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Creative Photography at the Handley Library in Winchester, VA

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I recently met up with friends from the Manassas Warrenton Camera Club at the Handley Library in Winchester, VA.   The library presents great opportunities for using some specialty gear for creative effect, including the Canon RF 10-20 mm super-wide angle lens, the Canon EF 17 mm tilt-shift lens (TSE 17mm), and an infrared-converted Canon R6 camera body.  The TSE 17 mm lens allows for vertical perspective correction within the lens itself, making it a great choice in general for photographing architecture.   Infrared cameras are great for adding an “otherworldly feel” to a landscape.    I combined the R6 infrared camera with the TSE 17 mm lens to capture some exterior shots with a really different look.   The super-color infrared filter captures both infrared and certain bands of visible light.  This allows the image to be manipulated in post processing using a color channel swap, which turns the skies dark blue and the foliage  gold.  I was pleased that the channel swap also preserved the green tones of the library roof.   

 

I love this side view of the library as an infrared image.  The foliage adds a lot of character, especially the evergreen tree. Because there are power lines running close aboard and parallel to the side of the building, the only way to photograph an unobstructed view here is to stand up close. This requires either pointing a wide angle lens upward (the library is a tall building), which creates major perspective distortion, or using a wide angle tilt-shift lens.  While you could correct for some of the distortion from the normal wide angle lens in post-processing, at this close distance and upward angle, it would definitely be a challenge.    I used a generous amount of upward “shift” applied to the lens barrel of the TSE-17 mm, while keeping the camera level.   As a result, none of these exterior infrared images required any perspective correction in processing.   All had beautifully straight vertical lines!!!

 

The dog walker.   Is it just me, or does this guy look like Alfred Hitchcock?   Front entrance to the Handley Library.  I added the red color to make the dog walker stand out in the scene.  

 

Shooting low on the porch of the library, using the railing and the portico to create receding lines toward the center of the image.

 

Once inside the library, the first thing you encounter is a beautiful four-story entrance foyer, featuring a stained glass ceiling at the top of the interior dome.   The real star of the show, however, are two spiral staircases that connect the first, second and third floors.   Depending upon where you placed your camera in relationship to the stair railings, you can make some very different images.   I really loved the curves and repeating shapes in the stairwells.   To capture these amazing interior scenes, I experimented with the Canon R5 and the RF 10-20 mm super-wide angle lens.   The 10-20 mm super wide’s expansive field of view was a great tool for taking in these interior architectural scenes while adding some interesting distortion from the very wide angle of view whenever tilting the lens off center.     

 

Looking up into the stained glass dome at the library entrance.  Taken with the 10-20 mm super-wide angle lens at 10 mm.   Shooting straight up, this lens compresses everything vertically (the top of this dome is easily four stories above the foyer floor).  

 

View from second floor hallway.  Taken with the 10-20 mm super-wide angle lens at 13 mm.

 

View from the third story hallway. Taken with the 10-20 mm super-wide angle lens at 10 mm.   At this widest setting, there is some noticeable stretching of the image the further away you get from the center of the image as a result of the extremely wide field of view.

 

The oldest portion of the library had glass floors/ceilings, as seen here in the overheads of this alcove.  The bookshelves shown on the second floor are load-bearing structures that support the building floor above it.

 

Winding railing at the bottom of one of the two main spiral staircases.  10-20 mm super-wide angle lens at 20 mm.  At this narrow setting, there is very little distortion within the field of view.  With these portrait oriented shots, having the windows vertically aligned up and down works well.

 

At 10 mm on the super-wide angle lens, the balusters create spokes leading to the heart of the spiral.   This image reminds me of a breaking wave on the ocean.   Do you see it?

 

Multiple floors of winding rail and curving steps from the third story of the spiral staircase. Taken with the TSE-17 mm.  Leaning over the edge of this rail and including the floor in the image without capturing your feet (in this wide field of view) is a real challenge.  Think leaning over forward without any support while holding the weight of your camera in your hand, and doing abdominal crunches to steady your upper body.  I was sweating by the end of this photo session!

 

 

10-20 mm super-wide angle lens at 14 mm.   Another total ab cruncher here!  Also a bit of vertigo!  

 

Taken with the 10-20 mm super-wide angle lens at 16 mm.  A tighter crop that gives more emphasis on the spiral on both sets of stairs.   The light coming through the windows was extremely bright, as this was mid morning.   Most of these interior stairwell images were taken handheld using a three image burst set for exposure bracketing.   I manually merged the window from the darkest image with the interior from the brightest image using layers and masks to create a single balanced exposure.  

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