Behind the Shot
The Duomo cathedral in Florence, Italy, is a building rich in history. It took a long time to create, though. Construction began in 1296, but the work did not come to an end until 1472. The facade was then torn down in 1588, and sometime between 1876 and 1887 the iconic dome and colors we see today were added.
When photographer Henrike Schenk visited Florence, she stayed near the Duomo and took morning walks each day to capture it in the soft early light. “The early morning is the best time to take photos because there are fewer people around,” she says. During these idyllic mornings, she would get coffee and have the Duomo almost all to herself.
The structure is huge – dwarfing anyone who stands in front of it. Schenk focused on just a portion of the Duomo, showing all the soft pastel colors and details in the architecture. From 1296 to the present, this Italian cathedral has truly stood the test of time.