Glory Window-8938
Thanks-Giving Square is the Chapel of Thanksgiving, a small, spiral tower that features an enclave for prayerful thanks. Inside the chapel, the spiral is topped...
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Thanks-Giving Square is the Chapel of Thanksgiving, a small, spiral tower that features an enclave for prayerful thanks. Inside the chapel, the spiral is topped with stained glass "Glory Window", one of largest horizontally mounted stained-glass pieces in the world. The window was designed by Gabriel Loire of Chartres, France to feature brighter colors as the spiral reached its apex, becoming brighter as it reaches the center. The window appears in a shot in director Terrence Malick's 2011 film The Tree of Life. ~ Wikipedia
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Aperture f/3.5 ISO 100 Shutter 1/13 Focal Length 18/1 
Feb, 2015Views
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Awards
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Betty_A
February 25, 2015
Thank you very much, waldomalan. As you may notice, I'm new on viewbug and just beginning to learn my way around.
Betty_A
February 26, 2015
Thank you for the awesome comment, Will. (I'm just now seeing which comments show up on the photo ... (or not).
Betty_A
February 05, 2016
Thank you very much. Sorry for the delay. I've been out of the country with no Internet. I can occasionally access with a small tablet.
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Bob5253
March 02, 2016
Lucky you to be able the capture such a masterpiece. Lucky me to be able to enjoy your photo. Great job!!!
Betty_A
March 23, 2016
Thank you very much, Sandra. I was out of the country when the news arrived and didn't have a computer. I'm truly honored.
Betty_A
April 25, 2016
Thank you very much, JD. I've been without a computer and just got a new one. Thank you so much for the wonderful compliment.
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Pamelabole
April 06, 2016
Gorgeous......that must have been amazing to gaze up to. Wonderful capture!! Thanks for sharing!! And congrats on your well deserved award!!! : )
Betty_A
April 25, 2016
Pamela, thank you so very much! It's a beautiful place. I had taken a similar photo 3 or 4 years ago before I was able to shoot in RAW and there's no comparison, lol. I thank you so much for your wonderful compliment and congrats.
jimfbauty
April 29, 2016
I made a stained glass lamp shade, so I can imagine the incredible effort that went into this structure... beautifulcapture.
Betty_A
April 29, 2016
Thank you very much, Jim. I can only imagine the amount of work in placing all those beautiful pieces of glass together. What a great sense of satisfaction that must have been. What makes this structure a little more difficult for a photo is the strong backlighting of the overhead sun pouring through with a rather dark interior. Thanks very much for the comment.
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FX777
June 19, 2016
I love spirals and this one makes me feel the colors too! Likewise, the picture composed of different techniques in exploring the essence of beauty.
Betty_A
June 19, 2016
Thank you so much, Fernando. You don't know how much I appreciate it. I was not able to get all the spiral in the lens. The strong sunlight shining through brought out the colors. Thank you again.
Dotti
June 20, 2016
Absolutely stunning photo. It takes my breath away. Keep up the good work! Dotti
Betty_A
June 20, 2016
Thank you so, so much, Dotti ! I'll try to live up to your wonderful comment ;-)
Ultimate
ericcriswell
September 08, 2016
Great shot and edit! I have a shot of this awesome ceiling as well! It's amazing how small that sanctuary is. It's a neat place to visit!
Betty_A
September 17, 2016
Eric, Thank you so much. Sorry it's been awhile since I've been back. I'm caught up in getting a business off the ground and don't have time for photography right now ;-( I love your page. You have great style. Yes, the Thanksgiving Chapel is very small. I really appreciate your great comment, and eventually hope to get back to my hobby of photography.
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Betty_A
November 21, 2016
Liesa, thank you sooo much! Sorry I haven't been around much lately. I'm working on other projects and hope to get back to photography in the next year! Thank you very much for your comment. Best wishes.
Betty_A
December 03, 2017
Leeanne, thank you so much. I guess it's obvious I'm not available much these days. I wish I had time for photography these days, but hope to again one day.
Betty_A
December 03, 2017
Thank you so very much, Julie. Wow, you commented on my b-day! Cool! What an awesome comment. I really appreciate it.
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Behind The Lens
Location
First of all, I'm totally honored to be asked about this photo. This was made inside the small, spiral tower of the Chapel of Thanksgiving in the garden called Thanks-Giving Square in Downtown Dallas, Texas. Inside the chapel, the spiral is topped with the stained glass "Glory Window", one of largest horizontally mounted stained-glass pieces in the world. The window was designed by Gabriel Loire of Chartres, France to feature brighter colors as the spiral reached its apex, becoming brighter as it reaches the center. The window appears in a shot in director Terrence Malick's 2011 film The Tree of Life. (info from Wikipedia) The small chapel and garden space is a small oasis which is surrounded by high-rise office buildings. It is not on one of the three main streets of downtown so many visitors may never know of its existence.Time
Three of my photography friends and I met for the 7th Annual Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk in Downtown Dallas during the morning hours. This photo was taken at noon on a clear day with the sun was shining directly overhead and filtering through the beautiful stained glass spiral.Lighting
The chapel is a beautiful, round interior with the sunlight shining through the stained glass. When the sun is overhead, as was the case this day, it creates a strong back-lighting situation where the stained glass is much brighter than the interior, much like shooting directly into the sun. This is one photo, not a bracketed series, made with -2/3 EV at the widest aperture on my 18-55 kit lens of 3.5 to allow as much light as possible.Equipment
This was made with my first DSLR, an older model Canon Rebel, the 450 XSi. I laid on the floor in the center of the chapel and hand-held the camera to my face looking upward, holding it as still as possible. This was my beginner camera which served me very well.Inspiration
Many years previously I had seen a similar photo of this place in a magazine. After seeing the photo I went to the chapel to attempt to get a similar photo on a film camera. That was before the digital camera days. At that time I had no understanding that backlighting can make silhouettes or dark photos. That first attempt photo was very dark with some pinholes of light. It was a pretty boring photo. This time, years later, I was determined to get a better photo. Btw, my somewhat local friends were amazed with the beauty of this place and said they never would have known about it without me as their local guide.Editing
This photo literally came alive and was processed solely in Adobe Lightroom. The original RAW file looks quite dark. I was still learning processing and was amazed at how much information was available with the RAW files compared to my previous jpeg only files of my small bridge camera. I had just learned how to use the adjustment brush in Lightroom to target specific areas. I was amazed at how much information I was able to paint back in, i.e., a little extra exposure on the spiral and even the tiny lights at the very top.In my camera bag
I'm retired on a fixed income and don't have a lot of money for equipment. I no longer have the Canon as it had been graciously loaned to me by a friend. I now have a Sony Nex 7 and three lenses, which I purchased used from a local individual. I love the much smaller size and weight of the mirrorless system. The tilting rear screen electronic viewfinder is a game-changer as far as I'm concerned. It is so helpful to be able to literally see how the photo will look before pressing the shutter. I also carry a small MeFoto travel tripod which is lightweight and easy to carry.Feedback
I'm always learning. I've watched, and continue to watch, many, many YouTube videos and am constantly learning with CreativeLive.com classes on photography and processing, as well as having several processing books at my side. In addition to some form of studying, I would suggest using a low ISO setting for a clean image. This photo was actually under exposed with the detail being recovered in Lightroom. The best way to shoot into the light is to make a series of bracketed photos, i.e, HDR shooting, and combine them in software. Lightroom now combines HDR shots, and there are several third party software packages that create excellent HDR shots. I think the lesson here is that I did this with a kit lens on an older camera, definitely not fancy, so you can do it too. If it doesn't come out well the first time, take it again, and have fun!
