Inside Holy Name Cathedral by taffy

Inside Holy Name Cathedral

JT @voiceprintz and I met up at a Chicago Streets and Beyond Photography Meetup this afternoon for a "private" tour -- intimate group of about 40 photographers -- of Holy Name Cathedral which is one of Chicago's biggest (maybe only). I've walked by this so many times and really hadn't paid much attention, but inside...it was so impressive. We spent a little over an hour hearing some of its history but mostly wandering around, including being able to use tripods, taking photos wherever we wanted to. A dream if you like architectural shots. This is the main sanctuary, looking back toward the entrance. Fun with the fisheye again, 3 shots bracketed and processed in Photomatix and LR5.
Alternate of just the stained glass windows: http://365project.org/taffy/the-also-ran-ph/2015-04-10
Thank you again this week for your visits, comments, and favs that led to 2 shots in TT. I'm thrilled with the support and the confidence-building recognition -- it means a lot. But wondering, though, if there should be a limit of one per person...
@voiceprintz -- posted two from today. What a spot to be able to photograph in! Looking forward to another meetup!
April 11th, 2015  
Awesome shot
April 11th, 2015  
What a dream photo that would be! I'm totally in love with this! Had a quick peek at the stained glass window and I'm about to return to that as well (Gorgeous!!!) Here, your lighting is so exquisitely balanced, and that lens lets you see so much...well, not brilliantly expressed, but "Wow!"
April 11th, 2015  
Gorgeous shot of this impressive cathedral!
April 11th, 2015  
What amazes me most with your architectural shots is your eye for composition and balance. I just look at architecture and don't know how to translate what I see into images. Another beauty taffy.
April 11th, 2015  
Such a lovely image taken from a great pov.
April 11th, 2015  
Great fisheye photo, lovely tones and colour. fav.
April 11th, 2015  
wow, superb!!
April 11th, 2015  
What an amazing building. Great to be able to have carte blanche to take the pictures you want. You have portrayed this beautifully.
April 11th, 2015  
This is beautiful Taffy.great colours, POV and so much detail
April 11th, 2015  
Great pov!
April 11th, 2015  
A glorious shot Taffy! Usually we are having to make adjustments fir distortion especially in a building like thus with do many lines and curves. This fish eye lens frees you from all that and allows you the freedom to be creative in your image! Love it! Fav!
April 11th, 2015  
Wonderful perspective! I love how the floor and ceiling anchor the curve. Great lines and tones.
April 11th, 2015  
A wonderful image !
April 11th, 2015  
Love the feel of it all looking down on me
April 11th, 2015  
Magnificent
April 11th, 2015  
lovely composition.. the fish eye effect made the lines in fantastic curves
April 11th, 2015  
Gorgeous view rendered surreal with the fish-eye effect.
April 11th, 2015  
Fabulous image, great details and even light throughout the shot. The fish-eye gives you just that little extra effect
April 11th, 2015  
You are so rockin' that fisheye! FAV
April 11th, 2015  
looks fantastic with that fisheye! fav
April 11th, 2015  
Fabulous fish eye shot. Love the symmetry and how you look into this picture rather than just at it.
April 11th, 2015  
And who would have thought you like architectural shots. LOL Perfect use of the fisheye. What a treat that must have been.
April 11th, 2015  
I really love the fisheye effect :)
April 11th, 2015  
Absolutely gorgeous capture of this stunning cathedral. What a great opportunity. FAV.
April 11th, 2015  
Excellent capture and look!
April 11th, 2015  
Wonderful capture - love the fish eye effect on this. Nice one!
April 11th, 2015  
A fav. love the detail and the fish eye.
April 11th, 2015  
Awesome shot
April 11th, 2015  
Stunning shot. Great to have access for photography. Better than sneaking shots. Fav
April 11th, 2015  
Absolutely gorgeous! FAV
April 11th, 2015  
Wow that is a beautiful cathedral and love the fish eye look!
April 11th, 2015  
Gorgeous church and image Taffy! Fav!
April 11th, 2015  
Awesome show symmetry, lines, light, depth
April 11th, 2015  
I thought I knew Chicago quite well but have never seen this. Terrific shot.
April 11th, 2015  
@ellisroger I can't tell you how many times I walk by this as I get my hair cut around the corner. When I went to the meet up, I even went to the wrong structure! And yet, once seen, it's quite a standout place.
April 11th, 2015  
Amazing shot, edit. Fav.
April 11th, 2015  
fabulous fisheye!
April 11th, 2015  
A beautiful building, lovely interior decor
April 11th, 2015  
Your fisheye shots are just incredible - bringing a whole new perspective (in both senses of the word!) to this kind of architecture. Clear fav.
April 11th, 2015  
A stunning shot.
April 11th, 2015  
Magnificent Taffy....such beautiful, lines, shapes and colors. Amazing capture!
April 11th, 2015  
wow... this is awesome! FAV.
April 11th, 2015  
Lee
Fabulous shot. Pulls one straight in to the image. Fav
April 11th, 2015  
Just love this. Exceptional.
April 11th, 2015  
Luv your fish eye lens. Stunning cathedral.
April 11th, 2015  
You have got this down to a fine art! Fabulous building and fabulous photo! fav
April 11th, 2015  
WOW
April 12th, 2015  
So... just seeing this now, for honorable family reasons. :). What a great space! The fisheye is super for this composition, assuming an accurate "line up" (which you accomplished). Wonderful composition, to make sure that the lines just lead you right down the center. Yay!
April 12th, 2015  
What a fantastic perspective on this view Taffy, what a great imagination you have. The fisheye has added such interest to 'the usual' church interior shot, and you've managed at the same time to retain the rich colours of the wood, stone-work and stained glass. I must check out our local equivalent, thanks for the thought. What kind of fisheye are you using?
April 12th, 2015  
@golftragic Thanks Marnie! It's a Nikon 10.5 lens that is for the DX -- borrowed from my daughter-in-law's dad.
April 12th, 2015  
Another fabulous fish eye! What a gorgeous cathedral!
April 12th, 2015  
What a beautiful fish eye view!
April 12th, 2015  
The church looks spectacular- I love stained glass windows and I'm sure these are quite beautiful! Now to look at your shot of them!
April 12th, 2015  
It looks like a very beautiful church.
April 13th, 2015  
Fav-amazing! I am constantly awed by the variety and beauty of your photos!
April 13th, 2015  
@taffy Thanks Taffy. I see Lensbaby have a fisheye, but I need to check out reviews etc. The Canon version/s are likely to be a bit expensive for the use it'd get.
April 13th, 2015  
@golftragic I agree -- definitely not a lens to spend a fortune on as it's too specialized. Here's one someone recommended: Opteka 6.5mm f/3.5 HD Aspherical Fisheye Lens with Removable Hood it's a manual lens. I have to find the name of other one that begins with an R I think, but can't remember.
April 13th, 2015  
As much as I enjoy photos with the fisheye lens, this loses how it truly would look just as a regular, beautiful and detailed photo. You did an amazing job with this photo, Taffy.
April 13th, 2015  
Good composition with the fish-eye again - you make it look so simple to use, but I can imagine how difficult it must be and how meticulous you must be when choosing your viewpoint and composition. Interesting how the fish eye seem to reduce the perception of height here. (great HDR again, by the way)
April 13th, 2015  
This is an amazing shot. And what a great opportunity to be able to walk around un restricted.
April 13th, 2015  
@ericdibosco I love how much credit you are giving me for design! I do think they are hard to use, but in the end, there are a few rules for making it more likely you'll have a workable shot -- find something semi-structural. Stand dead center unless you want a wonky POV. Hold hands steady and shoot. A lot has to do with finding things with interesting horizontal lines, which you then use the fisheye to stretch in interesting ways. They are totally fun to use!
April 13th, 2015  
this is a instantly recognizable Taffy shot ... and a instant fav :-)
April 14th, 2015  
What an amazing architectural shot I love the balance, the colours, the light and the tones fav
April 14th, 2015  
Love your architectural shots, and the fisheye adds another dimension to them! This is an absolute FAV!
April 21st, 2015  
Great shot!
April 21st, 2015  
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