The Nave, High Kirk of St. Giles, a photo from Edinburgh, Scotland

Photographer's Note

Next time I visit St. Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh, I shall certainly take my tripod with me. Because, perhaps surprisingly for a place such as this, it is possible to buy a ticket for �2 to allow you to take photographs within the church and, also surprisingly, there is no restriction on the use of either flash or tripods.

But this picture was taken handheld using available light (of which there isn't very much in here) looking eastward along the nave of the church.

St. Giles' Cathedral sits on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh's Old Town. Despite its name, St Giles' Cathedral is not actually a cathedral. The title gives an idea of its magnificent scale, but was only strictly correct for two short periods when Bishops served in the Scottish Church, from 1633-8 and from 1661-89.

You can read more about this magnificent place if you look at the official website of the church here.

jhm, timecapturer, delpeoples, SnapRJW, bayno, prasun984, ourania, brianmcc, macjake has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

jhm (211738) 2012-04-02 2:48

Hello John,

I know that you never brings a visit, but this is a wonderful interior picture, I love interior of churches.
You chose an excellent vertical frame with a nice sight on the ceiling.
I like the enlightenment and the spectacular light management totally.
Lovely depth and perspective, splendid done, TFS.

Have a nice week,
John.

timecapturer (49288) 2012-04-02 2:49

Hi John
a beautiful interior and captured superbly. The light management is so perfect at creating the palpable atmosphere and sense of peace here. Wonderfully detailed and an elegantly inspiring presentation.

Have a good week - Brian.

delpeoples (60342) 2012-04-02 3:02

Hi dear Giovanni

When I was last in this beautiful church, tripods and cameras were the last thing on my mind, in fact I vaguely remember spending a few mornings trying to walk off a hangover in here :) But your note is highly relevant regarding photography fees and the fact that tripods are allowed.

And what an amazing shot. You did extremely well without a tripod here, the perspective and the play of light and shadow are really beautiful. For some reason I can't access the Exif data, but assume you've ramped up the ISO and that the 5DMII has dealt with it effortlessly. Great shot, and a great note.

Have a good day
Lisa

umutlu101 (13629) 2012-04-02 3:04

excellant pr閟entation..
et un cadrage vertical bien r閡ssi....
amicalment
鰉er

dta (98848) 2012-04-02 3:06

Hello John ,
It is not so easy to catch the light in such light conditions . But here , the result is very good (even without tripod) . The interior of this superb cathedral deserves to be shown . The perspective is excellent , as the off centering that works very well . The ceilings are a splendor .
Regards

tedesse (25147) 2012-04-02 3:18

Hi John!
The fantastic view of the interior of this beautiful cathedral, perfect POV and beautiful colours. Good sharpness and light. The interesting foot-note.
Best regards
Tadeusz

altay1364 (0) 2012-04-02 3:19

Selam

wow!çok güzel bir mimariye sahip! fotoğrafta harika.saygılar

emka (158932) 2012-04-02 3:19

Hi John,

beautiful interior of the St. Giles, that I like so much. Splendid view, i like the arches beautifully lit. Excellent depth. Interesting window at the far end.
Today I also post an interior of the cathedral and also hand held :).
Warmest regards Malgo

SnapRJW (31631) 2012-04-02 3:40

Hello John - What really fascinates me in this very attractive and well managed shot is the beautiful blue detail at the far end of the nave. It makes a fabulous 'airy' contrast to the rich browns which dominate the composition. Excellent shot. Well done and warmest regards Rosemary

npecanhuk (79329) 2012-04-02 3:49

Hello John!
Magnificent interior details!
Wonderful picture!
Vertical format, chosen pov, composition, exposure, colors and level of sharpness really pleased me!
TFS - congrats,
Have a great week,
Neyvan

bayno (18348) 2012-04-02 4:12

Hi John,
beautiful interior of this cathedral, I see no distortion of the lens and the vertical lines fall straight down, which is not easy in this kind of shots because you also used the minimum focal length 17 mm, I really like the tones and perspective and good use of ISO and exposure...
great job...have a good day...
Valter

notrap (7812) 2012-04-02 5:11

Hello John,

a compliment to the 5 D Mark II, which allows handheld shots like this, and to you, of course! The 5D is the best camera I ever had, I love it! In this small 800 pixel size it does not even look noisy. Your next try with a tripod may be better if you take a HDR-shot, but this one is not bad at all.
Kind regards,
Elvira

atifsaeed (379) 2012-04-02 5:12

Hi John
TFS this beautiful interior\regards
Atif

Ninello52 (7576) 2012-04-02 13:01

Hello John,
Beautiful inside this church! Very beautiful light and interesting to the color resolution! Did you use a tripod or have you leaning on a counter! The magnificent setting, perfect exposure! Bravo!
Best regards, Nino.

prasun984 (5590) 2012-04-02 21:16

HI John,
Wow! what an impresive view of the interior of this splendid cathedral . The light is excellent , and the framing too,
I like the cleanness sensation and the gtranquility.

Best regards,
Prasun

Silvio1953 (223027) 2012-04-03 0:33

Ciao John, great perspective on fantastic interior, superb light, wonderful colors and excellent clarity, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

Royaldevon (86520) 2012-04-03 1:03

Hello John,

Considering the restrictions in light and balance, you did a fine job here. Like you, I rarely think of dragging my tripod with me and probably would even struggle putting it up efficiently, now! I have a monopod which I do use occasionally!!

Things like fine composition and pov are not affected by a tripod and these elements shine through. I love how the ceiling details, the converging lines of chairs and the receding arches, all work in harmony to lead to the focal stained glass window.

Have a lovely day,
Bev :-)

MJR (3360) 2012-04-03 9:13

John

rewritten in haste !!

Another interesting perspective from this interesting little cathedral, or is that a church, or a kirk..

I like especially this view for the blue tones to the far roof, what a marvellous colour ! The exposed stome to the roof is a fine example too, so often covered in plaster or other decoration.

Whilst the technical combination of the ( far from ) Tyro and the 5D11 is not to be doubted, it has to be said the combination of high iso and hand held is not much short of miraculous !

I had written this earlier, but seem to have lost it in the posting of a WS. So, this note is both late and rewritten ! I was curious to see what correcting for the lens distortion would do, and rather than waste my efforts in the trash can,( arguably the best place ! ) thought I would share them with you. By no means a critical essay, it is just an exercise in curiosity. You have used your lens at 17mm, as wide as it would, and there was only a little distortion, and whilst correctable, I see it makes little difference to the viewing experience. So enjoy or not, as you will !

I tried this partly as I have hired three lens for the week, and am keen to find out more about their effects, and how they might compare with the altenatives like the 17-40 as here, for instance.

Try www.lensesforhire.co.uk for more info !

( how do you 'embed' in a critique, nothing I do works ! _

kind regards
Martin

[workshop] [compare] +

ourania (51103) 2012-04-03 10:04

Hello John,
a wonderfully framed picture with superb lighting, that offers us the marvellous architectural details of the long and high nave, but also its atmosphere and the feeling of standing in it. There is great perspective, excellent sense of depth and space inviting us to wander around, delighting in the lovely architecture,colours and textures. The contrasts play a great part in the fascination. A remarkable and captivating photo, thank you!
All the best,
Ourania

brianmcc (6223) 2012-04-03 13:25

hi john,
you have done a great job with this picture, especially given that this was handheld at such a slow speed. you have managed the light to produce a well exposed picture and deliver some wonderful colours. the view down the isle towards the glass window with the light reflecting through it is superb. lovely detail in the roof and stone structures of the church.
regards,
brian

agjika (3177) 2012-04-04 15:46

Hi John,
As far as church photos go this is a very nice one. You have managed to keep those highlight on the window under control and there is plenty of detail all around. Maybe you could have shifted yourself a bit on the right for a more symetrical view but then you might have lost some architectural elements.

Lovely and sharp, ISO6400 but where is the noise?

Thanks for sharing

Aleks

macjake (98544) 2012-04-05 12:58

Hi John
brave man...i have never, and never will use an ISO of 6400! my camera is great in many ways, but not so much for noise control.

I'm impressed you were able to get rid of the noise in photoshop...great work.
as for the Tripod, you see..thats why i Always have mine handy :)

love the blue and red colors in the depth of the scene, along with all the browns.
fantastic indoor shot.
enjoy your day
craig