Vatican Dusk

Please read image details. You are invited to take a look at my

portfolio. Lots of landscapes, seascapes, macro, travel and

architecture. Many thanks.

Fantastic light and really nice colors. Composition works fine. The branches in the upper left corner distracts a bit, but no big deal.

/Rasmus

Hi David. I know very well this subject, as I live in Rome, and I can tell you this is one of the best pictures I ever seen of San Pietro. My best congratulations for this great shot

i like the compo, but the tree in the upper left part doesn't feel right, if i can suggest... crop it out

....or simply take a different shot without the tree in which I have done.

I don't mind the tree really, I find that it helps contain your gaze. Th elight is spectacular!

David--I really like this shot a lot...it caught my eye when I went strolling through your shots. The peach color, especially reflected in the water, is absolutely mind boggling! (by the way, you nailed the exposure here perfectly) The tree is also the hot topic for me but I fall on the other side of the fence from the other reviewers. When I first saw the thumbnail, I clicked on it to comment about the tree because I thought the tree is what really sets this image apart. I like how it frames the shot and also fills dead space so the picture is "busy" with several areas of attention but at the same time without being too cluttered. When I enlarge the picture the tree is somewhat less attractive too me simply because of the amount of blur. I'm not sure if it's out of focus or moving too fast for a slow exposure but I think I would like the shot better with the tree at least a tad bit more crisp (probably not as sharp as the Vatican, but a little more distinct) I have used this exact idea numerous times in my own photography (see my "Beaches" folder) using palm trees to "frame" a boat at sunset. I always run into problems because I want to shut my lens down so the tree isn't completely out of focus. Combine the small aperture with the fact that you're shooting low light at sunset and you come up with a l-o-n-g shutter speed. Getting the tree leaves to hold still for that long (especially by the water, where you always get lovely breezes) is very difficult. I find I just have to shoot a lot and sometimes I get lucky. This is a tough shot but I love your idea and think your composition is impeccable. For me personally, a little more distinction in the leaves would be ideal but the shot works well how it is.

Cheers Tyler I can always rely on you for some deeper thinking. Yes I know what you are saying about the tree. The thing is I am standing probably around 2 metres form the tree and a good qurater of a mile from the Vatican. This form of framing is very postcard and some view this as an obstruction and hinderance than a cool effect. I feel the longer you look at you want to move it out the way! Thats why I have two shots, one with one without. There is no way to get the tree in focus even with hyperfocal distance, I am at around 200mm here. It was a very still night, Rome is notorious for being a sweat box, luckily this was April. Thanks for the critical analysis, hows the lighthouses coming on?

Bellí³©ma imagen en HDR!

Admirable!

I love this image, and I am glad you put the tree in it because it frames the scene; I think it would not be as interesting without the tree IMHO. Thanks for sharing.

Yes I took versions with and without but this does give the sense that the viewer is peering from behind it rather than just a straight viewpoint. Colours like this don't happen very often... you have never seen me run through those rainy streets so fast!