How To Photograph Angel Statues
Serene expression on this angel statue at Melbourne General Cemetery.
Angel statues are beautiful and have fascinated me since I was a child.
Over the years I’ve really enjoyed making photos of all manner of different subject matter. Slowly but surely an interest in photographing statues, including representations of angels, has found its way into my repertoire.
I’m writing this post to help you make great photos of angels on your own travels, whether you find them in distant lands or during local explorations of your own neighborhood.
Beautiful Angel Images
Angels have long interested artists, scholars and philosophers.
I find the concept of angels fascinating and really love photographing beautiful representations of angels, whether in the form of statues or depicted in more contemporary forms like street art.
Whether real or fictional angels are wondrous creations that have long appeared in myth and legend and in various religions, including the following:
Christianity
Judism
Islam
Buddhism
Zorastrianism
Sikhism
Islam holds that angels are spiritual beings that are made of light.
Described as guardian angels in Catholicism and as patron angels in the Zoroastrian religion, angels are commonly considered to be divine emissaries.
Many religions hold to the belief that angels are sent down to earth to provide assistance and protection to humanity and to guide us along a righteous path.
Doctor Who Angel Statues
Are you a Doctor Who fan? Did you see that particularly spooky episode titled Blink featuring the race referred to as the Weeping Angels?
The race in question were predatory creatures that resemble stone statues when being observed.
If you kept staring at them they remained still, but as soon as your gaze averted they’d move closer and closer until, eventually, they killed you.
Yikes!
The Weeping Angels featured in the following three Doctor Who episodes:
Blink
Flesh and Stone
The Time Of Angels
What do angels really look like? Beautiful street art angel in Melbourne.
What Do Angels Really Look Like?
Do angels exist or are they fictitious creations that form part of a great tapestry of myth designed to help explain that which is unexplainable?
I know not, but I believe photography is an act of creation and the process of making photos allows me to bring to life objects like those depicted in this post.
I like to think that these photos, like all of my best images, explore our relationship with that which exists on the edge of our understanding.
I photographed the above image of an angel on the side of a wall at the Brunswick Street Oval.
It’s the former home of the now defunct Fitzroy Football Club from the days of the former Victorian Football League (VFL) in Melbourne, Australia.
It’s a lovely piece of street art and my photo acts to both celebrate and preserve it.
Statue of St. Michael the Archangel in Melbourne General Cemetery.
St Michael the Archangel
I remember being really impressed by this statue of St. Michael the Archangel in the Melbourne General Cemetery.
In the Western art tradition angels often appear as enlightened beings that act as intermediaries between heaven and earth.
The powerful spiritual being that Catholics refer to as St. Michael the Archangel is a case in point.
I remember making this photo and how, by photographing from a low angle of view, I hoped to emphasize the sense of power and authority I felt was imbued in this statue.
Angel statues in a niche above the entrance to the Pantheon, Paris.
Photographing Angel Statues
Since my childhood I’ve been drawn to angels and have photographed their representations in stained glass windows and statues, particularly in churches and cemeteries, all around the world.
I have no idea whether angels exist or not. I’m just happy to live in a world of possibilities and I find that, by minimizing contact with dogma, I’m able to remain open to experience.
I discovered this lovely niche above the entrance to the Pantheon in Paris. The angel statues were so well preserved and I was really excited to be able to create this photo.
The scene is rich in narrative and depicted, much like a stage play, framed within the boundaries of the niche.
I saw this scene in much the same way as we create photographs: within a moment in time.
I've worked hard to expand the subtle tonal variations within the image and also to enhance the sense of light that brings out the shapes and textures within the scene.
It's a photo of a group of statues that are depicting an event in Christian mythology. But it's also a study in composition exploring elements such as the following:
Line
Shape
Texture
Repetition
Balance
Angel statue holding an hour glass in La Recoleta Cemetery, Buenos Aires.
Angel Statue in La Recoleta Cemetery
Likewise this statue of an angel holding an hourglass at La Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires, Argentina drew my attention.
I knew at the time I exposed this image that a black and white photo would result.
It was a compelling sight, framed by the columns surrounding it and illuminated by the light raking across the statue.
Did you know that the hourglass is symbolic of time passing death and also of father time?
Angel Photography - Challenge Yourself
I love photographing statues, street art and stained glass windows depicting angels and other religious figures.
In fact I often look out for opportunities to photograph angel statues and stained glass windows in churches and cemeteries when I'm traveling the world.
Here’s just a few of the concepts and elements your own photos of angel statues could explore.
Narrative and story
Power and prestige
Religion
The Human Condition
Shape and texture
Beauty
Divinity
Perhaps the next time your travels take you to a city park, church or cemetery you might consider photographing some statues. With any luck you’ll find an angel amongst them.
Photographing Cemeteries
If you’re interested to know more about how I photograph statues, including those of angels, then you’ll love this special eBook I created on the subject.
The title Photographing Cemeteries explores the states of transience, transition and transformation that occur when we fully commit ourselves to the creative process through the art of photography.
The eBook featuring photos from six continents and a series of short essays covering the technical and creative choices that underpin these images.
Very much a work of love I created this publication to help you along your own creative path.
For more details please click the image directly above.
