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One of my favourites off this forum in a long, long, long time. So serene, and so peaceful; yet so powerful and moving. The black and white speaks wonders for this shot. A beautiful arrangement of stained glass windows and the lighting is perfect for me.
Hi Seb,
I agree with Jared that the shot delivers a serene and peaceful feeling. I like the well-chosen compostion. The high contrast exposure handling simplifies the image in a benefical way. I think the reflection on the chairs helps a lot in enhancing the whole image. The pattern of the glass in the centre is much simpler than the other two; it conveys a message that simplicity is better than complexity, and the message seems to be the essence of the whole shot.
yoyo
It's just about all been said. This is certainly a great take on a subject that is often shown in a very cliche manner (have a few cliche ones myself). The scene gives off a mood of deep contemplation for me. As mentioned, beautiful tones as well. Good stuff!
Seb
Your decision to include the furniture in this shot, for me, removes it from the ordinary and gives it the solemnity that a full frontal in full colour would never have captured.
Tom
I have a total lack of respect for anything connected with society, except that which makes the roads safer, the beer stronger, the food cheaper, and the old men and old women warmer in the winter and happier in the summer. Brendan Behan
Very nicely done. The slight exposure of the benches in the fg bring the windows into the room, rather than having them as merly shapes/designs against the black bg. I also note the middle window being more simple in design, as Yoyo pointed out.
Wow, thanks for the great input everyone. Trying to figure out how to respond...
Jared,
Thank you. The light itself was what drew me to this scene. I had almost an hour to kill before my assignment started, and most of the downtime was spent looking at and shooting the light that was hitting this particular area.
Yoyo,
Thank you. I believe strongly that photography is very much about choosing what to exclude from the frame, as much as what to include. And it doesn't just stop with what is inside or outside the frame. I underexposed the shot greatly to achieve two things. One, (kind obvious) to get detail in the windows. If I tried to go for an "average" exposure the beautiful windows were just blown out, and the pews, though necessary to my framing, only needed enough light to imply they were there. Two, I used the underexposure to hide an unsightly speaker hanging next to one of the windows. Technology helps those in the back hear the sermon, but makes for bad photos. I was unable to fully hide it using the low exposure, so I went ahead and increased the contrast slightly more to obscure it further. The end result really works for me, and accomplishes the task of hiding the speaker while still retaining some shadow detail. And I'm glad you mentioned the simple window framed by two complex ones. I never noticed that. Wish I could take credit for it.
Payn,
Thank you. I too get a similar feeling of contemplation from this scene, but I'm not sure why. Any ideas to help me out?
Tom,
Thank you for commenting and teaching me a new form of the word "solemn." When I shoot I try to first analyze what draws me to a scene to begin with, and then I try to do my best to isolate that in my final image. Here, I was drawn to the patterns, the angles of the pews, and details of the windows, the light highlighting things in unique ways. Color distracted from all of that. Removing it helped me focus on what makes the photograph. In general lately, I have found black and white to really help me better understand light and how it makes and breaks a photo.
Gary,
Thank you. I tried a crop with the pews removed, and like you said, it removed the windows from their context to such a degree that all emotion was lost.
Sebastian, I find this photograph to be truly outstanding for all the reasons mentionned here. I can't really add much to what was already said but I'd like to mention that I appreciate your own analysis of your photograph and your explanation of the process you go through to craft your work. This is inspirational for me.
I'm wondering if I'd like it with someone in one of the pews, leaning over and praying like the guy you had posted a while back -- probably close to the camera and in profile between the last two panels. Maybe not.
I always worry that I'm getting too wordy, but if it helps someone then it's worth it. Personally, I learn by far the most from hearing photographers speak about the process behind their images, or better yet see them work. That's why I try to share my thoughts behind the images as much as possible.
Sebastian...this is one of those that just has the "wow" factor for me. I really have nothing that I can add to anyone else's critiques. Really beautifully done.
I'm wondering if I'd like it with someone in one of the pews, leaning over and praying like the guy you had posted a while back -- probably close to the camera and in profile between the last two panels. Maybe not.
I have been wondering the same. There was a woman there that is about to celebrate her 90th birthday. She would have been perfect, but she came later on and sat in a different area. Having her in the image would have taken convincing her to be my model. Had I thought of it when I was there I probably would not have felt the work was really worth it.
I still wonder if adding a person would make it too much about them. The way it is now it is what the viewer makes it.
Sebastian...this is one of those that just has the "wow" factor for me. I really have nothing that I can add to anyone else's critiques. Really beautifully done.
Love the original image. One of the best I've seen around here for a long time. I think if the perspective is corrected in the colour one it might work just as well.
Liban
"There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have." Nelson Mandela
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Originally Posted by Sebastian
