The Spiral Staircase of the Vatican Museums

One of my favorite areas of the Vatican Museums is the Spiral Staircase. It fascinates me. It draws me in. Designed by Giuseppe Momo in 1932, it is a double-helix with one stairway headed up and a ramp headed down:

I have spent much time photographing this staircase partly because I find it such a photographic challenge. In order to capture the majority of the staircase, a wide-angle lens is necessary. On this visit, I used my Canon 7D with a wide-angle Canon EF 17-40mm f4.0L. Because my 7D is a cropped-sensor camera and not a full-frame (equivalent, really, to a 27-64mm focal length), I could not capture the whole staircase. But, I firmly subscribe to the adage that the best camera (and lens) is the one you have with you (and, for those of you considering a high-quality wide-angle lens, the 17-40mm L is definitely an option to consider. There may be a little difficulty in low-light and it may not be as wide as you want on a crop-sensor camera, but I still love it, and it largely does a fantastic job. And, I love my 7D, too!

(To be continued…)