Cathedral of Chartres Photo

Photographer’s Note

Since today is Sunday I invite you to visit the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres which is considered one of the finest examples in all France of the Gothic style of architecture.

From a distance it seems to hover in mid-air above waving fields of wheat, and it is only when the visitor draws closer that the city comes into view, clustering around the hill on which the cathedral stands. Its two contrasting spires — one (at right), a 105 metre (349 ft) plain pyramid dating from the 1140s, and the other (at left) a 113 metre (377 ft) tall early 16th century Flamboyant spire on top of an older tower — soar upwards over the pale green roof, while all around the outside are complex flying buttresses.
(wikipedia)

Situated about 80km southwest of Paris, CHARTRES is a modest but charming market town whose existence is almost entirely overshadowed by its extraordinary cathedral. Built between 1194 and 1260, it was one of the quickest ever constructed and, as a result, preserves a uniquely harmonious design. The astounding size of the cathedral is entirely due to the presence of the Sancta Camisia – supposed to have been the robe Mary wore when she gave birth to Jesus. After an earlier Romanesque structure burnt down in 1194, the relic was discovered three days later, miraculously unharmed. It was a sign that the Virgin wanted her church lavishly rebuilt – at least, so said the canny medieval fundraisers. In the medieval heyday of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, hordes of pilgrims on their way south to Spain would stop here to venerate the relic – the sloping floor evident today allowed for it to be washed down more easily. The Sancta Camisia still exists, though after many years on open display it was recently rolled up and put into storage. It may yet be restored to the cathedral.
(Rough Guide)

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WS1 - Closer approach in a more deformed perspective.

WS2 - View from a distance in another square in the city, to show how big the church is when compared with the common buildings.

To see the whole facade I invite you to see this photo of Jean Yves (PixelTerror) taken while an amazing light show was happening.

Update - WS3 - entire facade from a similar POV to the one of Jean Yves.

ymrk, saylan-cb, paura, mikolaj_kawa, feather, papagolf21, JCG, ChrisJ, Cricri, PixelTerror, belido, siamesa, xuaxo, syd1946, Photo65Net, pasternak, chrisnet, trekks, lucasgalodoido, ribeiroantonio, coco, zeynepe, stego, luisafonso, josepmarin, Emile has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

ymrk (8735) 2009-01-25 1:35

Hello Dear Ricardo;
Sky colors are beautiful.Many for beautiful by the architectures.Origial capture,different outlook!
Have a nice week end,

Yağmur

saylan-cb (12726) 2009-01-25 1:43

Hi Ricardo,
Superb POV!Great colours and very nice captured.
Well done!
TFS/Regards

diomed (4035) 2009-01-25 1:56

Nice capture, great POV,great colours. Well done.
Regards
Antonio

paura (38410) 2009-01-25 2:08

Ricardo,
Lindíssima, amigo. Mais do que uma beleza de composição, sua nova máquina é agora ferramente para incrementar o nível técnico de suas fotos. Muito boa.

Abraço

Paulo

npecanhuk (13921) 2009-01-25 2:16

Olá Ricardo!
A Catedral por si só já é um belíssimo elemento e extremamente fotogênico, no entanto, o ponto de vista escolhido e a composição feita, deixaram-na ainda mais bela e interessante!
O céu bem azul está um espetáculo e faz um contraste muito bom com os outros itens da imagem! Essa árvore do lado esquerdo foi um toque especial! A nitidez está muito boa também! O controle da luminosidade, excelente!
Parabéns, abraços e até mais!
Neyvan

mikolaj_kawa (30161) 2009-01-25 2:25

Hello Ricardo! Very interesting POV and capture. Nice colours. Very nice bright and sharp. Good composition. Original shot. Good luck!

feather (49860) 2009-01-25 3:06

It must be frustrating for photographers to get a clear uncluttered view of the cathedral with all the other buildings in the way. I looked at JY's version and wonder how he did it. I thought maybe a stitch but he doesn't mention that.
I like the way you have composed this with the tree on the left in gorgeous light. The blue of the sky is fantastic. I can't say what it is but there is something strange about the cathedral. Obviously it is distorted by perspective.... but that's not it .... could it be a bit tilted? Anyway it is another good entry into your theme and a whole TE package with the accompanying WSs.
Kath

papagolf21 (56367) 2009-01-25 3:29

Bonjour, mon ami Ricardo,
La belle cathédrale n'a rien perdu de sa superbe. Notre-Dame de Chartres est l’une des plus grandes cathédrales gothiques dédiées à la Vierge dans la France septentrionale au cours des XIIe et XIIIe siècles, grâce soit rendu à nos aïeux d'avoir réalisé un tel chef-d'oeuvre.
Merci, cher Ricardo, pour cette très belle "papagolfade". ;o)
Amitiés.
Philippe

jonathan_hart (22576) 2009-01-25 3:32

massive architecture, one of the most impressive cathedrals of France, lens distortion is corrected in JY's version, but in this composition it is not worth
jc

JCG (25331) 2009-01-25 3:36

Hi Ricardo,

An original point of view on this superb Gothic cathedral. I see that you profited from a very beautiful end-of-day bringing a good luminosity and a sky uniformly blue creating a pleasant contrast and emphasizing the stone. I appreciate much your panorama in WS on this almost deserted place. A beautiful series on Chartres a town full of charm and gaiety. Thank you Ricardo.

With all my friendships and a good sunday,

Jean-Charles

PS : It would be necessary that you locate Chartres in the area “Centre” to be among the other photographs on this beautiful city.

ChrisJ (70231) 2009-01-25 4:03

Ola Ricardo

I like the intense blue sky & graphism of the church, against the bg. Good sharpness & upward pov. Tfs!

Cricri (43092) 2009-01-25 4:40

Hola Ric
Une église apparament diffiçile de photographier, mais celle çi me plaît avec l'arbre en cadrage et ce superbe bleu preuve que le temps était de la partie, belle image complémentaire en WS,
Good sunday
cricri

PixelTerror (86124) 2009-01-25 5:22

Ola Ricardo
Thanks for the advertisement, nice contrasts on your image but why didn't you go for a didiade (mega-stitch) ??? I see you're touring France, have fun !
Have a nice sunday JY

emka (21466) 2009-01-25 5:50

Hi Ric, Splendid view of the Chartres cathedral, also in my opinion one of the most beautiful of Gothic churches, specially if you think of the magnificent windows. Superb colours and nice detailes of the facade.

Regards

Malgorzata

belido (16493) 2009-01-25 6:30

Olá Ricardo,

inteligente ponto de tomada. Esse ângulo faz com que a Catedral fique ainda mais imponente. A inclusão da seca árvore à esquerda equilibra bem a imagem e o céu de azul intenso funciona muito bem como pano de fundo. Bela composição e parabéns pela nova aquisição!
Abraço,
Carlos

siamesa (12888) 2009-01-25 7:39

Bom dia Ricardo,

Esse azul é ímpar em se tratando de cores do céu.Uma imagem lindíssima da catedral e dessa árvore seca.O detalhe da parede da frente é lindo assim como o desenho das duas torres.
Abraços
maria

xuaxo (5727) 2009-01-25 9:29

Olá Ricardo
Isto é uma foto desse espantoso céu azul. Mas a dupla árvores-catedral também ficou muito bem.
Cumprimentos
F

syd1946 (17901) 2009-01-25 9:29

Hello Ricardo,
Beautiful architectural composition.The low point you use gives a nice perspective to the deep blue sky.I like it very much together with the informative note!

many wishes,
Thomas

jmdias (19267) 2009-01-25 9:29

ricardo

pra falar a verdade, depois que conheci amiens esta catedral e a de reims perderam parte de seu poder de fogo para comigo. Não nego porém que é belíssima. Aqui temos um pov muito bom com a luz e o céu em perfeito estado para registrar todos os detalhes da fachada e suas torres desiguais. lindo trabalho

abraços

jorge

Photo65Net (43084) 2009-01-25 9:34

Salut Ricardo,
I like how you enhanced the size of this amazing architecture.
Sunny mood is very pleasant too.
Have a nice day,
JB.

gilou530 (35226) 2009-01-25 10:09

salut ricardo
a light and a blue sky which helps well in this photograph, a splendid cathedral which it is difficult to have entiére so much it is great, beautiful luminous image
friendships
gilbert

pasternak (13352) 2009-01-25 10:12

An impressive papagolfade, the composition is good with the 1:1 frame division between the tree and the cathedral... of course the light is fine to show all the architecture details.

Cheers
A

chrisnet (20374) 2009-01-25 10:14

Hello Ricardo,
Beautiful architecture well framed with the tree, the vivid colors are very nice.
Best regards
Christian

carper (64878) 2009-01-25 10:15

a very nice shot of this
cathedral Ricardo. very nice contrast, fine details a good photo job here, Have a good evening my friend.
regard jaap

edal (6571) 2009-01-25 11:48

Ola Ricardo,
Thanks for these bagnificent images of the magnificent cathedral. Your details and colors (especially the sky) are outstanding.
Best wishes for the comming week!
Anton

chris04stop (2355) 2009-01-25 13:05

I know that Cathedral: it is wonderful. As wonderful is your photo, with this perfect, great sky!
Anna Paola

trekks (14314) 2009-01-25 13:08

hi Ricardo

Without doubt, this kind of architecture at just a glance can tell that it is dated back a long way to history. The strong features of the architecture can be clearly seen in your chosen POV here and really highlights the roof structure very strongly. Great work.

tfs, bill

lucasgalodoido (16603) 2009-01-25 14:08

Olá Ricardo,
muito bonita essa papagolfade, e impressionante como conseguiu capturar um azul tão profundo assim no céu. Essa árvore seca e o estilo da igreja lembram até filmes de terror, uma foto nessa posição a noite e com lua cheia ficaria fantástica, e assustadora, hehe, ainda mais se tivesse uns morcegos voando!
Parabéns e Abraço

ribeiroantonio (21917) 2009-01-25 15:02

Pelos vistos não te ficáste só por Paris. Também j''a aqui estive e reconheço que é uma catedral impressionante.
Quanto ao trabalho que propões hoje a minha preferência vai para o WS2. Das três é que me enche mais as medidas porque tem contexto, um céu azul lindíssimo e uma senhora que te ignorou completamente!
Esta, a principal, parece que tem um azul super saturado e aqueles telhados ali no canto também parecem distrair do tema da imagem.
Mas a igreja em si está bonita com a rosácea muito nítida e a pedir uma foto do lado de dentro.
António

bostankorkulugu (33582) 2009-01-25 15:42

the cathedral looks strange a bit with two different spires... the rose window looks magnificent though...

so you had some very good weather when in france...

have a good week ric...

krkt

titou (560) 2009-01-26 2:30

Nice colors and good angle to compose.
However this picture suffers from high deformations due to bad optic at 18mm.
They 3 ways to solve the issue:
- to avoid 18mm
- to avoid placing the right part of the church too close to the right border
- to change perspective by photoshop treatment (see workshop)

Ciao
Thierry

coco (27854) 2009-01-26 4:20

Hola Ricardo.

The wide lens makes a little distorsion but I don't mind.
The whole photo looks really cute and I love your composition.

Well done.

zeynepe (9342) 2009-01-26 4:23

Ola Ric,
Nice combination of the polarized sky (do you have a filter?),splendid architectural details of the church and the tree on the left. Only the distortion on the right side disturbs me a bit (but a bit ;D)
Parabéns, um abraço,
Zeynep

stego (22352) 2009-01-26 15:25

Olá Ricardo,

Estás a ficar como a Kath, a relegar excelentes fotos para WS's. :-)

Em qq. delas, ligeiramente menos no WS2, a luz, cores e nitidez são estupendas e os PdV's estão muitíssimo bem escolhidos, embora não se perdesse nada se o enquadramento fosse menos apertado em todas menos no WS2, mas se calhar os 18mm não eram suficientes para o conseguir sem recorrer a colagem.

Não é que me incomode, mas parece-me que se nota uma ligeira distorção de barril em todas excepto no WS2. No Gimp isso é muito fácil de corrigir com um dos filtros que há para isso mesmo, basta ajustar o peso da correcção, mas aposto que isso existirá para outros programas, nomeadamente os PS's.

Um abraço, José.

Waylim (10789) 2009-01-26 23:58

Ola Ricardo,
Beautiful cathedral, good pov, good light, excellent details and texture of the cathedral, the inclusion of the tree really make this composition more interest and added natural element to the shot, I'm not sure if the sky is bit too saturated to just too much of the purple or magenta. I look a bit too intense. Otherwise a good shot as always. thanks
Way

luisafonso (858) 2009-01-27 2:42

Usaste polarizador nesta? Ou saturaste o céu demasiado? Está tão azul... A composição está fixe. Lembra-me uma minha de Itália. Eu sou um fã incondicional do Gótico e nunca me canso de ver estas maravilhas. A luz estava excelente. Deu para apanhares uma série de sombras no edifício o que o faz realmente 3D. Às vezes a malta tira fotos às estruturas sem quaisquer sombras e depois parecem paredes. Mas tu, que és arquitecto, já sabes disso. :) Boa!

Bluejeans (32293) 2009-01-27 5:24

Oi Ricardo ,
Beleza de catadral com estas duas torres de arquitectura diferentes tem belos detalhes fazem um belo contraste com o céu azul , gostei da árvore , conseguiste um céu tão azul :) , parabéns!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

Angshu (33645) 2009-01-28 0:05

Ola Ricardo
I was desperately looking for the human element here ;-)(You should see Kath's comment in my last Orchha post of sunset). Like the framing in the compo with good balamce between the branches of the trees like claws towards the cathedral. The distortion is understandable & nothing major IMHO. Liked JY's shot in the WS as well as your high barrel distorted closer view in WS#1. The sky is gorgeous...sure you didn't use a polariser here? Good work!
Friendly Regards
Angshu

tober (3952) 2009-01-28 2:14

Hi Ricardo, as far as I can see from your recent photos, the weather was so variable during your stay in France.

When I saw the photo at the first glance, I supposed you've tried to avoid some cars which may be parking in front of the church. But it is not the case. After seeing your WS3, I asked myself "why didn't Ricardo put that one instead of this one -which is very difficult to arrange technically. It's nice, you've managed it very well, but I still do prefer WS3 which is simple but more elegant.

Best regards.

josepmarin (33785) 2009-01-28 3:14

Olá de nuevo, Ricardo,
en esta toma me gusta la asimetría del encuadre y la perspectiva de las líneas arquitectónicas de esta catedral hacia el cielo, que yo creo que es el gran protagonista de tu composición, por su vivo, intenso y bien polarizado color azul.
Los WS's son muy buenos también, me gusta especialmente el WS 1 por su fuerte fuga de líneas, en un encuadre que yo también utilizo a veces.
Gran trabajo.
Un abrazo,
Josep

giorgimer (21166) 2009-02-05 0:29

Olà Ric,

nice architecture, good composition and a stunning blue!

TFS

Gio

Emile (19977) 2009-02-05 21:16

Hola Ricardo.
Cuando vi esta estupenda foto me hice una pregunta, porque no usar el formato vertical? La versión original es muy buena pero me quede con el deseo de verla completa, luego de ver tus WS me di cuenta que habías tomado una de la fachada completa la cual la encontre estupenda. Preciosa Catedral y fantásticas fotos.
TFS.
Abrazos.

pablominto (40712) 2009-04-23 22:54

Hello Ricardo,

Good details in the impressive architecture!
I like the point of view resulting in dynamic lines, it is like everything has a strong upward move...
Naked branches frames the view well, and the intensely blue sky is a fine backdrop!

Greetings,
Pablo -