I don’t remember where in Athens I took this photo, but I do know it was in Athens Greece. It’s probably a couple thousand-year-old historic site that is super famous…. But I still don’t remember the location.
National Cathedral Basement
I’ve been absent from my website and social media the last 10 days. It just didn’t make sense to post my silly photos with everything significant going on in the world. We’re far from any real new or better “normal”, but I’m going to try to get back into my routine of posting photos.
So tonight, I’m sharing a photo from one of the many Naves (this one in the basement) in the National Cathedral in Washington D.C.
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Colosseum
This wonderful place is also called Flavian Amphitheatre. Rome has so many historical locations and sites, its impossible to see them all in a single visit. I really enjoyed our stop at the Colosseum, but I wish we could have stayed longer and without the other thousand tourist. They claim it could hold between 50,000 to 80,000 spectators, but I have my doubts. I’ve been in massive modern stadiums that only hold 40,000. I don’t see any way this place could hold as many people as they claim. Anyway….its a great location and worth checking out.
To view a larger version, click HERE
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Palermo Cathedral
This wonderful church is the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Palermo Sicily in southern Italy. They dedicated it to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. The last restoration took place in the 18th century. It was built in 1185 and was founded by Pope Gregory I. Later, the Saracens turned it into a mosque after their conquest of the city in the 9th century. There are a few sarcophagi inside the cathedral’s crypt. If you ever make it to Sicily, this would be a great stop as part of a walking tour around the city.
To view a larger version, click HERE
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Puno Cathedral Basilica Menor
As we go into the weekend, how about a photo of some religious architecture? I took this photo during our trip to Peru. This is the Puno Cathedral Basilica Menor in Puno, Peru down on Lake Titicaca. This church was built in 1757 in an Andean Baroque architectural style. I love the architecture in these old churches, which is why I’ve visited more churches around the world then most religious people. I’m no world record holder or anything, but my total number of churches visited is pretty high.
To view a larger version, click HERE
Details at Acropolis
When I was walking around the Acropolis during our trip to Athens Greece, I tried to capture photos of the entire structure. But I also took photos of the small details and portions of the structure. I’m probably the one person who finds these things interesting. I don’t know. Maybe everyone finds these things interesting as well.
Anyway, today’s photo is the upper corner of the Acropolis. If you look closely, you can see a carved horse head at the very top of the roofline (see the enlarged image below). I doubt most of the visitors even noticed this little detail. Then again, maybe everyone noticed it immediately…..
To view a larger version, click HERE
Check out the horse head in the circle above
Ceiling
Today’s photo is from the Basilica of National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC. I took this photo during my last visit to Washington DC. I’d love to go back, but they now have a renovation projection going on that will take a few years. So it will be a while before the scaffolding comes down. Maybe I’ll go back in a few years.
Beyond the scaffolding, this is an amazing facility. It is the largest Roman Catholic Church in all of North America and is one of the largest churches in the world (its in the top ten). It has so many great sanctuary locations inside with over 70 chapels and oratories. Every chapel has a different style and design. You could spend days in this facility and not catch all the little details.
Anyway, this photo is of one of the many dome ceilings looking straight up at it. Have a great weekend.
To view a larger version, click here: https://500px.com/photo/201359315/domed-ceiling-by-brook-ward?ctx_page=1&from=user&user_id=3695440
St. Peter's Basilica
During our trip to Vatican City, we visited St. Peter’s Basilica. What an amazing visit!! I don’t know if our guide bribed the Vatican official or not (hard to believe), but we got to skip the entire line. There were thousands of people in line (at least it seemed like it) and they said the wait was about 2 hours long. Regardless, the guide got us inside in less then 10 minutes. It was an outstanding experience and I tried to capture as many photos as possible. This is of the ceiling just inside the front doors. I couldn’t use a tripod, so I did the best I could hand holding the camera.
To view a larger version, click here: https://500px.com/photo/195966209/st-peter-s-basilica-by-brook-ward?ctx_page=1&from=user&user_id=3695440
Ceiling inside St. Peter's Basilica
Immaculate Heart Of Mary Church
This church is referred to in Polish as Kościół Matki Boskiej. It is a historic church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, one of the city’s oldest (dedicated 1905) and largest churches. It is located on Polish Hill and is a prime example of ‘Polish Cathedral’ style modeled on St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
I met Dave and Brad last Sunday in this area to photograph an abandoned school. I got there a little early and decided to go inside this beautiful church. To my surprise it was not only amazing but still had all their Christmas decorations still on display. And they welcomed me inside and let me take all the photos I wanted. On top of that, the abandoned school was a bust. So I got some great photos of a great building, just not the one I expected to get inside. I hope you like it.
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Abandoned Church in Duquesne PA
On Sunday, I went to two churches with Dave, Brad, and Blair. Of course both of the churches were abandoned buildings….but they still count in my mind….does that make me holy? I really doubt it. This photo is from the church in Duquesne PA. It was once a Roman Catholic Slavish Church before it closed.
Great time with the guys photographing and appreciating these old facilities.
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Abandoned Pittsburgh
Yesterday I went on a long photo walk to numerous locations with a friend from California. He was in town for one afternoon, so we made the best of it and hit a number of popular Pittsburgh photo spots. We started with this abandoned church in the Lawrenceville area of Pittsburgh. I’ve been in this spot a few different times and I am always surprised at what changes from visit to visit.
Yesterday, we ran into a lady who was trying to clean the place up. Probably a losing battle, but she was trying to get it done. Anyway, somebody set up these chairs to create a little seating area. So, I took advantage of it.
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St. Patrick’s Cathedral
Tonight’s photo is the inside of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which is located on the east side of Fifth Avenue between 50th and 51st Streets in midtown Manhattan, New York City, directly across the street from Rockefeller Center. It was completed in a Neo-Gothic style and is made with Tuckahoe marble. The cathedral is 135 years old and is currently undergoing a huge renovation. The property under the church has a very interesting history, but I’ll leave that for another day.
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Bless You
Here is a 7 auto-bracket exposure HDR image I took in Sacramento California at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. This is an amazing structure, which is part of the Roman Catholic Church. It is the mother church of the diocese covering the entire northern California region.
To purchase a print or view the entire gallery, please click the photo above.
Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament - Sacramento
On my last trip to Sacramento California, I scouted this
location in advance via Google Maps.
Once I found it, I knew I had to find time to visit this location on my
trip. I am a sucker for old
churches. Something about the
architecture of old churches just pulls me in regardless of the type of
religion.
This is the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, which is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento. The facility is located in downtown Sacramento at the corner of 11th and K Street, about two blocks from the California Capital building. The architectural style is Italian Renaissance on the exterior and Victorian on the interior. Construction of this facility was started in 1887, during the California Gold Rush era. I’m guessing some of that gold paid for this church. Money well spent for this amazing building that has lasted over a 100 years.
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Option A or B for St. Paul Cathedral
I completed a few pictures from my excursion to St. Paul Cathedral in the Oakland area of Pittsburgh recently and I didn’t like many of them using my normal HDR settings. So I experimented with this photo a little and processed it in two different ways. Which do you prefer? Option A? Or Option B? Let me know what you think.
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Here is a full version of Option A
Here is the full version of Option B
St. Paul Cathedral
About a week ago, I was in the Oakland area of Pittsburgh and had some time to kill. Thankfully, I had my camera with me and I saw this giant church above all other buildings in the distance. It was a beacon calling me in to check it out. As I approached I was happy to see the church was open even though it was early in the morning, which also meant I had the place basically to myself. I spent about an hour photographing the inside of this 107-year-old beautiful facility, which is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh
I have a ton of great photos from this location, but tonight I decided to post one with a rather unusually POV (Point Of View). I hope you like it.
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Cathedral of San Juan Bautista
MJ and I have looked
at this church a number of times in the past. We finally took a few minutes to go inside and it was
amazing. This is a Roman Catholic
cathedral in Old San Juan Puerto Rico.
It is the 2nd oldest cathedral in the Americas. It was built in 1521 and then destroyed
by a hurricane. It was rebuilt in
1540 with renovations taking place over the years. Interesting fact:
the cathedral contains a tomb of the Spanish explorer and settlement
founder Juan Ponce de Leon.
Photo Technique:
I took this with my Nikon D800 and my 14-24mm 2.8f lens. I used my tripod and thankfully no one ran me out. I captured this with a 5 exposure auto-bracket set and merged them together with Photomatix Pro. I edited the image in Photoshop CS6.
To purchase a print or view the entire photo gallery, please click the photo above.