The Roman Forum, a photo from Rome, Lazio

Photographer's Note

The Roman Forum

The view of the Roman Forum from Capitoline Hill is one of the most evocative places in Rome. The ruins stand in the center of the modern city as a visionary testament to the past greatness. The Roman Forum was the heart of ancient Rome and here was reflected almost every event of importance in Rome’s development from the time of the kings through the middle ages. Many buildings survive from these times some with their columns still standing and others are only identified by their foundations. The huge paving stones of Rome’s most important ancient road remains visible as well as the well-preserved triumphal arches dedicated to Titus and Septimius.

The site of the Roman Forum was originally a marshy valley lying between the Capitoline and Palatine Hills. It was first paved as a market place (forum) in 626 BC. The original forum was a rectangle that measured approximately 115 meters by 57 meters.

Adjacent areas were included and divided the forum in three district areas – the political center, the religious center, and the commercial center. The area of the forum gradually lost its character as a market place and became a center of civic importance and the scene of public functions and ceremonies. In the second century BC, a new type of building, the basilica was introduced. The large covered space was used for judicial hearings and public meetings when they could not be held outside.

The population of city grew and the area of the forum soon became inadequate. In following centuries as the city declined, temples were neglected and robbed of most of their treasures. The few that remained were spoiled even more by invasions and further damaged by earthquakes. The forum was then used as a cow pasture.
In the Renaissance, the forum provided inspiration to artists. Many buildings from the 15th century to the 18th century took their plans from monuments here. At the end of the 18th century, systematic excavations began and continued through the 19th century especially after 1870.

The archaeologist Giacomo Boni conducted excavations from 1898-1925. His work was continued by Alfonso Bartoli. Since 1980, excavations (some still in progress) have been carried out at the west end of the forum at the foot of Capitoline Hill and on the northern slopes of Palatine.

Beasolea, ls7902, jmdias, belido, avene, gunbud, tedesse, mpb001, gracious, ilDottore, lucasgalodoido, Didi, jaywalker, Vasa, axiotea, Jakab, ChrisJ, paura, denisn72, Philippe, Ricx, sandpiper, kordinator, subhendu_bagchi, pajaran, danos has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Beasolea (1712) 2008-09-26 19:59

Hello Betty,
Very good shot, good POV, very clear and sharp.
Was catching my eye.
TFS
Bea

batalay (41261) 2008-09-26 20:18

Hello Betty,

I had just logged onto Trekearth when this classic image of the Roman Forum rolled in. The vantage point that you have chosen creates impeccable composition, and simultaneously displays ideal two-point perspective. The overcast sky, I believe, is specially good for avoiding stark contrasts in light and shaded areas, allowing the architectural details to show up so clearly. Finally, your note is highly informative, and genuinely well written. The entire package is in the best spirit of Trekearth. I plan to clear out some space among my favorites, so that I can import this superb shot.

Warm regards and have a good weekend.

Bulent

ls7902 (7380) 2008-09-26 20:46

Hello Betty,
Beautiful & strong composition with the vertical columns & buildings occupying much of the space. Taken from a great vantage point showing much of the surrounding details. Fascinating mood & lighting. Regards. Latiff.

aadilj (18102) 2008-09-26 22:47

Magnificent ruins captured superbly and with such a lovely pov. i love the way you have seen and compsoed this shot Betty its amazing

Atousa (7131) 2008-09-27 6:08

Salam Betty,

A magnificent shot with good POV n interesting details..very well seen n captured..thank you
Best regards, Atousa

jmdias (103836) 2008-09-27 8:24

betty

very informative photo. I liked the monuments well placed in the image. It is sad weather wasn't perfect but you got a nice view anyway. I guess this would be interesting in a B&W version too.

hugs

jorge

avene (12675) 2008-09-27 21:22

hello Betty,
I agree with the others that the vantage point is well chosen, I like a lot that the modern city is visible in the background, I find it emphasises how lively the place is. I'd try enhancing the texture of the sky, the dramatic clouds fit well the tumulous history of Rome. other than that minor point - very ncie work.

best,
Kristine

belido (19934) 2008-09-28 3:06

Hi Betty,

very beautiful site. You've chosen a nice point for shooting. The fact the sky is cloudy is a great bonus since there is no strong highlight/shadow contrast to hide the details. Such a pleasant seen, great job!
Regards,
Carlos

gunbud (34066) 2008-09-28 20:07

Hi Betty,
Marvelous capture of these Iconic ruins of Rome.
The old marble pillars have stood up well the ravishes of time.
Wonderful sharp details and a most informative note to go along with the fine image.
Regards, Tom

Clementi (52514) 2008-09-30 1:06

Ciao Betty,
nice shot,one very beautiful seen of a place that I love very much, when I have time there I go to plunge in the ancient atmosphere which breathes himself. photo very well realized from a fantastic POV and with some beautiful colours .
Giorgio

tedesse (25147) 2008-09-30 11:15

Hello!
Beautiful view,magnificent ruins,good POV and interesting details,wonderful light,colours and good sharpness.
Greetings
Tadeusz

mpb001 (4602) 2008-10-01 16:51

Hi Betty,
Great shot full of wonderful details. I like how you composed the shot leading the viewer into the scene. I also like the people within the scene to give the shot perspective.
Mike

sacavem (18620) 2008-10-16 3:35

Olá Betty,

Beautiful panoramic of this historical place of Rome
Good work to capture this image. Very good colour, contrast and definition.
Beautiful postcard of Roma.
Regards,
Filipe

keribar (43841) 2008-10-16 11:37

Hi Betty,

And welcome among my TE friends.
Also, welcome among the makers of excellent architectural shots.. The Foro Romano picture above is among the best I have seen so far. The grey of the clouds matches so well the color of the old columns.
Many thanks for your kind comments. Warm regards - Izzet

gracious (20025) 2008-10-19 2:45

Hello Betty,
This is a very well image captured of the ruins with it's nice colour and lighting over it!
the pov is great with good focal point with great details
well done
cheers
Tony

ilDottore (5252) 2008-10-21 11:21

Hi Betty,
What a classical shot!
Fantastic POV, beautiful colours, spotless composition.
Superb sharpness.
And excellent note in addition...
TFS and Warm Greetings from Dublin
Chris

Bluejeans (64251) 2008-10-25 2:37

Ola Betty ,
Belo ponto de visão sobre estas ruínas romanas os detalhes ficaram magníficos as pessoas dão uma noção de escala , as técnicas de construção dos romanos deviam ser incríveis , parabéns!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

lucasgalodoido (27076) 2008-10-27 18:54

Hi Betty,
goog photo of Roman empire ruins, with good colors and quality, despite the broken clouds. Great job.
Lucas

PixelTerror (0) 2008-10-30 4:00

Hi Betty,
Nic epov that makes the ancient columns look very high and impressive compared to the more modern buildings and the people ants, good image quality.
Have a nice day JY

Didi (61589) 2008-10-30 19:05

Hi Betty
Very nice lights balance between sky and the old architecture.
I don't see any distortions that's good.
But it's a little bit oversharpened.
Cheers.

malcolmb (61) 2008-11-04 14:17

This photograph is a classic the way you have captured this is
beautiful the sharpness and the colour with the dark clouds makes this photo stand out as somthing special well done
Regards malcolm

jaywalker (16105) 2008-11-07 15:55

Hi Betty, Rome is a stunning city & full of wonderful ancient architecture, this photo is a brilliant example of that, the sharp quality is out-standing & there is magnificent detail, beautifully composed with all the columns in the foreground & the lack of colour fits perfectly, the central arch & the domed building in the background finish the picture excellently, TFS, kind regards Wilson.

Vasa (515) 2008-11-08 10:58

Hi Betty, friend,

I have opportunity to greet this very nice picture of Rome, that I saw before in your gallery. The combination of colors is just for my soul. The point of view is optimal, but could be a little down, because nothing happen on the sky. Very nice picture like oil on canvas big dimensions. Many thanks for charing this image.
Friendly your

Branko

axiotea (21651) 2008-12-02 22:44

Hello Betty
The high pov allowed to see nicely the Roman forum with its huge columns and the people down below gave a sense of scale to the monuments! A good depth and natural colors are well rendered!
Cheers
Marilyn

fserajian (2299) 2009-01-05 13:46 [Comment]

Show Comment

Jakab (3867) 2009-01-29 15:14

Hello Betty,
I like your composition, the coloumns on both sides give excellent depth. The soft lighting makes the fine details well visible. After having read the critique of Kristine and your response I have prepared a corrected version with more enhanced clouds (see WS). To tell you the trouth I do not find it for much better than the original.
Best whishes
Laszlo

[workshop] [compare] +

Uhu (8609) 2009-02-11 5:41

Great photo of the Forum!
Once I hope I'll also will be there to see it.
Amazing work, well done!

hay_kes (31439) 2009-02-22 0:14

Hi Betty,
very beautiful architectural view and great POV and perspective.TFS.
Cheers,

hAyAti

ChrisJ (161040) 2009-02-24 3:38

Hi Betty

A good high pov, acroos the ancient ruins of the old Roman Forum. Wonderful sharpness, with natural looking color. Tfs!

paura (25802) 2009-02-27 4:27

Betty,
Exposure settings are excellent here. Lighting and colors are really nice to show the Roman Forum. Well done.

regards

Paulo

vmukherjee (614) 2009-03-06 20:22

Nice shot of a historical place. The tones of the sky look wonderful.

foozi (7101) 2009-03-12 3:11

Hi Betty,
greetings and warm welcome from Malaysia.
Thanks for visiting my posts and I really appreciate it.
This shot of your is indeed very splendid. the point of view is really useful in depicting the whole place. Such a beautiful and attractive ruins well presented by you in a very clear and sharp shot. The contrast between the buildings and the soft blue sky is brilliant. It gives a very pleasant view of this historical place.

Regards,
Foozi

danyy (0) 2009-03-26 6:34

Bonjour Betty,
ces ruines sont magnifiques, c'est indéniable, mais le ciel de toute splendeur lui vole un peu la vedette. Il est vrai que je suis un grand fanatique des cieux dramatiques.
Excellentes lumières qui font bien ressortir les pierres et leurs détails.
Amicalement.
Daniel.

sacimar (38173) 2009-04-07 11:13

Hi Betty,

good picture, the sharpness and details are good, we can imagine how the Forum should be in the ancient Rome, nice composition, well done!

Best regards

Sergio

denisn72 (8314) 2009-05-10 8:54

Hello Betty
Those ruins are spectacular. Amazing colours and details. The point of view is very good. The grey sky makes a nice background. The brown tones of the ruins please me very much. Well done!
Best regards
Denis!

Philippe (11836) 2009-06-04 13:32

Hi, Betty. Nice view on the Roman Forum. I like the fact that it combines the ruins of the Forum and a view on a modern dome in the background. The people under the arch scale the picture and the old stones stand out well against the grey sky.
Have a nice day,
Philippe

Greg1949 (9011) 2009-10-13 3:13

Betty, this is a fine capture, the composition is superb and the colors are nicely saturated. I understand about taking pictures no matter what because the opportunities on vacation are limited but even the sky helps this one, better that if it had been clear I think. Nice work, nice note.

Greg

Ricx (13495) 2010-01-28 14:05

Hi Betty, I had forgotten how wonderful Rome looked. It has been years since I have been there.. The clarity and sharpness of the shot is excellent. Well done. Rich

fabianoleite (13575) 2010-02-15 12:40

Wonderful ruins of the Italian Forum, the point of view was very well chosen, very inclusive and withh good sense of scale provided by the people looking like ants. Just magnificent, congratulations!

giorgimer (35017) 2010-07-25 23:57

Hi Betty,

it's always a wonderful view. Very good composition

TFS

G

sandpiper (6788) 2010-09-01 5:44

Hi Betty

You have a great gallery with many gems, but I really like this one. It really captures the feel of ancient Rome. Beautiful composition and superb clarity, sharpness and depth.So much to look at in one scene. Great work.

Chris

kordinator (8738) 2010-09-21 9:03

Hello Betty
Those ruins are spectacular.
Amazing colours and details.
Great point of view.
The grey sky makes a nice background.
Excellent composition and presentation.
Perfect job.
Regards
Saša

subhendu_bagchi (26091) 2011-01-20 0:55

Namaste Betty,
you composed this famous ruined architecture with nice POV. The atmosphere is mystic with this dramatic sky. Great depth and sharpness. Very well done. Tfs.
Best wishes.
Subhendu

pajaran (103601) 2011-04-06 22:19

Pozdrav.
Lep pogled na staru arhitekturu ...
Ostali su tragovi jedne kulture i velikih majstora gradjevinarstva, dobar prikaz lepim bojama i fotografijom.
Dobar tekst, snimak i kompozicija.
Imajte lep i uspesan dan, srecno.
Sve najbolje.
Paja.

Google.

Hello.
A nice view of the old architecture ...
Others are traces of a culture and the great masters of construction, good display beautiful colors and photo.
Good text, image and composition.
Have a nice and successful day, happily.
All the best.
Paja.

danos (110407) 2011-04-22 0:35

Hello Betty,
excellent the presentation of this part of Roman Forum,with the clarity and the sharpness to be superb.I like the creating perspective as the light and the colour management.

Have a good weekend Easter,Danos

dale54 (17456) 2011-07-22 12:21

great shot of part of rome-i like how u can see the little people down below-so tiny! u did great work here- thanks for sharing!