The Flame is Still Burning…

I framed this image at the Altare della Patria in Rome, positioning myself low enough that the eternal flame rose against the statues behind it. I wanted the flame to feel alive, not simply ornamental, so I allowed it to breathe in the frame — neither perfectly centred nor clipped — letting the movement of the fire contrast with the stony immobility of the figures.

Technically, it’s a shot about balance. The ornate bronze of the burner holds deep shadows and highlights, and getting both to read required a careful exposure, leaning slightly toward underexposing to preserve the flame’s detail. The sky was playing along that day, with just enough cloud to give texture without overpowering the scene or throwing too much diffuse light onto the stone.

The depth of field was chosen deliberately shallow for an architectural setting. I wanted the statues to register clearly as symbols without competing for the viewer’s attention; they soften into presence rather than intruding into the foreground’s authority. The warmth of the flame pushes against the cooler whites and greys of the marble, a quiet reminder of life and ceremony against a backdrop of permanence and silence.

In the end, it’s not just a monument. It’s an active space of memory, and the photograph — like the flame itself — works to keep that presence alive.