I was cleaning up my hard drive over the weekend and looked at the color version of the Louvre and wanted to post it…not sure which is better? Color or B&W? Both cool…maybe color?
Category Archives: Louvre
Paris, France – The Louvre (HDR)
Paris is my favorite city in the world. I am lucky enough to have been there numerous times. I love just walking around the city exploring. The Louvre at night is wonderful. Crowds have diminished and the pyramids are ready to be HDR’d!
I have added the color version of this shot today to my HDR Backgrounds for Composites…this one would be a cool background! Link is here…HDR Backgrounds
Paris, France – The Louvre (HDR)
From my favorite city in the world…Paris, France…the Louvre in HDR. Not only is this place an art lovers dream, it is fantastic for photographers as well!! Any time of the day! The pyramids out front draw you you into the courtyard. Here is some info on these pyramids from the web:
The Louvre Palace is an almost rectangular structure, composed of the square Cour Carrée and two wings which wrap the Cour Napoléon to the north and south. In the heart of the complex is the Louvre Pyramid, above the visitor’s center. The museum is divided into three wings: the Sully Wing to the east, which contains the Cour Carrée and the oldest parts of the Louvre; the Richelieu Wing to the north; and the Denon Wing, which borders the Seine to the south.
In 1983, French President François Mitterrand proposed the Grand Louvre plan to renovate the building and relocate the Finance Ministry, allowing displays throughout the building. Architect I. M. Pei was awarded the project and proposed a glass pyramid for the central courtyard. The pyramid and its underground lobby were inaugurated on 15 October 1988. The second phase of the Grand Louvre plan, La Pyramide Inversée (The Inverted Pyramid), was completed in 1993. As of 2002, attendance had doubled since completion
Talke Photography Settings:
Paris, France – The Louvre (HDR)
Here is a cool point of view HDR from Paris of the Louvre. I was here recently and shot the Pyramid for an hour from tons of angles. I shot this subject this evening with a wide angle lens and fisheye…trying to get something different. For some reason this Pyramid draws me in like an orb. LOL I enjoy photographing it!
Here is some info on the Pyramid from the web: It has been claimed by some that the glass panes in the Louvre Pyramid number exactly 666, “the number of the beast”, often associated with Satan. Various historical enthusiasts have speculated at the purpose of this factoid. For instance, Dominique Stezepfandt’s book François Mitterrand, Grand Architecte de l’Univers declares that “the pyramid is dedicated to a power described as the Beast in theBook of Revelation (…) The entire structure is based on the number 6.”
The story of the 666 panes originated in the 1980s, when the official brochure published during construction did indeed cite this number (even twice, though a few pages earlier the total number of panes was given as 672 instead). The number 666 was also mentioned in various newspapers. The Louvre museum however states that the finished pyramid contains 673 glass panes (603 rhombi and 70 triangles). A higher figure was obtained by David A. Shugarts, who reports that the pyramid contains 689 pieces of glass. Shugarts obtained the figure from the offices of I.M. Pei. Various attempts to actually count the panes in the pyramid have produced slightly discrepant results, but there are definitely more than 666. A quick calculation based on 18 units per edge with two tiers removed in the center at the entrance easily confirms the 673 number.[original research?].
The myth resurfaced in 2003, when Dan Brown incorporated it in his best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code. Here the protagonist reflects that “this pyramid, at President Mitterrand’s explicit demand, had been constructed of exactly 666 panes of glass – a bizarre request that had always been a hot topic among conspiracy buffs who claimed 666 was the number of Satan”. However, David A. Shugarts reports that according to a spokeswoman of the offices of I.M. Pei, the French President never specified the number of panes to be used in the pyramid. Noting how the 666 rumor circulated in some French newspapers in the mid-1980s, she commented: “If you only found those old articles and didn’t do any deeper fact checking, and were extremely credulous, you might believe the 666 story”.
Talke Photography Settings:
- Camera: Nikon D300
- Lens: Nikon 12-24 f/4
- Setting: Aperture Mode
- Focal Length: 12.0mm
- ISO: 200
- Exposure: HDR 5 exposures (+2 to -2)
- Aperture: f/5
- Gear: Tripod, Cable release
- Post Process: Adobe CS4, Photomatix, Color Efex Pro, Viveza
Paris, France – Louvre Pyramid (HDR)
NIKON D300, Nikon 10.5 Fisheye, HDR in Photomatix
After my Eiffel Tower visit in Paris, I am often driven to photograph the Louvre. The Pyramid draws you in at night time. The Louvre Palace is wonderful (it surrounds the Pyramid on three sides)…but for some reason most of my photos here contain the wonderful pyramid design. It is very pleasing to the eye…it is illuminated perfectly and see you can see through to the museum below as you walk near. Pools of water are located around the pyramid as well…just right for a reflective shot that adds an extra effect to your photo!
The only difficult issue at this location is timing it right to avoid the crowds. At this time of nite (9 PM)…not tons of people are there, but you still have to sit and wait sometimes for the correct timing. If I can recall…it took about 5 minutes for me to get the pathways empty. To pass time while waiting I would think of the DiVinci Code and the treasures below. I have yet to take a tour inside (never enough time)…so maybe one day I can view the Mona Lisa! I set my tripod up and took 5 exposures with my cable release…the fisheye grabbed a big section of the Louvre. It actually looks like the shot was mirrored (as both sides look the same…almost)…but you can tell subtle differences in the sides.
I truly enjoy this new fisheye lens. A shot like this would not be possible with any other lens. It is such a light and easy lens to carry…it will be with me always! I’ll post more Louvre shots in the future… have many! Enjoy!
Paris, France – Louvre HDR
NIKON D300, Nikon 18-200 VR, HDR in Photomatix
Its tough to stop my HDR run these days. HDR photos are very addicting! Its almost like a kid in a candy store. You take the shots one day not knowing what you have and then a few days later when you are in the middle of post processing the anticpation grows. You are not sure how the photo will turn out? Then after you hit the tone mapping button the processed HDR is complete. I really enjoy seeing the completed photo and often say to myself…how is this possible?
Most HDR’s need some touching up in Photoshop afterwards. I typically use an addtional plug-in for noise reduction and sharpening. I’ll get into this on my tutorial is a week or so. I’ll begin working on it this week. I think I will type it as a document and save it as a PDF so that if you want a copy – I will gladly email it to you.
This shot is from the Louvre in Paris. Not your typical shot with the glass pyramid included. I really like these lamp posts and the angular view you have from certain locations. Normally mid afternoon HDR’s do not come out great…this one is solid. The key to HDR’s is light and shadows. But due to the architecture style of the building it created a nice clean look in HDR. 5 exposures with a tripod and cable release for this shot. Hope you Louvre this shot!
Places 2 Explore 