Discussion thread on the May 2026 theme: Staircases (page 1 of 5)

If you’ve already posted your three photos in the contest thread Staircases: May 2026 Photo Contest Theme and a fourth one comes to mind, you can ease your staircase obsession here.

A few examples of staircases:



Some of the 6,600 steps on the staircase leading to the summit of Jade Emperor Peak at 1,545 meters.



Emergency staircase at the Orléans library (France).



Brussels street artist Créons incorporates the staircase into the dress design of his character.



The staircase is part of the roof of Villa Malaparte (Adalberto Libera) on the island of Capri (Italy).

Hello,

Are ladders allowed?

Good evening,

My answer to your question is—at first glance—no... but it really depends on the specifics.

This thread is for posting photos that might be on the borderline of the proposed theme.

Upload your staircase photo here and ask whether it could fit in the contest thread.

Example: this is a staircase used to reach the living floor of a "long house" in Indonesia. Royal Museum of Art and History, Cinquantenaire, Brussels.



Here’s another one that better shows its use: entrance to a Dayak long house in the village of Ekeng, Kalimantan (Indonesia).

My answer to your question is—at first glance—no...

No worries, I think I can find some decent photos of staircases.

The entire Noravank Monastery.

A staircase that Raga probably knows since it's in Brussels...

Some of the 6,600 steps on the staircase leading to the summit of Jade Emperor Peak at 1,545 m

I realize that the 654 steps to the Neptune’s Caves (Sardinia) are really nothing to write home about

Hi there,

A monumental reinforced concrete staircase leading to "my Palace" ... 🙂





...

Hi Raga,

I just read your message and now I’m wondering if my photo no. 2 (in the contest) really fits the theme or not—that is, ladder or staircase...

You’re the judge, so do your thing; I’ve got no problem removing it if needed...

hgb

Photo: Djenné, Mali. View of the neighboring courtyard

Live photo, taken this afternoon:

Sultanhani Caravanserai Mosque, Turkey



The staircase isn’t accessible…

And the entrance to the site is gorgeous, even though it’s totally off-topic 😉

Good evening!

Photo: Bamako, Falajé district, Mali: At lunchtime, at my Bambara teacher’s family home. We’re preparing the meal...



hgb

Gorgeous mosque!

More on topic, the rituals on the *ghāṭs* (steps leading down to the sacred waters) of Lake Pichola in Udaipur. Fresh photo.

To comment on photo #2 (which I posted in the contest), I would have preferred to post this one.



Unfortunately, there was something inside the lens (dust?) that created a spot on all the photos taken during this trip. I don’t know if there are tools to "erase" this kind of spot. So, too bad for this photo. To illustrate my explanation about the riser of this staircase, here’s a... riser.

Following up on my photo #2... While reviewing my photos, I wondered why I have such a great memory of this hike, even though I hate stairs—there are so many of them! But it’s absolutely stunning 😎 (São Lourenço in Madeira)

To follow up on your photo 3, the outdoor stairs at Batu Caves with that tiny statue 😛

In addition to my photo No. 2....

Hi Muriel, Unless I'm having vision problems or a bug... if photos No. 1 (Orgosolo) and No. 3 (Batu Caves) are there, I don’t see photo No. 2, which—if I followed correctly—should be São Lourenço!

Hi Jérôme Oops! I’ll double-check... it was showing up when I "previewed," but not everything was working properly on VF this morning 🤪 Thanks anyway for letting me know 😉

Actually, it’s the whole message that isn’t showing up (I thought it was just the photo) 😎 I’ll repost it...

And the other way around ;)