The Study, Culross, a photo from Fife, Scotland

Photographer's Note

Another photograph from the quaint and picturesque little village of Culross (pronounced "Coo-Ross") which lies on the north bank of the estuary of the Firth of Forth in the south of Fife. The tall building of the right is named "The Study".

The Study was built around 1610, perhaps, on account of its height and its five floors, being constructed originally as a sort of watchtower to look over the lower parts of the town (you can see the top of Culross Townhouse in the distance) and the harbour below it.

Also called "Bishop Leighton's Study", the building was occupied at some point by a Bishop Leighton in the late 17th Century though it was probably owned by John Adam, a wealthy merchant in the town, before that time as original internal wood panelling bears Adam's initials with the date 1633.

As with Culross Palace and Townhouse, this building has been restored and is looked after under the auspices of the National Trust for Scotland.

dta, finlay, SnapRJW, delpeoples, timecapturer, ourania, bayno, jester5, macjake, saxo042, jhm, williewhistler, holmertz has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

joso (2405) 2012-05-15 0:05

hi John,
a clear, well composed shot with very good light and shadow, with the guiding line from the right corner, continued by the wall
regards
jános

dta (51510) 2012-05-15 0:50

Hello John ;
May be we have a wrong idea of scottish villages . We can see here that there are not only monotonous red bricked houses (i suppose in industrial areas) , but very picturesque places . The white buildings are superb , as the paved street . The angle of view , composition , exposure are just perfect . The kind of picture that gives the wish to go there . Especaially with a splendid blue sky like this one :)
Thanks

finlay (1535) 2012-05-15 1:21

John

A splendid capture of the old part of the village. The warm sunlight brings the colours up beautifully, particularly the cobbled path.

Great composition. The view down the alley towards the town house adds a good sense of perspective. The building to the left is perfectly positioned with its apex lying right on the edge of the frame - a touch of detail that helps to present the shot to its best.

A really interesting note as always to cap it off.

Finlay

Royaldevon (17811) 2012-05-15 1:59

Hello John,

I still marvel at the beauty of the weather! Not only is the light lovely, with its Northern Hemisphere softness but it has created shadows that you have used perfectly for contrast and textural details.
You pov uses strong guides to the sharply exposed and highly individual houses; then on to the distant tower. That's often what makes a good shot excellent, a focal image at the end of the 'lead'.

Have a lovely day,
Bev :-)
After torrential downpours and near flooding last week, guess what, it's raining!

dkmurphys (36857) 2012-05-15 2:19

HI John,
Very beautiful capture of that old paved street. I like the calm atmosphere and the colors. Well taken!

Daniel

SnapRJW (18792) 2012-05-15 2:36

Hello John - You have certainly presented some lovely images from Culross and placed it firmly on the map as a place to visit in Scotland. An excellent piece of work, well composed with the water gully leading in nicely from the corner. The colours and general feel look almost Mediterranean, mind you, there are those red Spanish tiles again! Fascinating building too. Top class work. Warm regards rosemary

npecanhuk (53919) 2012-05-15 3:17

Hello John!
What a lovely street and urban environment!
What a beautiful, attractive and pleasant-looking picture!
Sharpness, exposure, colors, vertical format, slim black borders and composition really pleased me!
TFS - congrats,
Cheers,
Neyvan

delpeoples (45018) 2012-05-15 3:24

Ciao caro Giovanni

This town is delightful, with its cobblestone streets and beautifully preserved architecture. I like this vertical frame alot, which seems to emphasise the depth alot alla Bluejeans with his large foregrounds, wide-angles and great perspective. It's a very carefully composed image, with the diagonal line running from the right corner and the lefthand edifice cut perfectly in half by the tight frame. The line of pot plants also provide a good sense of perspective. The sweetest thing for me is the light, the warm golden tones playing beautifully on the cobblestones. Nice shot, I'm enjoying your Culross Series immensely.

Un abbraccio
Lisa

agjika (4015) 2012-05-15 4:18

Hi John,
Another photo that seems to require people in it! You need to do what one of my friends says: "Tell your subject that you will make him/her a star and get them in the photo!".

Only joking is a nice, crips, cheery photo with great clarity and colours. Nice verticals too!

Greetings

Aleks

timecapturer (30394) 2012-05-15 5:25

Hi John
classic composition this, everything in the right place and so perfectly balanced. Superb light and shade that entice and invite you into the cobbled street and beyond. Perfectly executed and a beautifully presented image.

Regards - Brian.

ourania (12469) 2012-05-15 12:03

Hello John,
another lovely and interesting piece complementing the puzzle and the allure of this wonderful picturesque village, which has known difficulties and agitation in the past, but now, many of its centuries-old buildings restored, it looks delightful and serene. I love this composition splitting the frame between the two buildings and following the lane to the Townhouse. Clarity, sharpness and cature of textures is superb. Lighting is very effective, colours and contrasts are delightful. I like very much the shadow of the left hand building creeping across the street and joining the two parts of the composition. Well done and thank you!
All the best, have a great evening,
Ourania

bayno (16241) 2012-05-15 12:10

Ciao John,
This time I did a bit hard to understand why the note speaks of a palace called the Study to five plans I do not see, I see the tower in the background, then I could see it well by following your link. the photo is still beautiful with a wonderful light, I like the composition with half a building on the left and the beautiful perspective of the right and in the midst of the tower in the distance, with a super high quality definition and a great depth, very beautiful colors, lovely village...wonderful shot...
My best regards...
Valter

MJR (3173) 2012-05-15 12:58

John

If I said, another great blue sky, you may feel your post to damned by faint praise.

Which would not be right ! It is indeed another great blue sky, but still showing all your attention to detail that we have come to expect, both technical and artistic.
Lovely colour, lots of interst, clever lines of sight - its all here.

And of course a good note to pull it all together.

Great post !

kind regards
Martin

brianmcc (5536) 2012-05-15 13:33

hi john,
i would never have guessed this was scotland. it looks more like the south of france. the architecture, the stone paths, the terracotta pots, the sun, and the wonderful blue sky have all combined beautifully to confuse my senses. a lovely composition, i especially like how my eye is drawn down the path towards the spire.
regards,
brian

willperrett (2959) 2012-05-15 14:20

Hello John
Why a village in Eastern Scotland should remind me of the Mediterranean I have no idea, but it does. It's maybe the light, or the pots, or the whitewash, or the cobbles... Anyway, nicely composed and a good sense of depth given by the pathway receding in the distance.
Scotland, eh? Sure it's not Provence?
Regards
Will

chrisvek (5515) 2012-05-15 15:07

Hello John

Very nice shoot.Great architectural details from these stone houses.Perfect colors and lightning.Well done

Have a good night
Chris

emka (58224) 2012-05-15 23:21

Hi Giovanni,

I was thinking you studied something here :). Old building with simple architecture. Charming street with cobblestones. Beautiful light and very pleasant atmosphere. Very picturesque small town. Nicely composed capture.
WArm regrads

MAlgo

Silvio1953 (98259) 2012-05-16 6:10

Ciao John, great perspective on lovely village, excellent clarity, splendid light and wonderful natural colors, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

macjake (39235) 2012-05-17 15:43

Hi John
great shot.
What i really like about this is probably something many people won't mention - Personally when i take photo's like this, its SO hard to keep the FG stone/street infocus aswell as the buildings in the bg.
the street looks very sharp and well detailed, thats impressive.
great subject, colors, and textures.
PS - did you ever get back to me about that link thing?...how you did the "culross Townhouse" link in this post....i couldn't find it
Cheers
Craig

mmohan (738) 2012-05-17 21:36

Hello John,
It is interesting to see that you have taken to photographing little villages and old buildings recently! This does not look much like some other parts of Scotland, does it? I like the paved street the most,all looking neat and gleaming in the Sun. The light seems just right for the building and for the street too.
Fabulous!
Kind regards,
Manoj

saxo042 (31802) 2012-05-17 22:47

Hi John,
I like the perspective and the use of a strong diagonal in this picture. An interesting view of the old castle far away. Perfectly sharp photo and an interesting note.
Regards from Oslo
Gunnar

jhm (122490) 2012-05-18 4:31

Hello John,

You find again a wonderful place, quaint and picturesque little village of Culross.
No people on the street, alone the nature stones as street
A super picture with this narrow street, together the church tower in background.
Depth and perspective image through your excellent choice of your angle.
Composition and presentation are very nice. TFS.

Have a nice weekend,
John.

williewhistler (7317) 2012-05-18 11:54

Hello John,
the portrait format works very well with the line of the gutter leading nicely to The Study and beyond.
There is interesting detail throughout the whole scene,a really well composed photo that captures the charm of the village perfectly.
A lovely shot.
Best wishes Les.

holmertz (26982) 2012-05-18 12:47

Hello John,
This is a very neat and pretty place and you provide a good view along the cobbled street towards the Townhouse. The old buildings seem to be in a perfect shape and their tidiness, along with the marvellous sunshine, create a very pleasant atmosphere.
Kind regards,
Gert