West facade of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Reims, Reims, France, 2021

A prominent example of High Gothic architecture, Reims Cathedral was built to replace an earlier church destroyed by fire in 1210. Although a little damaged during the French Revolution, the present cathedral saw extensive restoration in the 19th century. However, it was severely damaged during World War I and the church was again restored in the 20th century.
Since the 1905 law on the separation of church and state, the cathedral has been owned by the French state, while the Catholic church has an agreement for its exclusive use. The French state pays for its restoration and upkeep.

The West facade, the entry to the cathedral, particularly glorifies royalty. Most of it was completed at the same time, giving it an unusual unity of style. It is harmonic and balanced, with two towers of equal height and three portals entering into the nave. The porches of the portals, with archivolts containing many sculptures, protrude from the main wall. The two bell towers were originally planned to have spires making them three times taller than the nave, but these were never built. Since 1027 all but seven of France's future kings were crowned at Reims Cathedral.

#architecture #contemporaryart #gothiccathedral #church #blackandwhite #tv_simplicity #gothic #archiporn #blackandwhitephotography
#contemporaryphotography #contemporaryart #instatravel #bnwphotography #architectlovers #minimalzine #9minimal #gottolove_bnw #bnw_switzerland #7bnwcreation_1day #gothicstyle #bnw_of_the_world #bnwphotography #architectlovers #contemporaryart #newphotography #gf_bnw #raw_bnw #city_in_bnw #nikon #addicted_to_bnw #bnw_epic #bnw_of_the_world #igworldclub_bnw #reims #reimstourisme

Crypt of the Cathedral of Saint-Cyr-and-Sainte-Julitte in Nevers, France, 2021

A crypt (from Latin crypta "vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics. First known in the early Christian period, in particular North Africa and Byzantium, churches were often built over a Mithraic temple, erected in classical antiquity by the worshippers of Mithras. Worshippers of Mithras had a complex system of seven grades of initiation and communal ritual meals. Initiates called themselves syndexioi, those "united by the handshake". They met in an underground temple, the so called Mithraeum. This Mithraeum was either a natural cave or cavern, or a building imitating a cave, that was adopted by the early christian builders to serve as a crypt for the newly build church above.

In antiquity the Mithraeum primarily functioned as an area for initiation, into which the soul descends and exits. The Mithraeum itself was arranged as an "image of the universe". It is noticed by some researchers that this practice, especially in the context of mithraic iconography, seems to stem from the neoplatonic concept that the "running" of the sun from solstice to solstice is a parallel for the movement of the soul through the universe, from pre-existence, into the body, and then beyond the physical body into an afterlife.

#colorphotography #streetphotographymagazine #streetphotography #nevers #mithras #crypt #contemporaryphotography #romanesque #arcitecture #colorfull #church #gottolove_human #amazingarchitecture #tv_simplicity #minimalzine #roman #instatravel #solstice #9minimal #newphotography #gramoftheday #architecture #tv_simplicity #colourphotpgraphy #cathedral #underground #romanesquearchitecture #architectureporn #gtl_colorsplash #colorful #human

Time lapse photograph of the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte, facade facing the garden, Maincy, France, 2021

When lit in the right way and photographed using a zoomlens with a very slow shutter speed, the facade facing the garden of the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte (picture 1) seems to bear a striking resemblence to architect Louis Le Vau’s design for the so-called Envelope (picture 2) which was erected at the Chateau de Versailles between 1668 and 1670. This creation wrapped itself around an already existing and fairly modest hunting lodge build by Louis XIII decades earlier.
After Louis XIV had visited the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte in 1661, the architect Louis Le Vau, the landscape architect André Le Nôtre and the painter-decorator Charles Le Brun, who had worked together on this large-scale project, were commissioned by the Sun King to rebuild and further extend his Chateau de Versailles. Their collaboration eventually became known as the Louis XIV style combining architecture, interior design and landscape design in one grandiose apotheosis: nature becoming architecture and archtecture incorporating nature.

As so often is the case with my work, this photograph wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for the inspiring music of Jean Michel Jarre, - especially his 45 minute track “Waiting for Cousteau” - and Nils Frahm - in particular his brilliant live performance of “Says”.

#colorphotography #movement #streetphotography #chateau #contemporaryart #novement #modernphotograph #colourphotography #amazing #moving #spacetime #minimalzine #baroquearchitecture #architecture #timelapse #architectureporn #colorful #vauxlevicomte #baroque #jeanmicheljarre #chateaudevauxlevicomte #nilsfrahm
#architecture #buildings #visitfrance

My dear mother (82), Museum Langen Fondation, Neuss, Germany, 2023.

None of us know how much time we have but, interestingly, time is relative, depending on its observer rather than an immutably fixed constant everywhere in the universe. Our perception of time is especially influenced by our own perspective: Are we living in the moment or looking backward on time? It’s also influenced by our memory of past experiences. As we get older the rate at which we process experiences slows down and thus time seems to “speed up”. The many and often new things young children have to do in a day contribute to their notion that time is more plentiful. Therefore, when looking back, time may feel slower. This can apply to adults, too. When we look back on a time period that was filled with lots of new and exciting things we see a large expense of events and memories. They make it seem like time stretches out. Looking back on fewer moments that have past, the less rich your own representation is, the more it’s going to seem like time went by quickly. Thus, how we process what we experience and see influences how we view time. Not introducing new patterns into your life, can make you feel like time is going by much quicker overall.

The whole concept of “time being of value” only has meaning for living, breathing, thinking and feeling beings. Afterall, a universe with nothing living in it would have nothing of value in it because there would be nothing to appreciate that value itself. Hence, life is the sufficient and necessary condition for anything of value. I think the trick is to make life an adventure - be it in your imagination, in real life or both - not tedious and unimaginative.

#architecture #mymother #blackandwhite #tv_simplicity #archiporn #tadaoando #langenfoundation #inselhombroich #blackandwhitephotography
#contemporaryphotography #contemporaryart #bnwphotography #architectlovers #minimalzine #9minimal #gottolove_bnw

Time lapse photograph of the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte, Maincy, France, 2021

Built between 1658 and 1661 for Nicolas Fouquet, Marquis de Belle Île, Viscount of Melun and Vaux, the superintendent of finances of Louis XIV, the château was an influential work of architecture in mid-17th-century Europe. At Vaux-le-Vicomte, the architect Louis Le Vau, the landscape architect André Le Nôtre and the painter-decorator Charles Le Brun worked together on a large-scale project for the first time. Their collaboration marked the beginning of the Louis XIV style combining architecture, interior design and landscape design. The garden's pronounced visual axis is an example of this style.

When visitng the chateau last weekend it was turned into an enchanting and fairytale-like castle with thousands of sparkly and colorful lights. It is christmas festivities like these that add an excessive garishness or sentimentality to an already lavish but perfectly balanced piece of baroque architecture. This extra layer of extravagance enables one to get some idea of what it must have been like for people back in the day to lay eyes upon the chateau for the very first time during the festivities of its grand opening in 1661.

As so often is the case with my work, this photograph wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for the inspiring music of Jean Michel Jarre, - especially his 45 minute track “Waiting for Cousteau” - and Nils Frahm - in particular his brilliant live performance of “Says”.

#colorphotography #movement #streetphotography #chateau #contemporaryart #timelapse #modernphotograph #arcitecture #colourphotography #amazing #moving #spacetime #minimalzine #baroquearchitecture #instatravel #9minimal #newphotography #gramoftheday #architecture #tv_simplicity #colourphotpgraphy #timelapse #architectureporn #colorful #vauxlevicomte #baroque #chateaudevauxlevicomte
#architecture #buildings #visitfrance

Light Clouds, 2018

Washington, DC

#photo #photography #contemporaryphotography #artphotography #iphoneonly #iphoneography #lightoommobile #color #colorful #colorphotography #ihavethisthingwithcolor #minimal #minimalism #minimalplanet #instaminim #mindtheminimal #minimalzine #sky #bluesky #clouds #iloveclouds #snapdc #exposeddc #dcfocused #dctography #fotodc #acreativedc #mydccool #washingtondc

Construction

Washington, DC

#photo #photography #contemporaryphotography #artphotography #iphoneonly #iphoneography #lightoommobile #streetphotography #streetphoto #photostreet #lensonstreets #everybodystreet #life_is_street #streetsgrammer #capturestreets #fromstreetwithlove #architecture #architecturephotography #architecturelovers #architexture #archidaily #minimal #minimalism #mindtheminimal #arte_minimal #minimalzine #snapdc #exposeddc #dcfocused #dctography #fotodc #acreativedc #mydccool #washingtondc

Primaries

Eagle Rock, CA

#photo #photography #contemporaryphotography #artphotography #iphoneonly #iphoneography #lightoommobile #color #colorful #colorphotography #ihavethisthingwithcolor #streetphotography #streetphoto #photostreet #ig_street #lensonstreets #everybodystreet #life_is_street #streetsgrammer #capturestreets #fromstreetwithlove #minimal #minimalism #minimalplanet #mindtheminimal #minimalzine

Cali Dreaming, 2018

Los Angeles, CA

#photo #photography #contemporaryphotography #artphotography #iphoneonly #iphoneography #lightoommobile #color #colorful #colorphotography #ihavethisthingwithcolor #streetphotography #streetphoto #photostreet #ig_street #lensonstreets #everybodystreet #life_is_street #streetsgrammer #capturestreets #fromstreetwithlove #architecture #architecturephotography #architecturelovers #architexture #archidaily #minimal #minimalism #minimalplanet #mindtheminimal #minimalzine #losangeles #la #california

My dear wife Loes walking underneath a railroad bridge, Passage du Sablon, Metz, France, 2019.

Railroad bridges are usually made of either stone, concrete, steel or timber. Nearly all of the North American, South American and Asian railroad bridges were built of either steel or timber. In Europe, Russia and parts of China, timber was almost never used but concrete and stone were quite prevalent. The simple arch bridge not only is the most beautiful and spectacular of all railroad bridge types but it is also the most perfect form for handling the heavy load of a train since the materials in the bridge are always in compression. Arches are shaped into some form of either a semicircle or a segmental. If the arch is made of steel, hinges are often located at the two springing points to relieve temperature related expansion and contraction stresses.

#architecture #contemporaryart #building #blackandwhitephotography #railroad #bridge #metz #blackandwhite #contrast #lightandshadow #bnw #bnw-addicted #bnwphotography
#contemporaryphotography #contemporaryart #architectlovers #architectlovers #newphotography #beautifullight #light #lightandshadows #walking #citysidewalk

Stairs leading from the terrace into the gardens, also known as a Grand Parterre, at the Château of Chantilly, France, 2016.

The Château of Chantilly and its gardens hold a special place in my heart. It is where I got down on my knees back in the summer of 1997, presented my then girlfriend with a ring and proposed. She accepted and we got married the two years later. And we still are.
The Château of Chantilly is comprised out of several buildings, each of which is a testament of its time. Yet, the total doesn’t look like a collection of individual buildings but rather presents itself as a ‘whole’. The entire building is a continuity of shape and form whilst at the same time it willingly expresses its collage nature, thus stating, however subtle, a distinction between old and new, between tragic past and majestic present, between that what ones was and things yet to come. The château embodies the passing of time in the most elegant way possible. Over the centuries constructing, destroying, reconstructing and remoddeling all seem to have constituted a building that couldn’t have been build in any otter way. In these turbulent and confusing times that to me somehow is a very comforting and hopeful thought.

#chateauchantilly #bnw_rose #stairs #blackandwhite #tv_simplicity #chateaudechantilly #blackandwhitephotography #contemporaryphotography #instatravel #bnwphotography #bnwmood #minimalzine #9minimal #gottolove_bnw #bnw_switzerland #7bnwcreation_1day #building #bnwphotography #stairsonstairsonstairs #contemporaryart #newphotography #gf_bnw #raw_bnw #city_in_bnw #buildings #bnw_epic #bnw_of_the_world #architecture