I featured a photo of the upper chapel yesterday at Sainte-Chapelle, but that was just a teaser. This spectacular place deserves a photo essay with a complete view. Shooting a movie might have been easier, or using one of those fancy 360-degree cameras. However, as usual, I opted to create still photographs with an old-fashioned approach.

On my trip to France, I only brought one lens, the Fujifilm 16-80mm f4. Hence, a 24mm equivalent was the widest view I could shoot — I wanted more. But you do the best you can with the gear you have. I’ve shot enough from different vantage points that you’ll get the feel of this place.

Starting at the front was the obvious choice with its most elaborate decorations. The golden structure in the middle is called a Chasse, where the sacred relics were kept. Those relics are now in other locations, but the structure remains.

Here is a landscape framing of the Chasse and the surrounding stained glass from about the same location as the first photograph. Shooting in both orientations, portrait, and landscape, is a consolation for not having a super-wide lens.

I moved closer to the Chasse and shot upward, creating a more dramatic perspective. I often like to perspective-correct images to give an accurate architectural perspective. However, tilting the camera without any correction can create more drama, as we see here.

The second photo is the details of the support structure underneath.

Though I primarily concentrated on architecture, I shot some street photography, including the other tourists. These images give context to the space and a better idea of what the chapel is like.

The elaborate rose window dominates the rear, the only wall that isn’t mostly stained glass. We also see an up-close detail of the side wall.

From the rear of the chapel, I shot upwards to include the ceiling. The deep blue with the golden accents is not simple by most standards but seems minimalist compared to the windows.

Finally, I returned to the lower chapel, where I started the coverage a few days ago. This statue of Louis IX occupies the prime spot on the lower level, with the darker light level and deep color creating a moodier experience — it’s a notable counterpoint to the airy and over-the-top color of the upper chapel.

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