Let It Be, a photo from Pisa, Tuscany

Photographer's Note

This is my third attempt at posting this! Very severe storms moved in the previous 2 times and I decided I better unplug the computer. No reason to have lightning strike damage any of my equipment. :) Finally, I'm getting it posted!

This is a closer view of the dome looking back from the facade through a small window in the upper most level of the Baptistery. Everything is lined up perfectly from the window, to the Madonna and child on the facade and beyond to the dome. In the museum in the southeast corner of the Campo Santo you can see a model of the complex and the lines of sight from various entrances to the square as well as the relations between the various buildings. You can also see some very interesting unfinished sculptures. Well worth a walk through.

The dome here was a later addition to the cathedral and is made in an elliptical format. It is 2 interior bays deep and 1 bay wide over the crossing. The base of the exterior is accented by fine tracery work. The interior is painted with a fresco, which you can see in the posted workshop view.

This statue makes me think of the Beatles song, even if it wasn't about this subject, hence the title here.

This was the same small window I used to photograph 2 previous posted images. It really is worth the climb to the top of the Baptistery for this view.

I cropped this to center the dome since I had a little more space on the right. It's a small window and hard to get it just right. And I also cropped a bit off the bottom. You can see some of the deformations that plague the cathedral just like the tower. You can see certain features of the facade are lined up while others are not.

cmartos, davecall, nfriedli, Rinie_Hoff, Kenny10pin, digi-mom, kajenn, elihesamian, ale, jhonny_blue, bertolucci, papagolf21, pulezan has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

davecall (575) 2004-05-21 17:38

Paul, another fabulous photo of my wife's favourite country (ever since we went there in 2001 she has been bugging me to go back; she isn't interested in any other place except Italy!) The tones and depth to this photo are outstanding, very deep and rich and perfectly composed. And once again, a very informative & complete Note.

nfriedli (1060) 2004-05-21 18:26

Excellent note, really nice sky and symetry. A lot of details for a very good picture. Cheers!

Rinie_Hoff (9340) 2004-05-21 18:52

Moody picture, Paul, it is as if the thunderstorm is coming here, as well. Difficult light I think. Strong shades, but there a lot of details in this shot. Your composition and your crop are really good. The cross on top is hard to see against the dark sky, but it got JUST that little light.
Very nice, thanks for sharing.

Kenny10pin (19301) 2004-05-21 19:12

great details here and I like the murky blue sky, I think it might rain?

Well, well seen and taken and lovely cropping

digi-mom (1064) 2004-05-21 19:18

Neat presentation - I like the lights and darks to give it that three-way balance all around (colors, textures, objects...). And a perfectly centered picture - Wow! What an idea! ;o) I think your title works great.

kajenn (2462) 2004-05-21 21:59

How very nice with a perfectly centered picture, Paul. It's a nice change if it's perfectly performed, and yours is - with a possible exception of the mentioned deformations. As your previous images from Campo dei Miracoli, this one is excellent in contrast and color; in sharpness and details; in composition and feeling. I'm impressed! Especially the cross on the copper "egg" caught my eye and your WS, showing the interior (never seen) is remarkable. Top notch!

elihesamian (26149) 2004-05-21 23:30

I'm very glad to see it,Thanks for posted this great shot,Paul!
excellent,All elements,excellent,
You did great.

cmartos (242) 2004-05-22 3:09

Excellent POV you choosed to catch this Dome part Paul. I like the centered choice. Perfect to spot on it, statue and sculpture details. The light is simply amazing here. The darky cloudy deep blue sky adds dramatic and contrasts with the facade as it was a light itself. The sculptures details richness is imperessive also. Excellent sharpness and contrast that helps a lot to spot attention to all those details. Excellent note again, very complete and useful. An excellent and impressive shot. Congratulations Paul !

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ale (1819) 2004-05-22 3:59

Another excellent and different view of Pisa! I think it's vary difficult having a perfect exposition like this! Perfectly composed! Very well done!

jhm (211734) 2004-05-22 4:13

Your composition and your crop are really good Paul. The cross on top is hard to see against the dark sky, excellent work!

jhonny_blue (4956) 2004-05-22 5:37

Itґs simply wonderful Paul !
Very good composition with wonderful colours !
Very weel done !

bertolucci (14052) 2004-05-22 6:03

Wonderful symmetrical shot. From the subtle reflection in the sphere under the cross to the 2/3 romanesque arches. Fascinating, all those nicely rendered details. And the dark-indigo sky again serves as a marvelous and threatning backdrop to the soft hues of the facade. I love the symbolical interaction between this sky and the Maria statue. Great job & excellent note!

omritoppol (826) 2004-05-22 14:54

It cameout really moody, just the right amount of light with that stormy looking clouds to add "darkness", the details are impressive!, well done Paul

papagolf21 (152605) 2004-05-22 17:41

La symйtrie a ici parfaitement sa place pour mettre en valeur cette merveilleuse architecture. Un vйritable plaisir pour les yeux. L'ensemble ressort trиs bien sur ce ciel d'un bleu profond.
Merci pour la note trиs dйtaillйe Paul.
Du trиs bon travail.
Symmetry has here perfectly its place to emphasize this marvellous architecture. A true pleasure for the eyes. L'ensemble arises very well on this deep sky d'un blue. Thank you for the very detailed note Paul. Very good work.

yesterday (9833) 2004-05-29 6:04

Excellent crop, I like the composition, and wonderful light and contrast, the time it is taken, look beautiful in contrast against the dark blue sky.

pulezan (841) 2004-09-09 7:01

one of the rare simetrical pictures and it is very good done. like in the previous photos the contrast with the sky is simply great. you was very lucky to have such a dark blue sky that day.

roconnell (327) 2004-10-08 4:09

The step ladder effect of the composition is wonderful. It draws the viewer through the frame to an apex. Very well composed.

Stepan (27210) 2005-07-28 15:04

Even it's a little overexposed, I like the way you defined the frame. The center for the subject was the right and creates an interesting symetry.
Well done.
Stйphane