churches Archives - Page 3 of 4 - Pittsburgh Maternity, Newborn & Family Photographer

Smithfield United Church of Christ

March 20, 2009/by kmiller

The sanctuary of Smithfield United Church of Christ is on the second floor of the building. A church custodian told me that when the church was built in the ‘20s, it was decided that the sanctuary should be above street level to put some distance between it and the riffraff on the streets of downtown Pittsburgh. This church has a very ornate ceiling. Apparently the congregation that built the church structure was predominately made up of German immigrants, hence the German inscriptions at the front and back of the sanctuary: Glory to God in the highest and God bless this city.

My favorite image of the day is this view of the sanctuary through a small window with a reflection of Christ’s imagine from the stained glass windows opposite the doors to the sanctuary.

First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh

March 9, 2009/by kmiller

I went to First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh on my lunch hour today and the sanctuary was completely empty. I felt like I was all alone except that I could hear a faint buzz of activity in the church’s large cafeteria below. Two things struck me about this church: it has gorgeous woodwork and a massive organ. The sanctuary is completely symmetrical, other than the pulpit to the right of the altar. Something about this church made me feel like I could have been far away from home. Maybe it was the solitude that made me feel that way. Regardless, the church is very beautiful and I can’t imagine what it would cost to build such a structure today. It’s truly a work of art and an act of worship to create such a beautiful church. First Presbyterian is adjacent to Trinity Cathedral and across the street from The Duquesne Club on Sixth Avenue downtown and a sandwich board on the sidewalk in front of the church advertises daily lunch specials as “the best kept secret in the ‘burgh.”

First Presbyterian sanctuary

Organ at the back of the sanctuary

Stone sign at the wall along the sidewalk

The church exterior is made of beautiful stone and accented with gothic lanterns.

A gargoyle and drainage pipe.

St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic Church

March 4, 2009/by kmiller

On Wednesday, I visited St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic Church, the one off of Route 28 in Millvale, Pa. This will likely be the most unusual of entries for my project, The Churches of Pittsburgh. Just look at some of the photos from this shoot and I’m sure you’ll agree. I photographed each of the murals before a crowd of students arrived for a tour. The tour guide, Mary, met me there early and was very gracious to accommodate me. She is a life-long member of the church and will tell you that her mother was the first child to be baptized there. She is a veteran tour guide and takes her role seriously. Mary dimmed the lights because she uses two large spotlights to emphasize talking points during the tour and, she added, “because it’s a more dramatic presentation.” I used a wide-angle lens on a tripod before the tour and a telephoto lens during it to capture some of the detail I overheard as Mary guided the group from one mural to the next. You could see all the murals from the center of the moderately sized sanctuary.

Artist Maxo Vanka was a Croatian immigrant who completed the first set of murals in 1937. The tempera paintings portray iconic scenes of the Croatian Catholic faith with social commentary on war, society and life in general for immigrants at that time.

What blows my mind is the fact that Vanka was an atheist. I can’t imagine clergy commissioning an artist who doesn’t share the faith of the church. Anyhow, that’s my very small thought in this great, big world. The murals have been around a lot longer than I have and still attract tourists and regulars for mass. It just didn’t feel like an atmosphere that inspired me to worship.

Mary, our tour guide, pointed out that Vanka painted Mary, the blessed mother, with “peasant hands.” I am thoroughly confused about why Mary is at the center of most sacred art. Yes, she is the mother of our savior by virgin birth, but my understanding holds Jesus to be at the center of everything. And why pray to Mary when we can go directly to God? The script above the altar reads, “Mary, queen of Croations, pray for us.”

Trinity Cathedral

March 3, 2009/by kmiller

I went to Trinity Cathedral during my lunch hour today. It is one of the two massive churches located on Sixth Avenue across the street from The Duquesne Club in downtown Pittsburgh. Although I remember when Trinity Cathedral was mostly black with soot from our city’s industrial days, its stone exterior has since been cleaned and it probably looks as good as it did when the church was completed in 1872. The church is of the Episcopal denomination and part of the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh. Like many downtown churches, it offers a warm environment during the day for the city’s homeless. For the 30 minutes or so that I was inside, there must have been at least 20 people sitting in the pews. Some were snoring and others were mingling in a loud cluster at the back of the church.

Anyhow, back to the photography. I try to limit myself to 30 minutes inside the church because it usually takes me 15 minutes each way to get there and back from my office. Today I was working on some HDR or high dynamic range photos using several exposures to capture a greater depth of brightness and darkness. This requires a tripod and then I take the photos to my computer to merge them and come up with one photo that I feel mimics what you actually see in person. I like replicating real life as much as possible. Some photographers are very talented at exploiting this technique for exaggerated effects.

I didn’t photograph any people in the church. Some photographers I know take offense at photographing the homeless, but I feel differently. They are people like everyone else. I think they have a story, just like any other pedestrian on the street. Their stories are sad and I’m not capitalizing on them, I’m simply creating a visual that speaks their needs and frustrations for others who might not have thought about what life is like for them. My reason for not photographing the homeless today was technical. People do not make good subjects for HDR photography because they move.

This is the front of the sanctuary at Trinity Cathedral.

A view of the back of the sanctuary at Trinity Cathedral.

According to the church’s Web site, it’s made of steel, glass and aluminum in honor of Pittsburgh’s major industries.

According to the church’s Web site, this cross made of steel, glass and aluminum in honor of Pittsburgh’s major industries.

Saint Mary on the Mount

March 1, 2009/by kmiller

On Saturday morning I spent a few hours at Saint Mary on the Mount atop Mt. Washington. It is a beautiful Catholic church. I met a very sweet woman who talked with me for a few moments about what brought her back to her Pittsburgh roots and recalled visiting with her parents at the regatta one summer when she was unsure of what was ahead for her and her children as she and her husband had recently been divorced. While standing in Point State Park, she looked at Mt. Washington and saw the church aglow. She mentioned the number of years that she’s been going to the church and while I can’t quite remember how long she said it was, I know it’s been a long time. The church, to her, was a sign from God to move back to Pittsburgh from a city several states away. She was very happy to tell me what the church means to her.

Here are a few favorites from my shoot: