Rome

I am in Rome all of this week for some security related work. It's hot here, the humidity is high, and everything is crowded. The good news is that the heat seems to slow everything down - including the huge tour groups - so it's not too bad to get around.

These are some of the most photographed monuments known to man. Virtually every one of the thousands of people here has a camera of some sort, even if it's a cell phone. As a computer storage designer, it's a wonderful sight. As a photographer, it's a bit confusing. There were a lot of flashes going off that had no chance of illuminating these large spaces (at least one flash went off every second), but no one checked the result on the displays. For many, it seems that it's really more about the act of photographing rather than the result.

This also leaves me questioning the wisdom of lugging a Nikon D2x and assorted F2.8 lenses around. As a traveling photographer, it is getting more difficult to justify the weight of this system. At the same time, it provides the resolution that most publications want to see. I'm anxiously awaiting the replacement for the Olympus E-1.