Evensong

[cat ryan]

Bit of a struggle with low light on this one and restrictions, but worked in the end


cR

[Dave Humphries]

Certainly has! Very nice shot.

That's a heck of a dynamic range to capture, you've done very well.

I hope you don't mind, but I was interested enought to peek at the EXIF data and reproduce it here;
1/3s @ f5, ISO400 and 15mm on a Canon 30D - quite a juggling act of ISO, shutter speed and aperture to get all that in, exposed and reasonably sharp, if I had a hat on, I'd take it off to you!

If I am really, really picky I might suggest there's just one pillar in the far distance which has a distractingly high luminance level which might respond well to just a touch of burning.

You have also done a good job with correction of verticals and lens distortions in PP.
As with many of the images on your website, these are an example to us.

[crisscross]

Welcome to the forum Cat or is it Paul?? Very pleased to see a serious eccliastical photgrapher and see you have been on 'my' patch at Great Malvern just as I have a pot at many East Anglian churches when over there as I was last week....only I hardly ever have even mini-tripod on travels so always balancing on fonts and pew backs. Look forward to closer study of your gallery.

I agree with Dave, superb control of the range of exposure & pleased the exif is there.

15mm is a very wide angle and I think you could actually remove a touch more of the distortion. Don't know what software you use (and probably best not to tell me) but I have tried the distortion control in NX2 with some improvement (but would be better on original without any prior cropping or vertical correction). Also have you ever given DxO a whirl? You can download the analysis of your actual lens (most but not all) and it can be set to auto-correct for it, or of course leave you manual control. It is also a 1st class converter stage prog.

[cat ryan]

Hi Dave and Chris,

Thanks for comments, I had to set up with my 30d and 10-20mm sigma which it does get a little distorted in the lower left area. ISO, well I did manage a few trial shots before they arrived in the stalls. Software is kept to a minimum, CS£ (typing error) but because this is a DC lens it restricted from my 5dmk2. I was going to sell the 30d but what an excellent excuse to keep it very interesting regarding the progs, shall have to google them.

I arranged for this work hoping that the light would be good for a morning but blow me if the light went down and it almost looked like evening light, something you can never plan.

Malvern, and once there the three cathedrals and local churches are a regular visit for us, glad to hear from a visitor to Norfolk, with over 700 churches we are blessed with church architecture of fine quality, very few places where you can admire 13-15th c paintings without a perspex screen. The quality of workmanship, well I hope the benefactors managed to get to heaven

Tripods, I always take mine, been around the world this thing, but I have also managed without, the floor of a cathedral or church is not likely to move, this image is set on the floor with timer. Post cropping but not a lot more.
Canterbury Cathedral.


cR

nb. name Cat/Paul as long as its not rude.

[crisscross]

I will try this one as a quiz and leave you to identify where; anyone else can join in (no cheating with google or my pbase), a game we have tried on the forum in the past. On the hammer-beam you will see I don't allow lack of tripod to put me off either.





PM for my phone if coming for 3 choirs

[Wirefox]

Bit of a struggle with low light on this one and restrictions, but worked in the end

If hats did not make me look like Yogi Bear I would take mine off to you too. This image really captures the atmosphere of the occasion taking maximum advantage of the available light.

[cat ryan]

Hi Criss,

I like the first image, there are some fine angels in Norfolk churches.

The first, very light, not seen it before but I would guess Terringtons/Walpole area or possibly Salle.
The second, no idea, but interesting that it has buttress on a round tower. I was always told that the reason for round towers is that they could not afford the stone masons (not many square towers without stone qoins/corners.
The third, once again not visited but looks an entrance for a larger than village church.

It's a good game but with over 700 churches its a tall order.

Here are some angels:










cR

[crisscross]

Just seeing how much of an addict you were Cat!

My 3 are Blakeney - its a surprising low pitch to attempt hammerbeams
The round tower Ramsholt in Suffolk on the Deben - convenient double with Ramsholt arms
The last you probably have been through if at 3 choirs, its the porch to Hereford Cathedral and amazingly out of character with the heavy Normal feel it has over-all.

There is some very fine workmanship on your group, both taking the ornamentation along the roof plane and the painted work. No idea where; we just go over to East Anglia to visit my daughter and friends and sometimes divert slightly to have a look at a village we don't know; they usually have some goodies of some sort.

I think we have a similar approach mixing overall and details, but I have never tried the straight-upward type of shot, nor of service in progress

[cat ryan]

Hi Chris,

I like specialising in the shooting upwards of these buildings as they were created to show the medieval what heaven was like, given that the majority could not read so image was very important.
Norwich Cathedral has over 1000 bosses in the nave and are about 30-40 metres above the floor, here are some examples, taken with my Bigma.
Casting lots.

Herald.

Judgement day.

Just to show that the medieval mason had a sense of humour this is Noah being exposed whilst inebriated!


cR

[crisscross]

The bosses certainly look like a sermon in the sky! An interesting set and much more colourful than the fascinating set at Lacock Abbey of which I am putting an example below.

I am beginning to know Norwich by-pass rather well, needs a meet in the centre when I am on my next EA tour to get me to risk the city centre!



As a retired architect I am always going to see fan vaulting (and variants) as structure and prefer eye-level viewpoints. May also have a more peasantish cynicism about visual portrayal of heaven and might relate it more to a pint of scrumpy against the haystack after lunch. (I am a firm believer in real religion, but totally against manipulative travesties of it as used over the ages by hierarchies)