Constantine Church, a photo from Cornwall, England

Photographer's Note

Constantine is situated in the deanery and Hundred of Kerrier, and is one of the largest Parishes in Cornwall. In 1869, it was bounded on the east by Budock and Mawnan, on the south by Helford Creek, which separates it from Manaccan, St Martins and Mawgan-in-Meneage, and on the west and north by Wendron, Stithians and Mabe. The parish is named after its patron, Saint Constantine. The village is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Saint Constantin.

The population of the parish is just over 2,000, about half living in the village of Constantine itself, and the rest in other smaller villages or hamlets - Gweek, Seworgan, Brill, Port Navas, Budock Vean, Helford Passage - or on isolated farms.

On approaching Constantine, the high tower of the Church stands prominently upon an ancient mound that is probably the remains of an original Celtic monastery. Built between 1420-1480, it is dedicated to St. Constantine who, according to legend, was a chieftain or prince around the 5th century A.D.

marabu61, Sonata11, Royaldevon, delpeoples, tyro, tedesse, macjake, annjackman, adores has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

kathryn_weir (1742) 2012-09-14 13:36

Hello Les,
Congrats on a striking image. The distortion and colour treatment combine to create a moody and eerie image.you have manage he exposure well showing the sharp shadows and well lit facade.
Thanks for sharing
Kathryn

marabu61 (3924) 2012-09-14 13:38

Hello Leslie
Wow, superb portrait of this church. I think the black and white (with added sepia?) works wonders here. Supberb contrasts in the sky as well. Great work!
have a great weekend
Daniel

TopGeo (37994) 2012-09-14 13:50

Hello Leslie! Beautiful POV very dynamic. I like your Sepia which make choice of the church and sky excellent. The contrasts of the shadows are excellent.
Congratulations
Geo...

amazon (12082) 2012-09-14 13:51

merhaba leslie,
fotoğraftaki geniş açı etkisi ve renk tonları çok güzel...aşağıdan bakış açısı binayı haşmetli bir hale getirmiş...
selamlar,
iffet

marcan44 (6223) 2012-09-14 13:55

Ciao Leslie,
una grande Chiesa parrocchiale per una piccola popolazione!
Una elaborazione seppia magnifica, uno sharp "stunning"!
TFS !

Anice w.e.
Warm regards
Mario

korbee (6299) 2012-09-14 14:56

This looks extremely dramatic and mysterious,,could be the poster for a classic horror-movie ;=]],specialy the way youve framed it!
Cool job Les.

jan

brianmcc (5536) 2012-09-15 1:19

hi leslie,
this is a very dramatic picture, a combination of your viewpoint and the superb black & white / sepia treatment. the results are fantastic. the detail in the image is terrific. i love the contrast in the dark and well illuminated parts.
regards,
brian

MJR (3157) 2012-09-15 3:09

Les

The seven people thus far who have enthused about this post are clearly cleverer than me, as none have queried the time of day of the intriguing photo.

I dare say its daytime, but could equally be at night. Lisa has posted a marvelous picture recently, looking very similar using a very heavy filter, taken in broad daylight. And in daytime the white streak is a vapour trail, at night time its a ... ?

Either way, a delightful effect. I like especially, odd as it very minor, the shadowy outline of the leaf in the t.l. corner.

regards
Martin

timecapturer (30334) 2012-09-15 5:59

Hi Les
this is a beautifully dramatic and imposing image that just looks fantastic in B&W. The light and textures here add such an air of mystery and intrigue. Atmospheric and artistically presented. Love it!

Enjoy your weekend - Brian.

Sonata11 (28341) 2012-09-15 8:06

Hello Leslie,
what an amazing shot and amazing presentation of this beautiful church architecture and its beauty at this special moody atmosphere. An excellent!!!, flawlessly executed photo with fantastic night effect. Love it so much. Thanks for sharing.
Best regards and have a great WE,
Barbara

Royaldevon (17791) 2012-09-15 14:13

Hello Les,

I was interested to read your note to Martin, about the time of day, of your shot. I wasn't sure when it had been taken but, for sure, you have created a very ghostly effect! The distortion adds so much to the effect, as do the shadows across the gravestones. I can almost hear the spine chilling music ... Oh, and at bedtime, too!!!

Best wishes,
Bev :-)

delpeoples (44960) 2012-09-15 22:39

Gidday Les

So no big stopper here? Wow, I could have sworn you'd used it! Love the sepia and the effect it has had on both the clouds and the details in the architecture. The church itself is breathtakingly beautiful and I think you chose an excellent POV to demonstgrate that. Thanks also for your note.

Best regards and happy Sunday
Lisa

fabbs99 (5471) 2012-09-16 2:02

Hello Leslie

Amazing photography and great use of the cpl filter such effects.The colours are deep and the details and the folds are excellently expressed.Beautiful POV and with vivid colors and proper light management.TFS.

Regards and best wishes,
Farhat

tyro (13101) 2012-09-16 4:58

Hello Les,

A very interesting note about this old church and a very, very striking photograph to illustrate it.

I read with interest your discussion with Martin and the fact that this picture was taken near midday - I suppose it really had to have been if we look at the strong shadows of trees on the wall facing us.

Your polarising filter and your subsequent processing to black and white and then sepia (no doubt with some increase in contrast on the way) has given a very dramatic mood to this picture. Perhaps some might not like it - but it certainly gets my vote!

Despite the drama here, the photograph is technically excellent too with lots of interesting details visible in the deepest and darkest shadows and in the brightest parts too.

Fabulous!

Kind Regards,

John.

Glint (5573) 2012-09-17 5:15

hello Leslie,
your low pov has created a very dramatic effect here. PP work has presented to church in gothic style.I need to brush up on TE's terms of service as I have not been much on ssite recently and hadn't realised that such pp is now allowed.
Bev

mesutilgim (67982) 2012-09-17 11:04

Hello Leslie,
Very nice b&W capture with perfect technique! The circular pola filter and of course 10-20 mm made a pergfect job.
Great graphical effect. Interesting notes and perfect framing.
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

tedesse (22122) 2012-09-17 11:57

Hi Leslie!
Excellent point of view and the presentation of the Church of Constantine.
Beautifully matched sepia tone. Perfect sharpness and clarity. Beautiful work.
Tfs, Tadeusz

chrisvek (5483) 2012-09-18 6:17

Hello Leslie

What an amazing shoot with perfect colors and tones.The background is amazing too.Very good job.

Have a nice week
Chris

COSTANTINO (42746) 2012-09-18 6:32

Hello
excellent shot in sepia
your notes are very useful
excellent chosen point of view
regards
Costantino

macjake (39235) 2012-09-18 8:43

Hi Leslie
wow, what a view!
talk about perspective being very important for a photo!
love the POV, the monochrome style, the stonework and the clouds in the upper bg.
has a real haunting appearance to it which captivates the viewers!
excellent shot!
cheers
craig

Gigidusud (8078) 2012-09-18 13:24

Hi Leslie,
Fantastic photo of this church with a great effect and a mysterious atmosphere.Well done!
Best regards.
Ghislaine

annjackman (13219) 2012-09-19 1:25

Hello Leslie,
Oooh... this is spooky. Nor sure I want to be alone at night here! The treatment and framing makes this a very striking image. I particularly like the shadows and the dramatic sky.
Kind Regards, Ann

Oceania (2143) 2012-09-19 5:10

Hi Leslie,

The lights on the church were magical. the impression given as whole picture is just amazing.

adores (28218) 2012-09-21 16:46

Hi Leslie!
This is different from your usual!
Looks so misterious!I like this PP! The light on the facade makes such a wonderful contrast with the dark sky! Great in b&w! Very well done!

Silvio1953 (98183) 2012-09-26 4:59

Ciao Leslie, great view of fantastic church, lovely composition with gothic atmosphere, wonderful sepia conversion and splendid light, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

abmdsudi (26281) 2012-10-04 1:22

Hi Les
A surreal and real eerie image, a hair standing shot for me! Immense capture where the filter does a remarkable job with wonderful effect in the sky area and mysterious atmosphere. Your sepia processing is so appealing, there's loads of lovely detail for the timelessness feel and it really brings out the texture that draws the eyes in with good contrast and soft shadows. Interesting technique employed and lots of feeling about it. Well done, Congrats
Excellent write up as well. Congrats
Warm regards

Nard (6913) 2012-10-12 3:31

Hi Leslie,
Splendid B&W composition. I like the strange and disturbing atmosphère given by the light, the POV the contrast. Well done.
Regards
Bernard

lpi (4424) 2012-10-15 5:54

Hi Leslie,
Superbe ce point de vue sur cette très belle église.
J'aime le traitement de ton shot!
Joli travail!
Amicalement,
LPi

siudzi (23891) 2012-10-16 13:03

Hi Les,
Very moody and unique post executed with a very special presentation. The visual effect is spectacular. Like it a lot. Thanks for sharing.

Best,
Malgorzata