Tag: dome

04-16-16 Stone And Light

It has been called by some a “palace of justice” (read more)

By Scott Shephard

As some old timers say, “They don’t build ’em like that anymore.” That’s certainly true of the Codington County Court House, which was built in the late 1920s. Though the building is beautiful, there is talk about the need for something more “modern.” Modern isn’t always architecturally interesting, though I understand the need for space, efficiency and security.

The problem with modern is that it often pays little respect to the “vintage.” In fact, the antecedent to our current court house was destroyed to make room for it, even though the old building was itself a beautiful structure. Out with the old and in with the new, I guess.

Canon 5DIII 1/80s f/4.5 ISO1250 16mm

03-31-14 Details

The impressive soaring dome at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, was no doubt inspired by the Roman Pantheon. . . .

By Scott Shephard

When I’m shooting a photo in a place like the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, I often wonder what I could possibly photograph that someone else hasn’t already done. The answer on my visit yesterday when I took this was, “Not much.”

But I still took this picture, in part because I wanted the place in my photo collection. I was also experimenting. The experiment? Can I do an HDR photo at ISO 1250, without a tripod and have two of the three exposures slower than 1/60 of a second? The answer is yes, I guess, Though a magnifying glass would no doubt show the imperfections.

On a side note, I am struck by the fact that under this spectacular dome, the statue is the Roman god Mercury. I wonder if designers could get away with blatant paganism in a public building these days?

Canon 5DIII 1/50s f/2.8 ISO1250 16mm