Architectural Photography: How to Capture the Dramatic Height of Bourges Cathedral
As an architectural photographer, I’m often faced with the challenge of visually conveying massive vertical spaces. During my visit to the Saint-Étienne Cathedral of Bourges, this issue immediately presented itself. The interior of this Gothic structure, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, impresses with its soaring height, slender vaults, and the colorful light filtering through its medieval stained glass windows. My main goal with this series was to capture that sense of vertical momentum.
A Gothic nave among the tallest in France
The Cathedral of Bourges boasts one of the most striking interiors of French Gothic heritage. Its central nave, built without a transept, extends unbroken toward the choir, framed by a rhythm of massive pillars and pointed arches. This uninterrupted verticality creates a rare sense of depth and elevation. From the ground, the eye is naturally drawn upward to the ribbed vaults, sometimes tinted with violet light from the stained glass. My goal was to translate that vertical feeling without distorting it through the use of extreme wide-angle lenses.
A tilt-shift lens to avoid distortion
For this series, I used the Canon TS-E 17mm f/4, a tilt-shift lens mounted on my Nikon Z8 using a Fringer EF-NZ adapter, as Nikon currently doesn’t offer a 17mm tilt-shift lens. This type of lens is especially suited to indoor architectural photography. It allows vertical lines to be preserved without distortion—essential when photographing columns, arches, and ribbed vaults that structure the space.
Filtered light and subtle colors
One of the most captivating aspects of the cathedral is the quality of its interior light. Depending on the time of day, rays filter through the antique stained glass and cast tones ranging from gold to deep violet on the walls and vaults. These light effects give the space an almost mystical dimension. One of my favorite images shows the central vault tinted with violet reflections, taken handheld as the natural light was sufficient in mid-afternoon.
Composing with symmetry and lines
Beyond lighting, compositional discipline is crucial. The columns, pointed arches, triforiums, and vaults offer remarkable geometry that I aimed to honor and highlight. Some images are taken straight on, others from low angles, always with the intent to make the sense of elevation tangible. Centered framing, converging lines, and repeated architectural patterns help create a visually coherent rhythm.
A lesser-known but exceptional cathedral
Less visited than Notre-Dame de Paris or Reims, Bourges Cathedral deserves the attention of anyone passionate about Gothic architecture. Its transept-less layout, double side aisles, 13th-century stained glass, and above all the balanced volumes make it an ideal playground for experimenting with wide-angle interior photography. This photo series helped me refine my technical choices to better convey the emotion felt in front of such a monumental structure.
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All the photos displayed on this website are copyright protected © Sebastien Desnoulez. No use allowed without written authorization.
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