Castel Sant' Angelo - Rome, Italy

Castel Sant' Angelo - Rome, Italy

Castel Sant' Angelo was built to be used as Emperor Hadrian's family mausoleum between 135 AD and 139 AD. It has since been used as a fortress, Papal residence and a military prison. The building is cylindrical in shape and a wide stone ramp winds its way from the ground floor to the upper terraces. The building consists of a number of passageways and Papal apartments as well as old dungeons.

Read on for more images and info.

4/52 - Asics

Asics 

To be honest, I found it a bit hard to come up with an idea for this weeks shot.... and I'm only in week 4! God knows how the guys who are doing 365s manage.... The process of actually taking a photograph isn't hard but coming up with a half decent idea isn't as easy as it seems. I had just come back home after a game of Tennis and figured my shoes were as good a subject as any. I decided to go for warm colours with the lighting. Maybe I'll try cooler colours next week.

Setup shot and lighting info inside.

Gondolas and Gondoliers

A Gondolier waiting for a hire - Venice, Italy 

No trip to Venice is complete without a Gondola ride. The traditional flat bottomed rowing boat has been used on the Venetian lagoon for centuries. Although they were once the main mode of transport along the canals, they are now used for tourist rides. The earliest references to the Gondola were made in 1094 when a venetian public official referred to it in a letter. They started appearing in Italian paintings in the 1490's in works by Carpaccio and Bellini. The boat has evolved over the last 1000 years into the sleek familiar shape that it is today.

More info after the jump.

3/52 - Grand Marnier

A Bottle of Grand Marnier 

This shot of a bottle of Grand Marnier (Orange and Cognac liqueur) has probably been the most challenging shot, from a lighting point of view, that I've captured to date. I got the idea for this image after seeing a photograph of a bottle of Hennessy taken by Atton Conrad. Since I had only 2 lights to work with, I had to capture 5 separate images and merge them during post processing.

For those of you who are interested in the lighting, read on.

Le Sainte-Chapelle - Paris, France

The interior of Sainte-Chapelle - Paris, France 

The Sainte-Chapelle, also known as the Holy Chapel, is a gothic Chapel on Ile de la Cite in Paris. The Chapel, built during the reign of King Louis IX in the courtyard of the royal palace , was consecrated on the 26th of April 1248. It was built to house Christ's crown of thorns, the image of Edessa and 30 other relics of Christ. King Louis purchased the relics from a Latin Emperor named Baldwin II in Constantinople.

Read on for more images and info

2/52 - Layered Coffee Liqueur

Layered Coffee Liqueur 

I'm not really sure how people set about doing a project 365. I'm 2 weeks into a project 52 and I'm already finding it hard to come up with ideas for images. A lot of people do self portraits which makes things a bit easier but I'm not going to get into that. This weeks image is a glass of  layered coffee liqueur from Sheridan's in Dublin. Let me know what you think of it in the comments below.

Lighting info after the jump.

Piazza Novona - Rome, Italy

A Balcony looking out onto Piazza Novona - Rome, Italy  

Piazza Novona, a ten minute walk from the pantheon, is probably Rome's most famous square. It actually sits on top of an ancient stadium built by Emperor Domitian in the first century AD. The track and field are said to have been used for competitions similar to the Greek olympics and during the Renaissance the stadium was often flooded for mock sea battles. 

More info and images after the jump.

1/52 - Ganesh

A statue of Ganesh 

I finally got around to starting a photography project. I had been thinking about doing a 365 for a while but wasn't sure if I could commit myself to taking a photograph and doing the required processing, daily. I've decided to start off with a project 52 instead. God knows how long it will go for but I am starting with the best of intentions! I'll continue to upload other images from trips etc too. I'm expecting to update the blog around three times a week. In regards to the project, if I do use additional lighting for any of the images, setup shots and brief descriptions will be included in my posts. If you guys want any more info about the shots, just drop a question in the comments below.

The first image of this project is a small statue of the Hindu god Ganesh which we picked this up on one of our trips.

Lighting info after the jump.

Basilique du Sacre Coeur - Paris, France

Sacre Coeur - Paris, France

The Basilique du Sacre Coeur (Basilica of the Sacred Heart) is a Roman Catholic church and one of the more famous landmarks of Paris. It's located in Montmartre, the highest point of the city. The church was built in 1875 on a site which has been associated with the beheading of Saint Denis, the patron of the city, in the 3rd century.  It is believed that the Basilica was dedicated to the 58,000 soldiers who lost their lives in the Franco-Prussian war. 

Read on for more images and info.