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Church of the Transfiguration


Church of the Transfiguration
Photo Information
Copyright: David White (Davidwh) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 856 W: 75 N: 961] (3574)
Genre: Places
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2006-11-25
Categories: Daily Life, Ceremony, Architecture, Ruins
Camera: Nikon D70s, Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED DX AF-S, Tiffen 67mm Circular Polarizer
Exposure: f/11, 1/160 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2006-11-30 18:02
Viewed: 893
Points: 26
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Mount Tabor - Church of the Transfiguration
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On the summit of Mount Tabor the road to the right leads to the area occupied by the Franciscans, enters a walled courtyard and continues between the ruins of an older church on the left and the monastery garden on the right (memorial to the visit of Pope Paul VI in 1964, plaque commemorating the architect Antonio Barluzzi) to the Church of the Transfiguration (or Tabor Church).

Built of light-colored limestone, it harks back to the style of church building which developed in Syria in the fourth-sixth centuries. This architecture was no longer concerned only with the decoration and furnishing of the interior but for the first time sought to give the exterior a monumental stamp. This Syrian tradition (as found particularly at Qalb Lozeh near Aleppo) is reflected, for example, in the facade with its two projecting towers, between which a round-headed arch surmounted by a pediment frames the entrance to the church, and in the volute-like framing of the windows. In the interior - again on the Syrian model - the nave is separated from the aisles by wide- spanned arches. The roof beams are born on short columns in the clerestory.

The church contains three grottoes which were described by Jonas Korte in 1751 as "three chapels, with a small altar; they are called tabernacles, and they are said to represent the three huts which Peter desired to build, one for his Master, the other two for Moses and Elias". The Grotto of Christ is in the eastern part of the church. Steps lead down to a lower level with a sanctuary enclosed by walls belonging to a Crusader church and roofed with a modern barrel vault. In the vaulting of the apse in the upper part of the church is a mosaic on a gold ground representing the Transfiguration. There are two other chapels in the towers on the west front: in the south tower the Chapel of St Elias, in the north tower the Chapel of Moses, with a mosaic pavement incorporating crosses in the design. This means that the mosaic must date from before 422, when the Emperor Theodosius II prohibited the representation of crosses in mosaic pavements so that this sacred symbol should not be trodden underfoot.

Source: http://www.planetware.com/mount-tabor/church-of-the-transfiguration-isr-nr-mtct.htm

An image from the interior of the church will follow later.
UnTrained, ChrisJ, pilpel-adom, jhm, pastadog, jwmunro, john_c, syd1946, robertosalguero, gunbud has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To pilpel-adom: ThanksDavidwh 1 12-01 05:39
To UnTrained: ThanksDavidwh 1 12-01 02:59
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Critiques [Translate]

Hi David,
the beauty of your photo was also in the small preview impressing. I like the colors and the composition very much. TFS
Cheers, Ulf

  • Great 
  • ChrisJ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 8768 W: 923 N: 11775] (57281)
  • [2006-12-01 3:32]

Hi David

Good sharpness. lighting & colour. Excellent pov & composition. A superb blue sky. Tfs!

Hey David! That's a lovely and colorful photo of the church, which I haven't visited for many years...
Your composition is very good, balancing the main subjects well: the tree on the right, the church, and the framing trees on the left. The gate and the leaving people adds depth and focus points outside the other elements which create several layers of composition...
Well done!
Chen

  • Great 
  • jhm Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 12706 W: 272 N: 16945] (67812)
  • [2006-12-01 6:59]

Hi David,

It's a very difficult picture for taking with the sun slant, but you did very nice with the tree to right and the church very depth placing
the colours and the composition very much. Thanks for sharing.

Have a nice weekend,
John.

Hi David - Light well managed and well composed with the tree on the side and its long shadow.... I would have preferred without the visitors. Regards and sofshavua naim, Daniel

Hello David,
This is a very interesting and mystical place; I enjoyed your notes about it. You managed the exposure very well. I would maybe have tried to be a little closer to the church as the tree takes a lot of place in the picture. I guess it is a question of personal taste though.. :-) Well done and thanks,
Claudine

Hello David -

This is a nice image with very good exposure, depth, and clarity. IMO, the composition needs a bit of work in that it is to cluttered, again IMO. The late afternoon shadows and the people for scale are all excellent touches but I think I would have been up closer to or inside the fence using shrubbery, grave markers, etc for foreground elements. Well done!

Thanks for sharing

John

  • Great 
  • john_c Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 4906 W: 53 N: 5951] (24616)
  • [2006-12-01 11:34]

Hi David,
Very fine lighting here and good shadow effects. The people warm and help balance the scene. A very good note. My only suggestion would be to crop the foreground area a little to bring in the main subjects of interest. A very fine capture.
John

Hello David,
Very well composed image and scene.Most of all I like the light from the sun.It creates very nice shadows.Also the green tree is a nice adding to the composition.Made a well seen contrast.

Have a nice weekend,
Thomas

Hi David
A well framed scene where you've managed the lighting well. I like the way the shadow crosses the foreground in a diagonal and would therefore not be tempted to crop the foreground. I like too the off centre placement of the church. The image is nice and sharp and generally of a good quality. Nice work.
Best wishes
Mark

Hi Dave,
Nice to see you have such sunny days in late Nov.
Being that sunny you have managed exposure very well - no burned out areas or too dark ones in what seems to be a high contrast environment.
I like the way you included the tree on the right in the composition - gives more than the church to look at and adds a lot - just imagine the composition without it...
TFS . Shir

Hello David,

this is a good picture showing a beautiful place. The vivid colors, sharpness and the perspective showing the church in the background are very good. Thanks for sharing.

Roberto

  • Great 
  • gunbud Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 4454 W: 4 N: 3966] (18037)
  • [2007-03-04 17:17]

Hi David,
Excellent POV that includes the church as well as the gardens and love tree casting an enchanting shadow all seen in chrisp colors and stunning detail.
Regards, Tom

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