Churches in Black and White

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6 responses to “Churches in Black and White”

1. 

   hmunro

   November 3, 2011

   “How best to portray them – in color or in black and white?” I like the black and white images better. As beautiful as those saturated colors may be, they distract from the geometrical elements that make these buildings (and your photos) so interesting. Gorgeous work, Joe.

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   1. 

      joebecker

      November 3, 2011

      Thanks hmunro. And yes, you make a good point about the color distracting from the geometric elements. I am attracted by the clean lines and shapes, which show better in B&W.

      Reply
2. 

   Christopher Cox

   November 4, 2011

   Lovely images, Joe. As a Catholic priest, I love churches. I live in them. We photograph what we love, and, hence, I have a lot of photos of churches. Can you share any thoughts on composing images of churches? What do you look for? How do you try to see them?

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   1. 

      joebecker

      November 7, 2011

      Thank you for the comment Father Cox (or do you go by Father Chris?). I’ve been to a lot of churches too, though I haven’t lived in them. I was raised Catholic and spent several years as an altar boy. Every year my parents loaded us all into the car and took a road trip somewhere in the West (think big, old Ford station wagon loaded with kids pulling a tent trailer). When on the road, we usually visited the local church on Sunday. Plus, of course, we saw a lot of churches as tourists. So, I have many years of taking photos of churches.

      There are basically two types churches I like to photograph. The ones shown here all fall in one type – those that show simple, pleasing geometries. I look for geometric forms, cubes, squares, arcs, crosses, etc. And I like contrast and texture. When taking an image, I try to isolate the geometric forms that attract me so not to clutter up the photograph. That often means taking images of just portions of the church building. Crosses are often easy to isolate against the sky. Such isolation can also be done with color or contrast (white cross against a dark background for example). I also like the symbolism of the cross (being a spiritual person), though showing the symbolism isn’t required because a cross makes a nice graphic element within the frame. Overall, my composition is to emphasis the geometric forms.

      The other type of church I like to shoot is ornate ones, such as cathedrals. These I also try to isolate from distracting surroundings. . They also have lots of geometric elements to incorporated into the photographic frame, but because these churches have so much complexity, it can be harder to do. Often with these types of churches I’ll look for details to emphasis, such as a statue or stone carvings on the sides or roof. Of course, detail shots also work well for simpler churches as well. Doors and windows are details I often shoot. I like to include doors in an image because it adds an element of humanity to the image without actually incorporating people in. I’m not opposed to having people in the frame, but they need to be doing something to give the image life – not just standing around like tourists. Look here for an example. Open doors are a particular thing I look for, since they invite the viewer into the photo.

      One more thought, when photographing a church you need to look at it from all sides and see what the light is giving you. As I mentioned, I like to show contrast and texture. Often the light falling on one side of a church will show this much better than an other. Not all the best shots are from the front. For example, perhaps the most famous shot of the San Fransicso de Asis mission in Rancho de Taos is not from the front like mine above, but shot from the back (by Ansel Adams).

      I hope this gives you an idea of how I approach composing shots with churches. They really are one of my favorite subjects.

      Reply
3. 

   Christopher Cox

   November 8, 2011

   Thanks, Joe, for a very thoughtful reply. Recently, i was asked by the Archdiocese to photograph the five historic churches of Santiago. They want a catalog of images, so, in itself, it is not the most exciting assignment. However, I get free reign and can take the photographs that I want. Also, in some of the churches, the staff take me everywhere (literally). I was on the roof and in the bell tower of one. I have been given a very wide access.

   I particularly try to capture, if I can, people interacting with the place. A hand dipped into a holy water font. (Although the light is often low, making for a difficult shot as the hand moves relatively quickly.) I do not use flash, and I try not to interrupt, as they are places of prayer. I also love the ornate detail on candles and statues and chalices.

   I am drawn to your exterior photography, as I find my photos outside of churches are boring. I have yet to really get the angle right. I sometimes think that the daylight may be the wrong time of day, too. At the same time, it has provided some interesting adventures. I got on the roof of a tall building that overlooks the Cathedral in Osorno, Chile. I had a flight on a police helicopter in Santiago, able to catch some photos while they ran their patrol route.

   Again, thank you for your generous reply! (And I go by Fr. Chris or just Chris, whatever seems most comfortable to you.)

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4. Santa Fe Revisited « joebeckerphoto

   January 26, 2012

   […] on their home page (you may recognize this photo, which I posted in black and white in a previous post). You can read the article here. While several images are embedded in the story, there is an […]

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