Garden of Stone Photo

Photographer’s Note

Cemetery of Père Lachaise. At begining the "Père Lachaise" was a poor district, with many outlaws, winding streets, shady avenues. It's located on a old hill of "Champ l'Evêque", where a rich merchant built his house in 1430.
In the 17th century the Jesuits, converted it into a hospice for members of their order. It became a meeting place under influence of "Père Lachaise" Louis XIV's confessor. In 1803, under Napoléon, the Prefect of Paris bought it to built a cemetery. It was an incredibly successful piece of land speculation. Nicolas Frochot, the urban planner who bought the land, persuaded the civil authorities to rebury Molière, La Fontaine, Abélard and Héloïse in his new cemetery. Quickly the Père-Lachaise became the ultimate symbol for the rich and successful.
Ironically, Frochot even sold a plot to the original owner for considerably more money than the price he had paid for the entire site. Even today, the rates are still extremely high. Some of the most celebrated dead have unremarkable tombs while those whose fame died with them or who were nonentities to start with have the most expressive monuments.

It was a cloudy and very cold day, and there was a strange mood in the air. I like how this photo turned out with the non-vertical lines.I try to correct it in post-processing but i like the original most.
About Sharpness: I have tried a more sharpened version, it was also good but with this one i try create a more mysterious mood.Maybe.Thanks for your opinions

bantonbuju, supereira, marcelo_gomes, elihesamian, aznegrao, dsidwell, ChrisJ, pamastro, Didi, Carma has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

RegisMinot (1317) 2004-11-28 10:12

The black frame is quite adequate for this subject ... Nice perspective and a good capture of the atmosphere of this cemetery of the rich and famous. The colours are just sad enough but the image could be sharper.

Lio (783) 2004-11-28 10:12

Very nice composition. I like the structure of this picture, made with verticals and one perfect curve that lead the glance in the photo. Very well done. I would just suggest to sharpen a bit more and maybe try to make it B&W or sepia...

bantonbuju (48334) 2004-11-28 10:31

good decision to leave alone the non-verticals; makes it look even "older"; fellows before me are right with sharpness but still i like this nostalgic pic

manny (21378) 2004-11-28 10:36

Good picture. like it in colored though I would like to see it in BW. Excellent compo.

supereira (9576) 2004-11-28 13:17

Gosto do ponto de vista e da profundidade de campo.Boas texturas e luminosidade.Gosto da nitidez da foto.Boas cores e bom contraste entre elas.Bom trabalho!

marcelo_gomes (517) 2004-11-28 17:06

Suas fotos estão de volta!!! Legal... Gostei dessa atmosfera meio sombria e cinzenta. Tenho algumas de cemitério também. Em breve começo a postar.

elihesamian (26091) 2004-11-28 22:45

Welcome back Marco

the shot has a cold atmosphere with light result from a cloudy day,and this is harmonic with Cemetery's space,with a special silence which has emphasis in the atmosphere and this kind of place,...the perspective is great here,too,and you composed it very well,nicely done,Marco.

Spoony (3539) 2004-11-29 6:47

Very misty scene! Well done Marco!
Perspective and angle are absolutly good. Thanks for sharing this.

zebrowski_artur (1583) 2004-11-29 7:43

Very nice color and composition. Could you write me something about these colors?

joseelias (367) 2004-11-29 8:56

Gosto bastante do aspecto que deste a esta imagem. De certa forma faz-me lembrar o tratamento que dei a uma foto anterior de cemitérios, embora a minha não tenha o aspecto tão carregado e sombrio como a tua. Muito interessante esta aproximação.

As texturas e tonalidades estão magnificas, bem como o uso do caminho que imprime dinâmica à composição e guia os nossos olheos pela imagem.

aznegrao (10230) 2004-11-29 14:25

Marco esse efeito de cores e texturas que voce consegue em suas imagens e fantastico, parece tiradas da tela de cinema. A perspectiva tambem e otima, parabens.

dsidwell (9745) 2004-11-30 11:08

Soft and surreal, this is wonderful. I love the curve and lines of the street, and the tones bring a nice mood to this image.

waskahegan (0) 2004-12-03 15:22

Eu gosto de o que você fêz, mas lugar estranho, uma rua feita da sepultura. Eu gosto do sentimento velho do postal.

ChrisJ (69588) 2004-12-03 18:17

I like the curve of the cobblestone road in this image. Excellent tonal range & contrast. The diffuse light has enabled more shadow detail.

pamastro (7213) 2004-12-04 12:42

Beautiful image. The colors and textures look great, especially for what it is. The off center, close to the edge, view down the curving path gives a feel of infinity as you move around the bend forever. The stepping down tombs of the necropolis and the city buildings rising in the distance add to the deep feel of this photo. It's a very impressive cemetery. The mix of low tombs in this also adds variety. And I like how you mention the lesser known have the most extravagant tombs while the famous have more subdued ones. Perhaps because their name is a big enough draw. Nicely done.

ma-tibou (4566) 2004-12-07 13:18

bonsoir Marco, ravie de parcourrir ta jolie galerie, une sacrée perspective, un très beau résultat, le calme de l'endroit est très bien rendu, bravo.
amitié/ martine.

Didi (35744) 2004-12-19 6:25

Je dirai que c'est une jolie aquarelle avec des couleurs pastel parfaitement cadrée avec la courbe de l'allée qui nous guide vers une découverte de ce lieu historique.

Direi que é bonito aquarelle com cores pastel perfeitamente enquadrado com a curva de ido que guia-nos para um découverte deste lugar histórico.

Carma (2440) 2004-12-21 6:57

Nice wiev. The curved roads are always interesting, make us think what is there. In this case we know:)
Very good light, soft and misty.
Good job!

claudiaf (4404) 2004-12-23 13:57 [Comment]

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yesterday (9787) 2005-01-05 17:42 [Comment]

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dominique (11403) 2005-01-08 16:47

Pas mal ce petit effet sur la photo , c'est tres beau , j'aime le choix du cadrage . Bien vu .