Churches visited:First Baptist Church, 217 Main St., Haverhill, MA Brookridge Community Church, 232 Main St., Haverhill, MA Trinitarian Congregation Church, 72 Elm St., North Andover, MA Trinity Episcopal Church, 26 White St., Haverhill, MA Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 165 South Main St., Bradford, MA First Church, 4 Georgetown Rd., Boxford, MA Second Congregational Church, 173 Washington St., West Boxford, MA First Church Ipswich, 12 Meetinghouse Green, Ipswich, MA United Methodist Church, 31 North Main St., Ipswich, MA St. Michael’s Catholic Church, 196 Main St., North Andover, MA Chapel, Northpoint Bible College, 320 South Main St., Bradford, MA St. James Church, 185 Winter St., Haverhill, MA First Congregational Church, Andover St., Georgetown, MA Universalist Unitarian Church, 15 Kenoza Ave., Haverhill, MA Holy Apostle Greek Orthodox Church, 154 Winter St., Haverhill, MA First Church of Christ, 10 Church St., Bradford, MA |
Jesus StatueGod’s House
Community CenterHigh Points on the HillIlluminating
Time for ChurchReaching to the Heavens
Pointing the WayRising AboveKingdom of HeavenUp to the Heavens
Fancy steeple and bell tower
Perils of Evil
Greek door
Telling a storyMother of God
Impressive Church Stairway to Heaven Modern Stained Glass Illumination
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I started with Jesus because he is the reason for all the churches. He stands out front of the church and welcomes people in. I tried to show the contrast of the white statue against the red brick church.
Churches are the House of God and so they had to be big not only to accommodate a lot of people inside, but also as symbol to God’s power. This Church was built in the early 19th century. It is not huge today, but was when it was built it was a small farming community and this building was the focal point of the village.
I chose to shoot the full view of the white church and liked how the sunlight made the details show. For over 125 years this church has been religious and cultural center of Georgetown. I photographed this church because it is fancier than the earlier churches. Notice it has features like the three windows that point the eyes upward. The number three is important in Christianity. It represents the Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The house in the background is there to show the how big this building is. Founded in 1633, this site has been the place for several church buildings. The 19th century church burned down in 1965. This modern building sits in the middle of the Historic District. I chose to highlight its simple design against the bright sky. Built during the modern space age the steeple has the rocket like profile. It is a large and impressive building sitting on a hill and when you look at it your eyes go up towards heaven.
The large white 19th century church is illuminated at night and makes a stark contrast against the dark sky. This one was challenging because the spot lights were very bright but only lit up the lower half of the building.
This impressive multi-sided clock is on top of the Brookridge Church in Haverhill. It sits up on a hill and still is a landmark. Clocks were expensive in the 19th century and most people did not have watches. This big clock could be seen for long distances so there was no excuse to miss church. I chose to focus on the clock details instead of the whole tower.
Sitting next to the Bradford Common, this church has tall steeple that can be seen from far away. The original steeple rotted and was replaced by a molded copy that would last longer. It was such an important landmark that people from outside the church donated money to replace the steeple. This one was shot at dusk when the lower part of the church was in shadow
The weathervane on top of the old Boxford church is useful and gets people to look up towards the heavens.
I decided to convert this to black and white to show off the contrast in the sky. Even church towers that were built over a hundred years ago still rise above the modern landscape. It helps when they were built on hills like these two. I left the telephone pole in to show the way the steeples compete with telephone poles and wires.
Many churches like one were built with elements that look like castles because they represented strength and the Kingdom of God. This image focuses on the castle elements.
The doorway and bell tower of the massive brick church force the eye to the sky. I tried to give a sense of height with this image.
The very tall fancy steeple and bell tower look even high because the church sits on a hill in the center of town. Notice how all the architectural elements point up. I tried to capture all the details of the steeple.
On the First Baptist Church in Haverhill there are mythical creatures called chimera hanging off the tower. A gargoyle is only one kind of chimera. The mythical grotesque figures were used to decorate buildings and were placed on churches to remind church members of the perils of evil. I highlighted the chimera because driving by you might not see it.
Two peacocks drinking from a chalice symbolizes rebirth and angels. This symbolism was found on a carved door panel of the Greek Orthodox Church. This was a challenging day because it started to rain and I looked for elements that were interesting and dry.
The triple window in Trinity Church tells the story of Jesus and the resurrection. It is symbolic that it is three windows. The arches represent the boat from Noah’s ark. This church is very dark and I used a tripod and slow speed.
This stained glass window relates to the birth of Jesus. Many old churches have stained glass windows that told bible stories because many people that went to the church could not read. I used a tripods and high ISO.
Some wealthy people would help pay for fancy elements like this stained glass window because they wanted to make their church look impressive. This window is from the Trinitarian Congregational Church in North Andover that was built with money from mill owners just after the Civil War. I tried to show the window as a person leaving the sanctuary would see it.
Stained glass windows represent the jewels of the heaven and this staircase looks like you can walk up to heaven. I had to edit this one carefully to keep the window light from being over exposed.
The First Church in Ipswich has really unusual bold contemporary stained glass windows. The architect designed it is that the church sanctuary is filled with colors at different times of the day. The downside was that there was pink light in the room.
Windows create a kaleidoscope effect on the floor along the edges of the pews. This is the natural light coming in from the windows. I used a tripod and a higher ISO. The decorative organ pipes in the church look like crown. Music is important in churches and this symbolism connects to the music rising to the heavens. This one was shot from a distance and edited to feature the details.
Music is still important in churches today. This antique music stand is still used every week at the First Congregation Church in Boxford. I used a tripod and higher ISO. The sanctuary at the Second Church is very simple with wooden benches. It was a transition building from meeting house to church. There are large windows let in natural light and highlight the simple details. I was able to support the camera on a pew and take this one.
A sanctuary is place inside a church for worship. It also is a safe place. Since opening in 1838 the sanctuary at the First Church Boxford has been a place for people of faith to come and practice their religion. I shot this from the balcony and used a higher ISO because there was limited natural light from the windows.
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