aginbyte

... unique view of what looks like an interesting two story cloister. 

... these churches are yield extraordinary opportunities to achieve such vistas.

 

... wonderful angle and exposure, love the "arrowhead" effect of the second top floor balcony opening. Well done b&w.

... even in the thumbnail, Jim. Almost an abstract here with the sun reflecting on the sloped surfaces.

... I like the shot for how you've captured the illustrations on the side and at the end. I see you are in Grenoble, whose Ligue 1 team obliterated by beloved Auxerre side 5-0 earlier this year :)

... coming from you, that is high praise. Am glad you like this particular shot, as it is one of my favorites. An "accidental" shot, having finished about two or so hours shooting, was waiting for PJ to finish, turned and saw this. Unpacked and got the image. Sometimes better to be lucky than good :)

Have travelled extensively in France for these pictures, and will be doing so for the rest of my life, am sure. In my "Panorama" folder, there is a shot of the Lanterne de Mort at Fenioux, a lovely structure in the middle of the countryside near the church, as you well know. This is a wonderful place and we enjoy shooting there. We will be in the Vienne again this year, but most re-shooting in Poitiers, adding the Abbey church in Le Dorat, Saint Pierre in Chauvigny (shooting there for the third time), the abbey at Nouialles-Maupertuis, and a few others. Don't think we'll get far enough west to shoot Fenioux again. Thanks for your interest, and good luck.

... as perfectly composed and lit as if it were rehearsed, staged, and performed, except that it is the capture of a moment. So well done.

... great shot, Jeff. Would never think that Noah would stop moving long enough to sleep. Wonderful look on Becca's face as well. Best to you all, hope to be coming back to PN soon.

... exactly what you might hope for with the 17ts. Interesting distortions in the minarets, have noticed these in my test shots. Couldn't have a better sky, either.

... and the wonderful crucifixion scene. Am not sure about the processing with the light, but that might just be the purist in me. It is an interesting choice, however, and well done.

... knew what it was, thought it very interesting that you used it :) Thanks for the explanation. You can also try another trick, especially if you shoot raw. Create a version with exposure adjusted and use that for a layer mask, or possibly an HDR. It's a trick Rick du Boisson told me about that I have used when stuck.

... if you really wanted it to pop, you'd work on the overexposed exterior of the cloister. This is a familiar problem for those who shoot these beautiful walkways. The best ways to do this, of course, are either judicious use of HDR or (my preference), layer masking of a shorter exposure of the same shot (of course, with either, you need a tripod). BTW, your extreme low angle here is interesting (as is your choice of folder name).

... reminds me of the great Quentin Crisp. Great to see you still in good form, John. Hope you are well, coming to Boston anytime soon?

 

... you are thinking of Trinity Church, just across Copley Square from Old South Church. It has four windows by Burne-Jones, actually executed by William Morris! Four more are by John la Farge, who is largely responsible for Trinity's interior.

 

The glass here is original, created by an English company in 1875 when the church was opened. I can't remember the name of the Company. (Note: "The stained glass windows are by the English stained glass manufacturers Clayton and Bell and were produced in the style of fifteenth century English glass." Ain't Wikipedia a wonder?)

 

 

... of a very interesting, spare interior. Well composed as well, spot on exposure.

... this was one of the things that I discovered about the lens during these tests. I am now going to try to see if there are other distortions that occur because of the wide field of vision. I have been looking at the other images in this series but this is the one that shows the most problem. As far as a software correction, that is way beyond me at this point. I can imagine the correction being possible by a PS guru who might cut out the fixtures and reinsert them. But it is quite a problem. Thanks for bringing it up.

... wonderful choice of an image, since it is all about the light.

Continuing the tests of the new Canon 17mm tilt-shift in Boston. This

was the first shot of the day. Thanks for taking the time to view and

comment.

... the framing of the shot above the T station is a wonderful choice, one that probably would never have occurred to me. It allows us to concentrate on the structure itself (and also ignore the other buildings crowding it so much on both sides.) Very well done. BTW, when were you in Boston? Give me a call next time!

... the faded paints, the old wood ceiling, even the slightly warped windows contribute to the shot. Well done.

... I like the technical aspect, to be sure, but the thing that pleases me the most in retrospect (if two days can be called retrospect :) is the arch with the alternating colors of voussoirs that makes a kind of halo over the pew. It was something that I tried to set up, of course, but just as a small matter of detail, but it turns out to be the defining element for me. Strange. You, of course, would always gravitate to the human in the picture, so it does not surprise that you like this shot because of the focus down to the musicians on the altar (they were rehearsing for a wedding). For me, I actually considered removing them! I'm such an idiot sometimes. Of course, the people make the shot because they complete it. That is the difference between photography as an art form and photography as a form of documentation, which is what I consider my task. Normally I would have waited until they had cleared!

 

It is an odd dichotomy, Fred. I love shooting people, but somehow they do not enter into the equation when I'm shooting churches. Only on the rare occasion is the person a subject of the shot in a church.

... Manuel, it is an exceptional lens, very please to have it in the arsenal. Given that about 85% of my shots were with the 24mm TS, would have to think that this lens will get the same kind of use.

 

Michael, it is great, you must see the original sometime. The details is incredible. One of the problems with the old 24 was chromatic aberration (cyan/magenta). This seems to be completely eliminated in the new lens. As far as the fixtures, Canon can't quite get that feature right :)

 

Salvador, ah, my Mexican church pal. Glad you like the tests. Can't wait for Europe when I can REALLY put it through its paces.

 

SW, thanks again. Glad you like the shot. I've been off PN pretty much for months, and it is great getting back and posting and seeing other work. I'll be back to visit you soon as well.

 

Rick, must have read your mind. Love your exterior, we were going to try for a morning shot but it just didn't look good. You solution to shoot above the M station was excellent, not sure if my imagination would have gone so far! Have you been inside the church? Quite nice, as I can hope that you see from the wide shots.

 

Pnina, thanks. The lens is reviewed a couple of places, but nothing great. This is the one that I liked: http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/article_pages/tilt_and_shift_ts-e.html

 

Fred, appreciate your notes on the shot, which is really a test. The two churches lack a great deal of the atmosphere and "patina" which is part and parcel of the Romanesque. This church, for example, has gone through three complete "renovations" since 1875 when it was consecrated. The last returned it to its "Ruskinian gothic" style. These tests are to see what kind of field of view the lens is capable of, what kind of detail. In reality, it is a completely different lens that the previous tilt-shift, much improved mechanically and optically. I can't see using many other lenses in Europe at this point.

 

 

... I've had very little use for the function in the past, but the incredible spread that you get with this lens means that I will be trying it more from now on. This is actually cropped about 15% on the left and top because of some junk in the background that I didn't care for. I know you're anxious to get the lens. Good luck and make sure you keep me posted on what you're up to. I was a little worried about spending this kind of money on a lens, but right now feel it was worth every penny. Can't wait for the next France trip.

.... Mike, Salvador, and Charles. This is a fine photograph, with wonderful details, tones, and composition. The detail gives it, of course, the graphic feel that it has. Congratulations.