The Temples of Paestum

Paestum is one of those unique places in Italy that really isn’t Italian, it’s Greek.  When you enter the gates of the ruins you almost leave Italy behind for a few hours.  The remains of an ancient wall surround Paestum, inside are an amphitheater and thee large temples, similar to the Parthenon in Athens.  These date back to 6 B.C.

This HDR shot taken in September 2011.  I stopped shooting HDR because it took too much time and I didn’t like my results.  Until a few months ago, everything I took was with zoom lenses.  This shot, like most of my earlier photos, was taken with the 18-55mm kit lens on a Canon Rebel XSi.  In addition to the kit lens, I’ve used a 28-300mm Tamron and 10-22mm Canon for most shots.  While I still use them, these days I make an effort to use more prime lenses (28mm, 50mm, and 85mm).  This forces me to think and frame more when shooting and it’s actually been more fun.

This photo called, Shady Tourists, was taken on a hot summer day in June 2013 with a 28-300mm Tamron.  There are very few places in Paestum that are shaded so tourists frequently gather under the few trees to hydrate or get a break from the sun.  Because I’ve taken plenty of photos of the temples here, this time I was trying to focus on the tourists.

Trips to places like Paestum can seem routine as ancient ruins are so commonplace in Italy.  The Greek ruins at Paestum are also one of 981 Unesco World Heritage sites deemed as having “outstanding universal value” in need of preservation.  There are almost fifty UNESCO sites in Italy alone!  Put Paestum on your travel list along with the Amalfi Coast, Pompeii, and Capri when planning a trip to Naples!