2020 Photo Contest – Architecture
Watcher of the Sky, Bahla, Oman
At the iconic Bahla Fort, one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Oman. I had been paying attention to the rather striking sky throughout my visit there. As I was leaving, I saw the guard looking down on the visitors heading to the exit of the fort. I thought that his presence added substantially to the strong geometric composition of the photo. (I should add that, through gestures, I got his permission to take the picture.)
Spiral Staircase
While waiting for our room at the Auckland Airport Hotel I was looking for photo subjects. Looking up I found this.
Behind this Door
A Glassy Victoria Harbour
It was a sunny, clear day in Hong Kong and perfect for photography. I captured this photo of the harbour and skyline from the 35th floor balcony of a hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui
Airstream Igloos in Disko Bay Greenland
Mongomo, Equatorial Guinea
The Basílica de la Inmaculada Concepción de Mongomo is the second largest Catholic church in Africa. Due to its remote location, in Mongomo in the far east of Equatorial Guinea, it receives very few foreign visitors. I had the privilege of walking around the basilica complex to see it and photograph it from many vantage points with no one else around. I eventually was also allowed inside, after many requests and considerable persistence. The photography was the easy part; getting there required a lot of planning both before the trip and in dealing with problems on the day. But that just makes the destination even more satisfying!
“Mauritshuis” In The Hague, The Netherlands
Hairpin
Looking down, from an altitude of 8,500 ft, on the incredible engineering of Wolf Creek Pass in Southern Colorado.
Church of the Pater Noster
Notre-Dame de Noël
This photo was taken in 2007, 12 years before the fire that destroyed Notre-Dame’s spire and more… and brought me to tears. Every year there’s a Christmas tree on the square. It’s always huge, if you stand beside it. But framed against the cathedral, it looks very small. All together, it makes a timeless picture.
Reflections of Queen Victoria in Guyana
The massive, mesmerizing Victoria Courts of Law in Georgetown, Guyana were designed by C. Castellani and opened on May 24th, 1887, reflecting an interesting blend of Tudor, Gothic, and British Colonial design elements done up in heavy, tropical Guyanese timber. A controversial statue of the Queen Victoria stands in front, but here in the back interior courtyard, the Courts are all function, though a little zen steals in amidst the light hum, as shown here.
Chilean Church
This was interesting architecture for a Chilean church.
1980 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France
Henderson Waves, Singapore
Turkish Delight
On the Bosporus overlooking the Suleymaniye Mosque
The Pilgrim
Bhutanese pilgrims visiting the Buddha Dordenma near Thimphu, Bhutan.
Lines of Steel and Light, Paris, France
The grand old Iron Lady, here in a bit more detail than usual. I lived in Paris for two years in the early 2010s. During those years, I never got tired of going around photographing the city at night. Paris, the City of Light, is indeed a City of Lights as well. I was back in Paris for one night in 2019, my first stopover on a RtW trip that I did in the closing months of that year. Perhaps as expected, on that night, I left the hotel with my camera and went looking for shoots!
Spanish Colonial Revival
Marilu’s photography spans countries and cultures, languages and urban districts. She captures not just the physical appearance, but the essence of her subjects. Each piece is bursting with natural life and color! Her love of cultural diversity is infused in every angle. With photos from all across the world, each of Marilu’s photos encapsulates a small bit of that diversity.
View from Above
The view of the buildings was almost surreal as seen from on high. With the evening light, the architecture became the focus.
Through the Arch
The streets of Verona offered gem after gem of architectural delights.
Prague along the Danube River during a Viking Cruise
Cai Dai Temple
Outside of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam, is the Cai Dai Temple. Most likely built by the French in 1933, the temple is home to the third largest religion in Vietnam. Cao Dai blends Buddhism, Christianity, Taoism, Confucianism, and Islam. I didn’t pay much attention to our agenda since the highlight the day was the Cu Chi Tunnels used by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War. However, after the tunnels, our guide took us to this beautiful temple. During our visit, we witnessed an amazing spiritual event inside a temple with a very plain exterior but contained this beautiful and artistic interior design. For me, the experience blended old world religion with some form of mysticism that reminded me more of Egyptian priests than modern day Southeast Asia.
Historic Music Pier in Ocean City, NJ
Taj Mahal, Agra, India
Victory Gate, Bayon Temple, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Guggenheim, NYC
The Guggenheim architecture always fascinated me. I made it a challenge for me to capture the outlines of the spiraling staircase in its purest way. For this I chose B&W and a strong red filter to bring out the contrast of the white walls against the dark recesses and the “blue” sky.
Osaka Castle, Osaka, Japan
Louvre, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
We enjoyed the effect of the sun streaming through the lattice roof.
Bayon Temple, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Bass Relief: Soldiers on the March, Bayon Temple, Siem Reap, Cambodia
