Tag Archives: cathedral

Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Spain, Photographs: Travel

Cathedral and Dark Sky

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Cathedral and Dark Sky
“Cathedral and Dark Sky” — The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela on an evening of dramatic light and clouds.

The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is a remarkable structure, with its intricate towers looming over Obradoiro Square. This is the end point for walkers “doing a camino” from locations in France, Spain, and Portugal. You can watch them arrive and imagine what it must be like to finally reach this point after weeks or more than a month of walking.

Every so often conditions produce some remarkable light — this was one of those times. It had been cloudy, and the sky was still dark with just a hint of sunset color. But far to the west the cloud shield ended and a beam of warm evening light fell on the cathedral, highlighting it against that dark and dramatic sky.

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G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

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Photographs: Europe, Photographs: France, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

St. Pierre Cathedral, Autumn Tree

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St. Pierre Cathedral, Autumn Tree, Montpellier
“St. Pierre Cathedral, Autumn Tree” — A nearly bare autumn tree in front of the St. Pierre Cathedral, Montpellier, France.

This is another photograph from our walk past the impressive St. Pierre Cathedral in Montpellier, France when we visited this past December. Our walk first took us the monumental south end of the cathedral, an imposing structure with two gigantic columns supporting an exterior arch. From there we continued around the east side, where it was still mostly quiet. Rounding the north end, we saw much more vegetation, including this tree with the last few autumn leaves.

I decided to go with a monochromatic interpretation of this photo of a detail of the north end of the cathedral. The main challenge was in how to make the leaves more visible, but we do have more leeway in post with black and white. Here I essentially applied a filter (as we used to do at the time of exposure) to brighten the tones of the leaves.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

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Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: Europe, Photographs: France, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Woman and Cathedral Columns

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Woman and Cathedral Columns
“Woman and Cathedral Columns” — A woman walks past immense columns at the St. Pierre Cathedral, Montpellier.

Montpellier’s huge St. Pierre Cathedral (Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Montpellier) is a historic Catholic Church in gothic style that was established almost 750 years ago. The south facade features a high exterior arch supported by these two gigantic round columns and topped with very pointed roof caps.

Such churches often seem to be found in the centers of historic districts cities like this, but in Montpellier it is a bit off to the side. When we visited there few people were walking near the cathedral, aside from a few passers-by and a couple of people entering the church. (We did not go inside since it wasn’t open for visits.) I photographed this woman walking past the base of one of the columns.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

2 responses to “Woman and Cathedral Columns”

  1. CRAIG W MYERS Avatar
    CRAIG W MYERS

    This is riveting, Dan. The difference in magnitude between the solitary figure against the column, the muted tones that still deliver depth, and the graduated vertical play of light combine to create an engaging and beautiful image.

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    1. G Dan Mitchell Avatar
      G Dan Mitchell

      Thanks, Craig. Those columns are absolutely massive, and I was happy when the woman walked past and introduced a sense of their real size.

      Dan

      Reply

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Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Germany, Photographs: Travel

Eingang

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Eingang sign, carved doors, Frauenkirche, Munich
“Eingang” — Elaborately carved church door, Munich.

The small “EINGANG” or “entrance” sign directs visitors toward the main entrance of the Frauenkirche in Munich. As I was looking for more information on the church I searched on photos and found only one that might have included a detail from this entryway — all of the others are of the main entrance. Suffice it to say that these doors don’t get that much attention and they deserve more.

The church is a landmark location in Munich. Although these doors don’t appear to be used that much, the carving work on them is quite impressive. The church’s two tall towers are visible from a great distance. Unlike many European church towers that that I’ve seen, these are topped with rounded domes rather than spires.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him.

G Dan Mitchell: Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email


All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.