The Pantheon - That great big hole in the sky.

Our tour of Rome continues with a visit to the Pantheon. The Pantheon was destined to be the world's first dedicated astronomical observatory; however, the telescope had yet to be invented so the hole was left empty:

Interior of the Pantheon, Rome, Italy.

Do you own one of those small, table-top tripods? Do you wonder if anyone actually uses them? Well, here is one instance, a very rare one for me actually, where I kept one with me during the day and actually used it. The Pantheon is fairly dark. With one hole in the center of roof I guess they didn't feel the need to install electricity and artistic mood lighting. Originally the Pantheon was a pagan temple, or something to that effect, but a few years after the Romans killed Jesus they had a change of heart and setup a chapel inside the now Holy (pun intended) tourist attraction. The area below was roped off, so I setup my tiny table-top tripod on the floor with my large DSLR attached (which it could barely support):

Chapel inside the Pantheon, Rome, Italy.

A technique which I use far more often than the table-top tripod is to simply place the camera on the floor and shoot straight up. I always keep a soft, stretchy neck strap on my camera (it's easy on the shoulders and neck) and will often put it underneath one side of the camera in order to shoot up at an angle. This next shot was a 3 second exposure. It's possible I used the table-top tripod on it. I don't really remember, but most likely the camera was placed on the floor.

Pantheon, Rome, Italy.

Here are some parting shots:

Light shines through the Oculus of the Pantheon onto the decorative coffers of the dome. Rome, Italy.

Light shining into the Pantheon highlights the hollow decorative coffers that reduced the weight of the dome. Rome, Italy.

Portico and granite columns of the Pantheon in Rome, Italy.

Granite column base of the portico on the Pantheon. Rome, Italy.

Piazza della Rotonda in front of the Pantheon in Rome, Italy.

All images are Copyright Terry Smith, 2008. All Rights Reserved.