Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4 S at 120mm, 1/12000 sec, f/4.0, ISO 500.
I could have used this first image as a high-contrast entry in last week’s post, but it makes a good transition into this week’s theme: street lamps. For that matter, this next image would have worked, too:
Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4 S at 120mm, 1/1000 sec, f/9.5, ISO 500.
Moving beyond the simple silhouettes, this next image is fun. It’s a rather cluttered alley with all the air conditioning units hanging off the wall, but a reflection of a silhouette was a prize worth claiming:
Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4 S at 120mm, 1/60 sec, f/9.5, ISO 500.
This next image pairs a lamppost’s nice scrollwork with its disembodied shadow. They obviously go together, but the fact that the shadow is at a lower level and mirror imaged and somewhat squished make the viewer work a bit and give the image a little visual tension. Also, the fact that the largest part of the shadow is being cast by a white lampshade also serves to mask the connection between them.
Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4 S at 85mm, 1/750 sec, f/9.5, ISO 500.
The shadow in this next image is also distorted relative to the lamp that is casting it, but since they touch, the viewer doesn’t have to work to connect them. The grillwork in the lower windows picks up the ironwork motif, and the abundance of crisp thin shadows around the trimwork and drainpipe add a lot of graphic details. Then, of course, there are nice textures and colors. This wall is typical of why it is fun to have a camera in Rome.
Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4 S at 57mm, 1/1500 sec, f/8.0, ISO 500.
This next image might have worked without the lamp. In that scenario, the grungy window would be the subject; as it is, it is the main supporting element, subdued in the shadows. Also, the gently curving orange building makes a beautiful background that, color-wise, contrasts nicely with the blue sky.
Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4 S at 60mm, 1/750 sec, f/9.5, ISO 500.
I’m not sure that this final lamp can properly be called a streetlamp, but it seems to extend the theme nicely. The globe of the lamp picks up the color of the far wall and the ornate details stand out crisply silhouetted. Also, the main framing arches are echoed both by the arches on the far wall and the scallop pattern on the pavement.
Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4 S at 42mm, 1/180 sec, f/9.5, ISO 500.
Thank you for visiting and I hope these images either remind you of Rome or inspire you to enjoy wandering its streets in the future. I have a lot more images of Rome to share, so please keep coming back!
2 responses to “Streetlights of Rome”
Some nice images there, Jim.
I especially like Mirror Image. The shadow on the wall is, as your title suggests, a neat reflection of the “original”. Also, the series as whole conveys the attractiveness of Roman walls (ancient and, some time ago, modern).
Purely subjective: the opacity of the lamp in Soon blocks my view without offering compensation whereas Extra Credit works really well because I can see the lamp in itself as well as its reflection/shadow.