The altar of the Dresden Frauenkirche
This is the altar of the Frauenkirche in Dresden, Germany. What a place! I had seen pics of the church exterior online before I went, and knew it was a place I wanted to see. And while the exterior is quite lovely, the interior really blew me away!
While I always try and get good shots of churches when I travel (the outside, that is), I make an equal effort to get inside and shoot there too. Usually, it works out, although many times you have to either ask for permission (or forgiveness!) and depending on the spot, you may have to dodge crowds due to toting a tripod around. I mean, how do you set up a tripod in a busy church?
The answer my friends, is that all too often you do not get the tripod out. It just doesn’t work in a crowded place. Now if you have plenty of time on your hands, I recommend coming back right before closing time to a place and try shooting then. It’s less likely to be crowded, and people are generally on the way out.
But in this case, I was only able to be there at a certain time, and it was just packed. Hence, this altar shot is mostly facing UP. That’s what I tend to do in crowded churches, especially in Europe. Look up. There is usually something beautiful above you.
When I was walking in the man at the door said 1 photo is allowed per person, and no flash. The no flash is not a problem since I don’t use it, but 1 photo? Come on, dude. I gotta fire at least 7 for a complete set of brackets!
I looked around and watched everyone for a few (remember, it was crowded) and once inside, people were firing shots left and right, and flashes on little P&S cameras were popping off everywhere. So I figured it was ok to take care of my own business. I did.
The Frauenkirche is mostly round-ish, and the altar is the main attraction, so I put on the wide angle lens and walked up sorta close, and fired away - handheld, of course.
