02-23-10 "Upon This Rock. . . "

I would have to say that in my opinion St. Peter's in Rome takes the prize as "Most Photogenic Interior." I have been looking at my photo collection, and I have a disproportionate number of the inside of this awe inspiring structure. There is so much to look at, I wonder if paying attention to the Mass would be secondary? I do know that one of the Calvinist reactions against Catholicism concerned adornment. Compare this sparse interior in a Calvinist church in England.

I like this view of the interior of the dome because you can clearly see the Latin Bible verse which came to be known as "The Petrine Doctrine." Peter became the first Pope in a 2000 year succession of Popes.

"Tu es Petrus et super hanc petram aedificabo ecclesiam mean et tibi dabo claves regni caelorum" ("You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church, to you I will give the keys of the kingdom of heaven." Mt 16:18)

Jesus may have been making a little joke when he said this to Peter because "Peter" was derived from the Greek word for "rock." Was Jesus smiling when he said this? I ask this because in the Middle Ages there was actually a theological debate about whether Jesus ever laughed, since there is no specific documentation of this in the New Testatament.

02-11-10 A Week In Paris: Notre Dame

There is much that is captivating about a Gothic cathedral like the famous Notre Dame of Paris. The beautiful stained glass and the lofty interior space must have been truly awe inspiring to the 12th century Parisian. They certainly are to me.

In this photo, you are looking at an innovation that allowed the soaring interior space and relatively thin walls. It's called "rib vaulting." It may look chaotic but it is in fact very carefully arranged. How did they figure this out? Mostly trial and error and amazing intuition. The medieval masons didn't have computer models or even sophisticated math.

Here's another tidbit about gothic cathedrals: they are held together by gravity, not the mortar between the blocks. The mortar is really just a spacer to keep the stories level. Ribbed vaulting like this would have been stacked on wooden supports until the top stones were put in place. Once complete, the support was removed and the ceiling stayed up on its own. Impressed?

02-08-10 A Week In Paris - The Pyramid

I learned a couple weeks ago that a former student of mine, Erin H., is looking at the blog from time to time. Given that there are other former students who also see this blog, this might seem unremarkable. But it turns out that Erin is in Paris for a year, and there's something special to me about having someone there checking out my blog. :-)

Erin writes:

Living in Paris for the year, and being able to look at your blog is a great reminder of where I come from, and also how many places I have yet to visit. . . .

In honor of Erin, I am kicking off a series called "A Week In Paris." For a while, my blog becomes a reminder of where she is and where some of us would like to go some day.

Incidentally, Erin also has a blog of her own, with many great photos, and I suggest you take a peek: worldmoods.blogspot.com

11-27-09 Looking Up

I'm sorry to say this, but I don't know what specific dome I am picturing here. I do know that it is one of the art museums in Berlin, Germany. The structure was beautiful and the art was even better.

11-25-09 Architectural Manipulation

Several weeks ago I commented on the manipulative nature of photography. In looking for a photo to post today, I came across this detail from a resort our family had stayed at in 2002. And I was struck by how architects and designers are engaged in manipulation: simple posts could have held up the roof and there is really no need for color. But instead, we get something that is soothing and alluring.

In a side note, I am also struck by similarities between the colors in this place and in the Denver Art Museum photo that I posted on November 1 ("A Human Interface").

Canon 1D 1/50s f/2.8 ISO400 145mm

11-08-09 The Redlin Center - Watertown, SD

Almost anything looks better in morning light, including the Terry Redlin Art Center in Watertown. This photo was taken a few minutes after I took "Flocking Behavior 01." (Click)

11-01-09 A Human Interface

You may have noticed that I like to take photographs of art museum interiors. This photo comes from the Denver Art Museum. The inspiration for the title is the fact that the design and color of the space that showcases the art are so welcoming.

Art museums are often busy and full of the sound of voices and footsteps echoing off the walls and wooden floors in the spacious galleries. But because it was snowing outside, the museum was quiet and I had this floor almost to myself. I was looking for serenity, warmth and color on this particular morning and I found it.

For those who might be curious, the painting on the wall directly opposite my camera is called "Childhood Idyll" by Bourguereau. Click here to see a better view of the painting.

Canon 5D II 1/30s f/4.0 ISO800 35mm

10-29-09 The Big, Blue Bear

I am in Denver this week and we are being treated to the first major snow storm of the season - 8" so far. But it is supposed to be sunny tomorrow, when I fly out.

This is the big bear sculpture that stares into the lobby of the Denver Convention Center. I'll have to admit that it wasn't the best day for street photography, with snow coming down in big chunks. But sometimes the worse weather conditions make for unique photos.

Click here to get a view from the inside.

10-21-09 Seeing Red: Strasbourg Cathedral, France

Pink is perhaps a more accurate color to describe this amazing structure. The color comes from the unique, local sandstone from which it is constructed. This cathedral is the 7th tallest church in the world and for 2 1/2 centuries it was the tallest building in the world. The cathedral's namesake town sounds German and the food looks German, but trust me - it is in the beautiful Alsace-Lorraine region of eastern France. On a side note, terrorists sought to detonate a bomb in the square in front of the cathedral in 2000 but the plot was revealed and foiled.

10-20-09 Seeing Red: Amsterdam

If you were hoping for a photo of the famous "red light" district of Amsterdam, sorry. I've heard that taking photos there can be very risky - the women working there want their privacy protected.

Instead, here's a photograph of a fairly typical dwelling in Amsterdam - very narrow and several stories tall. You can't see from this angle, but the buildings are slightly sloping, with the top hanging out over the sidewalk. The reason for the slope is that furniture is lifted to upper floors by a winch attached to the roof rafter on the outside of the building. The stairs have too many twists and turns.

08-31-09 A 60s Survivor

By Scott Shephard

In the early 60s all the talk about "sex, drugs and rock 'n roll" was baffling to me, but I did think the Space Needle was awesome when my parents took me to see the Seattle World's Fair in 1963.

I'm pleased to say that when I returned to Seattle last year (2008) and went up in the Space Needle, I still found it awesome. It occurred to me that the Space Needle is the West Coast equivalent of the Eiffel Tower. Both towers were considered offensive to the aesthetic tastes of some. Both towers were considered technical marvels at the time they were built. Both towers "lived" to see another century. And both towers have become iconic. The view from the top of the Space Needle was amazing. (click)

08-20-09 The Center of the World

By Scott Shephard

View fullsize

There are many places that claim to be the "Center of the World." As you might expect, the claims are generally ethnocentric. The ancient Greeks, for example, who thought very highly of themselves, erected a monument in Greece called the omphalos. It is Greek for navel (or belly button).

The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul doesn't claim to be the belly button of the world but it many ways it is. Because Istanbul has long been located on the major trade route between Asia and Europe, it became a melting pot of cultures. The Hagia Sophia is an amazing testament to the clash and then mixing of these cultures. Built on the site of a pagan temple, this basilica was first a Christian temple, then converted to an Islamic mosque. Because Islam prohibits representational art in its mosques, all of the mosaics in the dome were whitewashed. But in 1935 Mustafa Kemal ("Ataturk") decreed that the Hagia Sophia become a museum and evidence of both religions are clearly evident, including the Arabic writing and the beautiful mosaic decorations on the domes.

Photographically, this is a very difficult subject - in part because of how dark the interior is and in part due to the expanse of the interior, which my lens couldn't do justice to. You'll have to go there to experience this place in person.

View on Panoramio