Sinister, a photo from Rheinland-Pfalz, West

Photographer's Note

A shot made during my last trip to Germany, showing the Schönburg Castle above the Rhine near the town of Oberwesel. The castle is situated in the most picturesque stretch of the valley, not far from the famous Loreley rock. Together with other numerous castles and historical towns of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, it is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Some history of the castle. It was first mentioned between the years 911 and 1166. Until the 17th century the castle had a very changeable and martial history with many tribe and family fights. From the 12th century, the Dukes of Schönburg ruled over the town of Oberwesel and had also the right to levy customs on the Rhine river. Schönburg was one of the very few castles in which after a dukes death, all of the sons became heirs to the castle and not only the oldest one which usually was the rule. Therefore it happened that at the height of its power in the 14th century Schönburg accomodated up to 250 persons of 24 different families at the same time. The most famous of all of the Schönburgs is Friedrich von Schönburg - a much-feared man known as “Marshall Schomberg” - who in the 17th century served as a colonel and as a general under His Majesty the King of France and Navarra in France and Portugal and who later also fought for the Prussians and for William Prince of Orange in England. The Schönburg main lineage became extinct with the death of their last heir, the son of Friedrich of Schönburg.

The castle was burned down in 1689 by French soldiers during the Palatinate heritage war. It remained destroyed and in ruins for two centuries until an American of German ancestry, Mr. Rhinelander, bought the castle from the town of Oberwesel in the late 19th century and invested two million Gold Marks into the restoration until 1914. The town council of Oberwesel acquired the castle back from Rhinelander’s son in 1950. Since 1957 the Hüttl family lives at the castle on a long-term lease and has established there a hotel and restaurant, now already in the second generation.

This is the first TE upload from the place. I tried to make the castle look as sinister as I could, in the style of German expressionist cinema of 1920s...

Praetzer, alainh, luisafonso, delkoo, Xalkida, devimeuxbe, tigra, Yffic, Vinsachi, Buin, DarkoG, Clairedelune, john_c, sweet_universe heeft deze opmerking als nuttig gemarkeerd

Critiques | Translate

Praetzer (209) 2007-01-05 6:07

Sinister indeed. How did you do it?

byrne5012 (41) 2007-01-05 6:11

How did you get the effect on the sky. it seems etched. Great picture though.

ben4321 (9875) 2007-01-05 6:12

This is great, Alexander. You really made the most of that dramatic sky, both by allowing it to dominate the frame to such an extent, and with your PP work.
The pronounced noise gives the shot a pleasing texture and further adds to the atmosphere.
Impressive work.

Cheers,
Ben

malkovitch (41) 2007-01-05 6:23

I like it! excellent!

alainh (33209) 2007-01-05 6:32

hello Alexander

excelent shot and great post-processing.
all an mysterious atmosphere
regards
alain

drago (4832) 2007-01-05 6:33

Alexander hi,very well composed photo,B&W is perfect so is the grain effect.Mysterious atmosphere,well done!
Panagiotis

luisafonso (862) 2007-01-05 6:34

Yes, German expressionism really pops in my mind seeing this. Wonderful work Alexander! I just think you could erase the USM white halos around the castle. In 1927 Lang didn't had USM available when he shoot Metropolis for instance ;) The compo is great, the sky is awesome, and the mood perfect. Love this one!

Budapestman (82620) 2007-01-05 6:36

Hi Alexander!
This is a very effective and fascinating atmosphere. Its an impressive composition and good choice the B&W. Stunning sky.
Thank you, nice days
George

barrufeto_77 (28888) 2007-01-05 6:40

Hi Alexander.

Excellent choice the B&W in this picture. It creates a lovely and dramatic atmosphere.

My compliments!

Rgs, Oscar

delkoo (68) 2007-01-05 7:20

Alexander
what an impressive sky, perfect mood to be close of the German expressionist cinema .

best regards
didier

greg (2835) 2007-01-05 9:04

Hi Alex! That's a fabulous sky. I like your processing here. I'd only criticise the silhouette - the sharpening on the buildings is too hard, and looks unnatural. With heavy contrast edges like this, I find it's sometimes worth making the sharpening on a different layer, and then removing it along the edge with an eraser.

trigomiro (383) 2007-01-05 9:06

Ciao Alexander
you tried and you succeeded. It seems the Frankestein's castle. I think it is due by your choice to give more importance a this impressive sky that "crushes" the castle in a so oppressive way.
Great also your b&w conversion.
Bravo
Pier

Xalkida (11744) 2007-01-05 10:17

Hi Alex

Very nice B&W composition. The "scary" cloudy sky is very well captured.

mesutilgim (0) 2007-01-05 10:21

Hi Alexander,
Great capture. Black&White was also a good idea.
Thanks for sharing
MESUT ILGIM

samrat_roy1 (701) 2007-01-05 11:02

hi
truely breathtaking shot. i like the strong clouds. black and white presentation adds more drama to the shot. wonderful POV and knowledgable note.

regards

pastadog (13111) 2007-01-05 11:18

Hi Alexander - great PP idea and execution to take advantage of that sky; but first you composed greatly emphasizing it against the top of the hill, bravo! Daniel

sadeik (3282) 2007-01-05 13:59

Ah I know how you did this as I have some I have done like this, lots of sharpen and radius. A good choice to make the atmosphere.

Simon

jjcordier (79299) 2007-01-06 9:49

Le noir et blanc "dramatise" idéalement ce ciel fantastique. Très belle photo, Alexander.
Amicalement
JJ

devimeuxbe (58557) 2007-01-07 8:02

Hi Aleksander
I really like this picture. The dark color of the sky give an interesting atmosphere.
The clouds and the light are nice and your vertical frame is the best.
Well done
Bertrnd

dominique (11414) 2007-01-07 15:26

Ambiance mysterieuse et dramatique sur cette photo , le cadrage est parfait et met bien en valeur ce ciel particulier . bien vu .

Yffic (6106) 2007-01-07 16:14

Hi Alexander

Ouchh what an impressive sky..
Your shot has an old-fashion atmosphere that I really like...
A real nice one.

Best whishes for 2007.

Yves

DarkoG (8) 2007-01-08 18:54

Where good and a bit of horror atmodphere. Excellent sky, great texture.

REgards DArko

nwoehnl (122) 2007-01-09 4:47

Hi Alexander, and happy new year. A nice photo very effectively presented, the contrasty b&w with some grain indeed gives it a look as if it should be in a F.W.Murnau movie or something the like. The cloud patterns are well enhanced that way, and the castle's silhouette gains in mystery and eerieness. Nicely done.

jasmis (58653) 2007-01-09 5:30

One of the most impressive photos seen here lately. Amazing sky. Superb B&W mode. Regards.

Henryk_Bilor (20803) 2007-01-09 12:12

Hi Sasza
Strange but impressive image, because of the light and contrast. Interesting capture of the castle.
Regards

designsoul (17843) 2007-01-10 21:08

Privet, Sasha! A very beautiful landscape shot, with those clouds that could feature in an early German expressionist film, tremendous work, very powerful, nicely caught, bravo!
sasa

keribar (43841) 2007-01-10 23:44

HI Alexander,
A bit noisy perhaps but surely a great sky to accompany the silhouette of the Dracula type castle on the top of the hill: Could be a great poster for a horror movie too. Your text is also very interestimg - Izzet

coco (30439) 2007-01-11 16:23

Hi Aleksander.

What kind of postprocessing has you done?
The sky looks terrific and also I like very much the composition.

Well done and thanks for share.

jinju (14265) 2007-01-13 9:32

hej Alex,

fantasticlly chosen title. Sinister it sure does appear. One of your better images, the sky is simply marvelous. The castle too, tiny as it is, it still has a great presence.

Clairedelune (4923) 2007-01-13 17:23

I have to say Alexander, that I looked at this photo more than once. Each time, not sure which words to use, which traces to leave here... But I think I was mislead by your title. For me, this photo is far from being sinister. I know that you tried to make the castle look more sinister, but somehow, it is not my feeling. I don't think it is a question of you not having achieve your point, I think it is more about my own perception. For me, that is in fact almost the contrary, a feeling of serenity that I have. That is maybe my own idiosyncrasy! ;)
So, I hope you will forgive me if I say that I like your picture for other reasons than what you may have expected. I like the black and white choice, the grain you add, and especially that tiny line of trees that separate the dark land from the light sky...
I would like to add that this photo is an exemple that photography is not only taking little piece of reality. It is also a vision, a work of art. I hope you will understand what I try to express...
Claire

vincz (19113) 2007-01-13 17:29

dramatic sky over this castle. It looks like an old engraving from an old book. very well done.

john_c (24666) 2007-01-17 11:33

Hi Alexander,
Rather sinister indeed, and reading your note this castle has such a chequered, interesting past. I like this low angle POV and the incredible sky that provides extra ambience here. The B&W mmotif is apropos and helps convey the mystery and intrigue of this interesting place. Well done...later.
John

lenazap (4) 2007-02-04 6:59 [Comment]

Show Comment

IaKoop (819) 2007-07-28 21:56

Well done! Love the look... great sky and PP. Excellent notes. Sinister indeed!

ninaL (21348) 2007-10-19 4:19

Hello, Alexander.
You like white and black dramatic skies : I like it too.
Impressive composition with a big part of the sky and with little portion for architecture's silhouettes.
Good job.
Best regards. Grazyna.

sweet_universe (1697) 2009-03-22 11:54

Hallo, Ale!
Whata great shot! I like it very very much!
Useful note.
Marco

Photo Information

Copyright: Alexander Pasternak (pasternak) (15185)
Genre: Plaatsen
Medium: Zwart-Wit
Date Taken: 2006-12-29
Categories: Kastelen
Camera: Canon PowerShot A95
Belichting: f/5.6, 1/500 Seconden
More Photo Info: view
Fotoversie: Originele versie
Thema's: World Heritage Sites Part VIII, Sky in black and white, My B&W photos, Your favorites [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2007-01-05 6:06
Favorieten: 1 [Zicht]