The Ceilings of the Vatican

When in Rome, we visited the Vatican city which houses tremendous collections of art. I'm not religious. I didn't have to tell you that, but I will because it adds to the idea of these wonderfully crafted ceilings in the Vatican Museum. You don't have to believe in anything to understand just how much hard work and dedication went into creating and building such a collection of ornate rooms at a time when power saws and scissor lifts weren't available. 

I think that's the great power of art. No matter what creed or culture you define yourself as; we come together in the name of art to showcase how far we've come as people. And that is great. 

Recommendations: I recommend bringing a wide-angled lens on this tour. If you have a wide angle lens with a f/2.8 or higher I suggest using that lens as it is very dark in most areas. Do not bring a telephoto zoom unless you want to carry it around with you. I used my Nikon D610 and Nikkor 16-35 f/4 and feel that I got great results, but if I had the 14-24 f/2.8 I think it could have been even better. Don't be afraid to use a high ISO while shooting indoors without a tripod. Especially in a crowded place like the Vatican. If you want to see some blurry images with a 55-200mm telephoto lens I can show you those as my wife mistakenly brought the wrong lens inside the Vatican. 

Note: You are not allowed to take photographs in the Sistine Chapel. There are guards everywhere. Also, it is basically one large crowd of people looking up once you get to that part of the tour. You can either do a self-guided tour like we did because we were short on time, or you can do a guided tour with a slough of other people. 

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