The Abbey

October 31, 2013


At the end of the Royal Mile, opposite the massive Edinburgh Castle, is the Palace of Holyroodhouse. When the Queen is not "at home", you can visit it, go inside and walk around the Gardens. Attached to the palace are the ruins of an ancient abbey. Being over 800 years old - what stories it could tell...

Actually I wanted to make only one post about the palace and take you with me on a tour through the gardens. While I edited the pictures, I realised how much I liked the black and white versions of the abbey. Only some days ago I watched a documentary about Henry Cartier-Bresson. I love his work, but I was never someone for black and white in my own pictures. But in the interview he said something like, that colours in a picture distracts the viewer from recognising the geometry of the whole. This geometry-thought didn't leave me and I definitely see his point. Anyway, if by chance or because somewhere in the back of my head Bresson's view manifested itself ....I couldn't bring colour to the abbey. Its mystery and age and hidden tales lie in the shadows and the grey.







7 comments:

  1. beautiful pictures. I'm starting a black & white month tomorrow. not sure I can bring myself to do everything in b&w as there are a lot of very colourful events coming up, but this will def be interesting and challenging. less room for mistakes, I guess....

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  2. What an impressive building! And beautiful black and white shots!

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  3. Gorgeous and haunting - made even more so by "the geometry of the whole."

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  4. ENDLICH auch mal S/W Bilder!!!!! YEAH!!!!
    Ich weiss, Du magst Farbe lieber, aber S/W kann so schön sein! Gut gemacht ^_^
    Yuna

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    1. Danke, Yuna! Freut mich total, dass Du sie gut findest! Kommen bestimmt jetzt öfter welche ;)

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  5. Beautiful photographs they look so striking in black and white

    http://www.farfelue.com/

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  6. I think, when it comes to this particular abbey, that the black and white photos work. Though you could still see the contrast in the stones if they were in color, they wouldn't be as striking. I think you would lose the geometry. Here, we're focused on the shape and the shadows, not how bright things look. How ragged. It's about shape and emotion. Again, a wonderful job, as always. Thanks for sharing these.

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