Photographing cathedrals (Page 3): Bruce Barnbaum has made a lot of photographs of the English cathedrals. His book Visual Symphony may give you some inspiration. (Last I checked, it...

PeterBergh

John Battle wrote:

I'm fairly new to DSLR photography. My daughter and I plan to visit England for 3 weeks in June/July, and would like to get some great pictures of the splendid cathedrals there, both inside and out. I now have gotten a Nikon D750 and their 24-70 zoom lens. Would some of you who are more experienced suggest any other lens or lenses to get prior to our trip?

Bruce Barnbaum has made a lot of photographs of the English cathedrals. His book Visual Symphony may give you some inspiration. (Last I checked, it was available on Amazon.)

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

suntouched wrote:

Something to think about- I noticed that carrying ... (show quote)

Brace myself on a wall or bench or other such solid surface. Yes tripods are incredibly cumbersome in any situations.

DEBJENROB Loc: DELRAY BEACH FL

John Battle wrote:

I'm fairly new to DSLR photography. My daughter and I plan to visit England for 3 weeks in June/July, and would like to get some great pictures of the splendid cathedrals there, both inside and out. I now have gotten a Nikon D750 and their 24-70 zoom lens. Would some of you who are more experienced suggest any other lens or lenses to get prior to our trip?

You could use something like a fisheye ..... there are some buildings and churches that will indicate ,,, No Photography ......

what I do is put the shutter in silent mode ...NO flash ....hold the camera at waist level and shoot ..... crop later ....

elliott937 Loc: St. Louis

Your 24-70 mm lens will be perfect for the cathedrals. You'll have plenty of wide-angle view inside the church, plus the ability to go up close to particular items, and the same for outside the cathedral. And as sited, between now and your departure, get plenty of practice. You'll be in great shape.

BTW, don't forget, when you go to the airport, you'll need to show your camera/lens to TSA, so don't bury it inside your carry on case. And definitely do NOT put it in your checked luggage.

Bob Smith Loc: Banjarmasin

Just a little tip buy a guide book and look at the pictures in it they give a wonderful insight into the most photogenic areas. If you get chance a couple of cathedrals well worth a visit are Lichfield which is absolutely covered in statues and Lincoln which is beautiful and has a genuine copy of the Magna Carta a document that is important to all free countries. But wherever you go welcome and have a great time

SonyBug

DEBJENROB wrote:

You could use something like a fisheye ..... there are some buildings and churches that will indicate ,,, No Photography ......

what I do is put the shutter in silent mode ...NO flash ....hold the camera at waist level and shoot ..... crop later ....

And that is why many tourists are called "Ugly Americans". Many venues consider that their property is copyrighted and do not want photos taken.

steinr98

Sometimes with out a super wide lens, one can take 2 photos overlapping by at least 25-30% you then can stitch the photos together! The stitch programs today are super and do one heck'va job. This area alone may save the day for you. You do need one more mid telephoto anyway- like the 70-200 or something near this area. You may find more than just a church or want to isolate some part of the church. Depending on your taste in sharpness - you may not want a super do it all lens as they are very good but, not the cream of the crop. This area is dependent on your particular tastes in Photography and again sharpness.

DEBJENROB Loc: DELRAY BEACH FL

nikonbug wrote:

And that is why many tourists are called "Ugly Americans". Many venues consider that their property is copyrighted and do not want photos taken.

do you really think that is the reason we are called ugly Americans ..... if so .... you do very little foreign travel and/or you are not very observant .... I do a lot of foreign travel ....and I have seen U.S. tourist at their worst .... failing to observe the No Photograph sign is a benign infraction ....

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

I would go for a wider zoom. Pointing them up or down may result in verticals leaning in or out but that can add to the impact too. Or you could consider stitching some vertical pano's together using your current lens.

johneccles Loc: Leyland UK

Personally I would get a slightly wider lens for your project, although your 24-70 will be the ideal choice. Cathedrals are almost always situated in town centres so you will sometimes find that there is not enough room to get far enough back to obtain a full view of the cathedral as they are very wide and high. The cathedral I have in mind is York which has buildings very close on all sides so you have to take interesting shots from various side streets with just a section of the church in view.
Here's an article from TechRadar about your project:

http://www.techradar.com/news/photography-video-capture/cameras/best-wide-angle-lens-1307770/4#article-body

Shutterbug57

Doddy wrote:

Hi John, I cant give you any help regards what lenses to take with you, but I can tell you Some Cathedrals over here don't allow photography inside. I went to Durham Cathedral (near to where I live) a couple of years ago and was told in no uncertain terms that no photography was allowed..just check before you go to one.

Why. Are they hiding something?

Thorny Devil Loc: Alice Springs, Central Australia

John Battle wrote:

I'm fairly new to DSLR photography. My daughter and I plan to visit England for 3 weeks in June/July, and would like to get some great pictures of the splendid cathedrals there, both inside and out. I now have gotten a Nikon D750 and their 24-70 zoom lens. Would some of you who are more experienced suggest any other lens or lenses to get prior to our trip?

Although I do not know exactly what you will be looking for in your images I believe the 24-70mm f2.8 lens that you have is all you need. I was determined to travel light on my last trip to the UK in 2013 and only took my 35-70mm f2.8 lens. When I reviewed the images that I had captured I was actually surprised to find that I had taken most, including some that I took inside Sherborne Abbey, with a focal length between 50 and 60mm. If you really want more coverage then check out Nikon's 16-35 f4 and 70-200 f4 which are lighter and cost less then their f2.8 cousins but are still good sharp lenses.

Doddy Loc: Barnard Castle-England

Shutterbug57 wrote:

Why. Are they hiding something?

No..they probably want you to buy Photo's from the Cathedral shop to swell their coffers!!

Shutterbug57

Doddy wrote:

No..they probably want you to buy Photo's from the Cathedral shop to swell their coffers!!

Ah, the modern indulgence.

repleo Loc: Boston

elliott937 wrote:

...... when you go to the airport, you'll need to show your camera/lens to TSA, ....

I just got back from Ireland last night. I didn't have to show my gear to TSA or even take it out of my carry-on bag.