ST. STEPHEN’S CATHEDRAL

VIENNA

IMAGE NUMBER 1032

St. Stephen's Cathedral (more commonly known by its German title: Stephansdom) is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna and the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna. The current Romanesque and Gothic form of the cathedral, seen today in the Stephansplatz, was largely initiated by Duke Rudolf IV (1339–1365) and stands on the ruins of two earlier churches, the first a parish church consecrated in 1147. The most important religious building in Vienna, St. Stephen's Cathedral has borne witness to many important events in Habsburg and Austrian history and has, with its multi-coloured tile roof, become one of the city's most recognizable symbols.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a hand-held Phase One 645XF Camera at ISO 50. Exposure of 1/125th of a second and an aperture of F5.6. Schneider Kreuznach 45 mm lens with leaf shutter. The image was captured on a Phase One IQ3 100 megapixel digital back.

FONTFROIDE ABBEY

FRANCE

IMAGE NUMBER 753 (top)  & 753a (below)

The Cistercian Abbey of Fontfroide was founded in 1145, and became one of the most important and richest Cistercian abbeys in France.  It is 20klm from Carcassonne.  The abbey fell into decay following the Plague of 1348.  It was subsequently run by noblemen who were given the title of Abbots without being monks.  They added various luxuries which make parts of the abbey look more like a château than a Cistercian abbey.   A wealthy local family bought the ruins early last century and spent years restoring the abbey.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 35. Exposure of 4/5thd of a second and an aperture of f4.5.  28 mm Schneider Kreuznach wide angle lens with leaf shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

FONTFROIDE ABBEY

FRANCE

IMAGE NUMBER 750

The Cistercian Abbey of Fontfroide was founded in 1145, and became one of the most important and richest Cistercian abbeys in France.  It is 20klm from Carcassonne.  The abbey fell into decay following the Plague of 1348.  It was subsequently run by noblemen who were given the title of Abbots without being monks.  They added various luxuries which make parts of the abbey look more like a château than a Cistercian abbey.   A wealthy local family bought the ruins early last century and spent years restoring the abbey..

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 35. Exposure of 1/6th of a second and an aperture of f22.  28 mm Schneider Kreuznach wide angle lens with leaf shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

THE ABBEY OF ST MARY

LAGRASSE, FRANCE

IMAGE NUMBER 748b

The Abbey of St. Mary of Lagrasse is a Romanesque Benedictine abbey in Lagrasse, southern France, whose origins date to the 7th century. Lagrasse is a commune in the Aude department in southern France near Carcassonne.  Lagrasse is part of the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France association ("The most beautiful villages of France").  Lagrasse dates from the time the abbey was built. Permission for the construction was given by Charlemagne in 783.  The two highlights of the village are the Abbey and the bridges, although the narrow medieval streets of the village itself are also very attractive, and remains of the town walls can still be seen. 

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 35. Exposure of 1/15th of a second and at aperture f18. 80 mm Schneider Kreuznach lens with leaf shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.

CARCASSONNE

FRANCE

IMAGE NUMBER 745a

Carcassonne is a fortified French town in the Aude department of France.  The city is famous for the Cité de Carcassonne, a medieval fortress restored by the theorist and architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc in 1853 and added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1997.  The fortified city itself consists essentially of a concentric design of two outer walls with 53 towers and barbicans to prevent attack by siege engines. The castle itself possesses its own drawbridge and ditch leading to a central keep. The walls consist of towers built over a long period.  

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 35. Exposure of 1/100th of a second and an aperture of f5.6.  45 mm Phase One wide angle lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

CARCASSONNE

FRANCE

IMAGE NUMBER 745

Carcassonne is a fortified French town in the Aude department of France.  The city is famous for the Cité de Carcassonne, a medieval fortress restored by the theorist and architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc in 1853 and added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1997.  The fortified city itself consists essentially of a concentric design of two outer walls with 53 towers and barbicans to prevent attack by siege engines. The castle itself possesses its own drawbridge and ditch leading to a central keep. The walls consist of towers built over a long period.  

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 35. Exposure of 1/180th of a second and an aperture of f5.6.  45 mm Phase One wide angle lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

THE HALL OF THE AMBASSADORS

ALCAZAR PALACE, SEVILLE, SPAIN

IMAGE NUMBER 709

 The Alcázar of Seville is a royal palace in Seville, Spain, originally developed by Moorish Muslim kings. The palace is renowned as one of the most beautiful in Spain, being regarded as one of the most outstanding examples of mudéjar architecture found on the Iberian Peninsula. 

The Salón de los Embajadores (Hall of the Ambassadors) is the largest room in the Alhambra and occupies all the Torre de Comares. It is a square room, the sides being 12 m (37 ft) in length, while the centre of the dome is 23 m (75 ft) high. This was the grand reception room, and the throne of the sultan was placed opposite the entrance. The grand hall projects from the walls of the palace, providing views in three directions.  The tiles are nearly 4 ft (1.2 m) high all round, and the colours vary at intervals.  There are nine windows, three on each facade, and the ceiling is decorated with white, blue and gold inlays in the shape of circles, crowns and stars. The walls are covered with varied stucco works, surrounding many ancient escutcheons.

The upper levels of the Alcázar are still used by the royal family as the official Seville residence and are administered by the Patrimonio Nacional. It is the oldest royal palace still in use in Europe, and was registered in 1987 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, along with the Seville Cathedral and the General Archive of the Indies.  The Alcazar is a monumental complex that retains seven hectares of gardens and seventeen thousand square meters of buildings, was an authentic military acropolis that brought together several palaces and urban defenses still preserved that cover a wide chronological area between the 11th and 16th centuries. 

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 35. Exposure of 25 seconds and an aperture of f14.  45 mm Phase One wide angle lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

THE HALL OF THE AMBASSADORS

THE ALCAZAR, SEVILLE, SPAIN

IMAGES NUMBERS 707 (TOP) AND 708 (BOTTOM)

 The Alcázar of Seville is a royal palace in Seville, Spain, originally developed by Moorish Muslim kings. The palace is renowned as one of the most beautiful in Spain, being regarded as one of the most outstanding examples of mudéjar architecture found on the Iberian Peninsula. 

The Salón de los Embajadores (Hall of the Ambassadors) is the largest room in the Alhambra and occupies all the Torre de Comares. It is a square room, the sides being 12 m (37 ft) in length, while the centre of the dome is 23 m (75 ft) high. This was the grand reception room, and the throne of the sultan was placed opposite the entrance. The grand hall projects from the walls of the palace, providing views in three directions.  The tiles are nearly 4 ft (1.2 m) high all round, and the colours vary at intervals.  There are nine windows and the ceiling is decorated with white, blue and gold inlays in the shape of circles, crowns and stars. The walls are covered with varied stucco works, surrounding many ancient escutcheons.

The upper levels of the Alcázar are still used by the royal family as the official Seville residence and are administered by the Patrimonio Nacional. It is the oldest royal palace still in use in Europe, and was registered in 1987 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, along with the Seville Cathedral and the General Archive of the Indies.   

TECHNICAL NOTES

The images were taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 35. Exposure of 30 seconds and an aperture of f22.  45 mm Phase One wide angle lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

THE ALCAZAR PALACE

SEVILLE, SPAIN

IMAGE NUMBER 706

The Alcázar of Seville is a royal palace in Seville, Spain, originally developed by Moorish Muslim kings. The palace is renowned as one of the most beautiful in Spain, being regarded as one of the most outstanding examples of mudéjar architecture found on the Iberian Peninsula. The upper levels of the Alcázar are still used by the royal family as the official Seville residence and are administered by the Patrimonio Nacional. It is the oldest royal palace still in use in Europe, and was registered in 1987 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, along with the Seville Cathedral and the General Archive of the Indies.  The Alcazar is a monumental complex that retains seven hectares of gardens and seventeen thousand square meters of buildings.  It was an authentic military acropolis that brought together several palaces and urban defenses still preserved that cover a wide chronological area between the 11th and 16th centuries. 

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 35. Exposure of 60 seconds and at aperture f22. 150 mm Schneider Kreuznach telephoto lens with leaf shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.

THE ALCAZAR PALACE

SEVILLE, SPAIN

IMAGE NUMBER 705

The Alcázar of Seville is a royal palace in Seville, Spain, originally developed by Moorish Muslim kings. The palace is renowned as one of the most beautiful in Spain, being regarded as one of the most outstanding examples of mudéjar architecture found on the Iberian Peninsula. The upper levels of the Alcázar are still used by the royal family as the official Seville residence and are administered by the Patrimonio Nacional. It is the oldest royal palace still in use in Europe, and was registered in 1987 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, along with the Seville Cathedral and the General Archive of the Indies.  The Alcazar is a monumental complex that retains seven hectares of gardens and seventeen thousand square meters of buildings. It was an authentic military acropolis that brought together several palaces and urban defenses still preserved that cover a wide chronological area between the 11th and 16th centuries. 

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 35. Exposure of 3 seconds and an aperture of f22.  80 mm Schneider Kreuznach lens with leaf shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

THE ALCAZAR PALACE

SEVILLE, SPAIN

IMAGE NUMBER 704

The Alcázar of Seville is a royal palace in Seville, Spain, originally developed by Moorish Muslim kings. The palace is renowned as one of the most beautiful in Spain, being regarded as one of the most outstanding examples of mudéjar architecture found on the Iberian Peninsula. The upper levels of the Alcázar are still used by the royal family as the official Seville residence and are administered by the Patrimonio Nacional. It is the oldest royal palace still in use in Europe, and was registered in 1987 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, along with the Seville Cathedral and the General Archive of the Indies.  The Alcazar is a monumental complex that retains seven hectares of gardens and seventeen thousand square meters of buildings.  It was an authentic military acropolis that brought together several palaces and urban defenses still preserved that cover a wide chronological area between the 11th and 16th centuries. 

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 35. Exposure of 2.5 seconds and an aperture of f22.  80 mm Schneider Kreuznach lens with leaf shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

THE ALCAZAR PALACE

SEVILLE, SPAIN

IMAGE NUMBER 702

The Alcázar of Seville is a royal palace in Seville, Spain, originally developed by Moorish Muslim kings. The palace is renowned as one of the most beautiful in Spain, being regarded as one of the most outstanding examples of mudéjar architecture found on the Iberian Peninsula. The upper levels of the Alcázar are still used by the royal family as the official Seville residence and are administered by the Patrimonio Nacional. It is the oldest royal palace still in use in Europe, and was registered in 1987 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, along with the Seville Cathedral and the General Archive of the Indies.  The Alcazar is a monumental complex that retains seven hectares of gardens and seventeen thousand square meters of buildings.  It was an authentic military acropolis that brought together several palaces and urban defenses still preserved that cover a wide chronological area between the 11th and 16th centuries. 

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a hand-held Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 100. Exposure of 1/180th of a second and an aperture of f4.5.  45 mm Phase One wide angle lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

THE PLAZA D'ESPANA

SEVILLE, SPAIN

IMAGE NUMBER 698

The Plaza de España ("Spain Square", in English) is a plaza in Maria Luisa Park in Seville built in 1928 for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929.   It mixes elements of the Renaissance Revival and Moorish Revival styles of Spanish architecture.  It was built to showcase Spain's industry and technology exhibits. The Plaza de España complex is a huge half-circle with buildings continually running around the edge accessible over the moat by numerous bridges representing the four ancient kingdoms of Spain. In the centre is the Vicente Traver fountain. By the walls of the Plaza are many tiled alcoves, each representing a different province of Spain.

The Plaza de España has been used as a filming location, including scenes for the 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia. The building was used as a location in the Star Wars movie series Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) — in which it featured in exterior shots of the City of Theed on the Planet Naboo.   It also featured in the 2012 film The Dictator.   Since it is a twentieth century reproduction of a highly imagined past, the building is regarded as a "confection" by serious architects, but its scale, vision and craftsmanship are impressive to anyone who visits.  Atticus found it hard to leave.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/20th of a second and an aperture of f22.  45 mm Phase One wide angle lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  The image has been cropped and straightened using Capture One.  

THE PLAZA D'ESPANA

SEVILLE, SPAIN

IMAGE NUMBER 696

The Plaza de España ("Spain Square", in English) is a plaza in Maria Luisa Park in Seville built in 1928 for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929.   It mixes elements of the Renaissance Revival and Moorish Revival styles of Spanish architecture.  It was built to showcase Spain's industry and technology exhibits. The Plaza de España complex is a huge half-circle with buildings continually running around the edge accessible over the moat by numerous bridges representing the four ancient kingdoms of Spain. In the centre is the Vicente Traver fountain. By the walls of the Plaza are many tiled alcoves, each representing a different province of Spain.

The Plaza de España has been used as a filming location, including scenes for the 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia. The building was used as a location in the Star Wars movie series Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) — in which it featured in exterior shots of the City of Theed on the Planet Naboo.   It also featured in the 2012 film The Dictator.   Since it is a twentieth century reproduction of a highly imagined past, the building is regarded as a "confection" by serious architects, but its scale, vision and craftsmanship are impressive to anyone who visits.  Atticus found it hard to leave.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/55th of a second and an aperture of f22.  45 mm Phase One wide angle lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  The image has been cropped and straightened using Capture One.  

THE GIRALDA

SEVILLE, SPAIN

IMAGE NUMBER 690

The Giralda (Spanish: La Giralda ; Arabic: الخيرالدة‎‎) is the bell tower of the Seville Cathedral in Seville, Spain.  It was originally built as a minaret during the Moorish period, during the reign of the Almohad dynasty with a Renaissance style top subsequently added by Spanish conquistadors after the expulsion of the Muslims from the area. The Giralda was registered in 1987 as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO along with the Alcazar and the General Archive of the Indies. The tower is 104.1 m (342 ft) in height and remains one of the most important symbols of the city, as it has been since medieval times.  The tower has been replicated many times throughout the world, especially in the USA.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 35. Exposure of 1/30th of a second and an aperture of f16.  28 mm Schneider Kreuznach wide angle lens with leaf shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

THE GIRALDA

SEVILLE, SPAIN

IMAGE NUMBER 689

The Giralda (Spanish: La Giralda ; Arabic: الخيرالدة‎‎) is the bell tower of the Seville Cathedral in Seville, Spain.  It was originally built as a minaret during the Moorish period, during the reign of the Almohad dynasty with a Renaissance style top subsequently added by Spanish conquistadors after the expulsion of the Muslims from the area. The Giralda was registered in 1987 as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO along with the Alcazar and the General Archive of the Indies. The tower is 104.1 m (342 ft) in height and remains one of the most important symbols of the city, as it has been since medieval times.  The tower has been replicated many times throughout the world, especially in the USA.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 35. Exposure of 1/30th of a second and an aperture of F12.  80 mm Schneider Kreuznach lens with leaf shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.