General Register House

General Register House on Princes Street is a purpose-built public archive and records building still in use today. Construction began in 1774 though it was not fully considered complete until the 1830s. The upper gallery shelves appear empty which is slightly disappointing, although the room is still impressive, as is the huge plastered dome. This is an easy to access location, though be aware it is a working public building, so permission to take photos should be sought and quiet conduct is expected.

As an indoor location season is not so important, though bright overcast days feed the most even light through the oculus. The room is not particularly well lit, so shooting a high ISO is fairly inevitable to ensure a shutter speed suitable for hand held shooting. This image was taken with a 14mm lens which isn’t even wide enough to take in the full scale of the room. The camera has to be pointed upwards to get everything in, so expect perspective distortion, although this can help to create a sense of scale.