Photographing Domes

It's a good observation that a difference between professional and very serious amateur photographers on the one hand, and snapshooters on the other, is that those in the pro group are always trying to create thematic links between their photos. This kind of grouping can imply a narrative, or revolve around a common technique, or involve the subject of the images.

I often don't see the connections I'm making until after the fact. I spend time looking through my images making these connections, trying to group my photos into stories or themes (Flickr is a great tool for this). By identifying my interests, I'm better able to target subject matter I want (and need) to photograph.

In this way, I've come to understand that I enjoy capturing the interiors of domes. By dome, I mean a large, public space, preferably---but not always---capped with a round top. I get down on the floor with my camera on a tripod, and use a very wide angle lens (most often my 10.5mm digital fisheye). A wide-angle dome capture both shows the full extent and pattern of the dome, and also flattens the curvature involved in a very interesting way.

So far, my interior dome captures have been limited to the San Francisco area. But who knows? The world is full of great domes!

From top to bottom:

• Dome, San Francisco City Hall
• Atrium, Hyatt Center, San Francisco
• Entrance, Marin Center
• Marin Center Dome
• Stairs, Marin Center
• Church of the Light, Oakland
• St. Ignatius Jesuit Church, San Francisco
• Dome, St. Ignatius Church
• Ceiling, Neiman Marcus, San Francisco