Last week I showed you photos taken at the top of St. Peter’s Basilica from the outside viewing area. This week I’ll show you a few details of the interior of the dome. These are shots I took on the walk up, just a few details from a place that is a grand and beautiful. I’m a bit leery of heights. Sometimes, that fear inspires me to take a photo. Here I am taking a peek into St. Peter’s:
To get this photo, I focused on the grid and allowed the background to blur. Even with the blur, it’s pretty easy to see how ornate St. Peter’s is. A photo like this also expresses my fear of heights, I often feel that I can’t focus correctly, so I have directed the camera lens to do the same. I was using my iPhone, which likes to self-correct things it feels the photographer is getting “wrong”, so it took a few shots to get the photo I wanted. In this case, I knew I wanted the shot to be in its finished form without any further editing.
In some ways, it was much easier to get this shot:
Close up detail of the eye of an angel, part of one of the many mosaics that ring the walkway of the landing. Close-up, in focus shots, are the kind of photos that I think my phone generally handles pretty well. Again though, the camera defaults to catching what it thinks is correct; while the details are correct, the color is not. The original file looks like this:
I edited the photo in Lightroom. I warmed the overall temperature, giving it a bit more of a golden glow. A warmth not captured in the photograph, but that I felt was there at the time. I’ve also sharpened it a bit and darkened the corners, to draw your eye to the eye in the photo.
I knew there were steps and a climb involved at St. Peter’s. It would have never occurred to me though not to bring both of my cameras. This is one of those times that people sometimes make the argument that it is better not to bring a camera, to just be in the moment. I can respect that line of thought, but for me this is a time of compromise. I took out my camera, got the shots I wanted, then put my camera away and just spent some time looking around. I’m that person in my family, the one that always gets to the top last. How do you handle times like these? do you ever go without your camera? How do you like my glimpse inside St. Peter’s? Feel free to leave a comment below.
Cheers!
I like the edits. Beautiful in warm color. Well done, Amy. 🙂
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Thank you.
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These photos are of the grid and rock…
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That’s one way to put it 🙂
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We have climbed the dome and i can assure you we likely had 3 or 4 cameras. I think there is happy balance between taking photos and then taking in the surroundings. Having a camera often helps me see things I would have otherwise missed.
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Yes, I find the camera helpful in that way also, I think it helps me “see” in a different way.
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The photos are great. However, I think the ‘peek’ photo, needed the grid to be blurred while the beauty of St. Peter’s in focus. Just a thought.
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Yes, a good thought I think. I did give that a try too, I just wasn’t really thrilled with the outcome. To me the grid just becomes a real distraction without meaning. This was a good opportunity though, to try a shot a few different ways and see what came of it.
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🙂
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I’m with you there: I bring my camera, take some shots that intrigue me, then allow myself to soak up being in the location. It seems to me the best of both worlds. Like you, having the idea of initially taking photographs makes me view the place in a way I otherwise might not think about.
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I agree and think this is something that every photographer has to kins of think through.
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I love your peek into St. Peter’s, Amy. And your close-up of the mosaic is quite interesting.
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It was an interesting climb, that is for sure 🙂
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Your glimpses are wonderful and I love your discussions of process.
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Thanks very much 🙂
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I often don’t take my camera, just because it is easier to not have it. Then I am left with my iPhone 6s which often does not give me the results I want, and some regrets about not bringing my camera… oh well!
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This can be an issue 🙂
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Incredible, Amy! Thank you for braving the heights to capture such wonderful glimpses for us.
In my family, we have long accepted that we all go at different paces when we tour and view lovely places like these; those who are faster through simply sit and enjoy the view while waiting for the others!
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Yes, our family does this same thing. Since we have different interests, some places require different amounts of time for each of us, so those who are finished first hit the benches 🙂
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I think the iPhone camera is a great substitute for reflex cameras because it is much more handy and with great quality. Also because the phone is one of the things always in hand so at any moment you pull it out and take at the last minut a lot of things.. so cheese!
Love your photos 📸
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Thank you very much, also I agree that the phone makes a great camera in that it is one that I almost always have with me.
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Nice shots. These days I don’t worry if I don’t have my camera, as I will get something decent usually with the camera phone.
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I agree, although trying to decide which camera and lens I’m going to take gives me something to fuss about 🙂
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Lovely shots! I’m normally the last one to get anywhere because of my cameras too … 😉
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Yup, if I’m not last I often get “are you feeling ok?” 🙂
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These are terrific Amy – I’m with you. Take the camera then put it away. best of both worlds!
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Thank you very much Tina!
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Your warming up the scene and adding a dark vignette to the corners is spot on. It definitely improves on the cold view of iPhone technology.
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Thank you, I also thought it seemed more warm in person and not the way the iPhone rendered it.
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Hi Amy, I really loved the first photo. Such a wonderful and thought-provoking image! 🙂
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Thank you so much 🙂
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