There was an interesting photo challenge presented by WordPress this week – to take two shots of the same place, one vertical and one horizontal, to express two views of the subject.
I’ve been offline for a while, taking care of some “real life” stuff (when I get into the blogosphere I lose hours) but this was too nice to pass up. I picked two subjects from our trip to Montreal. Both show how a shift in focus can change how you look at something.
The first is the Notre Dame Cathedral in the old city:
The Long view
The more detailed and intimate view
When you first step into the cathedral, the striking color and size of the sanctuary are impressive, but there is distance between the altar and the entrance. Up close, the saints, the crucifix, and the flowers in memory of a personal event take the focus, and the other people in the church become insignificant shadows. A bonus perspective, focused on the pews, appears in the banner.
The second spot I chose is the Museum of Fine Arts in the new city. As I approached, I was struck by the stone work on the building and thought the statue was a nice, classical, touch – but when I was directly in front of the sculpture, a completely new dimension presented itself to me.
Approaching the Museum
A new view – only available from one position
Everything changes when we look at things in more than one way – a small shift in our stance, or a willingness to investigate more closely, can reveal things we would miss with just a passing glance.
Perspective is everything.
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This post was written in response to the WordPress Daily Post’s Weekly Photo Challenge: One Shot, Two Ways. To learn more about this challenge, and to see other bloggers’ shifting viewpoints, click here.
The Retiring Sort 
The Notre Dame Cathedral is absolutely magnificent! The mood…colors…impressive.
PS: A new photo challenge – you are welcome to participate! http://esengasvoice.wordpress.com/2013/08/18/eses-weekly-shoot-quote-challenge/
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Well done TRS!
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Thanks, Paula! 😉
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Great collection of photos for this challenge! It is such a beautiful Cathedral.
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Thank you – It really is an amazing place! 😉
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wow…. the photos are awesome!
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Thanks so much! 😉
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Great entry!
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Thank you – this was a fun challenge!
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What a magnificent cathedral and your photos are wonderful. 🙂
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Thanks! Montreal really is a wonderful place! 😉
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Great take on the challenge and gorgeous shots! 😀
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Thank you, Sonel! 😉
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Gorgeous photos.
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Many Thanks!
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STUNNING PHOTOS!
BE ENCOURAGED! BE BLESSED!
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Thanks, Francine – this was an interesting challenge!
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That long view is so incredibly beautiful. Good to see you back. This was a fun challenge, wasn’t it? 😉
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Thanks, Gemma! I’m creeping back in… still have a deadline to get some stuff done for an upcoming class reunion. This really was fun. 😉
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Reunion?! Ahhhhh. Memories. Have fun. 😀
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Thanks – If the event is half as much fun as our committee meetings have been, it’ll be fantastic! 😉
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Oh, well done!
That cathedral isn’t the easiest place to photograph, and you’ve done an excellent job on both the long shot and the closeup.
And the shift in POV about the statue is remarkable.
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Thanks so much – I really was surprised by the hole in the torso of the statue!
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a striking post, marvellous photography, and both places such excellent illustrations of the relative advantages of horizontal vs vertical … beauty and surprise!
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Thanks, Christine – and I loved how your shots from the same spot seemed to capture two different subjects – even though both the ocean and the walkway were in both shots!
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I don’t do these challenges but this one has been really fun to see how they were done. Your choices are excellent. I wondered about the hole in the statue also. It is all in the viewpoint! Glad you are back. The real world is important too!
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Thank you – it’ll probably be another few weeks before I’m back “full-time”, but I’ve been checking in on you all every now and again!
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Stunning shots of the Notre Dame Cathedra! We visited the cathedral a decade ago… The statue is really different. Welcome back TRS 🙂
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Thanks so much, Amy – nice to hear from you! 😉
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Very nice study in perspective! The pictures of the cathedral are so vivid and grand. I am not familiar with that statue at the museum; the closer perspective perplexes me. Is there actually a hole in the midsection that allows you to view the window behind it, or is that an illusion?
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Yep, there’s actually an oval cut out in the middle! There are also fingers (hands) around the face. All an allegory for what we see and don’t see, as I recall. 😉
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