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Charles Brooks Photographer @charlesbrooks.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

Inside a #stradivarius #violin from 1717. I was so nervous to photograph this $10 million+ instrument!!! What do you think of the result?

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Charles Brooks Photographer @charlesbrooks.bsky.social · 13/04/2025

First-ever photo of the interior of a 1717 Stradivarius violin—crafted from 257 frames using medical endoscopes. A milestone in the Architecture in Music series. Featuring the ex Hämmerle – ex Baumgartner. #Stradivarius #Violin #Photography #Luthier #MusicHistory #AIM

The instrument is the ex Hämmerle – ex Baumgartner, a 1717 masterpiece named after two of its distinguished former owners—Theodor Hämmerle, the Viennese industrialist and collector, and Rudolf Baumgartner, the Swiss conductor and founder of the Lucerne Festival Strings. Today, this historic violin continues its legacy in performance, played by celebrated Australian violinist Daniel Dodds, Artistic Director of the Lucerne Festival Strings.

The photograph was created using two custom-adapted medical endoscopes mounted on a Lumix camera, inserted carefully through the violin’s endpin. The final image is composed of 257 individual frames, precisely blended to capture the instrument’s full internal architecture in crystal-clear focus. The immersive sense of space is achieved through wide-angle composition, consistent depth of field, and carefully designed lighting.

This work was made possible thanks to the trust and support of many. Special thanks to Daniel Dodds and the Festival Strings Lucerne foundation for granting access to the instrument; luthier Rainer Beilharz, who delicately disassembled and reassembled the violin between performances; the Australian World Orchestra for facilitating the collaboration; and Tomasz Trzebiatowski for championing the project from the beginning.

Daniel Dodds (standing) and luthier Rainer Beilharz prepare the Stradivarius for its photo session.

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Charles Brooks Photographer @charlesbrooks.bsky.social · 05/04/2025

Step inside a rare Chitarra Battente, a type of early #guitar. Ancient craftsmanship meets modern photography. (Tho to be fair this instrument was made in 2005…) www.architectureinmusic.com #ChitarraBattente #InstrumentArt #MusicPhotography #Luthier #ArchitectureInMusic

Inside a Chitarra Battente photographed with laparoscope lenses through the strap button hole.

Photographer Charles Brooks at work with a Chitarra Battente.

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Charles Brooks Photographer @charlesbrooks.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

Choose a guitar to live in… #Martin, #Ibanez, #Hernandez, #Taylor. All of these photographed with medical endoscopy lenses for my Architecture In Music series. They’re available as prints… not as spaces for rent (sorry!) Feel free to share www.architectureinmisic.com #music #guitar #photography

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Charles Brooks Photographer @charlesbrooks.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

Inside a #ParticleAccelerator! Photographing the Cryogenic Undulator with medical laparoscopes at the Australian #Synchrotron. This tiny tunnel guides electrons near light speed, undulating like a cello string to generate powerful X-ray beams that reveal the hidden structures of our world.

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Charles Brooks Photographer @charlesbrooks.bsky.social · 18/02/2025

My boxed set of prints arrived from Germany today. Excited to see inside… #photography #classicalmusic #cello

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Charles Brooks Photographer @charlesbrooks.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

A nebula? Something more anatomical… this is an Australian Yidaki or #Didgeridoo. They’re not carved out by hand, but are eaten out by termites! Hence the organic structure. One of the most surprising instruments I’ve photographed. www.architectureinmusic.com #photography #australia #music

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Charles Brooks Photographer @charlesbrooks.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

This #viola was old before #Bach was born. It’s a splendid 1619 Amati, now in the hands of the New Zealand String Quartet. It started life as a larger instrument, getting resized in the early 19th century. From my www.architectureinmusic.com series. #classicalmusic #photography

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Charles Brooks Photographer @charlesbrooks.bsky.social · 09/02/2025

This #cello was hit by a train in 1929 and rebuilt… you don’t see that everyday. As a bonus every #luthier that’s worked on it since has left their signature inside! Part of my www.architectureinmusic.com series. #classicalmusic #photography

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Charles Brooks Photographer @charlesbrooks.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

Prints of the Lockey Hill #Cello (c1780) and a #Steinway grand #piano heading off to Italy and Sweden tonight. These are the smallest and largest standard sizes from my limited-edition runs. Architecture In Music

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Charles Brooks Photographer @charlesbrooks.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

A modern train station? Or the inside of a #steinway grand #piano… Steinway have become by far the most famous piano makers in history. There’s at least one in every major concert hall. Photographed with probe lenses for my Architecture In Music series. #classicalmusic #photography

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Charles Brooks Photographer @charlesbrooks.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

Hair follicles? A bamboo grove? These are the super-octave pipes of St Marks organ in Auckland, New Zealand. Usually hidden from view through a series of ladders and trapdoors. They’re each about 1cm wide. www.ArchitectureInMusic.com #classicalmusic #photography #macro

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Charles Brooks Photographer @charlesbrooks.bsky.social · 04/02/2025

Me & my #prints #photography from my Architecture In Music series, which explores the inside of rare instruments using specially adapted medical probe lenses. These are available to order at www.architectureinmusic.com #classicalmusic #cello #piano #clarinet #violin #pipeorgan

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Charles Brooks Photographer @charlesbrooks.bsky.social · 02/02/2025

A gold flute by Lillian Burkart. “the first lady of flute making,” and one of the most gifted #flute artisans of all time. Scratch marks from repeated cleanings, appear deep under magnification, but are almost invisible to the naked eye. #photography #classicalmusic www.architectureinmusic.com

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Charles Brooks Photographer @charlesbrooks.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

Inside a beautiful English Double Bass made by Charles Theress in 1860. All those little squares are cleats stopping cracks from spreading. This instrument has been used in the New Zealand Symphony since the 70s. Part of my Architecture In Music series. #photography #classicalmusic

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Charles Brooks Photographer @charlesbrooks.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

Whippen spoons and springs of a magnificent #steinway model d grand #piano. This was a very early shot in the series and one of the first that made me realise what an amazing world there is inside these secret chambers of music! www.architectureinmusic.com #photography #classicalmusic

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Charles Brooks Photographer @charlesbrooks.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

I just found out you can post videos to Bluesky… so here are the insides of some instruments! #martin #guitar #piano #pipeorgan #cello All from my Architecture In Music series. Full gallery and prints at www.architectureinmusic.com

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Charles Brooks Photographer @charlesbrooks.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

A futuristic laundromat? No. It’s the inner workings of a Fazioli Grand #piano. They only make around 100 of these a year, and they’re each comprised of around 11’000 parts! From my www.architectureinmusic.com collection #photography #classicalmusic

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Charles Brooks Photographer @charlesbrooks.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

The inner sound box of a pipe organ becomes a great metropolis under magnification! These are the super octave pipes, the smallest in the organ, under a centimetre wide. Part of my Architecture In Music series. www.architectureinmusic.com #classicalmusic #photography #pipeorgan

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Charles Brooks Photographer @charlesbrooks.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

A monolithic temple or the keys of a Steinway? One of the few photos of the outside of an instrument that have have it into my series… an early shot too, taken with a modified laowa probe lens. www.architectureinmusic.com #steinway #piano #classicalmusic

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Charles Brooks Photographer @charlesbrooks.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

One of my most challenging shots. The inside of an oboe is just 8mm in diameter. At this magnification the wood grain appears as giant crevices and the flecks of colour in the African Blackwood reveal themselves! www.architectureinmusic.com #oboe #classicalmusic #photography

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Charles Brooks Photographer @charlesbrooks.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

Inside a Parisian Violin crafted by Chappuy in 1770. This instrument has been through a lot, but we can see that every time it was damaged someone loved it enough to have it repaired, many times through the centuries! www.architectureinmusic.com #classicalmusic #violin

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Charles Brooks Photographer @charlesbrooks.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

The inside of a clarinet looks like something from an Arthur C Clarke novel… this is a fine Buffet Bass Clarinet, the golden glow at the end is light reflecting through the bell. Part of my Architecture In Music series. www.architectureinmusic.com

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Charles Brooks Photographer @charlesbrooks.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

The inside of a Steinway model D grand piano looks like a train station! One of my personal favourites from my Architecture In Music series. www.architectureinmusic.com

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Charles Brooks Photographer @charlesbrooks.bsky.social · 24/01/2025

Inside a stunning cello by Australia based luthier Rainer Beilharz. The fabric panels on the walls allow them to be thinner whilst still strong, making for a more resonant instrument. Part of my Architecture In Music collection. www.architectureinmusic.com #classicalmusic #cello #architecture

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Charles Brooks Photographer @charlesbrooks.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

The inside of a beautiful Martin D35 50th anniversary guitar. Photographed with endoscopy equipment! Part of my Architecture In Music series. www.architectureinmusic.com

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Charles Brooks Photographer @charlesbrooks.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

Inside a 225 year old French Violin by Augustin Chappuy. The instrument has been through the wars, literally and figuratively, each of those squares is stopping a crack from opening up. Now under restoration in New Zealand, the photo’s part of my Architecture In Music series #violin #classicalmusic

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Charles Brooks Photographer @charlesbrooks.bsky.social · 25/11/2024

Hi Bluesky. I’m that guy who photographs musical instruments from the inside. This is a Lockey Hill Cello from around 1780, completed just before his trial and execution for horse theft… Photographed using probe lenses and LUMIX cameras. From my Architecture In Music series.

The inside of a cello built in 1780 by Lockey Hill.

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