Spiral Staircase, Castle Campbell, a photo from Clackmannanshire, Scotland

Photographer's Note

Following on from the rather disappointing photo which I uploaded yesterday, this was taken while descending from the roof of the main tower of Castle Campbell near Dollar in Clackmannanshire.

Spiral staircases were common in old fortified buildings and castles, probably because they were compact and could be accommodated in the corner of a tower rather than occupying a lot of valuable living space.

In the majority of cases, spiral staircases were built, in engineering terms, with a "left hand" or "anticlockwise" pitch: in other words, you turned to the right as you ascended and to the left during descent. They were designed in this manner because, most people being right-handed, an attacker wielding a sword while attempting to climb the stairs would be at a real disadvantage compared to someone similarly armed descending from above. If you think about it, it is quite a cunning secondary means of defence.

I was fortunate to get this shot as it was taken handheld at 1/2 sec. Shot in RAW and converted and edited in PSE6.

As always, all comments/critiques/advice are very welcome!

timecapturer, saxo042, bartekp, annjackman, delpeoples has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

timecapturer (31250) 2011-03-30 3:37

Hi John
not an easy shot to get the exposure right, but this is perfect. An inspired POV and a wonderful clarity with all the textures on the stonework visible. Beautifully controlled light and composition. It all makes for an impressive and well executed image. Well done!

Brian

romanaa (7414) 2011-03-30 12:46

Hello John,

it is a very interesting picture with amazing 3D feeling, it is impressive you have achieved this sharpness in 1/2 sec exposure. Difficult task to get this picture right without fill flash. Well done

Best wishes
Romana

saxo042 (31856) 2011-03-31 10:16

Hi John,
There is a very strong feeling of vertigo here but your position is well chosen. The photo is well cropped as well. A very fine picture!
Kind regards
Gunnar

batalay (32930) 2011-04-01 8:17

Hello John,

Circular staircases have always had their appeal for me. They converge into logarithmic spirals, and indeed I had posted and image of the elegantVatican Staircase. Your note accompanying the photo is first rate as is the photo of the rough hewn staircase itself.

Warm regards,

Buient

bartekp (4200) 2011-04-02 10:00

Hi John,

I like that composition. POV is great. Lucky handheld 1/2sec!

Have a nice evening
Bartek

ps. Thanks for corect info

annjackman (13463) 2011-04-12 3:07

Hello John,
A hard shot to take but is well worth it. You have managed the light well to show the variety of colours showing up in the old stone. I love the POV looking down the spiral staircase - I wonder how many steps. Nice and sharp on most of the steps and probably impossible to get the top ones in focus under the conditions. Very well taken and a great note.
Regards, Ann

npecanhuk (54207) 2011-04-16 3:50

Hi John!
Lovely picture!
I feel as if I were there, going downstairs!
Excellent chosen pov, realistic colors, management of light, composition, horizontal format and black borders!
TFS - congrats,
Cheers,
Neyvan

delpeoples (45684) 2012-02-23 0:00

Hi Giovanni

Oooh this makes me dizzy. What a fantastic perspective, and an excellent POV. The play of light and shade really gives us a mysterious atmosphere and I like the tight framing which gives an almost abstract quality to the image. Nice work and I see the trusty 20D did not let you down.

Un abbraccio
Lisa

Photo Information

Copyright: John Cannon (tyro) (13579)
Genre: Places
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2011-03-28
Categories: Castles, Architecture
Camera: Canon EOS 20D, Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di-II LD SP AF, HOYA 67mm HMC SUPER UV(0)
Exposure: f/5.6, 1/2 seconds
More Photo Info: view
Map: view
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2011-03-30 1:59