Peaceful shady street, Stockholm, a photo from Uppland, Svealand

Photographer's Note

Peaceful shady street, Stockholm – Gamla Stan

Gamla stan (The Old Town), until 1980 officially Staden mellan broarna (The Town between the Bridges), is the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. Gamla stan consists primarily of the island Stadsholmen. The surrounding islets Riddarholmen, Helgeandsholmen, and Strömsborg are officially part of, but not colloquially included in, Gamla stan. The word "stan" is simply a contraction of the word "staden" ("sta'n"), meaning "the town."

The town dates back to the 13th century, and consists of medieval alleyways, cobbled streets, and archaic architecture. North German architecture has had a strong influence in the Old Town's construction.
Stortorget is the name of the scenic large square in the centre of Gamla Stan, which is surrounded by old merchants' houses including the Stockholm Stock Exchange Building. The square was the site of the Stockholm Bloodbath, where Swedish noblemen were massacred by the Danish King Christian II in November, 1520. The following revolt and civil war led to the dissolution of the Kalmar Union and the subsequent election of King Gustav I.
As well as being home to the Stockholm Cathedral, the Nobel Museum, and the Riddarholm church, Gamla stan also boasts Kungliga slottet, Sweden's baroque Royal Palace, built in the 18th century after the previous palace Tre Kronor burned down. The House of Nobility (Riddarhuset) is on the north-western corner of Gamla stan.
The restaurant Den gyldene freden is located on Österlånggatan. It has been in business since 1722 and according to the Guinness Book of Records is the oldest existing restaurant with an unaltered interior. A statue of St. George and the Dragon (sculpted by Bernt Notke) can be found in the Stockholm Cathedral, while Riddarholmskyrkan is the royal burial church. Bollhustäppan, a small courtyard at Slottsbacken behind Finska kyrkan, just south of the main approach to the Royal Palace, is home to one of the smallest statues in Sweden, a little boy in wrought iron. The plaque just below the statue says its name "Järnpojken" ("The Iron Boy"). It was created by Liss Eriksson in 1967.
From the mid 19th to the mid 20th century Gamla stan was considered a slum, many of its historical buildings left in disrepair, and just after WW2, several blocks together five alleys were demolished for the enlargement of the Parliament (see Brantingtorget). From the 1980s, however, it has become a tourist attraction as the charm of its medieval, Renaissance architecture and later additions have been valued by later generations.
While the archaeology of the 370 properties in Gamla stan remains poorly documented, recent inventories done by volunteers have shown many buildings previously dated to the 17thy and 18th centuries, can be up to 300 years older. There is also a metro station in Gamla Stan with the same name. (Source: Stockholm & wikipedia)

danos, lakshmip1949, ChrisJ, Kofman, timecapturer, Sonata11, jlbrthnn, RhodieIke, bukitgolfb301, prasun984, bona, siamesa, jjcordier has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

danos (74020) 2012-04-03 1:11

Good morning George,
beautiful scenery from this narrow road of the capital with the tourists to walk carefree in the peaceful shady street.I like the excellent light and colour management with the play of the lighted areas to contrast perfect with the shadowed ones,making the image unique.

Have a good day,Danos

Royaldevon (17791) 2012-04-03 1:19

Good Morning George,,

The narrow street is a perfect vehicle for confining and focussing the viewers' attention, and there is a lot to appreciate. Firstly we notice the people, especially the man scrutinising the bike, which arouses our curiosity and, maybe, suggests a storyline.
Then, there is time to assess the building, full of details and displaying contrasting light and shadows. Lastly, we are drawn towards the distant right angled street and the blue 'v' of sky.
It is a vert well composed shot, where you control the viewer with infinite ease.

Have a lovely day,
Bev :-)

Didi (48930) 2012-04-03 1:38

Hi George
Interesting view on this narrow street
Good frame quality and nice contrast
Warm regards

sroy63 (250) 2012-04-03 1:41

Hello George,

We worked well with the light and shadow in this picture. everything is so clear and detailed in this picture.

Regards,

Debashis

lakshmip1949 (19110) 2012-04-03 1:52

Hello George,

A nice vertical shot of this narrow stone path nicely curving . I like how the shade is created by the tall buildings on both the sides. The people add interest to the image specially the man with the bike. The blue sky makes a nice color contrast against the colors of the building. A nice sharp image.

Lakshmi

ChrisJ (86876) 2012-04-03 1:56

Hi George

Good warm vs cold colour contrasts, between the blue sky, and the yellow facade of the wall at left. The people add scale & animate the scene. I like the reflections in the windows at right, too. Nice catch of daily life in this narrow alley. Tfs!

LOOOK13 (19022) 2012-04-03 2:10

Salut George.
Very nice shot, with a splendid result.
Good job.
Best regards.

dta (51454) 2012-04-03 2:37

Hello George ,
This view of the old town of Stockholm is especially beautiful , with a superb perspective , and an excellent management of the different lightings . I like the peresence of the people in the street .
Regards

ManuMay (33345) 2012-04-03 3:59

Hi George!

A very nice place, very well captured...the light is well managed, not easy...Superb colours and sharpness and very good mood on it...I like it very much...should be a good place for a walk!!

Have a nice day...

Manu

dale54 (4922) 2012-04-03 4:07

george hi,like this shot of yours,nice color to it,very attractive light.and a peacefull city scene,and the people add to this! tfs! dr

Yiannis84 (2824) 2012-04-03 4:10

Hi George..

Very intersting composition in the streets of Stocholm..great light and combination of colors..depth make this picture very attractive..superb POV and clarity..very well done

Best regards..Yiannis

timecapturer (30334) 2012-04-03 4:18

Hi Gyorgy
this is such a superb composition, it entices and tantalises the viewer. Such beautiful architecture made all the more striking in this amazing and wonderfully controlled light. A real gem of an image. Bravo!

Regards - Brian.

Sonata11 (28341) 2012-04-03 4:30

Hello George,
subsequent beautiful photo of this charming place an excellently exebuted by you. Wonderfully flawlessly picture. Lovely colors, sharpness, clarity, wonderful POV and depth of field with fabulous perspective. Awesome work. Thanks for sharing,
Barbara

jlbrthnn (79773) 2012-04-03 4:36

Hello George
It really needs a peaceful atmosphere, as in this street. Light and shade are well controlled. Daily life is pleasant to see. Depth and sharpness are excellent. Bravo.
Have a nice day
Cordially
Joël

TopGeo (37994) 2012-04-03 5:01

Hi George..

Very interesting composition in the streets of Stocholm. A photo in full perspective and a composition with triangles and reflections on the narrow road of fine detail GIVE interest under Good and symmetry Shadows bright lines and enhance the mood!Good frame quality and nice contrast
Warm regards
Georgios

Sergiom (39259) 2012-04-03 5:21

Bonjour George,

J'aime beaucoup le jeu des ombres et de la lumière dans ce beau cadrage vertical.Les passants sont bienvenu pour donner vie à l'image, mais j'aime surtout le mur blanc que la lumière frappe de plein fouet.

Amicalement

Serge

guld (1042) 2012-04-03 5:40

Beautifully photographed! Light and colors and especially the clarity is terrific! Congrats

macjake (39235) 2012-04-03 10:31

Hi George
these Gamla Stan photos' are breath taking, so much charm and history.

love the point of view you captured, as everything narrows down into the middle.
excellent colors and set up.
cheers
craig

holmertz (26958) 2012-04-03 10:48

Hello György,
You had some very busy days in Stockholm six years ago and produced an incredible number of good photos. You were also lucky to have enjoyed really fine weather. This is a typical view from Gamla stan, so typical I don't even recognize which street. But you make it look so nice with the few pedestrians. The exposure and colours are superb.
Kind regards,
Gert

RhodieIke (9207) 2012-04-03 12:53

Hi George, Thank you for inviting us into the sweet Street in Stockholm, so much to admire and look at.Love the play of shadows, skilfully captured, splendidly presented, Tfs, Cheers Iain.

mesutilgim (67982) 2012-04-03 12:57

Hello dear George,
A capture worth of thousands of words, and a rel lecture how a perfect pov should be if you are capturing a street.
Perfect ligth management and nice framing.
A good TE job with many good and usefull notes.
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

saxo042 (31802) 2012-04-03 13:46

Hi György,
A fine capture of this "street room" where we see only buildings along, and facing, this narrow street. The inclusion of people adds a lot of valkue to the capture and so does the long and interesting note too. A fine TE contribution.
Kind regards
Gunnar

Turkoglu (0) 2012-04-03 14:18

Selam George Hocam

Çok güzel ve adına yaraşan bir fotoğraf.paylaştığınız için teşekkur. Iyi geceler

npecanhuk (53909) 2012-04-03 19:10

Hi George!
Lovely street!
Wonderful urban details!
Truly attractive picture!
Sharpness, exposure, colors, chosen pov, vertical format, black & white borders and composition are all excellent!
TFS - congrats,
Cheers,
Neyvan

bukitgolfb301 (30067) 2012-04-03 19:55

Hello my dear George

Another wonderful fantastic image shot!
Nice usage of wide focus appraoch to enhance the narrowness of this tasteful road.
Marvelous artstic color touch and nice light control.
Thanks for your sharing with your good work and have a good day, best regards,

Takero in Tokyo

prasun984 (5590) 2012-04-03 22:28

Hi George,
very nice surrounding perspective around this old street,i like the perfect moment while the best light to take so well the beautiful colors of the facades,great details and architechtures too.
Have a nice day and TFS,

Prasun

JFS (32153) 2012-04-04 0:14

How well you have captured the quiet and lovely atmosphere of these narrow street. Thanks for sharing George!

dkmurphys (36819) 2012-04-04 9:14

Hi Gyorgy,
I remember the good mood atmosphere from the old city of Stockholm. Well taken, enjoy a fine evening.

Daniel

bona (10144) 2012-04-04 10:51

Hi George,

a very peaceful street indeed. I like the people walking there. Nice colors and light.
Hugs my friend.
Andre

siamesa (27449) 2012-04-04 17:17

Boa noite George

spectacular! The view of this street with people walking there is amazing. Perfect capture.TFS
Abraços
maria

emka (58152) 2012-04-04 23:09

Hi George,

Nice walking in Gamla Stan with narrow street shady even in sunny day. Isn't it more beautiful than modern areas? Excellent composition with some passers by, breautiful colours and very nice light. superb presentation.

WArm regrads

MAlgo

Graal (88908) 2012-04-04 23:37

Jó napot George,
nice calm mood in this narrow and shady street here. Good contrast, colours and vertical format. Photo I like.
Have a nice day.
Aleksander

jjcordier (62344) 2012-04-04 23:50

George
Une photo très bien composée de cette jolie rue de Stockholm. Tu as très bien géré les différences de luminosité et exploité joliment ce groupe de passants.
Amicalement
JJ

Silvio1953 (98183) 2012-04-05 4:01

Ciao George, great perspective on lovely strret, relaxing atmosphere, splendid light and wonderfl pastel colors, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio