PHOTOGRAPHY

Architectural Photography

“A Window of Faith”

By Scott Alexander Varley

I chose this image as my favourite from 129 other photos taken in downtown Kingston. This is a “Religion” themed photo of one of the stained glass windows in St. Mary's Cathedral. This photo has an inspiring effect, an interesting contrast of light versus dark, and a feeling of hope.

Whenever I walk into St. Mary's Cathedral I feel inspired. There is something about the stained glass windows that gives me a different perspective on what may be on my mind. Looking into the window gives me a sense of awe. It is almost as if when you look into the window you can see the stories depicted in the window come to life and unfold in front of you. It gives me the desire to come up with my own creations of art that will inspire others.

The colour and light shining through the window is in a very strong contrast with the darkness surrounding the church. The darkness compliments the colour and the light in a manner that draws my eyes in to the centre. The darkness would presumably be a general, uninteresting shade, however in this case the shadows truly bring out the stained glass window in the centre. As I look at the shadows at first I am simply drawn into the centre of the image, to the stained glass window where I am lost in the colour and light.

Looking into the light shining through the window, bringing out all of the colour and feeling behind the stories depicted in the window, brings a feeling of hope to mind. It's as if the shadow surrounding the stained glass window represents the darkness in the human heart. The light represents the light of God, the hope in our hearts, fighting off the darkness in our minds. I am overjoyed with a new hope.

At first it seemed as if we wouldn't get to go inside the church. The class was trying to get out of the rain. It was a dismal, rainy, grey day. When we went into the church it was dark. Yet after our class took photos, it seemed to light up. The stained glass window lit up and shone brightly. The light seemed symbolic, for once we went outside, the rain had stopped and the clouds had cleared. Faith can always uplift your heart even on the worst of days.