Brigham Young Parts the Pillars

I was taking photographs of the interior of the Utah State Capitol building a couple of weeks ago, and was positioning myself to take a shot of the rotunda. I had to keep backing up, so that I could get a picture of the entire rotunda. There was another photographer , Steve Mackley (http://mackleyphoto.blogspot.com/), taking wedding photographs on the west stairs of the rotunda. As I was backing up, getting closer and closer to his shoot, I told him that if I got too close to his shoot to let him know, and I would move. He said, not to worry, and to let him know if I wanted him to move, (professional photographers are always considerate and courteous to each other).

He then asked me if I had ever shot with a fisheye lens. I told him that I hadn't, and he pulled out a Canon 15mm f/2.8 fisheye lens and asked me if I wanted to try it. Of course I said yes. But I didn't stop at one or two photos - no. I shot as many shots of the rotunda as I could, balancing the desire to shoot with it all day, and the need to be respectful of his time.

When I got home I told my wife of this experience. I then downloaded the photos, and showed them to her. The first words out of her mouth were, "You ARE in trouble". She loved the photos.

I now have my own fisheye lens.

Here are some of the shots that I took using the fisheye lens. Here Brigham Young's energy and aura is so powerful, even the pillars bend to move out of his way.








Below is a shot of the rotunda showing the east staircase, the 65ft ceiling in the rotunda, and the sculptures in the four corners of the round rotunda.







Next is a shot of the ceiling showing the murals and the arches.







Click on images to see a larger view.