Architecture
Architecture is probably a bit of a grand name for this section, but I could’t think of anything else more suitable. “BUILDINGS AND COOL STUFF IN THEM” might be a more honest way to put it, but that seems an unnecessary mouthful and also makes me sound like a mentalist.
This is one from October last year. I spent about an hour skulking around in this graveyard as the sun set, avoiding opprobrious glances from passersby. This was a shot I didn’t think too much of at the time, but I just came across it and rather like it (especially if you look at the larger view)
Technical info: ISO 100, f/23, tripod, 3 shot HDR processed in photomatix pro
Posted in architecture, hdr, skies.
I had a great afternoon today - the morning was foul weather but it was forecast for sunny interevals in the afternoon, so I went out with Andy and spent a glorious afternoon tramping round Bradgate Park, about 6 miles away.
I’ve been trying to get a good shot of Old John for ages now - you have to get the light just right. I’m really pleased with this one, even though I did almost fall off a big rock taking it and dash my brains out.
Technical info: ISO 100, f/22, tripod, 3 shot HDR processed in photomatix
Posted in architecture, hdr, landscape, skies.
Had a couple of hours shooting at the St Mary & St John parish church in Rothley, Leicestershire. The only shots I liked enough to keep were the stained glass details, but the colours have come out particularly well I think.
Not sure what this chap’s name is, but he doesn’t look too cheerful. I started out by taking wide angle pics (like I have before) but the church didn’t really lend itself to them - or I was off my game - so I got out my sigma 70-300 and took lots of detail shots instead. Good job my tripod goes up to about 7 foot tall, as it helps to reduce the angle.
Technical info: iso 100, f/11, tripod, 3 shot HDR processed in photomatix pro
Posted in architecture, details, hdr.
This is Loughborough Parish Church. I pass it almost every day, and have never been inside until now. From the outside, it’s all dark and austere looking - I’ve never particularly liked it other than because it’s stark and impressive.
I rang and asked if I could go inside and take some photos, and they were fine with it. It was open on a friday morning so me and Andy went along and let ourselves in. There were about 6 volunteers inside cleaning away, which at first seemed awkward but then they all turned out to be really nice and welcoming. They explained what the different parts of the church were called and offered to get out of our way and such. I gave one nice lady a card, so if you are reading this, thanks!
There are quite a lot of pics I want to include, so this will be a bit of a mammoth post. Here we go:
The pews are made of Japanese Oak, and were installed in a restoration in 1862 - there was seating for 1,000 people back then.
The windows at the very top are part of what’s called a clerestory - there’s a new word for me, at least.
This window is enormous - the highlight of the church, really. It faces west, and I would always walk past it on the way home from the pub - it looks dark and dreary from the outside, so I was amazed to see it from within.
Part of the south side of the nave was converted to become The Burton Chapel between 1929 and 1932 by George Briggs, an ex Loughborough Grammar School student.
If I knew more about religion I could tell you what this represents, but I am a salty heathen so can only point and say “Ooh! Pretty!”
Ditto.
Churches are built in a cruciform (cross shaped) plan - the transcepts are the small parts of the cross, and normally face north and south.
The chancel houses the Altar, sanctuary and seating for the choir.
Another view of the nave, this time showing a bit more of the floor.
These, the guidebook informs me, are actually “quatrefoil pillars”. Which is quite a cool name. Impressively large and sturdy.
It always feels a bit cheeky setting your tripod up in a pulpit, but I’m game.
Technical info: Almost all these pics are iso 400 (the light was pretty low in the church, and at lower than iso 400, the brighter end of my HDRs would have been over 30s, which is a pain), f/22, tripod, 9-shot HDRs processed in Photomatix. All except the stained glass detail were taken with my sigma 10-20 - the stained glass ones were taken with my sigma 70-300.
And that’s it. Sorry about the photo bombardment, but I didn’t want to dribble them out over the course or a week or so 
In addition to these pictures, my friend Andy took some nice ones also - they can be found on his flickr profile
Posted in architecture, hdr.
This ruin (I think it’s called “Giew Mine”) is on the road between St Ives and Penzance - you can see St Michael’s mount on one side, and the Godrevy lighthouse on the other. Lovely place.
This is a slightly odd composition, but it all seems to hang together for me.
Technical info: iso 100, f/22, tripod, 3 shot HDR processed in photomatix pro
Posted in architecture, hdr.
This was my favourite bit of the stained glass windows I was snapping away at on Saturday. At this point, I was balancing my tripod on three pews, and standing on the backs of them in my socked feet (it felt too wrong to stand on a pew in my shoes - it’s weird for an Atheist to be mucking around unsupervised in a church - you have no idea when you’re committing some sort of sacrelige).
Worth it, though, I think. I love the colours in these shots.
An addendum… when I was taking shots of the altar, I had my new tripod raised up to its highest setting (about 7 foot), and I turned around to look at something, and the whole tripod with new 450d and my favourite sigma 10-20 toppled over and smashed on the flagstones. I was certain at first that both camera and lens were dead - but tried the camera and it seemed OK. The lens was clearly completely broken, so I came home and started to make insurance investigations. I was told to ring back on monday, so I started playing with the lens thinking a photo of its broken body might be an idea - and I tried levering the filter off - and was absolutely astonished to find the rest of the lens was intact. It looked with the filter on like all the lens glass had smashed (and when I shook it, there was loads of rattling) - it turned out that only the filter was broken, and the rattling was just some tiny pieces of filter glass - so thank God, I am saved from spending £320 on a new sigma! W00t!
Technical info: f/11, iso 200, tripod, 3-shot HDR processed in photomatix pro.
Posted in architecture, details, hdr.
This is the pick of the bunch of my session in the church yesterday, I think. This is probably the picture I’ve taken which most encapsulates the purpose of HDR. A picture like this would have been impossible without it - or at least require techniques I know nothing about. Without HDR, either the texture of the walls and pews would be almost completely lost, or the light coming in from the windows would be massively blown out.
I’ve allowed the stained glass window at the back to be a little blown out, because it looked too unnatural without (this was a 9-shot HDR, so I had some that were almost completely black, with only a faint glow from the window).
This is the pic that makes me very happy I asked the vicar if I could come take some photos - I’m going to try the same thing with other churches, I think, as even this little village church is beautiful.
Technical info: iso 400 (any lower than that and the top end of my exposures was >30s, which is a pain), f/22, 10mm, 9-shot HDR processed in photomatix pro.
Posted in architecture, hdr.
I was kindly given permission to take photographs inside The Holy Trinity church in Barrow upon Soar, and spent a joyful hour there this morning snapping away.
At one point, my tripod fell over, smashing my prized sigma 10-20 wide angle lens to pieces, which made me raise my eyebrows somewhat, but I carried on regardless (with another lens). Hopefully I’ll be able to claim that back on the household insurance.
This is my immediate favourite from the shoot - just a simple detail of some stained glass, but I think it’s beautiful. More due to the craftsmanship than my camerawork, no doubt, but there you go.
Technical details: ISO 200, f/11, tripod, 6 shot HDR processed in photomatix pro.
Posted in architecture, details, hdr.
This is the bridge the M48 thunders over, just east of Chepstow. I really enjoy driving over this one - you can, as you can see, get right underneath it too. It’s an amazingly imposing construction.
I should return and try this again at some point now I am a little more adept - this picture was taken only a couple of months after I got my first DSLR, and it would have really benefitted from being in raw and some bracketing. I don’t think I’d be lucky enough to get the complimentary line of the fog bank again though.
Technical info: iso 100, f/32, 1/40s, tripod.
Posted in architecture, bridges, skies.
I couldn’t resist this shot - the lights on the water and the colours were almost too good to be true.
This building in on the Seine in the middle of Paris, between the Eiffel Tower and the Isle de Cite. I didn’t know at the time that it was a department store - I should go in next time, it’s an amazing looking building.
This picture was taken from the top of some steps leading down to the bank of the river, whilst I was being jostled by a constant stream of drunken revellers from the music festival on that weekend.
Techincal info: iso 100, f/22, tripod, 3 shot HDR combined in photomatix pro.
Posted in architecture, bridges, hdr.
Recent Comments