St. James Cathedral steps lead directly towards the monumental western façade of Šibenik’s UNESCO-listed cathedral. The limestone staircase guides the eye towards the Gothic portal and large rose window above it.
By the time I took this photograph, the weather in Šibenik was gradually deteriorating. The afternoon sky was covered in uninteresting clouds and the sunlight was mostly gone. I decided to embrace the conditions and create a bright, high-key black-and-white image. The monochrome treatment shifts attention towards the stone, repeating lines and architectural forms.
However, photographing the staircase in the heart of historic town filled with crowds required some patience. I combined a 10-stop ND filter with a polarising filter to extend the exposure to 25 seconds. Moving pedestrians therefore disappeared during the exposure, but I still had to wait for quieter moments when as few people as possible were walking up and down the steps.
The Cathedral of St. James took shape between 1431 and 1535 and represents an extraordinary transition from Gothic to Renaissance architecture. Three successive master builders contributed to its design, while stone serves as both its structural and decorative material. UNESCO inscribed the cathedral on the World Heritage List in 2000 because of its unique construction and successful fusion of Gothic and Renaissance forms.
The western façade visible above the St. James Cathedral steps also reflects this long construction history. Builders completed its characteristic trefoil form between the late 15th and early 16th centuries, while the large rose window was added in 1555, the same year the cathedral was consecrated.
Copyright Milan Hutera, 2026. All Rights Reserved.
