Sanctity in Monochrome!!
Churches are always masterpieces when it comes to architecture. For me, the best part of any church, apart from the main altar, is the architecture around the o...
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Churches are always masterpieces when it comes to architecture. For me, the best part of any church, apart from the main altar, is the architecture around the organ!! Even here, we see a beautiful archway bearing the organ. Simple but very elegant, heightened by the depth captured in black and white!!
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Jun, 2018Views
362
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Awards
Top Shot Award 22
People's Choice in buildings in black and white Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
Superb Composition
Genius
Magnificent Capture
Emotions
Impressed
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken from the balcony overlooking the main hall of the cathedral Ely in Cambridgeshire, UK. As an amateur photographer, composing this picture with minimal human interference was a challenge.Time
This is one of the best shots from me, when it comes to a monochrome photo. To get this image, I was lucky that I visited the church late in the afternoon, after all the mass was done and so, there were minimum number of people moving around or even trying to come in the frame. I did not need a tripod or any support for this.Lighting
I wanted the photo to have a lighting that was not too bright, to highlight peace and tranquility, which is what a place of worship normally brings. So, I thought that going here later in the afternoon is the best time since the sun would be on its descent and so, the light will not be too harsh. Since it was a bit cloudy outside as well, there was not too much light coming in through the painted glass windows into the church and so, I could obtain the right amount of lighting needed to get all the features of the place in view, but at the same time, give a sence of sanctity to the imageEquipment
This was shot on a Sony ILCE-A6000 mounted with an 16-50mm lens. I did not need a tripod or a flash to support the lighting and the stability of the image. I took it hand-held, supporting my elbow on the railings of the balcony.Inspiration
I always wanted to capture nice pieces of architecture, like churches, castles, palaces in monochrome since I believe that the black and white pictures are the ones that give the best depth-of-view and detail to an image. And the fact that this church at Cambridgeshire is one that is not so famous, but has a wonderful architecture made me enthralled and so, I wanted to make sure I get a good monochrome photo of the insides of this place. Also, since it is not too famous, the only people visiting the place are the locals for their usual mass, and so, it is not disturbed by all the tourists all the time.Editing
Generally. architecture photos, especially in black and white, need quite a bit of post-processing since the light may not be uniform and so, the contrast, shadow and highlights can get affected. Also, there is a possibility that the blending of both black and white is not uniform throughout the image due to the lighting and the angle at which the image is captured. But in this particular case, I had to do minimal post-processing since the lighting at the place did most of the work for me. But I just adjusted a bit of the contrast and did some shadow correction in Lightroom, to ensure there is a nice balance of black and white all along the photograph.In my camera bag
My equipment is very simple. My camera bag always has my Sony ILCE-A6000 with the 16-50mm and the 55-210mm lenses. Apart from it, I have the tripod for specific situations. And viola! I am all set to go clicking. Keep it simple, keep it light is my motto as then, I do not have to spend too much time unpacking and setting up the camera and spend more time in composing and picturing the final image in my headFeedback
The best advice I can give for such compositions, from whatever I have tried so far, is to ensure that the lighting in the surrounding is not too bright. Not everyone can have a camera that allows low focal length and so, many a time you can end up with too much light when you try to do monochromes losing the blend between the dark and light scenes in the frame. Being patient is the key to get any good image. Especially when you want to capture buildings and architecture. Since there can be human- and inanimate interventions into the image, spoiling the composition. Sometimes you will need about 20-50 shots before you get the one you want. And try to compose it in your head first, before you take the shot as only then you will end up close to what you imagined, with the final picture you get
