Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged architecture, Europe, flowers, medieval, summer, warmth on November 20, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
“Essence of a European Summer” : Strasbourg, France, 31st August 2011
After the last couple of monochromatic or sombre-toned images, I thought it was time to open up the colour palette again with a picture redolent of both summer and Europe, something perhaps to warm us up as we slide inexorably into winter (and some of you are probably there already!).
A larger version of this photograph can be found here.
Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged architecture, building, Colamr, France, medieval, postcard, tourist on November 10, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
“Picture Postcard Perfect” : Colmar, France, 30th August 2011
Well, this is me admitting my hypocrisy, since this is precisely the kind of touristy shot I was turning my nose up at somewhat in my post of November 6th, but hey, if a place is as amazingly beautiful as this, then there’s nothing wrong with it, as long as it’s done well.
And while we’re at it, let’s throw in another shot of the same splendid construction taken from the other side featuring this carved wooden bloke gazing out in despair at the all the unimaginative camera-wielding fools like me thronging past 
Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged architecture, France, medieval, photography, Strasbourg, sundial on October 17, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
It’s not every day you chance upon a sundial, and when you do, it’s usually a stone one in an ornate garden.
Here, in the back streets of Strasbourg’s old town, I found one painted onto this fine old building whose beautiful hue (orange? pink? brown?) contrasted so nicely with the sky.
Take a closer look, and you’ll find it’s not only the ancient timepiece which is painted on: the pillars on either side of the windows are but two-dimensional renderings of real stonework.
What cheapskates!
A larger version of this photo can be seen here…
Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged architecture, France, medieval, photography, Strasbourg, street, urban on October 16, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Wandering around aimlessly is a great way to discover Strasbourg, just as it is in many other cities that have old quarters stuffed full of architectural delight.
Dispensing with the tourist map after a quick initial glance or two and just diving in also allows one to find intriguing little things that are not necessarily in the top ten sights, but are nonetheless perhaps more representative of a particular locale.
In this shot the sun is still quite low in the sky, illuminating only the top half of the buildings. Not that it was particularly early – probably around half past nine in the morning – but for a night-owl like me, this is as close to sunrise and its gorgeous colours as I can possibly get!
As usual, you can see a bigger version here.
Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged architecture, beams, ceiling, medieval, photo, photography, symmetry, wooden on October 12, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
While most people were gazing at the admittedly very interesting museum exhibits in the Hospices de Beaune, I happened to glance upwards and realise that the ornate wooden support beams and ceiling offered better targets for my camera.
In terms of composition, it’s interesting to note that while centring and symmetry are sometimes eschewed in photography, it is the perfect alignment and mirroring of the elements that makes this shot.
Well, that and a bit of choice electronic enhancement…
Get a look at the big version here.
Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged architecture, Beaune, France, medieval, pattern, photo, photography, roof, tiles on October 11, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
After my trek through the vineyards around the Burgundian town of Beaune, I still had some time left before my train back to Dijon, so I stopped by the amazing Hospices de Beaune.
Resembling a church, this ornate structure built in the fifteenth century was actually, as the name implies, a hospital for the poor.
Inside it houses some impressive art by Rogier van der Weyden and Lucas Cranach the Elder – big names indeed, considering the diminutive size of the town.
Here’s a detail from another part of this vast building’s roof:
Bigger versions of these photos can be found here and here.
Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged architecture, Dijon, France, loneliness, medieval, night, photo, photography, street on October 4, 2011 | 8 Comments »
This is perhaps my best photo so far of my recent trip to Europe, and as is usual when I pronounce a picture to be ‘one of my best,’ it will no doubt get only a paltry handful of viewers
This frame encompasses the medieval splendour of France, the romance of night, and the mystery of the lonely figure strolling down deserted streets.
There are hints of several famous painters here, I think…
As usual, a larger version can be seen here.
Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged architecture, church, medieval, monochrome, night, photo, photography, urban on October 3, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
The old medieval sections of European cities are crowded with tourists by day, but at night you may find you have the place largely to yourself.
The perfect time then, to sneak out with the camera and a prime lens good for capturing low light situations without the harsh horrors of flash.
Here I created a spooky look to the scene by first rendering it in black and white, then bringing back a hint of the yellowish light form the street lamps on the stonework.
The bigger version of this picture resides here.
Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged architecture, France, house, medieval, photo, pictureque, postcard on September 29, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Well, I suppose this is the kind of thing that tourists flock to Europe for – medieval timbers and attic windows all askew. And it’s nice, there’s no denying, so I’m not overly ashamed at presenting to you such an obvious picture.
I took this in a brief window of morning sunlight before the heavens opened and I had to retreat to a nearby cafe for most of the day.
I’m not the kind of person who can easily relax and just do nothing, so I actually had to force myself to sit still, enjoy endless coffees and pots of tea while playing chess on my iPhone, and after a while I could forget about the weather and indolence became second nature, so it wasn’t such a bad day…
The larger version resides here.
Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged architecture, church, Dijon, France, gargoyles, medieval, photo on September 26, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
I threatened you with more gargoyles, and here they are – a zoomed-out view of the splendid Église Notre-Dame with its ranks of stone gremlins in the warm glow of the late afternoon sun.
This was a rare moment during my stay in Dijon, since most of the rest of the time it rained heavily.
To be honest, I didn’t like the place at all (except for this wonderful church) – dull, grey and in need of repair for the most part, with a scant smattering of old buildings worth looking at.
It looked just like Britain, which is enough to put anyone off! The only misstep on my otherwise excellent trip, but even then I could find one or two things to photograph.
To view a bigger version of this photo, go here.
