Ed Ford, APSA  


Mitskheta Church by Ed Ford, APSA

October 2019 - Mitskheta Church

October 2019 - Ed Ford, APSA

Original

About the Image(s)

This was taken in Georgia, outside of Mtskheta. The church is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and is the Jvari Monastery Church (also called the Church of the Holy Cross). I was attracted to the degree of preservation, the texture of the stone and the sense of peace that pervaded the Monastery site over looking the town which at one time was the Capital of Georgia. This is considered to be one of the holiest sites in the Country of Georgia. The Original Church was built over a carved wooden cross erected by King Mirian when he was converted the Christianity in the 4th Century. Stepanoz I, Duke of Kartli constructed the church over the cross in the 6th or 7th Century.

In processing the image I chose a softer appearance over high contrast in order to give a better sense of the quiet peace that prevailed the area. There seemed a sense of deep respect in the visitors. This does not really tell the kind of story I would normally attempt, yet being what may be the oldest church in Georgia, it carried to my eye, a sense of quiet dignity and longevity (over 14 Centuries). Needless to say I enjoyed the visit greatly - one of the few times I wished I had a drone with a camera.

As a note: because of the tonal similarities between the brown stones and the green of the trees when rendering the image in black and white, this may be one time when the color version works better. I did try various filters in SilverEfex Pro to try to work on the tonality without success - may need more practice.


This round’s discussion is now closed!
6 comments posted




Jack Florence Jr   Jack Florence Jr
(Groups 66 & 86)
The low contrast does convey a quiet peacefulness Ed, but you might play around with tweaking it just a bit, there might be a happy medium in there somewhere which has a more compelling contrast like the color version, yet still maintains the mood. It's a lovely composition, and i enjoy the way the trail disappears, then comes back. The people contribute, and you have a nice sky also.   Posted: 10/06/2019 19:10:10



Albert Zabin   Albert Zabin
I agree with Jack except I do not think the color version works well at all. I think you can make small adjust ments until you get a little more definition. I would start by deepening the shadows. Then I would lighten the light areas on the church and vegetation.just about a half stop. Silver EFEX lets you make very local changes. It's a trial and error process. Patience   Posted: 10/14/2019 17:50:01



 
Ed,
For me this does provide a peaceful feeling and I think this is a good choice for a monochrome as it adds to the emotion that you are trying to capture. I like how the path leads my eye into picture. You were lucky to have an interesting set of clouds in the sky. For me I think adding more contrast would help the church stand out more and I don't feel that would detract from the peacefulness of the image. (I tried some tweaks in Topaz BW). To help emphasize the tranquility of this scene, you might consider removing the tourists at least the two who look like they are walking away from the church.
  Posted: 10/17/2019 17:30:23
Comment Image



 
I like John's treatment of you image. I see a very tranquil scene in both versions. The path creates a great leading line.
Must have been a great trip.
Good image.   Posted: 10/18/2019 12:16:26



 
This is a beautiful church with a very interesting history. I like the clouds. John's treatment of them is eye catching as well. I prefer the B and W version. Thanks for giving us a little history lesson.   Posted: 10/18/2019 18:23:12



Adrian Binney   Adrian Binney
(Groups 72 & 91)
I like this view a lot Ed, but prefer the treatment provided by John. I don't believe the added contrast with the punchy clouds as a distraction to the aged building. I also think the removal of the left pair of visitors helps, but the right group help with the viewers' understanding of the scale of the building. A nice shot.   Posted: 10/19/2019 09:58:19