What's (in) the Picture?

Chris Breebaart Photography – finding stories

Posts tagged ‘church’

Berlin Gendarmenmarkt

Reflection of the Französischer Dom visible in the glass doors of the Deutscher Dom at Gendarmenmarkt, Berlin.
Germany, Berlin – September 2025
A view of the Deutscher Dom (German Cathedral) at Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin, featuring its ornate dome and statues, with visitors strolling in the square.
Germany, Berlin – September 2025

One of the beautiful squares in Berlin: the Gendarmenmarkt. On one side you find the Deutscher Dom a.k.a. Neue Kirche (German Cathedral), and opposite the Französischer Dom (French Cathedral). The top photo reflects the latter in the doors of the Deutscher Dom.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Gedächtnis Kirche Berlin

One of the memorial landmarks of Berlin is the Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtnis Kirche. In its simplicity it is a powerful landmark and memorial.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

(The) Doors Revisited

This week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #361 is ‘Doors revisited’. That theme was also the brief for LAPC #20. A door is a pass way to another space behind it. That space can be something we know already. Or something we like to imagine to see there when we go through. And in books you can end up in another world. In this post a few doors I met in my life. One I used for a long time, most I just passed by or passed through on holidays.

The word ‘doors’ for me is also linked to the band The Doors. The name of the band came from a book by Aldous Huxley, The doors of perception. And Huxley took it from William Blake, who used it as a metaphor:

If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, Infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thro’ narrow chinks of his cavern . Doors lead you to another side or space, break on through to the other side.

Break on through to the other side’ became the title of a Doors’ song.

So a lot can be said about doors. Luckily, we still have the photos. Here are a few from my conscious memory.

Close-up of a door handle and keyhole on a white door, featuring a circular knob and a round lock.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – November 1991

This is the front door to the house I was born and lived in for 25 years. The photo is shot on Ilford XP with a Pentax K1000.

A detailed close-up of a wooden door featuring a unique hand-shaped door knocker, showcasing an intricate design.
France, Caylus – September 2005

This door in Caylus is ready to be knocked. Shot on Nikon D70.

A small white chapel with a blue door and a cross on top, set against a mountainous landscape.
Greece, Karpathos – September 2009

I looked through my archive. It struck me that lots of the doors I saw there are doors of small or bigger churches. This one is on Karpathos. Shot on Nikon D70.

A black and white photograph of a double door with a simple design, partially open, situated beside a wooden chair against a white wall.
Greece, Karpathos – September 2009

Another church door on Karpathos, shot on Kodak TriX with Nikon F90.

A large, intricately designed wooden door with a reddish hue, set within a stone archway. Above the door, there is a circular painting of a figure, likely religious, surrounded by decorative elements.
Greece, Lesbos – August 2007

A chapel door in Lesbos, also shot on Nikon D70.

A detailed black and white photograph of a wooden door adorned with intricate carvings and a padlock, showcasing traditional architectural elements.
Nepal, Kathmandu – March 2004

Kathmandu, shot with Nikon F90 on Kodak TriX.

Capturing Katwijk: Church and Rooftops

The Netherlands, Katwijk aan Zee – June 2025

This part of Katwijk is not much photographed, I guess. The roofs and the tower of the church made a nice composition.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version

A Walk Through The Park


England, Southwell – April 2025

The cemetery of Southwell’s Minster.

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

Southwell Minster Choir Gate

England, Southwell – April 2025

Choir Gate of Southwell’s Minster.

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

Rusper Church

England, Rusper – April 2025

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using SnapseedGrainLab and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Southwell Minster Window

England, Southwell – April 2025

A window of Southwell’s Minster.

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

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.

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.

Lighthouse and Church

The Netherlands, Katwijk – March 2023

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

Katwijk aan Zee

The Netherlands, Katwijk – February 2023


The weekly theme for LAPC #239 is ‘finding peace
’. 

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

Shere Church in mono

England, Shere – February 2006

St. James’ church in Shere.

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

Shere Church

England, Shere – February 2006

St. James’ church in Shere.

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

Silhouette

The Netherlands, Rijnsaterwoude – October 2022

A view on Rijnsaterwoude.

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

Silhouette

The Netherlands, Rijnsaterwoude – October 2022

A view on Rijnsaterwoude.

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

Church Gate

France, Montmorillon – September 2005

Lens Artists Photo Challenge #204 for this week is ‘doors and doorways’. The partly open gate of the church in Montmorrilon, France.

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

Lost in translation

Greece, Naxos – July 1983

Reading about the theme this week, I instantly had to think of this sign on a beach in Naxos Greece in July 1983. Sometimes things go wrong in a funny way, trying to communicate from a native language to English. This week’s theme for the Lens Artists Photo Challenge #184 is ‘Travel has taught me’.

About the B4 retouch series:
I browsed my archive for pictures to publish. Some of them are partly retouched but most 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.

Portal

France, Bayeux – July 2011

Bayeux is an old village in Normandy France. Home of the Bayeux Tapestry. Here the entrance to the cathedral.

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

Mont Saint Michel

France, Mont-Saint-Michel – July 2011

Le Mont Saint Michel is an old village on a rock in a bay on the west of France in Brittany. It is positioned in between Normandy and Brittany, and is famous for its abbey.

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

From the archive: Chapel Naxos 1983

Greece, Naxos – July1983

A little chapel in Naxos that could do with some tender loving care to this week’s lens artistists challenge #168: seen better days.

About the B4 retouch series:
I browsed my archive for pictures to publish. Some of them are partly retouched but most 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.

Tower

The Netherlands, Nunspeet – August 2020

Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

Church Wall

The Netherlands, Nunspeet – August 2020

The theme for Lens-artists Weekly Photo Challenge #116 is ‘symmetry’.

Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

Church and Cows

The Netherlands, Rijnsaterwoude – September 2020

The theme for Lens-artists Weekly Photo Challenge #115 is ‘Inspiration’.

The Dutch landscape is a continuous source of inspiration. Sometimes in a wide view, sometimes in a close up to pick up some details. A church on a dyke, cows in the polder.

Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

Tower

The Netherlands, Nunspeet – August 2020

The theme for Lens-artists Weekly Photo Challenge #114 is ‘Negative Space’.

The term ‘negative space’ to me is confusion: technically it is the space around the main subject of a photo. It means ‘negative’ as opposed to ‘positive’ attention for the main subject. The word ‘negative’ as a noun brings back good old memories. Being older I actually worked and work with negatives (for the millennials: it has to do with film, the light sensitive stuff we used to put in a camera to get a photo on (in negative) that later could be printed (in positive).

So ‘negative space’ is about the focus a viewer of a photo is offered in a photo. If there is a lot to see around the subject, than that distracts from that subject. In other words: it is a creative tool a photographer can use.

Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

Church

The Netherlands, Nunspeet – August 2020

The theme for Lens-artists Weekly Photo Challenge #113 is ‘A labor of love’.

Regardless one’s opinion about religion: faith is a labor of love.

Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

Rome 1998

Italy, Rome – September 1998

The theme for Lens-artists Weekly Photo Challenge #110 is ‘Creativity in a time of Covid’.

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

Originally shot with Nikon F301 on Kodak TriX, scanned from negative and tweaked using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Pick the Place: Rome 3

Italy, Rome – May 1997

The theme for the weekly Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #65 is ‘pick a place’.

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

For more information on how to join the Weekly Lens-Artists Photo Challenges, click here for details.

Shot with Nikon F90 on Kodak TriX, scanned from film and edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a bigger version

 

Last of Summer

The Netherlands, Leiden – September 2018

Shot with iPhoneX edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version

Town Hall Leiden

The Netherlands, Leiden – September 2018

Shot with iPhoneX edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version

Getting Married

The Netherlands, Leiden – September 2018

Shot with iPhoneX edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version

Hooglandse Kerk

The Netherlands, Leiden – September 2018

The Hooglandse Kerk in Leiden.

Shot with iPhoneX edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version

Ascend – Bell Tower

This Weekly Photo Challenge theme is ‘ ascend’ .

Spain, Mijas el Pueblo – November 2017

shot with iPhone 6s plus using Hueless,  edited using Snapseed and Marksta, click the picture for a larger version

A list of other entries to this theme; if you do not want to be on this list let me know and I remove the link

Ascend – When the Music’s over, turn off the Light

This Weekly Photo Challenge theme is ‘ ascend’ .

In memory of Peter Jan.

Spain, Mijas el Pueblo – November 2017

shot with iPhone 6s plus using Hueless,  edited using Snapseed and Marksta, click the picture for a larger version

A list of other entries to this theme; if you do not want to be on this list let me know and I remove the link

Ascend – Rock

This Weekly Photo Challenge theme is ‘ ascend’ .

Spain, Olvera – November 2017

shot with iPhone 6s plus using Hueless,  edited using Snapseed and Marksta, click the picture for a larger version

A list of other entries to this theme; if you do not want to be on this list let me know and I remove the link

Ascend – White Church

This Weekly Photo Challenge theme is ‘ ascend’ .

Spain, Mijas el Pueblo – November 2017

shot with iPhone 6s plus using Hueless,  edited using Snapseed and Marksta, click the picture for a larger version

A list of other entries to this theme; if you do not want to be on this list let me know and I remove the link

Stained Window

This week theme is ‘windows’

The Netherlands, Gouda – September 2009

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

Layered: Into Light

This weekly theme is ‘layered’.

Huemore

 

England, Burnham Market – August 2017

Shot with iPhone 6s plus using Huemore edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version

A list of other entries to this theme; if you do not want to be on this list let me know and I remove the link

Focus Double Dutch

This weekly theme is ‘focus’.

England, Shere – May 2017

shot with iPhone 6s plus using Hueless,  edited using Snapseed and Marksta, click the picture for a larger version

A list of other entries to this theme; if you do not want to be on this list let me know and I remove the link

Father and Son

This weekly theme is ‘friend’.

England, Shere – May 2017

shot with iPhone 6s plus using Hueless,  edited using Snapseed and Marksta, click the picture for a larger version

A list of other entries to this theme; if you do not want to be on this list let me know and I remove the link

Heritage: War Memorial 

The weekly theme is ‘heritage’.

Shere is a beautiful little village. Its church has been the backdrop of a few films.
And of course there is a war memorial.

 

England, Shere – May 2017

shot with iPhone 6s plus using Hueless,  edited using Snapseed and Marksta, click the picture for a larger version

A list of other entries to this theme; if you do not want to be on this list let me know and I remove the link

Security: Stone

The weekly theme is ‘security’.

Leiden  the Hooglandse Kerk.

 

The Netherlands, Leiden – May 2005

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

A list of other entries to this theme; if you do not want to be on this list let me know and I remove the link

Up There

The Netherlands, Den Haag – August 2016

shot with iPhone 6s plus using Hueless,  edited using Snapseed and Marksta, click the picture for a larger version

Seeing Light

 

The Netherlands, Den Haag – July 2016

Shot with iPhone 6s plus using Huemore edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version