Maria Schnee Photo

Photographer’s Note

This is the little Baroque chapel "Maria Schnee" ("Mary in the snow") in upper Montafon valley in the Austrian federal state Vorarlberg. It thas been shown here already several times. It's situated near the village Gaschurn. Maria Schnee is a popular pilgrimage site and somehow the landmark of Gaschurn and the whole valley.
It was donated in 1637 by Lukas Tschofen by reason of a solemn promise on the occasion of rescue from a dangerous situation in the Thirty Years's War. He was an imperial captain and it is said that he captured a foreign war chest which made him a wealthy man. He donated and built this chapel at the same time when the parish church of Gaschurn was built - only some hundred meters away - and he was criticized because of this behaviour. Tschofen, then the richest man in the valley, silenced his critics by donating a louder bell for the parish church ...

This year I have had the opportunity of entering the chapel - and I was all alone. The chapel has incredible thick walls and so its "nave" is rather tiny. Because of the wonderful artworks (I'll show special ones tomorrow) and the narrowness the traditional candles are forbidden in it.
In workshop you can see some parts of the interior of this tiny chapel

In background you can see Zamangspitze, 2386 m.

danos, chinchini, saxo042, pablominto, ellelloo, thor68, lgir, Uhu, Kielia, ls7902, Didi has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

danos (32432) 2009-07-19 0:41

Good morning Frank,
a very nice landscape view with the hills to create different layers in the scene he existence of the little Baroque chapel that outlined against the blue sky,make the shot more effective.Informative your note too.

Have a nice from the burnt Athens,Danos

snunney (34868) 2009-07-19 0:52

Hello Frank,
A fine composition of this delightful little church perched on a hilltop. I like the framing from the lush green grass, which makes an excellent contrast with the whitewashed walls. Very good clarity.

wolf38 (12765) 2009-07-19 1:15

Hallo Frank. Grüne Wiesen, eine kleine Kapelle, Berge. Schöner kann eine liebliche Idylle nicht sein. Eine wundervolles Bild für Auge und Seele. Viele Grüße, wolfgang.

pauloog (6483) 2009-07-19 1:43

Hello Frank,
A fine view of the little jewel well profiled and well presented in its mlandscape of meadows and mountains.
Regards,
Paul

chinchini (27571) 2009-07-19 2:01

Bon dimanche Frank,
C'est une photo magnifiquement composée, cadrée. La petite chapelle sujet de ta Papagolfade est excellement positionnée.
Compliments !
Mes amitiés de Calvi où le vent est tombé, avec un ciel bleu "chinchiniesque" ;o))
Pierre

saxo042 (15650) 2009-07-19 2:28

Hi Frank,
A beautifully composed picture, all elements are in the "right" place here. The church is at exactly one third and the slope continues behind the church along the mountain. A very simple but still a fantastic picture. Also very interesting WS:s!
Kind regards
Gunnar

hrschwartz (694) 2009-07-19 2:52

Hi Frank,

Beautiful composition- the chapel and mountain complement each other.

So now you have your little private chapel in the Alps? ;-)

Regards,
Randy

darek1978 (11183) 2009-07-19 4:45

Hi Frank,
Very nice point of view, the chapel is perfectly placed in the picture. I also like the view in the background, very impressive one. Well done!
Have a nice afternoon,
Regards,
Darek

pablominto (40634) 2009-07-19 4:49

Hello Frank,

The house of worship is well placed in the composition, and our attention is directed right there!
I admire the fresh green landscape, indicating there has been a fine mix of rain and shine...
A charming little chapel, located in lovely surroundings!

Greetings,
Pablo -

dta (5157) 2009-07-19 5:58

Bonjour Frank ,
Une superbe petite église typique , dans son cadre montagneux . Un cadrage un peu plus serré aurait pu être interessant , aussi .
Amicalement

jasmis (50360) 2009-07-19 6:09

Romantic scenery. Fine landscape, interesting note.
Regards my dear friend from stormy Slawkow.

ellelloo (4761) 2009-07-19 8:47

Hello Frank,
A beautiful small chapel and a well captured photo of it and its surroundings. Excellent depth and good natural colours. Yes indeed, the slope on the left is repeated by the slope of the mountain. :-) The beautiful WS photos show the wonderful interior very well. Thanks a lot for them!
Greetings,
Lasse

thor68 (5537) 2009-07-19 10:23

...und wo ist jetzt der schnee? *g* glücklicherweise keiner da, dafür aber
ein ganz toller aus- und anblick. :-) eine schöne kleine kirche mit
dem obligatorischen baum und einem netten hohen berg im hintergrund.
sehr gut sind auch die aufnahmen von innen, eine nette ergänzung.
well done & einen schönen rest-sonntag, thor.

jurek1951 (25990) 2009-07-19 11:06

Hallo Frank,
eine tolle aufnahme von dieser alten kirche ist dir hier gelungen,schönes Foto, gefällt Mir gut,
Gruß Georg

lgir (2845) 2009-07-19 11:18

Bonjour Frank,

POV bien choisi pour mettre en évidence cette charmante église au milieu d'un tel paysage.
du joli travail.
Amicalement
Laurent

batalay (20920) 2009-07-19 11:25

Hello Frank,

This lovely topography and vibrant colors reminds me of setting for Teletubbies, the television program for children. The note is informative. Well composed, flawlessly exposed. I look forward to seeing the artwork.

Warm regards,

Bulent

Uhu (7378) 2009-07-19 14:30

High!
Nice, really very nice churchie - nicely located, and perfect photo with a story behind it.
No visit for me in Vorarlberg this year, and I starts to mourn that - this land seems to be a really very interesting one!
Greetings from St-Petersburg - perfect weather in my opinion, + 22 C and sunny all days.

poulinp (4464) 2009-07-19 14:51

Beautiful composition, I like this chapel lost in all this vegetation.

AiresSantos (42080) 2009-07-19 23:47

Hi Frank
very well balanced picture with fine colours and beautiful Chapel. Well handled the light and good informative note
TFS and have a nice week
Aires

claudeD (11324) 2009-07-20 11:47

Hallo Franck,

sehr gute Aufnahme dieser kleinen Kirche.Die frischen FArben sind ausgezeichnet.Der Bildaufabau gefaellt mir sehr gut.Danke für die Infos.

Mit den besten Gruessen aus Luxemburg

Jean-Claude

kingurek (608) 2009-07-20 12:45

Hello,
Nice vivid colours and great composition. I like the low POV and a great depth of field. Hidden in the greenery chapel makes the photo very impressive one.

Greetings

Kinga

danyy (68738) 2009-07-20 23:29

Bonjour Frank,
elle est bien placée cette petite église et les pelouses bien entretenus autour d'elle, lui permettent d'encore mieux ressortir.
Une composition bien équilibrée avec une belle part laissée à un ciel bien nuancé et capturé.
De la profondeur avec les sommets à l'arrière plan.
Amicalement.
Daniel.

npecanhuk (13881) 2009-07-21 12:20

Hello Frank!
That's a lovely and pleasant picture!
Sharpness, exposure, depth of field, natural colors are all excellent! Pov and composition are superb!
TFS - congratulations!
Best regards,
Neyvan

emjleclercq (14284) 2009-07-22 13:40

Lovely little church, very near to the sky on this hill, and with the mountain in the background. The point of view is well chosen both for the tree and the mountain already mentionned.

All the best,

Emmanuel

jmcl (13795) 2009-07-22 14:34

Hi Frank,

This is so very nice .. the rolling green hills are beautiful and echoed by the distant mountains .. the church is placed well to focus everything in this vast setting to it .. very nice .. just as how I imagine it should be. take care,
John

MarcT (21099) 2009-07-22 23:06

Salut Frank,
Très jolis chapelle dans un paysage idyllique. Excellent point de vue et bonne netteté.
Amitiés
Marc

Kielia (8487) 2009-07-24 8:18

Hallo Frank,
was für eine Postkartenidylle! Hier stimmt wirklich alles: die Farben und Kontraste, die Perspektive und das sanfte Licht. Eine rundherum gelungene Aufnahme dieser winzigen Kirche! Glückwunsch!
Herzliche Grüße aus Schleswig-Holstein, wo es heute den ganzen Tag gewittert,
Harriet

zanzi (4504) 2009-07-27 13:17

Hi Frank
This one is awesome !
Everything is perfect, from the composition to the colors, not to forget the sharpness.
Bravo
Chris

ls7902 (6180) 2009-07-29 5:55

Very beautiful little church and beautifully composed. Nice colors and great lighting. And thanks for the notes. I plan to be in the area (your second home) from Sept 26 to 30 and will most likely stay in Shruns. The Montafons Tourist Office sent me a lot of useful brochures. I'm interested in the hike to Wiesbadener Hütte & Saarbrücker Hütte. Thanks. Regards. Latiff.

Didi (36084) 2009-08-02 0:08

Hallo Frank
Intéressant clocher d'inspiration Russe, je note un bon point de vue en contrebas.
J'apprécie cette douce luminosité qui met en valeur l'architecture.
Bonne journée d'Orléans sous la grisaille.

testmaniac (12116) 2009-08-03 3:12

Hallo Frank, very good shot and nice place, just of my taste. I like it!

TFS and best regards from Bulgaria and me.