The Art of Architectural Photography 11-4-2014

There is something so appealing about looking through a window.  Looking into as well as out of a window gives me a sense of wonder.  Perhaps that is why I am a photographer.  Looking beyond the frame always seems magical to me and sparks my imagination to create my own world.

When I was a child, my family's narrow row house was in Borough Park, Brooklyn.  Down the street, on the corner, stood and still stands a small Roman Catholic Church.  Looking through the windows of the church held such mysterous beauty.  The exterior was stone and in the Gothic style.The interior was very dark with light streaming through jewel toned stained glass windows.  The glowing light made marvelous pools of colors within the velvety black space.  From the outside the reds, blues and yellows of the glass Biblical scenes shone like gems through the heavily mullioned casemet windows.
Smells of incense, candles and flowers drifted through the portals with organ music and Latin hymn singing.  Powerful sensory images for a child.

These have stayed with me and from time to time I chance upon a reminder like this beautiful Gothic Church in Brooklyn that I saw recently.  The colors of the stained glass gleaming from inside took me back to my childhood and inspired the same creative spark as long ago.

Black and white architectural photography.

To learn more about Gothic Church architecture and stained glass visit:
http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/english-gothic-architecture.html
http://brooklynhistory.org/blog/2010/12/10/church-of-the-saviour/
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/26/nyregion/a-brooklyn-church-uncovers-a-long-hidden-celestial-scene.html