THE BLUE MOSQUE

ISTANBUL, TURKEY

Image Number 553

The Blue Mosque was the grand project of Sultan Ahmet I (r 1603–17), whose tomb is located on the north side of the site. The mosque's wonderfully curvaceous exterior features a cascade of domes and slender minarets. Blue İznik tiles adorn the interior and give the building its unofficial but commonly used name. The tiles number in the tens of thousands, there are 260 windows and the central prayer space is huge. The mosque is such a popular attraction that admission is controlled so as to preserve its sacred atmosphere. Only worshippers are admitted through the main door; tourists must use the south door 

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 100. Exposure of 1/500th of a second and aperture F10.   45mm Phase One lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

DELPHI

GREECE

Image Number 396

Delphi is an archaeological site on the south-western spur of Mount Parnassus. The site is located in upper central Greece, on multiple plateaux/terraces. Delphi became the site of a major temple to Phoebus Apollo, as well as the Pythian Games and the famous prehistoric oracle. The sibyl or priestess of the oracle had to be an older woman of blameless life chosen from among the peasants of the area. She sat on a tripod seat over an opening in the earth (the "chasm"). Intoxicated by the vapors, the sibyl would fall into a trance, allowing Apollo to possess her spirit. In this state she prophesied. People consulted the Delphic oracle on everything from important matters of public policy to personal affairs. Near the entrance of the site are numerous treasuries. These were built by the various Greek city states to commemorate victories and to thank the oracle for her advice. They are called "treasuries" because they held the offerings made to Apollo. The most impressive is the restored Athenian Treasury, built to commemorate the Athenians' victory at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 100. Exposure of 1/34th of a second and aperture F14.   80mm Schneider Kreuznach lens with leaf shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

ENTRY TO THE OLYMPIC STADIUM

OLYMPIA, PELOPONNESUS, GREECE

Image Number 374

Olympia on the Peloponnese peninsula was the site of the Olympic Games in classical times.  The Olympic Games were held every four years throughout Classical Antiquity, from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD.  The first Olympic Games were in honour of Zeus.  Over time the site was buried under alluvial deposits, up to 8 meters deep.  The first excavation of the sanctuary at Olympia was not carried out until 1829.  Over 14,000 objects have been recorded. The Olympic flame of the modern-day Olympic Games is lit by reflection of sunlight in a parabolic mirror in front of the Temple of Hera and then transported by a torch to the place where the games are held. When the modern Olympics came to Athens in 2004, the men's and women's shot put competition was held at the restored Olympia stadium.

TECHNICAL NOTES

 The image was taken with a tripod mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/34th of a second and aperture F5.6.   45mm Phase One lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

OLYMPIA

PELOPONNESUS, GREECE

Image Number 370

Olympia on the Peloponnese peninsula was the site of the Olympic Games in classical times.  The Olympic Games were held every four years throughout Classical Antiquity, from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD.  The first Olympic Games were in honour of Zeus.  Over time the site was buried under alluvial deposits, up to 8 meters deep.  The first excavation of the sanctuary at Olympia was not carried out until 1829.  Over 14,000 objects have been recorded. The Olympic flame of the modern-day Olympic Games is lit by reflection of sunlight in a parabolic mirror in front of the Temple of Hera and then transported by a torch to the place where the games are held. When the modern Olympics came to Athens in 2004, the men's and women's shot put competition was held at the restored Olympia stadium.

TECHNICAL NOTES

Image 370 (top)

The image was taken with a hand held Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/274th of a second and aperture F5.6.   45mm Phase One lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

Image 371 (Middle)

The image was taken with a hand held Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/274th of a second and aperture F5.6.   45mm Phase One lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

Image 375 (bottom)

The image was taken with a tripod mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/10th of a second and aperture F5.6.   45mm Phase One lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

 

 

MONEMVASSIA

PELOPONNESUS, GREECE

Image Number 363

Monemvasia is a fortress town located on a tiny island off the east coast of the Peloponnese. The island is linked to the mainland by a short causeway 200m in length. Its area consists mostly of a large plateau some 100 metres above sea level, up to 300 m wide and 1 km long, the site of a powerful medieval fortress. The town walls and many Byzantine churches remain from the medieval period.  The streets are narrow and fit only for pedestrian and donkey traffic. There are no cars on the island.  In recent years the town has seen a resurgence in importance with increasing numbers of tourists visiting the site and the region. The medieval buildings have been restored, and many of them converted to hotels.  Because of tourist numbers the streets become impassable during “the season”.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/500th of a second and aperture F7.1.   45mm Phase One lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

MYSTRAS MONASTERY

PELOPONNESUS, GREECE

Image Number 313

Mystras is a monastic fortress in the central Peloponnese. Situated on Mt. Taygetos, near ancient Sparta, it served as the capital of the Byzantine Despotate of the Morea in the 14th and 15th centuries.    It remained the capital of the despotate, ruled by relatives of the Byzantine emperor, although the Venetians still controlled the coast and the islands.  Under the despot Theodore, Mystras became the second most important city in the empire after Constantinople. The last Byzantine emperor, Constantine XI Palaiologos, was despot at Mystras before he came to the throne. Demetrius Palaeologus the last despot of Morea, surrendered the city to the Ottoman emperor Mehmed II in 1460. In 1989 the ruins, including the fortress, palace, churches, and monasteries, were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The site is particularly beautiful in spring when spectacular blossom trees are in bloom.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/250th of a second and aperture F11.   45 mm Phase One lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

MYSTRAS MONASTERY

PELOPONNESUS, GREECE

Image Numbers 311  & 312

Mystras is a monastic fortress in the central Peloponnese. Situated on Mt. Taygetos, near ancient Sparta, it served as the capital of the Byzantine Despotate of the Morea in the 14th and 15th centuries.    It remained the capital of the despotate, ruled by relatives of the Byzantine emperor, although the Venetians still controlled the coast and the islands.  Under the despot Theodore, Mystras became the second most important city in the empire after Constantinople. The last Byzantine emperor, Constantine XI Palaiologos, was despot at Mystras before he came to the throne. Demetrius Palaeologus the last despot of Morea, surrendered the city to the Ottoman emperor Mehmed II in 1460. In 1989 the ruins, including the fortress, palace, churches, and monasteries, were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The site is particularly beautiful in spring when spectacular blossom trees are in bloom.

TECHNICAL NOTES

Upper Image 311

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/137th of a second and aperture F9.   45 mm Phase One lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

Lower Image 312

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/160th of a second and aperture F10.   45 mm Phase One lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

 

MYSTRAS MONASTERY

PELOPONNESUS, GREECE

image Number 310

Mystras is a monastic fortress in the central Peloponnese. Situated on Mt. Taygetos, near ancient Sparta, it served as the capital of the Byzantine Despotate of the Morea in the 14th and 15th centuries.    It remained the capital of the despotate, ruled by relatives of the Byzantine emperor, although the Venetians still controlled the coast and the islands.  Under the despot Theodore, Mystras became the second most important city in the empire after Constantinople. The last Byzantine emperor, Constantine XI Palaiologos, was despot at Mystras before he came to the throne. Demetrius Palaeologus the last despot of Morea, surrendered the city to the Ottoman emperor Mehmed II in 1460. In 1989 the ruins, including the fortress, palace, churches, and monasteries, were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The site is particularly beautiful in spring when spectacular blossom trees are in bloom.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/111th of a second and aperture F8.   45 mm Phase One lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

MYSTRAS MONASTERY

PELOPONNESUS, GREECE

Image Number 309

Mystras is a monastic fortress in the central Peloponnese. Situated on Mt. Taygetos, near ancient Sparta, it served as the capital of the Byzantine Despotate of the Morea in the 14th and 15th centuries.    It remained the capital of the despotate, ruled by relatives of the Byzantine emperor, although the Venetians still controlled the coast and the islands.  Under the despot Theodore, Mystras became the second most important city in the empire after Constantinople. The last Byzantine emperor, Constantine XI Palaiologos, was despot at Mystras before he came to the throne. Demetrius Palaeologus the last despot of Morea, surrendered the city to the Ottoman emperor Mehmed II in 1460. In 1989 the ruins, including the fortress, palace, churches, and monasteries, were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The site is particularly beautiful in spring when spectacular blossom trees are in bloom.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/180th of a second and aperture F8.   45 mm Phase One lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

PANAGIAS ELONAS MONASTERY

PELOPONNESUS, GREECE

Image Number 306

The Monastery of Panagias Elonas in the Eastern Peloponnese dates from 1300 but has been reconstructed several times.  It was originally built on the site of a miraculous icon of the virgin.  Since then the monastery played an active part in the war of independence against the Turks.  It is accessible by a road which winds up the cliff from the rear.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 35. Exposure of 1/34th of a second and aperture F10.   150mm Phase One telephoto lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

THEATRE OF EPIDAVROS

GREECE

Image Number 302

Epidavros is an ancient site in the north-east of the Pelopponesus.  Best known for itshuge theatre with its symmetry and beauty, used again today for dramatic performances.  The theatre was designed by Polykleitos the Younger in the 4th century BC. The original 34 rows were extended in Roman times by another 21 rows. As is usual for Greek theatres (and as opposed to Roman ones), the view on a lush landscape behind the skênê is an integral part of the theatre itself and is not to be obscured. It seats up to 14,000 people.  The theatre is admired for its exceptional acoustics, which permit almost perfect intelligibility of unamplified spoken words from the proscenium or skēnē to all 14,000 spectators, regardless of their seating.  Tour guides have their groups scattered in the stands and show them how they can easily hear the sound of a match struck at center-stage. A 2007 study indicates that the astonishing acoustic properties may be the result of advanced design: the rows of limestone seats filter out low-frequency sounds, such as the murmur of the crowd, and amplify high-frequency sounds from the stage.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/200th of a second and aperture F10.   45 mm Phase One lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

TREASURY OF ATREUS

MYCENAE, GREECE

Image Numbers 300a, 300b & 300c

The Treasury of Atreus or Tomb of Agamemnon is an impressive "tholos" tomb at Mycenae, Greece, constructed during the Bronze Age around 1250 BC. The lintel stone above the doorway weighs 120 tons, with approximate dimensions 8.3 x 5.2 x 1.2m, the largest in the world.  In its monumental shape and grandeur it is one of the most impressive monuments surviving from Mycenaean Greece. It is formed of a semi-subterranean room of circular plan. With an interior height of 13.5m and a diameter of 14.5m, it was the tallest and widest dome in the world for over a thousand years.  The tholos was entered from an inclined uncovered hall or dromos, 36 meters long and with dry-stone walls.  The tomb is one of a number of 'beehive' tombs in the victinity of the ancient site of Mycenae.

TECHNICAL NOTES

Upper Image 300a

The image was taken with a hand held Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/100th of a second and aperture F10.   28 mm wide angle Schneider Kreuznach lens with leaf shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back. 

Middle Image 300b

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/200th of a second and aperture F9.   28 mm wide angle Schneider Kreuznach lens with leaf shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

Lower Image 300c

The image was taken with a hand held Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/700th of a second and aperture F9.   28 mm wide angle Schneider Kreuznach lens with leaf shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

TOWARDS TROY

MYCENAE, GREECE

Image Number 301

Did the Greeks attack Troy?  The short answer is "probably." Though for most of modern history, archeologists believed that the war was just a legend, today it is accepted that there probably was such a war. The amateur archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, using The Iliad and the The Odyssey of Homer as a guide, discovered the ruins of a powerful city in Asia Minor. The evidence indicates that the Mycenaeans probably did sack Troy in around 1250 BC. But around 1200 BC sees the the decline of the Mycenaeans. One theory of the Mycenaean fall may be found in Homer and Greek legends. The war took a toll on their civilization. When the kings returned they found their power weakened. Odysseus, for example, when he finally arrived at Ithica, found his loyal wife Penelope hounded by suitors. Other returning kings, such as Agamemnon, met bad fates.  Did the Mycenaean kings have to fight for their place when they came back from Troy? This view, from the ramparts of Agamemnon’s palace at Mycenae, overlooks the bay from which his fleet departed for Troy.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/320th of a second and aperture F8.   45 mm Phase One lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

THE LION GATE

MYCENAE, GREECE

Image Number 300

The Lion Gate was the main entrance of the Bronze Age citadel of Mycenae, southern Greece. It was erected during the 13th century BC in the northwest side of the acropolis and is named after the relief sculpture of two lionesses above the entrance. ]The Lion Gate is the sole surviving monumental piece of Mycenaean sculpture, ]as well as the largest sculpture in the prehistoric Aegean.  The Lion Gate is a massive and imposing construction, standing 3.10 m (10 ft) wide and 2.95 m (10 ft) high at the threshold. It narrows as it rises, measuring 2.78 m (9 ft) below the lintel. The gate itself consists of two great monoliths capped with a huge lintel that measures 4.5×2.0×0.8 m (15×7×3 ft). Above the lintel, the masonry courses form a corbelled arch, leaving an opening that lightens the weight carried by the lintel. This relieving triangle is a great limestone slab on which two confronted lionesses carved in high relief stand on either sides of a central pillar. The heads of the animals were fashioned separately and are missing. The imposing gate of the citadel with the representation of the lionesses was an emblem of the Mycenaean kings and a symbol of their power to both subjects and foreigners.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/320th of a second and aperture F7.1.   45 mm Phase One lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

THE ACROCORINTH

VIEW FROM THE FIRST GATE.  CORINTH, GREECE

Image Number 298

The Acrocorinth is one of the largest castles in Greece and one of the great fortresses of Europe..  It sits atop a rocky hill 1,800 feet high overlooking the famous city and harbour of Corinth. Its strategic location close to the Isthmus of Corinth, the narrow strip of land connecting the Peloponnese with the rest of Greece, makes it one of the most important castles in the country. Acrocorinth is such an obvious point for defense that there’s been a castle here for more than 2,500 years – Greeks, Romans, the Crusaders, Venetians and Turks. The Venetians took the castle from the Ottomans in 1687 and many of the walls visible today are their handiwork. After a long war the Ottomans retook Acrocorinth, only to lose it for good to the Greeks in 1823 during the War of Independence. The view from the top is entrancing. Corinth lies at your feet, with the Aegean stretching beyond. Many visitors to the rugged hilltop with its medieval walls, Crusader keep, and remnants of temples, churches, and mosques find themselves entirely alone. Places like this are best seen in silence and solitude.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/500th of a second and aperture F5.6.   45 mm Phase One lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

THE ACROCORINTH

CORINTH, GREECE

Image Number 297

The Acrocorinth is one of the largest castles in Greece and one of the great fortresses of Europe..  It sits atop a rocky hill 1,800 feet high overlooking the famous city and harbour of Corinth. Its strategic location close to the Isthmus of Corinth, the narrow strip of land connecting the Peloponnese with the rest of Greece, makes it one of the most important castles in the country. Acrocorinth is such an obvious point for defense that there’s been a castle here for more than 2,500 years – Greeks, Romans, the Crusaders, Venetians and Turks. The Venetians took the castle from the Ottomans in 1687 and many of the walls visible today are their handiwork. After a long war the Ottomans retook Acrocorinth, only to lose it for good to the Greeks in 1823 during the War of Independence. The view from the top is entrancing. Corinth lies at your feet, with the Aegean stretching beyond. Many visitors to the rugged hilltop with its medieval walls, Crusader keep, and remnants of temples, churches, and mosques find themselves entirely alone. Places like this are best seen in silence and solitude.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/640th of a second and aperture F5.   45 mm Phase One lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

VIEW FROM THE ACROCORINTH

CORINTH, GREECE

Image Number 293

The Acrocorinth is one of the largest castles in Greece and one of the great fortresses of Europe..  It sits atop a rocky hill 1,800 feet high overlooking the famous city and harbour of Corinth. Its strategic location close to the Isthmus of Corinth, the narrow strip of land connecting the Peloponnese with the rest of Greece, makes it one of the most important castles in the country. Acrocorinth is such an obvious point for defense that there’s been a castle here for more than 2,500 years – Greeks, Romans, the Crusaders, Venetians and Turks. The Venetians took the castle from the Ottomans in 1687 and many of the walls visible today are their handiwork. After a long war the Ottomans retook Acrocorinth, only to lose it for good to the Greeks in 1823 during the War of Independence. The view from the top is entrancing. Corinth lies at your feet, with the Aegean stretching beyond. Many visitors to the rugged hilltop with its medieval walls, Crusader keep, and remnants of temples, churches, and mosques find themselves entirely alone. Places like this are best seen in silence and solitude.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 50. Exposure of 1/125th of a second and aperture F8.   45 mm Phase One lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

ST PAULS

LONDON

Image Number 291

St Paul’s Cathedral, London, is an Anglican cathedral, the seat of the Bishop of London and the mother church of the Diocese of London. It sits on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604.  The present church, dating from the late 17th century, was designed in the English Baroque style by Sir Christopher Wren. Its construction, completed in Wren's lifetime, was part of a major rebuilding programme in the City after the Great Fire of London.  The cathedral is one of the most famous and most recognisable sights of London. Its dome, framed by the spires of Wren's City churches, dominated the skyline for 300 years.  At 365 feet (111 m) high, it was the tallest building in London from 1710 to 1962. The dome is among the highest in the world. St Paul's is the second largest church building in area in the United Kingdom after Liverpool Cathedral.  Services held at St Paul's have included the funerals of Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington and Sir Winston Churchill; Jubilee celebrations for Queen Victoria; peace services marking the end of the First and Second World Wars; the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer, and the 80th Birthday and the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken from a moving tourist bus with a hand-held Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/2500 of second to eliminate movement and aperture F5.6.   80 mm Schneider Kreuznach lens with leaf shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

WESTMINSTER ABBEY

LONDON UK

Image Number 275

Westminster Abbey is steeped in more than a thousand years of history. Benedictine monks first came to this site in the middle of the tenth century.  The Abbey has been the coronation church since 1066 and is the final resting place of seventeen monarchs. The present church, begun by Henry III in 1245, is one of the most important Gothic buildings in UK. A treasure house of paintings, stained glass, pavements, textiles and other artefacts, Westminster Abbey is also the place where some of the most significant people in the nation's history are buried or commemorated. Taken as a whole the tombs and memorials comprise the most significant single collection of monumental sculpture anywhere in the United Kingdom.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 100. Exposure of 4/5th of a second and aperture F4.5.   28 mm wide angle Schneider Kreuznach lens with leaf shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

THE MORMON TABERNACLE

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, USA

Image Number 198

The great Tabernacle was established by Brigham Young after he led the Mormons to the Promised Land.  Only Mormons may enter.

The "Bee Hive House" was one of two official residences of Brigham Young who led the Mormons to Utah.  Young had two dozen wives and fathered fifty-seven children.  The Bee Hive house is full of his possessions, including his set of carpentry tools. He died in 1877.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Contax 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/180th second at F11.   55mm Zeiss lens.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.