Versailles.
As promised, today I’m sharing some of the photos of the interior of the Palace of Versailles. If you missed my last post where I shared exterior photos and some helpful hints about touring it, you can check that out here.
Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still. -Dorothea Lange.
The Royal Chapel and the Hall of Mirrors.
Once again, I have more photos than I can share in one post. Today, I have chosen my two favorite places in the Palace…
the Royal Chapel and the Hall of Mirrors.
Hall of Mirrors.
The Hall of Mirrors is considered the most famous room in the Palace. One reason is that it is the location of the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, ending World War I. Work was started on the Hall of Mirrors in 1678 and completed in 1684. You can find out more about its history here, at the Palace of Versailles website.
The room is quite stunning, filled with light from all of the windows and reflections from the mirrors.
I see photos that run the entire length of the Hall of Mirrors without a single person included or just the one person as their focal point. If you are trying to achieve that, then I suggest you follow some of the timeframes offered in my prior post. I’m sure you can gauge the size of the crowd by those waiting to get inside.
Had we not been exhausted by all of the walking that we had done that day, I may have tried to go back at the end of our day to capture a less crowded hall.
The Royal Chapel.
Of course, I could not show you Versailles on a Thursday without including at least one of the magnificent doors! This is one of the doors to the Royal Chapel.
If you love doors, head on over to Norm 2.0’s blog where door lovers come together each Thursday to share doors from around the world.
The Royal Chapel was the fifth and final chapel built in the Palace since the reign of Louis XIII.
One of the things that I found interesting about the Royal Chapel was that the design was presented by the Architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart in 1699. He would not survive to see its completion, dying in 1708. His brother-in-law completed the works which were finished in 1710.
Reminders of the past.
It reminded me of a story I once read about motherhood, which could be applied parenting in general. It was about how as mothers we are building a masterpiece, just like the cathedrals of old, but we will not likely survive to see its completion. About how we would never live there, but if we built it right, God would.
And it also brought to mind, that we remember those names who lived in this Palace. But there were countless people whose hard work brought about the possibility of them living there. Including, the people standing in the sun creating walls, people chiseling the finest of details, people cooking, and also the people scrubbing floors.
We should remember those people who spent their life behind the scenes making their bit of difference in the world.
Let your light shine!
Amy
So excited to see your photos of Versailles, Amy! Glad you made it there btw!!!
I’m glad that you enjoyed them! 🙂 I’m happy that we were able to fit it into our short time in Paris!!
What a lovely post. Those photos are beautiful, your grandmother would have loved them.
Thank you Jean! Your words are very kind! I was her first grandchild and considered myself her honorary “5th child” so I love to think of how her gift would have made her smile. 🙂
The chapel is gorgeous! I love the art on the ceiling. The Hall of Mirrors has long been on my Bucket List. One of these days I hope to get back there to see the Palace, but I enjoyed seeing it through your viewfinder!
Sticking with your current camera: A step up from your 18-55 lens in a zoom lens would be the 16-85mm VR. Pricey but gets really good reviews.
For a prime lens: The Nikon 10.5 fisheye is a wonderful lens. Super sharp, renders beautiful colors, and starbursts, and if you keep the camera level with the horizon in the center it’s possible to get a nearly distortion free image, but there’s software that will straighten out a fisheye image.
Both the 60mm and 105mm macro lens from Nikon are superb, and for a 3rd party one check out Tamron’s 90mm. It’s also a superb lens.
Shooting RAW you’d still need some editing/developing software to bring out all the contrasts, details, and colors though. The Photographer’s package at Adobe for $9.99 a month comes with Lightroom, Photoshop, and Bridge. There’s a steep learning curve, but it’s worth the time and effort to learn en mon avis.
FWIW: I think your kit is pretty light-weight. 🙂 I’ve been looking at the Fuji X-T2 and a couple of lenses, but I have a lot invested in Nikon glass so am not moving to another system anytime soon. I just purchased the D810 and now am waiting for it to arrive. I think it will complement my Df nicely. I hope so anyway. 🙂
Thank you Deborah! The ceiling was amazing! I can’t imagine the painstaking time that goes into creating something so magnificent. There is a separate guided tour, which is what I assume the people in the photo were on, where you can go inside the chapel. I’m sure the view from inside is phenomenal!
Thank you for the amazing information on cameras and lenses! It can be so hard to sift through information to discover what you want – such as the full frame vs. crop because in my limited understanding, preference is usually dictated by what your goals are. I also discovered that my current body doesn’t have an in-built auto-focus, which is why they are built into the lens (something in the past, I would never have known why that might matter). I’ve been having some issues with it on occasion not wanting to autofocus and just whirring like it knows it’s supposed to be doing that. These and a few other things are why I came to the conclusion that I needed to decide what system I want before investing in glass. As you said, once you start investing in that, you don’t want to switch over.
I have been happy with Nikon over the years. I know this system is light-weight as compared to some of the other more professional bodies (I have been eyeing the D810 as well). Quite a few of the landscape photographers I follow on Instagram seem to by using the Sony Alpha 7II. I held a similar one and there is a noticeable size difference and the quality and reviews seem to be quite good.
I had heard that Adobe was moving into more of a monthly subscription basis. I’ll definitely have to check that out. I feel like I’ve come to the point where I’d like to have a even more control over my end product.
Thank you again for such helpful information!!
Yes, a lot of Canon, and Nikon folks have switched to Sony and Fuji systems. I have been eyeing the Fuji system and would love to add one to my bag one day.
Regarding the “hunting” you’ve experienced. It’s something we all run into even those of us with high end glass and cameras. If you’re too close and not in your lenses focusing range the lens hunts, if you’re in a dark/low light, or low contrasty scene the lens/camera will “hunt”. That’s the term we use for that whirling, focus motor trying to focus sound and action.
The advice you’ll hear the most is add glass first then cameras, but you may want to upgrade your camera to a non entry level one now. Nikon has several camera with instant rebates right now which is why I jumped on the D810.
You like landscapes, and macro so a Full Frame camera would be a logical choice for you for the added depth of field and resolving power.
The D750 + 24mm-120mm at $2K is a great deal, and it’s a great camera. I had that kit on my short list for a bit.
The 24-120mm would be a step up from your 18-55mm in terms of IQ and you’ll notice how wide it is at 24mm. 🙂 The rebates are good til June 3rd I think.
Keep in mind the rebates are on b/c Nikon is coming out with new cameras this summer or fall. So, if you may want to wait to see what the new camera has. The price for the new is going to $$$ I’m sure. 🙂
Trying out the camera/lenses at a brick and mortar store is the best way to see how they perform and feel in your hands.
My D810 is supposed to arrive on Tues. I’m really looking forward to it!
I need a money tree cause I want a D500 too! 🙂
Adobe went to the subscription based service a few years ago, and I held off for a yr. before jumping in. It’s been great actually, and I get updates straight-away which is really nice.
My goodness, Amy- looking at these shots, I wouldn’t worry too much about your photography skills!! I recognize several angles from commercial photos in books, brochures, etc.from Versailles. All the gold, reflections, and pillars are beautiful ingredients for stunning renditions with any lens. Love especially the ceiling in the last capture:)
Thank you so much! I do give credit to the fact that I have seen improvement in my editing skills over time. I’m hoping to continue to understand what needs to be done to correct things in technical side so that some of the photos don’t need quite so much editing 🙂 The building definitely lends itself to some beautiful photography! The ceilings were amazing! 🙂
We are always our own worst critic. These shots are great Amy. I was looking forward to seeing these and it just motivates me even more to get my butt over there – hopefully soon.
That is some serious door you captured there and the chapel itself is just stunning.
It’s quite obvious that you love photography and Deborah gave you some good advice regarding lenses and software. Whatever you choose for equipment going forward, the Lightroom/Photoshop combo for $10 a month is hard to beat.
On my old Nikon D60 DX (cropped sensor like yours) my go-to lens for architectural AND landscape shots is the 10-24 mm. It was way more $$ than I wanted to spend on a piece of glass but 4 years later I don’t regret it.
I’m looking forward to your next batch of shots 🙂
Thank you Norm! I know that I have a tendency to be a harsh critic of myself. I blame that Virgo perfectionism. lol. I am crediting the fact that some shots made me happy in the end because my editing skills have improved over time. I’m hoping that I can step up my technical skills as well. 🙂
I’m sure that you won’t be disappointed when you make it over there! It is a beauty!
I’m always in awe of the paintings and columns and the time that must have taken to complete. The attention to detail is amazing!
Thanks for the advice on that lens. As I mentioned to Deborah, I’ve hit the point where I’m trying to decide cropped sensor or full frame and what the advantages to each of those are. I’m also seeing this shift to the mirrorless Sony Alpha, and they are substantially smaller. I’m ready to start investing in glass so I figure that I need to pick the line that I want to stick with before I begin that commitment! 🙂
Very ornate!
It was indeed a very ornate place! 🙂
Such a beautiful building. Your images are stunning!
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed them. The beauty of the building made it easy to find gorgeous scenery. 🙂
I do not understand a word you’ve written about cameras, but I’m sure it makes total sense to other photographers. HOWEVER, Let me assure you that your photos here look just like other photos I’ve seen of Hall of Mirrors and the ceiling. I promise. They’re beautiful photographs of beautiful things. And these particular photos come with Amy Words, so that’s nice 🙂
Thanks Joey!
I would not have understood a word I wrote about camera a year ago. I still have a long way to go to understand many parts of photography and cameras, but I was hoping somebody who did might offer up some advice. And they did! 🙂
Your words are very kind about the photos. My editing skills have come a long way ;). I’m glad you like my “Amy words” 🙂
What wonderful pictures, keep up the great work. I love how you have captured the Chapel columns! I relate to what you say about wishing you had different lenses when you are editing. A sure signt that you are falling more in love with photography each day!x
Thank you! The Chapel was probably my favorite room because of those columns and that ceiling. 🙂
Wow, these photos are so beautiful. What an amazing place.
Thanks Dee! It was quite stunning there 🙂
Lovely photos. I’m trying my skills at photography as well. So much to learn.😉
Thank you. I have much to learn with photography! There is definitely a lot more to it than I suspected in the beginning. Best of luck. I find the key is to take a lot and discover what works for you. 🙂
I’m very late to this party, but I read the commentary with Deborah and then with Norm with great interest. I’m very much at the bottom of the learning curve with my camera and get easily confused by all this talk about lens.
However, I’ve been using Lightroom for a few years now and I think I’d be lost without it. For me, it’s not just the editing component, but the photo management. It’s so much easier now to tag and subsequently find photos. I thought it was rather pricey, but in hindsight, worth every penny.
… and I loved revisiting Versailles, especially the chapel. I’ve been there twice and both times there was no entry into the chapel. I could see the interior only from the doorway over the heads of a million other people.
I’m very much at the bottom of the learning curve as well. I was so happy that they offered such great advice.
I like hearing that Lightroom have a good photo management system as mine is quite a mess right now.
I’ve just been to the Palace of Holyrood in Edinburgh and they said the procession from room to room to move toward a meeting with king had been based on Versailles. My photos were from the doorway. I was just able to get close. I think those inside were on a special tour.
Wow Amy. What a trip. <3
It was very beautiful there. 🙂
Lovely photographs and an interesting story. It’ exciting when you see your skill improving.