Friday Mosque, Tashkent

[Paul Lange]

If I have got this right, this is called the the Friday Mosque and is actually in a complex comprising of 3 mosques (I think). There is also a small building that houses an ancient copy of the Quaran. I travelled to Tashkent, Uzbekistan just before Christmas for work and on my last day one of the companies I visited was kind enough to take me on a tour of the city followed by a trip to a fantastic restaurant before packing me off to the airport for my flight home. The mosques are very similar in design to Iranian mosques which are the most stunning I have seen. The mosque complex was just an incredibly peaceful place but that was probably because I was there Friday morning. I can imagine it gets fairly busy Fridays nights.

This photo is really part of my efforts to develop a better understanding of Black and White photography. I have bee working on a few BW photos recently and been making an effort to develop a proper workflow. Surprisingly it is actually more difficult than colour, something I did't really appreciate.

 

[Hamish Gill]

The exposure is certainly very good!
Did you have to extract much out of the foreground shadow? Or was it just daily well lit?

 

[Paul Lange]

It must have been reasonably well lit behind me, I was in a courtyard, not inside. On the LR settings I just gave it some tweaks but the blacks and shadows were not adjusted. I did dodge and burn some areas a little though.

 

[Hamish Gill]

Well it looks good to me! The tone suits the subject!

 

[Pete Askew]

As Hamish says, beautifully exposed and you have kept a lovely gradation in there and exploited the natural frame perfectly I think. The lines and angle of the shadows are fabulous too. As you might guess, I really like this!

 

[Paul Lange]

Thank you kindly, both of you. I actually printed this A3 on some Marrutt Archival Matte and for such a low cost paper it is superb, I think. I have also been working on BW printing with the inkjet and after a bit of hit and miss I am starting to get some good results.

 

[Beth Carter]

excellent as always, love the tones. nice job.

 

[Paul Lange]

Thanks Beth.

 

[Brian Moore]

Lovely image, Paul. It gives off peace and tranquility.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

It's lovely, Paul. Peaceful, as you say. I like the tones a lot.

 

[Paul Lange]

Thanks, Rob, Brian.

 

[Paul Lange]

Thanks, Rob, Brian.

 

[Lesley Jones]

Peaceful and with beautiful tones. I love it as well

 

[Paul Lange]

Thanks, Lesley. I finished framing this today. After a few attempts that I was unhappy with I finally cracked it.

 

[Pete Askew]

What, the frame?! You should be more gentle.

 

[Paul Lange]

In the style of someone else:

BOOOOM TISH, Get in there!

 

[Pete Askew]

Can't think who you mean!

 

[Keith Hollister]

Outstanding image, Paul. The framing and tonality is quite nice. Love the light on the doors.

 

[Chris Dodkin]

That is a cracking B&W shot Paul - and the scene is very inviting - I want to walk though this doors and explore what's on the other side

 

[Paul Lange]

Thank you, Keith, Chris.