Today I wanted to share a nice little peek in to our nighttime stroll through the Roman Colosseum. I like to think we were pretty exclusive VIP’s to get to see this wonderful piece of history at night, but the truth is anyone can! If you visit Rome, Italy, and would like to experience this, you will need to be there on a Thursday or Saturday (May-Oct), and either pick up tickets at the front gate (they start selling tickets for the night tour once the sun goes down I think – we got ours at around 8:30 PM), or book online. Just browsing for a few minutes I came across this site that sells tickets online. Since it can fill up pretty quickly, I would recommend buying online. The tour lasts about 45 minutes and takes you all around the inside of the Colosseum.
Now, on to the tour. The last time I was inside the Colosseum I was just a boy, so I really didn’t remember much. Every time I go to Rome (about 10 times now since 2009) I mean to go see it, but the crowds always dissuade me. This tour is pretty intimate, no more than 12 or so people a group. The tour was full of photographers (can you blame them??) and one guy even had his heavy-duty tripod (of which I was tremendously jealous of at first).
Before the tour started, I dialed in some settings on the D800 and slipped on the 14-24mm f/2.8 wide angle lens. Shooting almost everything at above 3000 ISO, I was a bit worried about the quality of the photos. When I started reviewing the shots I was taking, I was quite pleasantly surprised at how good they looked. After some cleanup, noise reduction, and lighting modifications, they looked pretty close to how I remembered them. The colors were actually that vivid and beautiful in real life. It is pretty amazing what a so-so, amateur photographer (me) can capture with the amazing equipment these days 
Photo-wise, this tour is very accommodating. At each “stop” you are given about 4 minutes to shoot away, and while the guide is talking you can always walk around to get a people-less shot. Do yourself a favor and bring a wide angle lens, you will be happy you did! Anyways, I hope you enjoy! I would love to hear from you in the comments below.
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Well, there you have it. I hope you enjoyed! Check back tomorrow!
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These photos are awesome! I love the mood and the texture that the light gives. I will definitely have to check this out when I’m in Rome.
Thanks Jared! I apprecaite the comment
Definitely check it out!
An amazing set – such a surreal place at night, the way it is lit. Thanks for taking me there.
Thanks Justing, much appreciated!
All fantastic shots Adam, all are incredible, thanks for sharing.
Mark recently posted..Farvel Frolø
Thanks Mark, as always!
I remember being there with so much crowd…these pictures look so pleasantly different from that memory! All the shots are stunning, so tough to pick the fav…perhaps the third last shot…
Thanks so much Sid. I like that one a lot as well
Outstanding shots, Adam. The 800 can do high ISO very well in spite of all those MPs.
Thanks Ken! Yea, it is an amazing little machine!
This is an extraordinary tour and a great documentation of this incredible monument. Of course, at night everything looks much more impressive, and your shots testify.
Technically the shots with an ISO so high are perfect.
However, a very charming post, congratulations Adam.
fabrizio recently posted..Public temple
Thanks very much Fabrizio, and I hope to see you back here soon!
Amazing shots!
Thanks Marina
What a lovely set of photos you have here! They are great shots and I just hope I can come to those places someday in my life..
Karylle recently posted..Travel Tomato
Thank you so much Karylle. I hope you get to see it as well!! Thanks for the comment and visit! I hope to see you back here and see your comments again soon!
Adam. These shots are stunning! As amazing as the Colosseum is during the day, it must be a different world at night and you have done extremely well at capturing the mood and the feeling of being there experiencing it!
Thanks Mike! It really was quite a memorable experience!
These are just outstanding Adam! So much history there!
Thanks Dave. It is pretty sobering to see up close.
When we visited the Colosseum last year it was the middle of the day and blazing hot. I love this nighttime images. Great job Adam.
Thanks Edith
So cool man. Like how you captured this place.
Thanks bussy, I appreciate the comment.
Those are some awesome looking corridors! I’ll have to remember the night tours. Very cool!
Yea, man, well worht it. Thanks!
Fantastic series of shots, Adam! The colors and amount of detail is amazing. I really like the shots looking down the pathways under the arches – these really capture the feeling of the place.
Mark Summerfield recently posted..St. Ignatius Church, Port Tobacco, Charles County, Maryland
Thanks Mark! Those are my favorite ones as well!
Glad to see you are putting the D800 to good use, and nice to see the resulting hand-held low light images.
Thanks Wayne!
Adam, what an amazing place! Must have been something to visit that old place, with such an history behind the scene.
Anne Jutras recently posted..Après La Pluie Le Beau Temps
Thanks Anne! I appreciate the comment. It is pretty awesome to see, especially at night without the crowds.
Amazing photographs Adam! I’m floored at the job the 800 did with the high ISO. Beautiful work guy!
Thanks buddy. I keep saying the D800 is making me look way better than I actually am
Beautiful night shots! The detail you are pulling at night with that D800 is amazing.
Absolutely spectacular shots!! I have a hard time to pick a favourite. Great choice to go shoot this after sunset.
Jan Winther recently posted..Spring time
Awesome series and the colours are tremendous. The D800 obviously handles the high ISO brilliantly.
Quite a WOW post, Adam. These are some great images.
Mark Neal recently posted..HDR – Nik or PS – And a Few Variations of HTDS