Tag: cathedral

Travel Photography – Istanbul Series 1:- Hagia Sophia

A visit to Istanbul

On a three-day visit to Istanbul in February 2012 we walked miles, had sun, wind and snow and I photographed – a lot.  Istanbul is a feast for the senses with great people and centuries of history.

 

Hagia Sophia

This has been the site of a church since 360 (during the reign of Constantius II).  The current building was built from 532-537 and was the largest cathedral for in the world for 1000 years.  It is generally regarded as the epitome of Byzantine architecture and is said to have “changed the history of architecture.”

It has a varied history –

  • Eastern Orthodox Cathedral (562–1204)
  • Catholic Cathedral (1204–1261)
  • Eastern Orthodox Cathedral (1261–1453)
  • Ottoman Empire Imperial Mosque (1453–1931)
  • Museum (1931-present)

The building today shows its age and its history but it is amazing and certainly a place to visit if you get the chance.

 

Series of Four #13 – Winchester Cathedral – with muted HDR

Series of Four

This is the thirteenth Blog in the “Series of Four” series. Each blog focuses on a different aspect of photography, either technical or creative.  To see the full set of “Series of Four” blogs, click here.

Winchester Cathedral – with muted HDR

Here is a set of four images taken recently of Winchester Cathedral in England.   This is my second visit to Winchester Cathedral – my first visit was at the beginning of my project to photograph the Cathedrals of the Church of England and I have learned a lot since then.

For these images I have used a technique called HDR (High Dynamic Range) which uses a series of bracketed images taken at different exposures (+1, 0, -1 in these images) to achieve a greater range than is possible with the sensitivity of a normal digital sensor.  Using software it is possible to integrate the images (usually 3 or 5) to achieve a very sharp image with details across the full range of the available light.  I have been intrigued recently how HDR can enhance images.  Taking bracketed exposures in low lighting situations like cathedrals adds considerably to the time a shoot takes as each exposure is usually between 20 to 30 seconds.

 

 

2012 Calendars available from Lulu publishers

I have prepared a series of four calendars for 2012 which can be brought directly from Lulu.com, an Internet publishing house.  They are available world-wide.

Get a different gift this year

The Calendars come in two sizes – Premium and Standard.  Premium is  13.5″ x 19″ and the Standard is 11″ x 8.5″ (11″ x 17″ open).  They are printed on high quality gloss paper and bound by a sturdy spiral binding. The calendars have United Kingdom & US key dates & holidays.  Premium calendars are £19.50 and Standard are £12.50 (or the equivalent in other currencies).

Click on the images to link through to Lulu.com where you can preview the whole calendar before buying.  : )

Note on the Series 1 Cathedrals Calendar:

This is the first in a series of four calendars which I will publish over a four-year period.  The set will eventually include all 43 Cathedrals of the Church of England in alphabetical order.  The 2012 calendar includes the first 12, from Birmingham to Durham.

The proceeds of the sale of this calendar will go to St Mary’s Church, Caterham, Surrey and to cover the costs of production.

Premium Calendars – 13.5″ x 19″  (343 x 483mm)

    

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                Scenes of England                                                                                   It’s a Small World
                 DOWNLOAD PREVIEW                                                                                                                    DOWNLOAD PREVIEW

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                   Images 2012                                                                    Church of England Cathedrals – Series 1
                 DOWNLOAD PREVIEW                                                                                                                    DOWNLOAD PREVIEW

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                   Africa 2012                                                                                     Cities of Europe – 2012
                 DOWNLOAD PREVIEW                                                                                       DOWNLOAD PREVIEW 


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 Standard Calendars – 11″ x 8.5″ (280 x 216mm)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                         Scenes of England                                                                    It’s a Small World
                          DOWNLOAD PREVIEW                                                                                               DOWNLOAD PREVIEW

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                          Images – 2012                                                      Church of England Cathedrals – Series 1
                          DOWNLOAD PREVIEW                                                                    DOWNLOAD PREVIEW

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                             Africa 2012                                                                 Cities of Europe – 2012
                          DOWNLOAD PREVIEW                                                                                             DOWNLOAD PREVIEW

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Event Photography – The Ordination

The day

     2nd October will be the anniversary of Stephanie Nadarajah’s Ordination to the Priesthood for all the years to come.  Here are a selection of images from the day including a band of supporters travelling to Southwark Cathedral in South London from St Mary’s Caterham, a few shots in the Cathedral (though not of the actual Ordination Service because we were all involved in that as worshippers and not as photographers) and then during Steph’s first communion celebrated in the evening at St Mary’s parish church, Caterham. 

If you would like copies of these images, please contact me (Len Abrams) at info@seasonimages.com. 

 

Photographic points

     Event photography is a particular avenue of professional photography with its own demands and rewards.  This is the first ordination service of Anglican (Episcopalian) priests which I have photographed, which I did at the request of the parish.  Photographing church services is a specific challenge as it needs to be done with sensitivity to the people and the ceremony being conducted.  I therefore do not use flash or other special lighting which requires high ISO settings, slow shutter speeds and wide open apertures, all of which calls for a steady hand.  On the occasion of this ordination I was intent on capturing the involvement of parishioners, friends and family as it is very much a community event as well as being a very important milestone in the life of those being ordained.  I wanted to capture both symbolic images and intimate moments, together with some of the activities around the event.

 

 

Cathedrals of England: E-Book Published

I have arranged and published, through an Internet Publisher, the first copy on a 90 page book entitled “Cathedrals of England” which contains images and some introductory information on all 43 Anglican English cathedrals.  The E=Book can be browsed through this link.

What next?

The next step will be to have discussions with various parties including the Church and publishers to see if we can take the project further.  Producing one-offs is very expensive.  Of course, if there is going to be a commercial aspect to this we will need clearance from each Cathedral to include images of their property.

Watch this space – You may be able to order a copy soon.