What's (in) the Picture?

Chris Breebaart Photography – finding stories

Posts from the ‘Architecture’ category

Hill of Slane

Ierland, Slane – October 2008

Some photos do not fit the LAPC’s themes, so there is a rest category ‘last chance’ being #280. I never am guided by the themes in the photos I shoot. Some fit in, some don’t. But I never know the theme while shooting. Here is one from the archive I recently stumbled upon, never published.

Slane Hill in Ireland. Close to Slane Castle castle that is famous among other historical facts, for being the recording site for U2’s The unforgettable fire’ in 1984. And famous open air concerts.

Outside the village is The Hill of Slane with a small old ruined chapel, a ruined monastery and a graveyard, overlooking the landscape and the river Boyne.

The most interesting place is a small hill with undergrowth right behind the site, from which this photo was taken.

shot with Nikon D70, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Ceiling

The Netherlands, Leidschendam – November 2023

Two days ago I published a detail of the ceiling at Westfield Mall of the Netherlands in color. This is the monochrome version of the same image, in my opinion even more magical than the color version. In the feedback some wondered how this structure can be a ceiling. Here is an earlier publication showing the top light window in the ceiling in mono.

The lens artists photo challenge #279 is ‘magical’.

Shot with iPhone 13 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version

It’s easy to hold a lot of balls in the air at Christmas

The Netherlands, Leidschendam – November 2023

A detail of the ceiling at Westfield Mall of the Netherlands, showing it is easy to hold lots of balls in the air at once at Christmas, but it looks kind of magical. The lens artists photo challenge #279 is ‘magical’.

Shot with iPhone 13 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version

Elgin Marbles

England, London – September 2004

These sculpture (nicknamed The Elgin Marbles) are originally from the Parthenon in Athens. Lord Elgin supposedly bought them from the Ottomans, who occupied the present Greece at that moment. The Greek try to return these marbles for decades, the UK government refuses, saying it’s British heritage. Last week a meeting of the UK prime minister with the prime minister of Greece was cancelled, after the Greek PM reiterated the ownership of the marbles. How mesmerizing and wonderful must it be to see these ornaments in the place they belong, on top of the Acropolis over Athens.

The lens artists photo challenge #278 is ‘unique’.

shot with Nikon D70, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

On display

England, London – September 1980

Lens Artists Photo Challenge #270 is ‘on display’. British Museum in London. Again one from the film archive.

The B4 retouch series
I browsed my archive for pictures to publish. All of them are not completely retouched yet. Scratches, dust and stains are not removed.

The picture was originally shot with a Pentax K1000 on Ilford FP4, scanned from negative and tweaked using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Rembrandt’s View

The Netherlands, Leiden – September 2023

Lens Artists Photo Challenge #266 is ‘Time’. It takes a lot of time to tell everything about the concept of time.

One of the best musical stories about time is by Pink Floyd: Time of the brilliant timeless album The Dark Side of the Moon, that was released 50 years ago.

This week I try to show aspects that come to my mind. The first is history at present. Places where important moments in time happened. Which you observe from the present.

This is a recent sunset over the Galgewater in Leiden. ‘Where? Why? Of what importance?’ I hear you say. At the bridge on the left side of the frame Rembrandt van Rijn was born. A copy of the mill his father used for his business is on the right. The only thing Rembrandt would have seen is the sunset, and the mills. All the buildings and boats etc are ‘after Rembrandt’.

Shot with iPhone 13 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version

Little Chapel – Naxos 1983

Greece, Naxos – July 1983

This week LAPC #254 is ‘spiritual places’; I use an old photo that I also published in October 2021 of a little chapel in Naxos that could do with some tender loving care for lens artistists challenge #168: seen better days. I edited it with a lighter atmosphere and took out the most obvious dust and scratches this time, so if you want to compare, here is that post.

About the B4 retouch series:
I browsed my archive for pictures to publish. Some of them are partly retouched but still, like most of the archive, do have scratches, dust and stains.

The picture was originally shot with Pentax K1000 on Kodak Plusx, scanned from negative and tweaked using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Historical Tax House

The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – November 2022

The theme for the weekly lens artists challenge is ‘home sweet home‘. In the middle ages one had to pay tax (toll) to use the canal to enter goods into a city. This is a toll house in Oegstgeest at the Leidsevaart or Trekvaart. I am not following the brief, pointing to the places people should visit in The Netherlands. They are well known, and the paths towards them are flattened by millions of tourists. I just point to small places telling a bit about my flat country.

Shot with iPhone 13 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version

Antwerp Cathredal of Our Lady

Belgium, Antwerp – August 2022

Impressions of a walk throught Antwerp. Here the Cathedral of Our Lady. This week lens artists challenge #213 is ‘here comes the sun’.

Top row middle and right shot with Nikon D500, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a bigger version. Top left and bottom picture shot with iPhone 13 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the pictures for a larger version

Antwerp Grote Markt: Morning Drinks

Belgium, Antwerp – August 2022

Impressions of a walk throught Antwerp. Here the Grote Markt, overseen by the Cathedral of Our Lady, where some people enjoy a coffee in the morning sun while others prefer a Belgium beer. This week lens artists challenge #213 is ‘here comes the sun’.

Shot with iPhone 13 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version

Antwerp Grote Markt

Belgium, Antwerp – August 2022

Impressions of a walk throught Antwerp. Here the Grote Markt with the townhall and all those beautiful facades and views, overseen by the Cathedral of Our Lady. This week lens artists challenge #213 is ‘here comes the sun’.

Shot with Nikon D500, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a bigger version.

Chartres 2002

France, Chartres – August 2002

One from the archive. A group at Chartres admires the details on the front of the cathedral. One for ‘the eyes have it’, the theme for lens artists photo challenge #205.

The B4 retouch series
I browsed my archive for pictures to publish. All of them are not completely retouched yet. Scratches, dust and stains are not removed.