Touring Prague - Part II

I WAS up and out early this morning. I didn't have any specific destination in mind, but I just wanted to get out and take advantage of the early morning light (for once it wasn't actively raining) and explore the immediate area. It was just getting light when I left the building and as I have said, there was a lot of "fodder" right around our place. I walked around, looking for something interesting. Around a corner I had I thought there might be some interest from the curved street which was just "waking up" for the morning. I stood and watched for a while and then waited while the red car approached. I liked the headlights and their reflection on the still wet street. When the car reached the curve, I made the image below.

Mala Strana - Prague, Czech Republic
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

BACK HOME a week or so later, as I looked at (and processed) the image, I knew I would like it better with just "a little something." I had become acquainted with a photographic technique called the "Orton" effect, that was perhaps "all the rage," a few years back. I never really learned about it at the time, but it came up in a "critique/illustration" of one of my photos by Martin Bisof (the Prague pro we hired to guide us around Prague one afternoon/evening). After a bit of research and some "fiddling" with some of my images, looking at this one, I thought: maybe . . .?

Mala Strana - Prague, Czech Republic
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

I WALKED in the other direction, just around the block and through the arched entrance to The Charles Bridge, just a short way toward Prague's "Old Town," just across the river. It is pretty easy to see that this bridge has lots of photographic potential. Being so convenient to our VRBO, I would spend a fair amount of time shooting there during our stay.

Charles Bridge (Mala Strana in the background) - Prague, Czech Republic
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

THIS MORNING, I made just a couple images: one of the bridge, and one from the bridge, before heading back to see if anyone was stirring yet.

Mala Strana "Neighborhood" (from the Charles Bridge)
Prague, Czech Republic
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

WHEN I returned to the apartment a few minutes later, only Bruce was up. We had no specific plan for the morning, but I did have a couple things I wanted to visit and see. We walked across the street to a little local spot (actually directly behind where I stood for the red car picture) for some breakfast, and while eating, decided to tackle the huge, old castle that was up on the hill behind us in Mala Strana: Prasky Hr'ad (Prague Castle). We calculated that it was just one or two stops on the tram right in front of our residence, so we jumped on and sure enough, our third stop was named Prague Castle. I think I mentioned that one of the really cool things about Prague was the "65 and over ride free" feature. It was nice not worrying about tickets. We just got on and off wherever and whenever we wanted to. This was probably about a 5 minute ride from the time we jumped on at our stop to the Castle. And we were right at the entrance.

Prague Castle - Czech Republic
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

THOUGH BY now these things shouldn't, the entire complex of the castle and surrounding area surprised me. As far as I am concerned, the focal point (I didn't realize it as we approached, but it became pretty apparent after we entered) of the castle is the magnificent and impressive gothic masterpiece: St. Vitus Cathedral. I was apparently dazzled enough by the approaching buildings and the front facade of the castle itself that, though my image below attests, I did see the cathedral, and both my mind and my photographic presentation suggests I thought of it as secondary and in the background. But I didn't really "see" the cathedral. That is, until I walked into the castle interior grounds.

St. Vitus Cathedral - Prague, Czech Republic
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

AS I have noted in previous blog posts, "cathedral" designates the principal or official "seat" of the diocese, where the Bishop generally presides (in this case, the Archbishop of Prague). As such, St. Vitus is probably the most important church in Prague and certainly the most popular for visitors. Indeed, Wikipedia asserts that St. Vitus is the "largest and most important church in the country."

St. Vitus Cathedral - Prague Castle - Prague, Czech Republic
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

COMLETE WITH flying buttresses and French-Gothic architecture, construction of the current-day church was begun in 1344 and continued, but in fits and starts, and  until 1929! It was worth the the wait. I have seen a few churches in the past few years - many of them hugely impressive. But at this point, I can unequivocally say that St. Vitus is the most impressive classic church I have ever seen. And what is crazy is that I didn't even get inside. I have since learned that the St. Wenceslas Chapel is also an amazing work of art and architecture.

St. Vitus Cathedral - Mala Strana - Prague, Czech Republic
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

DOWN TO the details, this Castle-Cathedral complex is awe-inspiring. I spent some time making some more intimate images, as well as trying to get the "grand" perspective here.

Architectural Detail - St. Vitus (gothic) Cathedral - Mala Strana; Prague, Czech Republic
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

IT IS possible that there is actually a photographic setting in which the dark, dreary weather we were experiencing actually might enhance the mood of the image. If there is such a setting, it would be the dark, gothic architecture we saw here.

St. Vitus Cathedral - Prague Castle - Mala Strana; Prague, Czech Republic
Copyright Andy Richards 2024

OVER THE years (in this case 100's) it took to finish a complex like Prasky Hr'ad from start to completion, quite a few different architectural styles and trends were ultimately incorporated into these marvels of construction. Perhaps the yet unfinished La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona is the best example of an architectural work that has incorporated centuries of different design styles and yet remains magnificent.

Where Church and State collide: Passageway from Prasky Hrad to St. Vitus Cathedral
Mala Strana; Prague, Czech Republic
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

IN THE case of St. Vitus, the originally medieval gothic is today a mix of that old gothic, and romanesque, renaissance and baroque components. I was duly impressed with the skill with which they incorporated the "newer" materials and design with the medieval gothic. I thought the passageway from the castle living quarters to the cathedral was a particularly striking example.

Passageway from Prasky Hrad to St. Vitus Cathedral in B&W
Mala Strana; Prague, Czech Republic
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

IN TERMS of its photographic "draw," I also like the juxaposition of the different architechural styles, tones and colors. Compositionally, I try to get the "lesser" and more distant castle structures to appear within the arch in the far background to give the image more depth, as well as giving the still-wet stone in the foreground a prominent place in the photograph. I also liked how the stairways on both sides of the image in the foreground served as anchors to the sides of the image.

Prague Castle - Mala Strana - Prague, Czech Republic
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

THIS WAS a scene where I actually spent a bit of time on site thinking about its composition and how I might ultimately render the image. And, not shockingly, given the dark skies and gothic weight in the image, I knew this was one that I would look to in post as a possible B&W image. I made several different "versions" of my B&W rendering. The image here is the one I liked best. If you want to see comparisons, there are a couple different images in my B&W gallery on my LightCentricPhotography photographic website.

Main Courtyard - Prague Castle - Prague, Czech Republic
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

SO IMPRESSIVE is the cathedral that the reader might be influenced to think it was the only part of the complex worth photographing. I certainly don't want to misguide you there. Other parts of the complex are equally photogenic. Contra to the somber, dark, gothic tones of the Cathedral, the balance of the castle is actually quite bright and colorful, given its time in history. It is a long and narrow, sprawling complex, perched on the crest of a hill, overlooking Mala Strana. It runs roughly from the northeast (today the main entrance) to the southwest.

St. George's Basillica - Prague Castle - Prague, Czech Republic
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

AS WE walked past the main courtyard to our right and the imposing cathedral to our left and through the archway under the passageway, more of the complex opened in front of us, with the surprisingly colorful red masonry of the Baroque fronted, but Romanesque designed St. George's Basilica (designated as a second church for the castle). According to what I could glean from "the usual sources" (Google and the internet - for whatever its accuracy is worth), the Romanesque design is depicted by the twin steeples, but the colorful and more ornate facade is Baroque. Originally built for the Benedictine Order during the late 1st century, it was reconstructed after a devastating fire more than a century later. The Baroque elements were added later yet, and eventually included a Baroque style chapel in the interior. At the time we were there, I spent a few minutes photographing the striking exterior building and courtyard, but we did not know the history, or that this was actually a separate church from St. Vitus. Next time I visit Prague, I will make it a mission (pun intended) to see the interiors of both St. Vitus and St. Georges.

"Main Entrance" to Prague Castle - Prague, Czech Republic
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

WE HAD originally entered the castle from the northwest side where we got off the tram. To the west is another gate (Matyas Gate) which is the original main entrance to Prasky Hr'ad. As you look out, you see , a large plaza that fronts the main entrance. The large buildings ringing the square are almost all private palaces. At one time, in their place there were small residences of the local Czech citizens. Those residences were sadly destroyed by a terrible fire which destroyed all of them, as well as parts of the castle (including the cathedral and basilica). Afterward, wealthy aristocrats began buying up the land and building personal residential palaces with the goal of having residences near the Castle.  Many of these palaces today house museums and other public institutions. behind them, however, there appears to be relatively affluent, mostly residential housing (multi-occupant). After walking a bit, we went back to the castle.

View of Prague from Prague Castle - Prague, Czech Republic
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

FOR A photographer especially, but also for every other visitor, the area I just described leads to the south side of the Prague Castle, where there is a walled walkway and a couple viewpoints providing a terrific, sweeping view to the southeast out over Mala Strana, and beyond, to Prague's Old Town.

Starbucks - adjacent to Prague Castle - Prague, Czech Republic
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

PRAGUE HAS its share of the now ubiqutous chain retail establishment, including, of course several Starbucks. At least the one at the Castle is unique. We jumped back on the tram and headed back down to our VRBO, to see what the ladies were up to.

View of Prague from Prague Castle - Prague, Czech Republic
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

View of Prague from Prague Castle Viewpoint - Prague, Czech Republic
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

WE DID have plans for later in the afternoon and into the evening. Based on a couple similar experiences a year or so back in Portugal, I sought out and engaged a local professional photographer to guide us for a couple hours. We had finally been able to get today together on our schedules.

View of Prague from Prague Castle Viewpoint - Prague, Czech Republic
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

BRUCE AND I were going to meet Martin over on the Old Town side later in the afternoon, and the ladies had a couple destinations they wanted to check out. We decided to walk across the Charles Bridge and see what there was to see over there, and grab lunch somewhere. We walked over the bridge and headed into the Old Town.

Old Town; Prague, Czech Republic
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UNFORTUNATELY, THE rain was not showing any signs of letting up. I had visions of walking down these same cobblestoned streets with a blue and white sky in the distance. Not this day. But the prediction was that it would let up and dry out as the afternoon went on. This proved to be true. Though it did not necessarily produce nice lighting, we were at least able to stay dry.

Old Town; Prague, Czech Republic

THE ONLY bright spot, photographically, was the ocassional brightly colored umbrella or rain coat, though as I have noted above, I do like the wet look of the cobblestones. We eventually found a restaurant under umbrellas in the main Old Town Square near the Old City Hall. After lunch and a rest, we split up, Bruce and I heading for our rendezvous - near the Powder Gate Tower, and the ladies heading off to find a few things on their list.

Powder Gate Tower - Prague, Czech Republic
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved.

AFTER FINDING THE meeting point, we had time to sit at a street bar/restaurant, people-watch, sip a drink and smoke a cigar. In a timely manner, we spotted our guide and local pro photographer, Martin Bisof. Next up: a session with the pro.

Touring in Prague

WE BEGAN our first full day in Prague with a walking food tour. Fortunately for us, following the ordeal of the prior day's train ride, a relatively late evening, and a lot of time on our feet, the tour didn't begin until 11:00 a.m. Also fortuitous was the fact that the tour started almost immediately across the street from our VRBO. In fact, the tour essentially confined itself to the Mala Strana neighborhood of Prague. Our lodging for the days in Prague sat right in the heart of Mala Strana, with the Mala Strana main tram stop immediately out our door, and the western entrance to The Charles Bridge around the corner just a block away. Joyce had a friend who had highly recommended the apartment - and we could not have chosen a better spot.

Our Tram Stop in front of our doorstep - Church in the Background was food tour meeting place - Prague, Czech Republic
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WE FOUND our tour guide and group easily enough, and off we went. The first place we stopped a really good soup (there were actually 2 different soups to choose from, and I ended up thinking I would have liked the one I didn't choose better). We could see this restaurant when standing in front of the door of our VRBO, and we ended up there for dinner later that evening. I got my soup. It was good - and it was better than the one I had tried in the morning (which was also very good). We tried a couple other samples of local food. It was all good. The Czechs like hearty food. Lots of meat, bread and cheese. Very much reminds me of my friend, Bob's observation about the "best" Swiss food being "peasant" food. The one place that was most memorable to me was (again, literally around the corner from our place), a sandwich shop. I never did really get the name of the sandwich, but apparently this open-faced sandwich is a popular favorite with the locals. I really wanted to get back there, but the only day that really worked was on the weekend and the shopkeeper told me they only had them on weekdays (presumably for the working lunch crowd). They are on my list for our next Prague visit. The other thing that was nearly omnipresent during the food tour and at most other times in Prague: Beer! We got the chance to taste a couple different ones. I have to say, enjoyed all the beers we consumed during this entire trip.

Beer Tap in one of our Restaurants (the first one mentioned in the narrative)
Prague, Czech Republic
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

KIND OF an aside from photography, but beer figures mightily in to Czech culture.  Our last stop before our final destination on the train to Prague was nearby Pilsen, Czech Republic. Czechia's 4th largest city, what Pilsen is really known for is the uniquely Czech style lager beer that was first brewed there: Pilsner style Lager Beer. The largest Czech brewery (and the most popular Pilsner beer) is Pilsner Urquell. I am not a big beer guy, though I have certainly learned to enjoy the beer we have had in Europe, from Ireland, to Portugal, to Germany. And now - Czech Republic.  When I have enjoyed a "cold one" back in the U.S., one of my favorites has been the Canadian Lager, Labatt's Blue (which brands itself as a "Pilsner-style Lager." Some quick and dirty internet research tells me that a "Lager" beer is a particular brewing style, known as "bottom fermentation," which generally produces a smooth, light, crisp beer. Pilsner is, as noted above, a Czech-originated lager style beer whose characteristics are light, clear, smooth beer with a hoppy, but not bitter taste. Pilsners are generally between approximately 4 - 5% ABV. Labatt's Blue is 5%. Maybe I am onto something here.

ANYWAY, I always thought of Germany (and in particular, Bavaria) as the center of the world when it comes to beer. The Czechs would beg to differ, and they may well be correct. In spite of the hoopla surrounding Octoberfest, The statistics I found online suggest that the Czech Republic is the world's largest per capita beer consumer. And, it also appears that by a signicant margin, Pilsner style Lagers are the most popular in the world. I would caution that I am not an expert on beers, and that the word: "Pilsner" appears to sometimes be used imprecisely to define a "light-colored" version of Lager. Brewing beer has been in place for 100's of years, with evidence of brewing in Břevnov Monastery as far back as 993.  Pilsen and České Budějovice ("Budweis" in German), had breweries in the 13th century. When I am doing "after-visit" research on things we found and experienced, I always seem to learn a fascinating little tidbit. The "Budweiser" controversy in the in the sidebar is an interesting, if not humorous aside.

Below the bridge at street Level - Mala Strana; Prague, Czech Republic
Copyright Andy Richards 2024

BUT ENOUGH about beer. Getting back on the street, we walked down some stairs along the south side of The Charles Bridge to the part of Mala Strana that is under and below the bridge, down at river-level. We eventually arrived at a shop where we had some kind of cookie (it reminded me vaguely of the stroopwaffels we had in Rotterdam). This shop was near a prominent art center and we got our first view of the "peeing" men (we would return later, with our photography guide for a photo from a different perspective - and a better explanation of the significance of the sculpture). It was humourous and there were some "selfie-potential" photos that I did not attempt.😏 Our guide didn't really explain the significance of the sculpture. She did tell us that at times there were running fountains - but as you can see from the image below, they weren't running at the time we were there.

"Peeing Men" Sculpture - Prague, Czech Republic
Copyright Andy Richards 2024

I MAY have mentioned that we got some rain during this trip? 😏 We did see some relatively nice, sunny weather toward the end of the week, but this morning was more of the same. I would say that by the time we were in Prague, the rain was about a 50/50 proposition (so an improvement). Our walking tour ended at a sweet shop that was on the corner of our building - so convenient for us. That was just up the street from the western gate of the Charles bridge. The people standing there are actually on the "Old Town" side of the bridge, across from Mala Strana, where we ventured just briefly before returning to Mala Strana.

East entrance to The Charles Bridge; Prague, Czech Republic
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

WE WERE pretty tired after the tour, which ended probably around mid-afternoon. Having eaten at nearly every stop we made, we certainly weren't hungry for lunch, so we went back to our place and took a load off. Bruce and I had originally scheduled our time with the local pro photographer for that night, but he contacted me and noted that continued rain was predicted and we re-scheduled for the following night, which looked more promising. After some "down time," we found our way back the first restaurant and had a nice meal, and then we were pretty much in for the night. I was restless and feeling like I really hadn't had much chance to see the city) though the food tour did get us to some of it. I was determined that I was going to be up and out the next morning - whether anybody else was or not. Our next two days were more or less "unscheduled," though we did have a few places we wanted to see.

My New Year's Resolutions

I HAVE been hearing lately that most New Year's Resolutions are  broken by the second Friday following the New Year. Let's hope not, because if that is true, most of us just looked at our resolutions in the rear-view mirror. I think, though, that those remarks are mostly addressed toward the self-restraint and exercise side of things. Maybe if I restrict mine to photographic things, I will have a better chance of getting past Friday. 😎

TAKE LESS PHOTOS

HMMN. SEEMS like an odd one for a photographer. What I mean here is take less photos of the same subject (that are essentially duplicate photos). I have been dissatisfied with my "cataloging" process for my archived photographs for some time now. I have looked at a couple different DAM solutions, and tried a couple of them (including one that was supposed to make my life easier with its AI-based "find and label" capability - it didn't - it just gave me a headache). I finally decided my own best solution was comprehensive keywording (in the past, I have been haphazard about that). That process means I am basically going through my archives image-by image. Tedious, but necessary. One thing that jumps out at me is how many repetitive images I have in my archives. Where I went out to a site and made image after image (like maybe I was going to miss something)? I get that sometimes things are continuously changing and you really don't want to miss something. But mostly in my case - on review - these are essentially "in-camera-dupes." The late Jim Moore was one of the most influential mentors I have ever had. I remember him counseling me on this very thing. I took it to heart for a short time (much like those "only 'till Friday" resolutions above). In 2025, I want to make a concerted effort to make less images of a subject. Work the composition. Get the correct exposure. Maybe try something creative. But then move on to another compostion. Or another subject altogether.

BE MORE CREATIVE

I HAVE been reading and using the "stand in front of better stuff" quote a lot recently. I fully expect to continue doing that in 2025. The real question for me this year though, is what am I going to do with that "good stuff." I made some strides in 2024 (especially during the last few days of my central Europe trip) at making some more unique and creative images. While I am sure I will continue to take the "I was there" (hopefully iconic) shots, I do want to be more creative (more on that below). The though here is to spend some time in thought (when that is possible) and visualizing as scene/subject, and then tryhing to think outside the box with it. In some cases I am hoping for in camera results (like the moving train image, or unique camera position, or working with shutter speed and aperature). I also want to try unique compositions. Something that I have begun to do better, I think, is to visualize what kinds of creative things I might be able to do in post processing, and make some images accordingly.

I THINK that's enough. 😐 I would much rather make just a couple resolutions that I can keep in mind and really work on, that a laundry list that I might be successful on a couple of them. I have to keep in mind that these resolutions mostly apply to a a certain part of my photography - those ocassions when I am out for a dedicated shoot. My travel photography will mostly be bounded by what whatever groups I am traveling with are doing for an agenda. That is mostly fast-moving and though I make a lot of images, they are rarely as repetive as - say - the waterfall where I have me 30 shots from the same position. I need to try to think longer and shoot less on those kinds of shots (giving more credence to wind, proximity to things that I want in focus, and more "what would it look like if . . . " kinds of parameters). I will try to circle back to this in late 2025 and we will see how I did.