On Memorial Day, May 2005, my daughter, a girlfriend and I were visiting St. Peter's as a part of a two-week trip to Italy. I was taking digital photos inside the basilica. When I returned home, and downloaded the photos, this downloaded from the digital card.
Some facts:
- The photos before and after this one were prefectly normal; normal color, etc.
- No flash was used as this is not allowed inside the cathedral.
- I was shooting up into the dome at the far end of the cathedral by St. Peter's tomb alter. I saw nothing but the dome when taking the photo. You can kind of see the dome in the background. This was one of the better lit areas of the church.
- There are many windows up in the dome that let in light.
Response:
I don't often post "ecto" photos anymore, but this one is interesting. Usually, we can attribute this kind of formation as cigarette smoke or breath vapor. Neither of those possibilities seems to be the case here. And it's an interesting coincidence that this vaporous formation somewhat resembles a marble statue of the kind that might be found in St. Peter's -- perhaps of St. Peter himself!
So what is the cause of this formation? Is it paranormal? I suspect it is a photographic anomaly of some kind, but cannot say what. In the days of film, it could be blamed on fogging, but not with digital photos. Are there professional photographers out there who can provide an explanation? -- S.W.