Black Church

It’s been a bit of a photo onslaught this week, after a busy few days shooting around Madrid. This particular image was taken just after a spell of rain and shows the Cathedral of Madrid reduced to a bold silhouette against a sky that clearly hadn’t finished with us yet.

We’d just spent time inside the cathedral itself before wandering through the Royal Palace of Madrid, and as we stepped back outside the rain finally eased. Almost on cue, the sun broke through the cloud cover. Looking at the scene through the viewfinder, it immediately felt like a moment that called for drama rather than detail. Turning the cathedral into a silhouette allowed the storm clouds to take centre stage, heavy and textured, adding mood and tension to the image.

Trying to expose for both the building and the sky would have blown out the clouds completely unless I’d leaned on HDR. While HDR certainly has its place, I often find it can make architectural photos feel slightly artificial, stripping away the atmosphere that made the moment special in the first place. Sometimes less information tells a stronger story.

What really sold the shot for me was the paving stones in the foreground, fading gently into the distance and leading the eye straight towards the looming outline of the cathedral. It gives the image a sense of scale and depth that suits the scene perfectly. I took another photo barely seconds later with all the architectural detail visible, but interestingly, it feels flatter and less engaging. In this case, the silhouette said more than a fully lit façade ever could.