Not Just Church Windows

We see many church and cathedral competitions which favour and reward certain classical viewpoints such as the view straight down the central aisle with seating symmetrically arranged to each side, a view of the ceiling with the camera pointed straight up for kaleidoscopic symmetry or a view with the camera positioned on a cloisters corner point looking simultaneously down two covered walkways to left and right.

There is nothing at all wrong with these classic viewpoints, I own up to frequently taking such shots myself and there were some marvellous examples submitted, but I set up the brief to this competition in order to see something different and with perhaps a little more individual creative flair.

I have to say that the brief has been well and truly met and that I have been most impressed with the quality and variety of the work submitted. Indeed for a very long time my top ten consisted of 17 images which I had great trouble in whittling down to the required 10. Thank-you to everyone for entering the competition and for those with commendations then truly you were all only a whisker away from top ten material.

This my winning entry fits the brief perfectly and is very much the type of image that I had in mind when creating the competition. It's a very peaceful image with a quiet understated beauty that works so very well. The composition is simple yet effective with the statue's face and hands falling on the upper right third, the colour palette is subtle and subdued, and the light shaft brings the image alive adding both depth and drama.

Congratulations on a well deserved first place …....

For afficianados of ecclesiastical interiors then if ever there was an image to flick into full screen mode, turn out the lights, sit back and enjoy the view then this is surely it.

Beautifully composed and processed with subtlety this image showcases the very best in the use of HDR imaging techniques in successfully capturing and conveying the atmosphere in old churches such as this. If I have one tiny suggestion then I would slightly desaturate the colours in the stained glass windows to be more in keeping with the otherwise subdued colour palette of the interior but this is very much a personal opinion and in no way a criticism.

A beautiful image and one that I wish was mine ….... congratulations on a well deserved second place.

Another image which perfectly fits the competition brief and beautifully illustrates a quiet little space in one corner of St Vitus Cathedral in Prague.

I hope that the photographer does not mind me saying that the image is not technically perfect as, for example, I would like to see the statue a little sharper, some of the verticals correcting and the removal of the distracting sliver of green bottom right. That said I just love the look and feel of this image, the composition is nicely balanced with the window top right and the statue on the lower left third but best of all is that glorious and quite literal blaze of technicolour light illuminating the back wall.

Quite beautiful and congratulations on third place .....

Wonderful creativity and so different to the other entries to the competition. I really do love that shadow of the figure, so mysterious.

Bravo .......

I had a certain type of image in mind when writing the brief and then embarking on the judging process for this competition and that did not include certain “classic” viewpoints that, although highly successful, we see many times over in similar competitions. I was most surprised therefore when this “looking up at the ceiling” shot went from my “Maybe” folder, to the “Commend” folder and then steadily marched up the Top Ten. Who knows where it would have finished with a few more days of judging.

I'm so pleased that the photographer has chosen this asymmetric and really quite challenging composition rather than looking straight up at the tower ceiling for that classic symmetrical look as to my eye this viewpoint far better conveys the beauty of the tower and adjacent ceilings and the thrusting magnificence of the architecture. Impressed I googled this place and was amazed to learn that the tower and ceiling are brand new, having only been completed in 2005 and 2009 respectively.

So yes, I like the composition but there is also something about the clarity of light and colour and the balance of light and shade that make this image stand out from the crowd. Have you used HDR I wonder, some other multi-exposure blending technique, dodge and burn, all of the above or pure sorcery?

Whatever it matters not as the result is a joy to view ….........

There were several images submitted to the competition which were taken outside the featured church or cathedral and this is the one that stands out for me.

It's a poignant and quite personal image and looking at it I almost don't want to get too close for fear of violating someone's grief or cherished memories. The elongated crop suits the content well, the foreground objects are well arranged in the frame and the background church is nicely blurred, not too much to lose the significance of what the building is and not too little for it to distract from the foreground flowers.

All in all a most pleasing image and well deserving of your top ten placing ….....