A young photographer's journey around a church

A young photographer’s journey around a church

Published on: 1 May 2017

Lucy Thomas, aged 11, has two passions, drumming and photography. Here she shares her shots of a first-time visit to St Mary's, Burgh-next-Aylsham.

My Dad, who is an architect and also works with churches, took me on a trip one Sunday afternoon to see St Mary’s because he likes it and now I like it too! The church is beautiful and I was taken by its grand theme of colours, cream and gold. All the photos remind me how grand Christianity is and how holy and special churches are.

: I thought these two symmetrically patterned windows were beautiful and centred them so they don’t show from a strange angle like some of the other photos. They are sweet and simple. The chancel is the eastern part of the church and is home to the main altar. Although it is not easy to see through these windows, they look pretty from the inside as the sun makes the colours glow. The flints around these windows fit perfectly together and create a brilliant and beautiful background for these windows.

: This is one of the same chancel windows, but at an interesting angle. I love the reflection of the burning sun above on the glass and the strange, upward angle of this photo as if you are gazing up at it. The flints look smoother and clustered together from this angle and the whole picture looks smooth and simple, but pretty. This is probably my favourite picture.

: The dynamic shadows of the church and the cross make the scene make this a striking view. I loved the angle: as if looking up to this magnificent cross with the blinding sun above. Beautiful. The setting of the church is the graveyard and this one was an ocean of snowdrops. This is where most people are buried. It is quiet and peaceful. I love it.

: This is the jutting angle of the nave from the outside. This is an interesting upwards view of the two walls and windows up above. I love it because of its unusual composition. The sky above is a brilliant background for the picture and is a deeper colour than the sky in the other pictures. This is an intriguing angle for a photo and these walls are very interesting in the way they jut out.

: This door leads into and from the nave which is the main body of the church. I loved this door for its beauty: as if from a fairy tale. The flints around the arch of stone are clustered together and are a perfect backdrop to the door. The dark wooden planks of the door are laid vertically inside the arched stone frame. An elegant round knob is fixed to the handle.

: This is a chancel window shown from inside the church. If you look closely you can see intricate designs on the arches of stone. I love this window and the view it was shown from. This elegant window sends a beam of sunlight through the shadowed walls inside the church. It is against a plain wall and framed by arches of stone.

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May-June 2017

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