Cathédrale-Notre-Dame--Stained-Glass-Window-PPW
The Cathédrale Notre-Dame lies just beyond the Gros Horloge, at the end of the Rue du Gros Horloge.
This huge and ornate Gothic structure ...
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The Cathédrale Notre-Dame lies just beyond the Gros Horloge, at the end of the Rue du Gros Horloge.
This huge and ornate Gothic structure is well known around the world because of the many paintings Claude Monet did of it.
Monet painted it at different times of day, with different lighting, and explored its changing character.
The cathedral was built in the 12th and 13th centuries, with modifications and enhancements continuing until the 19th century. Suffering damage during World War II, it has been the subject of long-term restoration.
The exterior is notable for its ornate decoration and its two towers, which are of differing designs.
With its soaring spire, the cathedral also has the distinction of being the tallest church in France. The doorways and facades are finely decorated.
The interior is also richly decorated and includes stained glass from the 13th century and tombs of various notables.
D810 with 24-120 f-4G ED VR lens at 38mm, f-5, 1-80, Auto ISO 450, hand held, Manual Mode. Processed in Capture NX-D and PSCS6 Extended using Picture Postcard Workflow.
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This huge and ornate Gothic structure is well known around the world because of the many paintings Claude Monet did of it.
Monet painted it at different times of day, with different lighting, and explored its changing character.
The cathedral was built in the 12th and 13th centuries, with modifications and enhancements continuing until the 19th century. Suffering damage during World War II, it has been the subject of long-term restoration.
The exterior is notable for its ornate decoration and its two towers, which are of differing designs.
With its soaring spire, the cathedral also has the distinction of being the tallest church in France. The doorways and facades are finely decorated.
The interior is also richly decorated and includes stained glass from the 13th century and tombs of various notables.
D810 with 24-120 f-4G ED VR lens at 38mm, f-5, 1-80, Auto ISO 450, hand held, Manual Mode. Processed in Capture NX-D and PSCS6 Extended using Picture Postcard Workflow.
Read less
Jul, 2016Views
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Winner in Stained Glass Windows Photo Challenge
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Behind The Lens
Location
This 13th century stained glass window is in Cathedrale Nortre Dame in the Normandy region of France.Time
Sorry to say I forgot to change the time zone in my camera when I took this picture, so the recorded time is nonsense, but I recall it was early afternoon.Lighting
Taking pictures of stained glass is always going to be better if it is well lit by outside light like it was here.Equipment
This was the first time I took my new 24-120 f/4 zoom on a trip and I was not sure how it would hold up against my old kit of my 17-35 f/2.8 and my 35-70 f/2.8, but it did very well and with the added advantage that I did not have to swap lenses as often. I still took my 17-35 as a crutch, but rarely used it. ON my D810 the 24-120 was essentially flawless. I shot this combination at 35mm, f/5, 1/80 ISO 450 hand held VR on, no flashInspiration
A number of things drew me to this image. For one, I was looking at 13th century glass. I liked the overall design of 4 panels and the fact that part of the design was the multiple little squares. The reds, blues and greens were stunning.Editing
My post processing workflow consists of using Nikon CNX-D as my RAW processor to produce a flat 16 bit TIFF which I then move to PSCS6 Extended where I use Dan Margulis free Picture Postcard Workflow (PPW) panel. This is extremely important to my process as most of the scripts and actions in PPW run in LAB color space. If you process color in RGB you cannot separate luminance from color as when you saturate color it also darkens it. IN LAB there are 3 independent channels L for luminance and 2 color channels A (which cover magenta and green) and B (which covers Blue and Yellow). LAB can also produce colors that cannot be made in RGB which you do have to watch for when you convert back. So PPW allows you to bring out the very best in your color images and make adjustments that are impossible in RGB. I think the color you see in this image is enhanced by this process and yet the colors are not blown out and show lots of variance which also enhances the image.In my camera bag
My kit changes based on what I intend to shoot. When I travel, I want to travel as light as possible, so I use a case logic sling bag and currently include the following. My D810 with extra battery and charger, 24-120 f/4 zoom, 16mm fish eye. ND and CP filters, and one of the following depending upon whether I will be shooting wildlife or not. If no wildlife, my 17-35 f/2.8 zoom as it is a great lens for dark interiors. If I plan to shoot wildlife, then the 17-35 stays home and I take my 300 mm f/4E PF ED lens and a 1.4 and 1.7 TC. This lens is light and compact and a pleasure to shoot hand held. Sometimes if I am driving, I will haul other lenses like my 85 mm or my 200 mm Micro Nikkor and my Gitzo tripod. Otherwise the only other thing I bring is a tabletop tripod as it is small and light and can actually hold my D810 with the 300 mm mounted if I need to shoot super low shutter speeds.Feedback
There are a few things I would point out here. If you are going to be in a church, most likely you will not be able to use a tripod, though there are exceptions. So look for other ways to steady yourself. Rest you elbows on a pew, lean against a wall, etc. Stained glass windows are always going to look best if light is hitting them from outside. Most of the time they are not at eye level and you are going to have to tilt your camera. If you are like me you don't like key stoned images, so leave lots of space around the window, especially at the top so that you can make perspective corrections or use distortion tools to correct this. If you are not using PPW or LAB space itself, then be very careful in RGB not to oversaturate the colors of the glass. You will lose detail and it will look garish.
