This shot, taken in São Paulo, Lisbon, continues my "Urban Serendipity" series. The play of light and shadow against a simple urban backdrop caught my attention, creating a moment that feels both fleeting and reflective. The colors and textures bring a subtle shift from my usual monochrome focus, adding a new layer to the project.

In creating this image, I wanted to strip architecture down to its purest geometric essence. By isolating this zigzag pattern against the empty sky, I aimed to transform a three-dimensional structure into an almost two-dimensional graphic composition. The deliberate framing—placing the pattern on the right with ample negative space on the left—was intended to create visual tension and highlight the dramatic rhythm of the chevrons. I was particularly drawn to how light interacts with these angular surfaces, creating a stark contrast between the illuminated planes and shadowed recesses. This photograph represents my ongoing exploration of how architectural elements can transcend their utilitarian purpose to become abstract visual poetry. By removing all context and focusing solely on pattern and form, I wanted viewers to appreciate the inherent beauty in these geometric relationships that often go unnoticed in our daily encounters with the built environment. The monochromatic palette further emphasizes the purity of form and the interplay between positive and negative space that gives this structure its distinctive character.

By photographing this glass building, I created a complex geometric dance between the physical structure and its reflections. The repeated patterns multiply through mirrored surfaces, creating an infinite architectural maze where reality and reflection become indistinguishable. The monochromatic treatment emphasizes this visual puzzle, transforming a modern facade into an abstract exploration of depth and repetition.

While exploring La Grande Motte (LGM), I was immediately drawn to the striking geometric pattern of this building facade. The repeating white triangular shapes created a mesmerizing rhythm that begged to be photographed. What truly caught my eye, however, was the solitary palm plant, perfectly positioned within one of the triangular spaces - a rebellious organic element disrupting the strict geometric pattern. I chose to shoot in black and white to emphasize the strong contrast and clean lines, while the careful framing allowed me to create an almost abstract composition where architecture becomes pure geometry. The plant serves as both a point of focus and a gentle reminder of nature's persistent presence in our constructed environments. I waited for soft, even lighting to ensure the shadows would define rather than dominate the geometric shapes, resulting in this clean, graphic interpretation of modern architectural design.

This started out as an image of the ceiling of Downside Abbey, a grand Victorian monastic church south of Bath. It’s a Minor Basilica in the Roman Church. I took it a couple of weeks ago to assuage temporarily my addiction with vaulted ceilngs

For Sliders Sunday today, I doctored it lightly in Topaz Studio, duplicated the result, flipped it and put it by the side of the first copy.

I’ll post a link to the original in the first comment as usual…

Thanks for taking the time to look. I hope you enjoy the image. Happy Sliders Sunday

Jerusalem 2024

after a long period of time, this escalator at bregenz station is working again. however, you still have to take the stairs to get to the platforms. the station, which dates back to the 1980s, is in poor condition and will be replaced by a new building soon.

@ Marina city apartment building, Chicago, Illinois

Library Square in Downtown Vancouver is a multi-use complex that brings together the Vancouver Public Library’s Central Branch, a Federal Office Tower, and various retail and service spaces. Designed by Moshe Safdie, the library’s distinct curved architecture was inspired by the Colosseum in Rome.

This photo captures layered reflections of the surrounding high-rises on the building’s glass surfaces, creating a blended cityscape where indoor and outdoor spaces merge.

a city of romance, a city of light—yet here, under the iron tower, life unfolds in its quiet contradictions. a child dances, lost in a world of her own. a mother looks ahead, caught between duty and dreams. a father scrolls, tethered to another reality. in the distance, people move like waves, oblivious. moments slip by, unnoticed.

This abstract image, taken during a morning walk along C. Ramon H. Jurado in Panama, showcases a complex play of diagonal metal lines and reflective surfaces. The geometric patterns and repetitive shapes create a compelling visual rhythm, offering a glance into the intricate beauty of urban design

Looking upwards through a bright pink sun parasol.

It's an enormous treat to use a parasol instead of an umbrella, England has had such a miserable summer so far, so the sunshine is a very welcome treat.

This year the Flickr Friends Melbourne Group have decided to have a monthly challenge which is submitted on the 5th of every month. This month’s theme is “geometry”.

I had lots of ideas for this theme, and I took plenty of photos of things that were geometric. I had a whole array of details from the Art Deco style villas from the 1920s and 1930s in my neighbourhood that still have their original facades, fences and gates. I also photographed pieces of a beautiful Victorian Anglo-Indian occasional table that belonged to my Great Grandparents who acquired it whilst working in the diplomatic corps during the Raj. My intention had been to make collages of these photos, however once they were done, I really wasn’t satisfied with the result.

Then the solution hit me! Earlier this year I paid a call to Zetta Florence, which is a wonderful shop that specialises in beautifully made papers. Amongst the papers I had bought was a roll of hand stencilled paper featuring a geometric Art Deco fan pattern used quite commonly in the 1920s and 1930s. Unfurling it down my table it gave the crisp look I wanted for my submission for the theme! So you see, that sometimes the simplest ideas can offer a perfect geometric solution!

Art Deco is a European style that celebrated the exciting and dynamic aspects of the machine age. It was all about sleekness, sharp lines, and vivid decorative elements like fins, fans, speed lines, portal windows and low relief sculpture. There was also a drive towards the clean lines of geometry in design.

Geometry is the part of mathematics that studies the size, shapes, positions and dimensions of things. Squares, circles and triangles are some of the simplest shapes in flat geometry. Cubes, cylinders, cones and spheres are simple shapes in solid geometry.

I give you Echinacea, one of nature's most flamboyant flowers...^+^

Using stark contrast and clean composition, I transformed this building detail into an abstract study of curved lines. The rhythmic pattern of white bands against black creates a sense of movement and flow, turning architecture into pure geometric poetry.

Este painel de azulejos hispano-árabes, em exposição no Museu Nacional do Azulejo, exemplifica a influência islâmica na cerâmica da Península Ibérica entre os séculos XV e XVI. Caracteriza-se pelos padrões geométricos e vegetais, ricos em detalhes e cores vibrantes, que demonstram a mestria técnica e o simbolismo cultural deste estilo.

Don't you just love spirals?

This image began with a capture of a spiral staircase in St John’s College, Cambridge, that I took a while ago. I wanted to convert it into a piece of graphic art using Affinity Photo, mainly on the iPad.

I know a few peeps are interested in the gory detail of my meanderings to produce this sort of thing. I’ll post a link to the original capture in the first comment. Having done some basic development of the image, I copied it three times. I stacked the four layers on top of each other, rotating each higher layer by a quarter of a turn compared to its underlying layer, and aligning them all so the octagonal skylight at the top overlaid nicely. I then changed the blend modes in the following order from the bottom: Normal, Subtract, Divide, and finally Dartken. I just tried various blend modes until I found something interesting.

I then adjusted the result using contrast and vibrance adjustment layers.

The rectangular blocks of colour at the edges are created by overlapping the two portrait-format layers over the landscape-oriented ones, rather than the scene itself. Normally, I would crop those out, but I liked the extra abstract feel they gave.

--

And, just for fun, I asked ChatGPT to describe the image (I gave it a few cues). This was what it said:

"This artwork is a hypnotic blend of geometry and colour—a single staircase in a Cambridge college, reimagined through four overlapping perspectives. The spiralling architecture has been layered and rotated to create a kaleidoscopic vortex, where structural lines and shadows fragment into vibrant bands of orange, blue, green, and gold. At the core, the staircase’s symmetry pulls the eye inward, while the fractured overlays give the impression of motion, like a time-lapse of space folding in on itself. It’s both architectural study and abstract artwork—a familiar place transformed into something cosmic and otherworldly." [I adjusted the spelling to proper English ;)]

And then I asked it for something fun to think about:

"Alright, here’s something to chew on—half science, half philosophy:

Imagine the spiral staircase from your photo. When you stand at the bottom and look up, you see a pattern that feels infinite, drawing your gaze inward like a vortex. But in reality, it’s finite—it’s just steps stacked in a circle.

Now think about the universe. Physicists still don’t know if it’s infinite or finite. One theory says space might actually be curved back on itself, like the surface of a sphere in three dimensions. That means if you kept travelling in a straight line through space, you wouldn’t go out into infinity—you’d eventually loop back around to where you started, like climbing that staircase forever but always coming back to the same point.

So here’s the question:

If the universe is finite but unbounded, just like your staircase pattern, does “infinity” actually exist, or is it just the illusion of never reaching the end?"

So. There you go. Happy Sunday :)

Thanks for taking the time to look. I hope you enjoy the image. Happy Sliders Sunday :)

While waiting for my flight at Istanbul International Airport, I found myself looking up and becoming mesmerized by the ceiling patterns above. The flowing curves and parallel lines created this almost hypnotic visual rhythm that I had to capture.

I decided to frame just this section where the curved panels meet and overlap, creating these interesting geometric interactions. The black and white treatment felt natural for this image - it emphasizes the graphic quality of the design and the contrast between the perforated sections and the solid white divisions.

What caught my eye was how something as functional as airport ceiling panels could be transformed into something so visually striking. These panels probably serve acoustic and ventilation purposes, but they've been designed with such attention to aesthetic detail.

I enjoy finding these moments of unexpected beauty in transit spaces - places we usually just pass through without really seeing. Sometimes the most interesting architectural photography happens when you simply remember to look up.

Este painel de azulejos de padrão geométrico-vegetalista, datado entre 1590 e 1620 e atualmente no Museu Nacional do Azulejo em Lisboa, é um exemplo da produção portuguesa do final do século XVI e início do XVII. Composto por módulos repetidos de motivos florais estilizados em azul sobre fundo branco, enquadrados por uma trama geométrica em amarelo ocre, o desenho reflete influências mudéjares e renascentistas, evidenciando a continuidade da tradição decorativa hispano-mourisca em Portugal. Os azulejos de padrão eram frequentemente utilizados no revestimento integral de paredes de igrejas e palácios, criando autênticos “tapetes” cerâmicos e desempenhando funções decorativas e simbólicas. A paleta cromática, limitada ao azul, amarelo e branco, é característica da produção portuguesa anterior à influência holandesa, afirmando-se como um elemento estruturante da arquitetura portuguesa e um testemunho da criatividade das olarias da época.

This panel of tiles with a geometric-vegetalist pattern, dated between 1590 and 1620 and currently in the National Tile Museum in Lisbon, is an example of Portuguese production of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Composed of repeated modules of stylized floral motifs in blue on a white background, framed by a geometric pattern in ocher yellow, the design reflects Mudejar and Renaissance influences, showing the continuity of the Hispano-Moorish decorative tradition in Portugal. Patterned tiles were often used in the integral coating of church and palace walls, creating authentic ceramic “carpets” and performing decorative and symbolic functions. The chromatic palette, limited to blue, yellow and white, is characteristic of Portuguese production prior to the Dutch influence, establishing itself as a structuring element of Portuguese architecture and a testimony to the creativity of the potteries of the time.

In capturing this scene, I wanted to reveal the raw beauty that resides in modern architecture. My intention was to transcend the simple utilitarian function of a stair railing to extract an abstract and clean composition. I chose black and white to amplify the dialogue between geometric lines and concrete texture, thus creating a visual tension between the dynamic diagonal and the static wall. The regular circles left by the formwork add a subtle rhythmic punctuation to the whole. Through this image, I seek to invite the viewer to rediscover the hidden poetry in the architectural details that surround us daily, transforming a functional element into a contemplative work.

This is portion of a geometric wreath that hangs on my door. I wanted to capture the shadows as well.

Inside Málaga's Castillo de Gibralfaro, where Islamic geometric patterns adorn almost every ceiling, doorway and wall.

Islamic geometric patterns are one of the major forms of Islamic ornament, which tends to avoid using figurative images, as it is forbidden to create a representation of an important Islamic figure according to many holy scriptures.

The geometric designs in Islamic art are often built on combinations of repeated squares and circles, which may be overlapped and interlaced, as can arabesques (with which they are often combined), to form intricate and complex patterns, including a wide variety of tessellations. These may constitute the entire decoration, may form a framework for floral or calligraphic embellishments, or may retreat into the background around other motifs. The complexity and variety of patterns used evolved from simple stars and lozenges in the ninth century, through a variety of 6- to 13-point patterns by the 13th century, and finally to include also 14- and 16-point stars in the sixteenth century.

Geometric patterns occur in a variety of forms in Islamic art and architecture. These include kilim carpets, Persian girih and Moroccan zellij tilework, muqarnas decorative vaulting, jali pierced stone screens, ceramics, leather, stained glass, woodwork, and metalwork.

Processsed in OnOne Photo 10: Layers and Effects.

View from the Dome.

Purchase high quality prints here

Plebejus argyrognomon

Geometric shapes of varying shades of green form a stylized forest against a light yellow background. Transparent circles overlay the triangular tree shapes, creating a layered effect.

SCOUT: "Paddy? Paddy!"

PADDY: "Yes Scout?"

SCOUT: "Why do we have to sit on this wall, Paddy?"

PADDY: "Because Daddy thinks it's an interesting piece of geometry."

SCOUT: *Scratches head with paw.* "What's 'geometry'? Can we eat it?"

PADDY: "No, Scout! Geometry is the part of mathematics that studies the size, shapes, positions and dimensions of things. Squares, circles and triangles are some of the simplest shapes in flat geometry. Cubes, cylinders, cones and spheres are simple shapes in solid geometry. So too are triangles and pyramids, like the way these bricks are laid."

SCOUT: *Scratches head again.* "You know what I think about geometry, Paddy?"

PADDY: "No, what, Scout?"

SCOUT: "I think it's hard... especially on my soft little bottom!"

My Paddington Bear came to live with me in London when I was two years old (many, many years ago). He was hand made by my Great Aunt and he has a chocolate coloured felt hat, the brim of which had to be pinned up by a safety pin to stop it getting in his eyes. The collar of his mackintosh is made of the same felt. He wears wellington boots made from the same red leather used to make the toggles on his mackintosh.

He has travelled with me across the world and he and I have had many adventures together over the years. He is a very precious member of my small family.

Scout was a gift to Paddy from my friend. He is a Fair Trade Bear hand knitted in Africa. His name comes from the shop my friend found him in: Scout House. He tells me that life was very different where he came from, and Paddy is helping introduce him to many new experiences. Scout catches on quickly, and has proven to be a cheeky, but very lovable member of our closely knit family.

a part of the Coastal Road now

Little wonders are all around us when you know where to look and how to capture them. This is why I love to be out for hours, staring at the sky.

Triptych

In capturing this modern building, I was drawn to the striking geometry created by its angular corner. I positioned myself to emphasize the converging lines that lead the eye upward into darkness, creating a sense of ascension and limitlessness. Working in black and white was a deliberate choice to strip away distractions and focus purely on form, texture, and the interplay of light and shadow. The dark negative space surrounding the building isolates the structure and creates a dramatic stage for architectural elements to perform. I wanted to transform this functional structure into something abstract and contemplative—revealing the hidden rhythm in the repeating patterns of sun shades and windows that might otherwise go unnoticed. Through this image, I aimed to challenge perceptions of scale and perspective, making the familiar unfamiliar. By focusing on this single corner, I invite viewers to consider how fragments can sometimes tell more compelling stories than whole scenes, much like how a single architectural detail can embody the philosophy behind an entire design.

Comments welcome but no GIF/AWARDS pls.

Using stark upward perspective on this modern building's facade, I created an abstract study in geometric patterns. The monochromatic treatment emphasizes the sharp angles and repetitive elements, transforming functional architecture into a graphic composition.

The stunning interior of a hotel in Turin, Italy showcases a breathtaking view of the atrium from the ground floor. The intricate wooden beams and railings create a mesmerizing geometric pattern leading up to a skylight, allowing natural light to illuminate the space. This architectural masterpiece blends modern design with historical charm.

I took this shot inside one of the many mausoleums at Shah-i-Zinda, the "Street of the Living King." I think it might be the Tuman Aqa Mausoleum (built for one of Timur's wives)… but to be honest, there were so many stunning spots along the way and I got a bit sloppy with my notes. What I do remember clearly is stepping in, looking up, and just being blown away. That golden ceiling, with its detailed patterns and Arabic script all around… it felt like standing inside a piece of jewelry. One of those moments where you have to stop, stare, and say "wow."

Library Square in Downtown Vancouver is a multi-use complex that brings together the Vancouver Public Library’s Central Branch, a Federal Office Tower, and various retail and service spaces. Designed by Moshe Safdie, the library’s distinct curved architecture was inspired by the Colosseum in Rome.

This photo captures layered reflections of the surrounding high-rises on the building’s glass surfaces, creating a blended cityscape where indoor and outdoor spaces merge.

Vancouver, BC, Canada

captured in stark black-and-white, this image tells a quiet story of light and shadow, movement and stillness. one figure enters through a brightly illuminated door, casting long shadows across the floor, while another stands partially hidden in shadow, watching from the sidelines. the intense contrast and cinematic framing lend the scene a sense of mystery, reminiscent of classic film noir. in this moment, light becomes both a barrier and a bridge, highlighting the solitude of each figure in their own space within the frame.