Steve Pellatt
Research Pays Off
The Colosseum, Rome
Well there can’t be many more iconic and instantly recognisable structures in the world than the Colosseum in Rome.
Given how iconic it is there was no way I was not going to shoot it. Now one of my locations was covered by Daniel Burton recently www.flickr.com/photos/92169786@N06/54403371597/in/datepos... I did go there before this shot but I’ll save my take on it for another time. Having seen one or two compositions on Flickr I decided to do some research online before going to Rome to see if any other compositions presented themselves. Now, for me, this was pretty hard going as the vast majority of what I could see was all geared towards the ‘Insta-selfie’ crowd (thanks to Dom Haughton for that term). To me, anything on the Instaselfie hit-list is like a ‘No Entry’ sign. All full of people posing with mega-crowds of tourists in the background also taking selfies and eating gelatos. However, at the point I did come across a few locations that I felt had potential. Unfortunately some were not feasible due to a multitude of maintenance works going on but I got lucky here. It was just a case of waiting as I had a strong feeling the early sun might catch one side of the Colosseum. I had to be a little patient as it took a few mins for the sunlight to strike the top of the stone. Luckily it still had that soft orange tone but as the sun rose and the light travelled down the structure it soon lost that colour. I think this shot is a fair compromise between colour and amount of the Colosseum hatched in light.
According to Wikipedia the Colosseum is not only the largest standing amphitheatre in the world but also the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built. Construction began under the Emperor Vespasian in AD 72 and was completed in AD 80 under his successor and heir, Titus. Further modifications were made during the reign of Domitian (AD 81-96).
The Colosseum is built of travertine limestone, volcanic rock, and brick-faced concrete. It could hold an estimated 50,000 to 80,000 spectators at various points in its history, having an average audience of some 65,000. As is well known, it was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles including animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, dramas based on Roman mythology, and briefly mock sea battles! It ceased to be used for entertainment in the early medieval era. It was later reused for such purposes as housing, workshops, quarters for a religious order, a fortress, a quarry, and a Christian shrine.
Although substantially ruined by earthquakes and stone robbers, the Colosseum is still a renowned symbol of Imperial Rome and was listed as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_7_Wonders_of_the_World
© All rights reserved to Steve Pellatt. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission.
Research Pays Off
The Colosseum, Rome
Well there can’t be many more iconic and instantly recognisable structures in the world than the Colosseum in Rome.
Given how iconic it is there was no way I was not going to shoot it. Now one of my locations was covered by Daniel Burton recently www.flickr.com/photos/92169786@N06/54403371597/in/datepos... I did go there before this shot but I’ll save my take on it for another time. Having seen one or two compositions on Flickr I decided to do some research online before going to Rome to see if any other compositions presented themselves. Now, for me, this was pretty hard going as the vast majority of what I could see was all geared towards the ‘Insta-selfie’ crowd (thanks to Dom Haughton for that term). To me, anything on the Instaselfie hit-list is like a ‘No Entry’ sign. All full of people posing with mega-crowds of tourists in the background also taking selfies and eating gelatos. However, at the point I did come across a few locations that I felt had potential. Unfortunately some were not feasible due to a multitude of maintenance works going on but I got lucky here. It was just a case of waiting as I had a strong feeling the early sun might catch one side of the Colosseum. I had to be a little patient as it took a few mins for the sunlight to strike the top of the stone. Luckily it still had that soft orange tone but as the sun rose and the light travelled down the structure it soon lost that colour. I think this shot is a fair compromise between colour and amount of the Colosseum hatched in light.
According to Wikipedia the Colosseum is not only the largest standing amphitheatre in the world but also the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built. Construction began under the Emperor Vespasian in AD 72 and was completed in AD 80 under his successor and heir, Titus. Further modifications were made during the reign of Domitian (AD 81-96).
The Colosseum is built of travertine limestone, volcanic rock, and brick-faced concrete. It could hold an estimated 50,000 to 80,000 spectators at various points in its history, having an average audience of some 65,000. As is well known, it was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles including animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, dramas based on Roman mythology, and briefly mock sea battles! It ceased to be used for entertainment in the early medieval era. It was later reused for such purposes as housing, workshops, quarters for a religious order, a fortress, a quarry, and a Christian shrine.
Although substantially ruined by earthquakes and stone robbers, the Colosseum is still a renowned symbol of Imperial Rome and was listed as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_7_Wonders_of_the_World
© All rights reserved to Steve Pellatt. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission.