What’s more, a visit back home allows me to spend time with my dear old mum, which is a huge bonus for me. Mary’s Catholic church in my hometown, Hamilton compared really well with those I've seen in other churches, cathedrals and cemeteries around the world.
STAINED GLASS WINDOW COLLAGE WINDOWS
I’ve had the good fortune to photograph stained glass windows in exotic locales around the world including the following sites:įrom my point of view the stained glass I've photographed in St. The way to prepare yourself to be able to make really beautiful photos, wherever you are, is to cultivate an ability to remain receptive and open to beauty, regardless of the location. And that’s particularly the case if making those photos required the use of a tripod. Needless to say I’d seek permission before photographing inside any church, temple or other religious bulding. What’s more I don’t have to move through highly trafficked airports or get on a plane to do so.
I remember photographing the stained glass windows at Notre Dame cathedral.ĭue to the horrible fire that engulfed Notre Dame Cathedral together with the recent and, to my mind, very sensible decline in overseas travel due to the Corona virus (COVID-19) I’m not able to photograph those windows today.īut there’s lots of churches around Melbourne, where I currently reside, with spectacular stained glass windows that I can quite easily photograph. Please don’t miss the opportunity to experience the beauty of stained glass windows in your own neck of the woods. It’s good to know that in our increasingly chaotic, troubled world that beauty resides all around us. However, while travel has opened me up to so many profound and meaning rich experiences, I’m happy to say that I find beauty wherever I lay my hat. I love to travel as it’s provided me with an education far beyond what I gained during all those years of formal, classroom bound education. We’re drawn to beauty, which is one of the reasons we dream of travel to exotic cities around the world. Beyond that it’s the Human Condition that’s explored in that artwork that I find particularly meaningful. It’s the purity of the color, and the relationship between those colors that, initially, attracts my attention.
I’ve long been fascinated by the beauty of religious stained glass windows. To illustrate scenes from the bible including stories from the life of Jesus and other religious figures through narrative and symbolism. One of the most recognizable features of Gothic architecture, from as far back as the 10th Century, churches made use of stained glass windows for two very specific reasons: In the case of stained glass windows small pieces of glass are then arranged to form patterns or pictures that are held together by strips of lead supported within a rigid frame.Ī silver strain is often applied to the side of the window that faces the outside of the building. You might be interested to know that color is added to the glass through the addition of metallic salts during manufacture. Regardless of the object in question its beauty is best appreciated when light passes through it. Stained glass is the term used to describe decorative windows and objects through which light passes. I’ve only been back a few times since the mid 80’s, including attending my dad’s funeral, and then again for the baptism of my niece Rachel’s first child, Ashton. I knew the old church quite well, originally being brought their on a weekly basis by my folks and then, later, during my days as a wedding photographer. The church was extended some time ago and, while it features a more contemporary worship space, most of the stained glass windows still reside in the original part of the church. It was then simply a matter of making subtle movements with my camera until I achieved the desire composition. In this case I liked the surreal quality given to the image as the reflections seemed to float in space in front of the stations of the cross on the background wall. Usually folks are keen to eliminate reflections in glass. Mary’s Catholic Church in my hometown, Hamilton in south eastern Australia. I photographed the stained glass windows in this post at St.
Mary's Catholic Church, Hamilton, Australia