water look, but I was not expecting to see the undulating flow.
The Pons Cestius crosses the Tiber River. On weekends, makeshift bars and booths appear along its banks.
Castor by Michelangelo
The striking head of Castor, a modern (1580s) addition to the reassembled statues designed by Michelangelo.
This statue of Castor stands guard at the Michelangelo-designed square called Campidoglio. The Sun was setting and the light on the square, and everything in it, was a brilliant orange-yellow.