The Retired Ballerina
St. Petersburg, Russia: In the Hermitage
A Russian museum guard keeps her eye on the tourists. I don’t know anything about her but she does look as if she were a ballerina in a former life. The doors behind her and the parquet floor are typical of the lavish decor of what was once the Tsar’s Winter Palace. I believe these doors are made of embossed leather with gold trim and (I think we were told that) they are the most beautiful doors in the Hermitage.
Alone with the Tsar’s Ghost
This is a hallway or gallery. The sun shone through the windows and created a lovely pattern on the floor. The woman guarding the gallery couldn’t help dozing in the warmth of its rays.
Crowds of tourists filled the museum when we were there. I suppose there is never a time when it isn’t crowded. The guide was unintelligible, what with the noise and her accent. We had a large group and I was in the back because I was trying to get some photos. I can’t tell you that I succeeded. Photographing in a museum does not come naturally to me. I recently saw some photos shot by a well-know photographer inside a famous French museum. They were vertical shots of a wide room. I would have used a horizontal wide angle, but now I think a vertical works better. I think we should try both.