Montpellier Arcade, a photo from Gloucestershire, England

Photographer's Note

A very brief stopover in the UK en route back to France from Poland included a day in Cheltenham, a beautiful spa town (the spas opened in 1716) on the edge of the Cotswold region of south-west England. This town contains many fine examples of 19th century Regency architecture and is reckoned to be the most complete Regency town in Britain. The photo shows how well the town has been preserved, and is almost deserted at the end of a rainy day in June. The shot was taken outside the entrance to the Montpellier Arcade, which opened in 1831 with 16 shops selling only luxury goods, looking past the last of the famous armless angels or 'caryatids' (styled on the classical ones of the Acropolis) that support the cornices of the shops of Montpellier Walk. The Walk itself is to the left of the scene, reached by going around the closest caryatid and turning left through an archway.

I have used a gradient fill for the white sky here, and removed wide angle lens distortion before cropping.

cherryripe, pasternak, snunney, daddo, atus, stiginthedump, papagolf21, mickyg, kmarscher, robertosalguero, Vato_Law, MayaG, Anna-- has marked this note useful

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cherryripe (21033) 2007-09-30 2:10

Hi Andrew
You've got a nice light here despite the conditions and the filter was an excellent idea. We've finally ordered one and can't wait. The architecture here is really interesting and I like how you framed the statue to the left adding volume. Nice addition of the woman in orange too.
Regards
Nikki

pasternak (15185) 2007-09-30 2:15

Hi Andrew, great composition here with a size progression from the bigger cariatid through the two smaller ones to the real girl:) A pleasant piece of Old England.

Cheers
Alexander

snunney (130967) 2007-09-30 2:31

Hello Andrew,
You certainly seem to get around! A very nice composition of this lovely arcade with its niched statues. Despite the dull sky, the light is really very good and helps bring out the tones and detail in the architecture. The young lady in the red top brings a contrasting splash of colour and a sense of vitality to the scene. Good natural tones and excellent clarity complete a quality image.

MarcT (20964) 2007-09-30 3:37

Hi Andrew,
excellent colors and contrasts on this one. Well composed to. It's a nice picture with lots of volume

Marc

Nicou (193806) 2007-09-30 4:10

Hello,

La staute toute blanche à gauches est très bien recherchée dans le cadrage de ton image, très bel ensemble, cette place est mangifique avec ces vitrines et ce beau pavage.

Bravo et belle journée

Nicou

testmaniac (13508) 2007-09-30 6:35 [Comment]

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daddo (28728) 2007-09-30 7:04

Hi Andrew. Nice composition with the well defined statue on the left marking the edge of the scene.The textures and the saturated colours come across strongly. I like the atmosphere after the rain. Regards. Klaudio.

atus (15878) 2007-09-30 7:58

Hello Andrew,
the control of the low light conditions is excellent here. It is perfectly exposed, very well composed and naturally framed with the statue on the left. The human presence adds scale and life to the scene. Well done!
Tfs and best wishes.
Attila

stiginthedump (1833) 2007-09-30 18:07

I keep coming back to this photo Andrew. I like the dreamlike atmosphere you've captured here. The colours are very interesting, the detail exquisite and also the addition of a red topped figure is a nice addition. Interesting method of sharpening here. Did you also use a filter on this photo...it reminds me of something, but I can't quite put my finger on it!

papagolf21 (152601) 2007-10-02 1:03

Bonjour, mon ami Andrew,
Quartier de luxe aux immeubles ouvragés et ornementés de magnifiques cariatides.
Une voie laissée aux piétons permettant de se retrouver des lustres dans le passé.
Le personnage inscrit dans la composition dynamise la composition, particulièrement au niveau de la touche rouge de couleur.
Le cadrage a été soigneusement pensé.
Amitiés.
Philippe

delkoo (68) 2007-10-02 2:23

hi andrew
Montpellier is the name of french citie;
lovely composition with niched statues and the The woman dressed in red,

regards
didier

mickyg (815) 2007-10-02 7:45

A very nice capture Andrew .. good sharp lines and great colours, the inclusion of the female browser adds character and warmth to the shot as well

kmarscher (2887) 2007-10-06 6:57

You put your Sigma to good use on these close and scenic city arcades. I am ready to take the next step forward with you!The gradient fill works fine and appropriately done. So realistic...
Regards,
Kathy

robertosalguero (292) 2007-10-08 0:44

I wish bigger cities have little streets like this one where people can go and relax, away from the busy life. This place is beautiful. The design of the building and the atmosphere look awesome. Nice work with the human figure adding a nice focal point in the image. Thanks Andrew :-)

Roberto

Vato_Law (12732) 2007-10-08 12:25

Hello Andrew.
Very interesting this composition qith this statue framing the left side of the photo with lots of details revealed. The architecture of these buildings and their colours where very well caught and make a very appealing composition. You did well to use the grad filter avoiding like this to have a white washed sky.
Finally those persons bring life and that human touch which always help to give more life to this kind of photo.
Cheers.
Paulo

MayaG (2415) 2007-12-03 5:48

I really like this image, Andrew, this moody soft light is very charming to me. I love the position of the caryatid on the left that gives the impression of supporting the whole composition. A good one!

euryan (8442) 2007-12-17 13:05

I really like this one. The composition is very interesting and I like how the woman draws our attention with her bright colored shirt, and the fact that she is standing right between the two buildings. The inclusion of the statue on the left is very good too. I like how it seems to be watching over the entire square (and the photograph). Nice PP as well.

totoamoto (1107) 2008-08-07 5:11

Salut Andrew..
Une bien belle vue de cette ville..
Charmante rue..
Cyril

Anna-- (7801) 2008-09-29 11:08

Ciao Andrew,
really a beautiful and very interesting architecture. Great inclusion of the woman. I like the grey atmosphere and your choice of framing.
Have a nice evening
Anna