December 2nd, 2007 | France, Lyon, Travel |
Notre Dame of Lyon - aka How to Take Clandestine Cathedral Pictures in 10 Steps
I arrived in Lyon today for an upcoming game conference and went to the old medieval section of the city to grab some shots before dinner. This is the interior of the Basilique Notre Dame de Fourvière. It is probably the most lavish and beautiful cathedral I have ever been inside. It beats the other Notre Dame in Paris by a mile. I’ve never been in the Sistine Chapel, which is probably more lavish. I was going to visit it on my last trip to Rome but the Pope died the day I was there… so that one was… busy.
My method for getting tripods into cathedrals and shooting is this:
1. Go in the exit and act like you are lost if someone asks
2. Wear a long matrix-coat and stuff your tripod up inside like a shotgun. Try not to walk with a limp.
3. Stride confidently through the crowds like you are in a hurry on a photo assignment.
4. Work your way into the pews and have a seat. You can even pretend to be Catholic and say a few Latin words as you sit down. I suggest "Pater Noster (My Father) or Quid Pro Quo (Rub Beads and go to Heaven)"
5. Slide out the tripod and assemble along the ground, When other parishioners look at you suspiciously, give them the sign of the cross.
6. Watch for old people in the main aisle, because they have trouble getting around tripods. Jump out, take your long exposures at 100 ISO, then sit back down.
7. If securty comes to get you, blame Stuck In Customs and that will confuse them long enough so you can make a getaway.
8. Don’t worry about getting caught. The church is much more leniant than they were during the Inquisition. Most big cathedrals do have crypts, but they are full of dead saints and they have never put a photographer in there.
9. If you see a tourist with a tiny camera taking a picture with the flash on, please tell them to stop. The flash does nothing in that situation. It’s just embarassing for them, really.
10. If you want some post-processing techniques, check out my tutorial at stuckincustoms.com/2006/06/06/548/
December 2nd, 2007 17:49
Don’t know about your advice on using the tripod but this is truly magnifico I like the balance.
December 3rd, 2007 03:15
this is amazing!!!!
December 3rd, 2007 06:41
I’ve seen the Sistine Chapel and this is nicer. If you ever get a chance to see the Cathedral in Albis, France, it’s a nice one too, althout the exterior is not that imprssive, the inside is very very nice.
December 3rd, 2007 09:43
Beautiful shot! And wonderfully humorous advise. Thanks for the tutorial!
December 3rd, 2007 09:48
Advice, that is (wherever is that edit button).
December 3rd, 2007 11:22
A little more guidance needed oh almighty guru
what is a good dslr to go for
December 3rd, 2007 11:27
Beautiful shot Trey - wow it’s impressive! Funny advice too!
December 3rd, 2007 11:37
not sure if i need to try since your photos are more beautiful than i can imagine.
December 3rd, 2007 14:37
I enjoyed tip #9 as I am learning how not to use my flash whenever possible - I am a reformed flash user and this made me laugh! Stunning pic.
December 3rd, 2007 15:32
o m g! absolutely gorgeous
looks as if one might step right thru the screen & be on site.
December 4th, 2007 01:33
Thanks all - ! It was a pretty place for sure!
December 4th, 2007 07:15
my suggestion is to carry around a fake photo pass in your bag at all times. Ive been in europe for the semester and a really confusing pass in complicated english does the trick nicely…..and yeah, the sistine isnt as impressive as you would think……
December 4th, 2007 13:30
Hello. This comment does not pertain specifically to the post to which it attached. I just followed a link to your website and I wanted to tell you that I find your photos truly inspirational. Thank you for sharing them.
December 5th, 2007 02:50
haha thanks for the comments… that is a good idea Shaun!
December 7th, 2007 23:22
I have never been accosted when trying to take a photo in a European cathedral. But then, my photos have never turned out so fabulously magnificent! Congrats on a photo that beautifully communicates the feeling of really being there. You MUST go to the Pantheon and see it. Stunning. Thanks for sharing.
December 20th, 2007 08:57
Your pictures are wonderful. If you’d like to take pictures of beautiful cathedrals, visit some of the Russian Orthodox cathedrals. If you live in the USA, there’s one in San Francisco that will give you just an idea of what a simple one looks like.
http://tinyurl.com/2uedf3
December 20th, 2007 14:46
Most beautiful picture!
You should see the St. Louis Cathedral in St. Louis, Mo. Incredible scenes created from mosaics on every wall, stained glass, etc. Seriously, go see it!
Keep up the good work :o)
January 28th, 2008 20:28
I will say up front that I’m anti-HDR, in general (so we’re on opposite sides of the fence). The images I saw on your link are amazingly beautiful, but they strike me as artificial. That doesn’t mean they aren’t art, or I’d be condemning every artist outside of photography (and many photographers even before HDR was even possible). I really like them, as much as I don’t want to, and despite the fact that my own work will never move in that direction. So you’re convincing a skeptic.
I also like the advice you give here. It’s often in photography that confidence and the appearance of legitimacy are more important than your actual right to be there. For official work (we do event photography) if we don’t take charge and make sure that we act like we have the right to boss people around things will fall apart. And every few weeks I think I really need to print up some sort of personal business card to explain myself when I can’t find an owner and…uhh…stray onto other people’s property because there’s an amazing decaying structure or I see a good opportunity.
January 29th, 2008 10:29
Haha thanks - yes good points!
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April 16th, 2008 13:46
OMFG! Sorry for the profanity - but this is simply surreal.
August 4th, 2008 05:50
Great photo. I lived in Lyon for a year and that is still my favorite by far. Just got back from Rome and i think Fourviere beats the sistine chapel for sheer beauty. WOnderful shot and fuuny advice
I got a great one in st peters basilica too.