Palacio de Carlos V, a photo from Granada, Andalucia

Photographer's Note

Part of the Alhambra complex, the Palacio de Carlos V divides opinion strongly. To build it, Carlos had part of the exquisite Moorish Palacios Nazaries demolished - thankfully not too much - and produced this heavy Renaissance building. I don't think it's flattered by the next-door intricate delicacies of the Nasrid palaces, but has its own striking features. It's massive, impressive, but definitely grandiose rather than subtle. Most of the building is taken up by the circular central courtyard, and this staircase's curve is a result of being built around this.
As is quite often the case, I used my wife to give human presence and a sense of scale. Although the Alhambra complex is one of the most-visited sites in Europe, we were lucky to be there early in the morning, out of season, when the press of visitors was significantly diminished. A UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Larger version here.

Royaldevon, tyro, SnapRJW, Didi, holmertz, No_One, COSTANTINO, timecapturer, CLODO, bukitgolfb301, siudzi, annjackman, adores has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Royaldevon (78142) 2014-03-11 4:33

Hello Will,

I think you were absolutely right to have a figure in your shot. She helps to add direction, scale and a sense of mystery as she descends the steps. Her shadow adds equal importance, in this respect.
A lovely composition in a shot with a fine tonal range.

Have a great day,
Bev :-)

tyro (30513) 2014-03-11 4:45

Hello Will,

How fortunate you are to have a wife who gladly will add some interest to what might otherwise have been just a very plain and uninteresting picture! My wife would also appear in the shot but probably standing glaring back at me, waving and telling me to get a move on and stop playing around with my camera. :o)

But yes, your wife is a very welcome addition here, perfectly placed in the frame so that the viewer immediately follows her direction of travel toward the bright light appearing through the entrance at the bottom of the picture. The curvature of the outer wall and of the central ballustrade also add to that sense of movement while the horizontal ballustrade at the top of the image "holds" the whole composition together perfectly. And I like the old lantern right at the top acting as another "anchor".

Lovely soft light and subdued colours, perfect exposure and light management and exquisite details and sharpness.

Beautiful!

Kind Regards,

John.

P.S. I note your link to this picture on "beta" TE - actually the picture there is exactly the same size as here because this "new" version of TE only "shrinks" images which are greater than 800 pixels wide - it doesn't seem to shrink any that are just greater than 800 pixels in height.

daddo (28728) 2014-03-11 5:32

Exceptional piece Will. Such lovely nuances in the shadings. Beautiful light and elegant forms dominate the image and there is also a harmonious monochromatic treatment that is sublime. I love it. Regards. Klaudio.

JanArie (657) 2014-03-11 6:19

Beautiful photo. I like the indirect light on the two doors and that dark person walking downstairs.
Thanks for sharing,
Jan-Arie

SnapRJW (31631) 2014-03-11 6:55

Hello Will - I am impressed by the subtleties of the light captured here, it gives such ambience to the image and you have done well to balance a tricky subject. Placing you willing model into the frame gives scale and a simple narrative.

Congratulations... this is super.

Warm regards Rosemary

yquem46 (38752) 2014-03-11 8:14

Hi Will
A super compo !
A nice architecture picture but above all the presence of the lady and her shadow on the wall, descending the staircase
Natural colors throughout, mild available light well exploited
Love it !
Best regards, have a nice afternoon
patrick

Didi (61589) 2014-03-11 8:40

Hi Will
Great composition with a very good game with lights and shades
Good frame quality and nice sharp picture
Best regards

holmertz (94534) 2014-03-11 9:01

Hello Will,
I like this very elegant and stylish composition of well handled light, fine tones of grey, nice lines and a well placed wife.
Kind regards,
Gert

wolf38 (30) 2014-03-11 10:10

Hi Will. A successful shot with best effect. Fine Composition. The woman walking down located in the absolutely correct position.
Best rgds, Wolfgang

nikon_ron (153) 2014-03-11 10:48

perfect exposure... love the tonal values, and the gentle curve of the stairwell guides the eye.

No_One (4) 2014-03-11 11:29

Hi Will,
This is an amazing place, having enjoyed your last post of the outside, its a pleasure to see inside. Grandiose is a good word, but also somewhat cold and unhuman. I really like that you composed this with your wife in the frame, as it gives a great sense of scale. And if I may say, the overall result makes this look like a very lonely place. It is how I imagine a billionaire would look, walking around their palace. Surrounded by the grandiose trappings of wealth, but no people. As soon as I saw this image, it just gave me a feeling of isolation. Don't know why really, but I love any shot that evokes strong feeling and this really does that for me.
Thanks as always
Noel

brianmcc (6221) 2014-03-11 11:29

hi will,
the subtle light here is wonderful and very appealing. the resulting colours are muted with lovely tones throughout helping to emphasis the textures of the stone walls.
kind regards,
brian

Rafer (0) 2014-03-11 11:34

Magnific shot... well.. fantastic shot...perfect POV, Light and color... Greetings Will ¡¡¡¡

rbassin (27472) 2014-03-11 12:01

hello Will
Une magnifique photo d'intérieur, pas facile à faire;
bonne présence de la personne dans l'escalier et très belle lumière. Les volumes sont très agréables et bien mis en valeur.
Bonne soirée
Roland

COSTANTINO (105929) 2014-03-11 13:18

Hello
beautiful lights and shadows dominate
this shot in sepia
the presence of the lady descending
the stairs add life and mystery
regards
have a nice new day
Costantino

mesutilgim (0) 2014-03-11 13:50

Hello Will,
Nice capture with perfect pov and great graphical effect.
It's in color but has the taste of a b&w work.
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

Ninello52 (7576) 2014-03-11 15:10

Hello Will!
Beautiful light that enhances the volume of the beautiful architecture of the building! Magnificent exposure that distributes fine shadows without creating strong contrasts! Congratulations!
Regards, Nino.

carlo62 (81265) 2014-03-11 15:22

Ciao Willi
bella esposizione e bella composizione, la luce gioca con le ombre, creando interesse visivo.
Eccellente la presenza della persona, da molto senso a tutta la foto.
Saluti
Carlo

Giustiniani (3650) 2014-03-12 3:10

Bonjour Will,
j'aime beaucoup la sobriété et l'élégance de cette photo. C'est superbement traité.
Amicalement,
Magaly

timecapturer (49288) 2014-03-12 4:36

Hi Will
love this! Almost B&W but therein lies the intrigue and beauty of this compelling study. A perfect POV and execution and a superbly creative and original piece of imagery. Everything here is perfectly placed, balanced and in exquisite harmony. A real stunner of a shot, well done.

Regards - B.

GyurMaster (22124) 2014-03-12 13:43

Dear Will,

As Rosemary already mentioned the lights are very beautiful. The composition is also excellent. However it is the figure – put in exactly the right place -, who makes the image live. Congratulations on this photo!

Best Regards,
György

CLODO (45094) 2014-03-13 2:01

Hi Will

a superb POV with some delicate and subtle grey hues well inhabited by the person going downstairs followed by the shadow.
I like it very much.
Cheers
CLODO

npecanhuk (79329) 2014-03-13 2:19

Hi Will!
Magnificent interior picture!
Great idea and phot job!
Special regards to the exposure, vertical format, chosen pov and composition!
TFS - congrats,
Cheers,
Neyvan

abmdsudi (90067) 2014-03-13 6:16

Hi Will
Great location and I love the soft effect with balanced composition as it holds all the structural lines in place creating a sense of order and wider space. I could live with a shadowy figure about to disappear out of sight which also gives a great sense of scale and strong focal point. You exposure control is so seamless, good work, this is cool and clean, you've captured the magnificence of this beautiful interior so well in this shot. Congrats
Best regards

macjake (96553) 2014-03-13 16:28

Hi Will
there's an almost mysterious type of imagery going on here.
Its the type of scene we'd see in a hollywood movie.
is it just me? it has that feeling and mood to it, bringing up questions and makes me wonder what is really going on behind the scenes.

very cool shot here my friend.
cheers
craig

Subhogen (4067) 2014-03-15 3:04

Hello Will,
A fantastic shot with the curve of the stairs. As I am late most of the good things have already been said, but in my own words I like the light and shadow patterns created on this huge wall on the left. Specially those created by the railings. Good inclusion of your wife, she completes the composition perfectly. Beautiful photo, thanks for sharing.
Regards,
Subho

kasianowak (16078) 2014-03-15 5:00

Hi Will
You managed to convey the mysterious atmosphere of Alhambra so well! I like the muted light and almost monochromatic colours palette.
You're so lucky to have a model that doesn't mind to cooperate! :)
Best wishes
Kasia

bukitgolfb301 (53894) 2014-03-15 16:14

Hi dear Will, how are you? Sorry for my late reply

Very artstic image via the best usage of delight slight light gradation and contarst. So delicate gradation is wonderful to see at all.

All the best and have a good Sunday! TAKERO

mkamionka (63380) 2014-03-17 6:13

Hi Will,
although I am rather a postcard type of person I really enjoy this photo here. I like most the subtle play of the light and shadow with the silhouette of the person going down the stairs adding some more interest. Very creative composition from interesting perspective.
Excellent work,
M

i9l2y1m8a8t3 (4814) 2014-03-23 3:26

Fantastic image. Subtle, highly artistic and very simple. Nice exposure balance and ambiance. Great shot!

all the best,
M

siudzi (34141) 2014-03-30 12:34

Hi Will,
Wow! What an amazing shot from Granada! Truly unique and very well managed presentation. I think I have never seen this interior previously. Great one! I'm going to visit Granada in April - any tips?:)

Best wishes,
Gosia

annjackman (23019) 2014-04-01 3:49

Hello Will,
This is the type of composition that really appeals to me. You have used the shapes in the architecture very well and the figure is very well positioned and adds a lot to the image (a nice shadow as well). The neutral colours are delightful. A first class image.
Best wishes, Ann

williewhistler (16606) 2014-04-03 8:42

Hello Will,
this is such stand out shot,perfectly composed and expertly exposed.
The figure as you note is well placed to add human interest and scale as she heads off into the lighter area.
I imagine that you must have considered conversion to BW,however the muted tones of this version are very much to my liking,it`s a cracking shot.
Best regards,
Les.

mjw364 (1466) 2014-04-07 6:11

Hello Will

Great image! Love the light and shade and of course the obligatory person who adds the point of interest for the eye. The light at the top is off centre and for some that is good - but I wondered if cropping some of the left hand vertical edge to make the light more central and the person off centre would be better? Just a thought. A subjective one.

Cracker of shot though.

Well done.

Mike

ACL1978 (7511) 2014-04-07 16:05

This really is a masterpiece, Will - gorgeous light, and perfectly managed. I love the shadows cast on the wall - that would be my biggest argument against Mike's interesting cropping suggestion, that we'd lose the repetitive shadows of the railing. The dual light sources play off each other nicely, and waiting to get your wife into the shot (wives make excellent subjects, do they not?) works perfectly here. Thanks - straight to the favorites here!

Andrew

kathryn_weir (2056) 2014-04-07 20:15

Hi Will,
Everything about this shot works for me. Sadly, I didn't get to Alhambra...another time maybe. I love the early morning light streaming in and adding your wife definitely improves the shot. The mono feel , the play of light and shade....it all comes together perfectly, Congrats on a striking capture
Thanks for sharing, inspiring!
Kathryn

adores (46979) 2014-04-10 16:51

Hi Will!
I like the composition and the light is just wonderful and really well managed. We can see all the details and the human presence surely adds a lot - perfect with her shadow on the wall.

rigoletto (34279) 2014-04-26 11:26

i prefer your cadrage to some other suggestions, it looks perfect to me. the arch of light at the top, dissolving into the shade, is the necessary border.

Waylim (25436) 2014-08-25 18:47

Hi Will,

Saw this on Random display. Love the shadow and light creating a very moody and special atmosphere. You managed it beautifully and the presence of the person walking donw the stair adds so much and a crutial part of the composition.

Congrats.

Way