NIGEL'S RAMBLES

Thursday, March 24, 2022

Duomo di Fidenza

The cathedral in Fidenza has been on my list of places to visit for some time. A nearby work appointment gave me the opportunity to visit this Romanesque Cathedral in the small city of Fidenza, near Parma.

The Cathedral dates from 1117, but has been much altered over the centuries. It is famous mostly for the façade by the Romanesque architect and some mason Benedetto Antèlami.

The façade is a mix of bible stories, a comic strip showing the life of Saint Donnino, the patron saint of the Cathedral, as well as animals both real and imaginary from the medieval Bestiary. I liked the warlike "Three Kings", a change from the sugary Christmas card characterisation. Saint Donnino, a beheaded martyr performing miracles whilst resting with his head in his hands, is curious.

These carvings are not just decorative. They were a didactic tool to teach the stories from the bible and the life of the saints, to mostly illiterate population. Other carvings from the Bestiary, had a precise significance and were a visual language, concerning good and evil, understood by the people of the time.

The inside is less interesting, with a crypt smaller than most Romanesque Cathedrals.

I was able to use a tripod and for the interior shots which was good because it was really dark inside, and it meant I could use a shift lens for the general view shots.

Duomo di Fidenza PR

The Miracles of Saint Donnino. Duomo di Fidenza PR

Duomo di Fidenza PR

Friday, March 11, 2022

Return to Villa Pasquale

I have visited and photographed this wonderful piece of architecture by Antonio Bibbiena in Villa Pasquale, near Sabbionetta MN before. But I wanted to use my high resolution Nikon D850 with the more modern 24mm TS lens to improve on my previous efforts (Nikon D700 + 28PC). I used HDR composite technique to capture the full range of tones which were beyond the sensor capabilities of my camera. I think I will make another visit on a cloudy day to have better and easier light. On these two shots I combined a normal correct exposure with a frame 5 stops underexposed to regain detail in the "burnt out" areas that were light directly by the sun. The automatic procedure in Capture One did quite a good job.

I also had time to revisit Commessaggio to photograph the "Rocca" and San Rocco, Viadana with my new 40mm TS which gives a more natural perspective effect compared to my wider architectural shift lenses.

Villa Pasquale, Sabbionetta MN

Commessaggio MN

San Rocco, Viadana, MN

Codiponte a Romanesque Masterpiece

I have been planning a trip to this Romanesque Pieve just over the border in the Lunigiana area of Tuscany for some time, to photograph it properly after a quick visit a few years ago.

Codiponte is on a pre Roman line of communication which connected the ancient port of Luni with Lucca. The church is built on a stratification of Pre Roman and Roman buildings. Excavations which are visible in one corner of the Pieve have revealed an early Christian church.

What we see now dates from about the twelfth century. The highlight of this building is the set of column capitals, with twin tailed sirens, wolves and other symbols of the Medieval "Bestiario".

I also had some time to explore the village of Codiponte and another little village nearby. This is an area of Tuscany that is not well known, and has few tourists. Taking the road eastwards from Codiponte towards Sillano, thre are some fine views of the Apuani Alps.

Codiponte LU

Pieve di Codiponte, LU

The wonky roof. Pieve di Codiponte, LU

Pieve di Codiponte, LU

Codiponte

Casola in Lunigiana

Casola in Lunigiana. Time for Lunch

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

Jamming with the Duke

On Friday, I took the afternoon off, to do some photography in the Palazzo Ducale di Sassuolo . It was one of the Este family's palaces. They Ruled an area of the Po valley that stretched from Ferrara down to Reggio Emilia.

Sassuolo is a sprawling, extremely ugly industrial town near Modena, and it is the heart of the Italian ceramics industry. From the outside even the palace does not give any hint of the beauty of the interiors.

I have visited and photographed this place before, but I wanted to try and perfect a technique that combines using a shift lens hand held ( photographic dogma states these lenses are to be used with the camera on a tripod).

Using the viewfinder level and surprisingly efficient IBIS in my Nikon Z7, I am starting to get some good results with this combo in places where tripods are forbidden. It cuts down on a lot of drastic keystone correction. A bit of minor correction in post, is mostly all that is needed. I also get to compose in the viewfinder, without having to think about the extra space to trim of in post when key stone correction is done with software.

I was struck by the musicians in the frescoes in the main hall striking poses more in line with Jazz rather than the classical music of the time.

The big problem photographing monuments right now is not the crowds, but the visually intrusive anti Covid signage that has emerged everywhere.