#2: COLOSSEUM NIGHTSCAPE, ROME, ITALY

This photo was taken on May 30, 2001, by WINFIELD I. PARKS, JR about two decades ago. From the first time seeing this photo on the National Geographic website, I was highly impressed by its colors, lights, and patterns. In this blog, I will discuss this photo with its aesthetic and technical characteristics, although I am such a newbie to photography.

Link to the photo: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photos/ten-years-of-photo-of-the-day/#/2825.jpg

Aesthetic characteristics:

This is a beautiful photo taken in the late afternoon. The color of this photo is contrasting but complementary to one another. The sky color is dark blue, which is opposite to the color of the Rome Colosseum. According to the description of this photo, " Rome's 1,900-year-old Colosseum saw bloody gladiatorial duels, battles with wild beasts, and mock naval engagements on its flooded floor", so the red light covered the Rome Colosseum is the symbol of blood, or battle and war. The lights of the vehicles around the colosseum ground bring the modern breath for the viewers. There are a lot of doorways around Rome and some lines, which causes the patterns for this photo. In conclusion, this is really an impressive photo, in my opinion.

Technical characteristics:

Having been taken in the late afternoon, I guess Colosseum nightscape's photographer had to use a high ISO parameter (around 600-800). Furthermore, the camera lens (the aperture) seemed to be opened widely to capture the whole colosseum. The main character of the picture is the colosseum, so it was in the center of the picture. There are two lines that divided the photo into three parts: horizon and lights. The light direction was on the left-hand side, and the right half was darker. I think this is maybe it is the photographer's implication to take this photo with this light. The shutter speed of this photo is low, because the lights on the ground were blurred, which seemed to attract the viewers.

Summary:

Although the content, as well as the techniques to take this photo, is not too complicated, "Colosseum Nightscape" is still an impressive photo about one of the wonders of the world at night. We can learn about new things from this photo.