The smell of old Bibles

[Davejl]

Old English country churches, usually unheated and numbingly cold in the winter, tend not to smell of incense, but of a fusty, damp Bible smell. This one has some lovely old woodwork.

[chauncey]

Dave, that is a great image...colors/exposure/DOF/etc...is it stacked?
To nitpick, the left side tilt should be corrected.

[madcrow]

Beautiful image, can almost feel and smell the atmosphere, not forgetting the cold.

[Davejl]

Thank you Maurice

[Davejl]

Dave, that is a great image...colors/exposure/DOF/etc...is it stacked?
To nitpick, the left side tilt should be corrected.

Thanks William, point taken re the tilt, in fact I'd tried a bit of correction, but clearly not enough.

The image was shot on a tripod, Fuji X100, f11 with wide converter, ISO 200. I took three exposure-bracketed RAW shots which were processed with Silkypix then in Photomatix (my cheap version only handles three shots. The X100 only takes 3 bracketed shots, but I sometimes use the exposure compensation button to extend the range). I normally opt for the "natural" preset as the starting point in Photomatix. Today I just lifted the shadows in the chancel roof a bit further with Viveza, and a few other minor tweaks. The problem I usually have photographing in churches is avoiding over-exposure of the windows

[Mike Buckley]

Wonderful texture and warm colors!

This is the kind of scene that, for me, begs for a series of photos because it might be difficult to tell the story using just one photo. As an example, in this photo I want to see more of the alter. Yet I also want to see only the pews on the left side so my eye doesn't wander.

[Shadowman]

Nicely captured.

[JohnRostron]

This is the kind of scene that, for me, begs for a series of photos because it might be difficult to tell the story using just one photo. As an example, in this photo I want to see more of the alter. Yet I also want to see only the pews on the left side so my eye doesn't wander.

I agree. I like to photograph the stained glass, but in older churches, the rood screen (between the chancel and the nave) is often interesting. The altar itself is often much of a muchness. You've seen one, you've seen them all!

John

[Suzan J]

This is very nicely composed. I especially like the way the leading line moves back toward the alter. I had been in several small churches during my visits to England and found them quite difficult to photograph in terms of both light and composition.

[rpcrowe]

Well done!