All images are copyright © 2016 Russ Martin. All rights reserved

Monday, May 30, 2016

Pew Rosary



The sun reflecting off the hanging rosary's is what made this shot and is what caught my eye.

Jesus Nailed To The Cross


The pastels and shading in the Stations of the Cross at St. Johns are simply amazing. They are by far my favorite set of stations. They are truly works of arts.

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Saint John's - The Way of the Cross - Archive


This church has an awesome set of the Stations of the Cross.  I made a tile set of these for the church for a fund raiser.  Click here to see the original Post from my LCTC Photo Blog.

Monday, May 23, 2016

Saint John App

Along with bringing Saint John along on your mobile you can activate an electronic candle for a love one or other prayer concern.

 Rather than see the banner as an obstruction I decided to make it the feature of the post. 

St John's Altar Eucharist Relief

I really liked this find. It is a very classy relief of the Eucharist. I think it maybe a new addition.

Saturday, May 21, 2016

St John's Holy Oil


I got down low on this shot to pick up the reflection of the stain glass windows in the bottles and the refraction of the patterned background in the oil.

Spiritual Nook


I love it when I stumble upon these collections in unusual places. I like this one better in Black and White.


St John's Steeple - Archive


The Land of the Cross Tipped Churches gets its name from the Cross Tipped Spires punctuating the country sky. This was taken in the early morning light and is one of my favorite Church Spire photos. Click here to view the original post  from my LCTC photo blog.

St John's Pieta Statue - Archive


I find many versions of Michelangelo's pieta statue in most of the churches I visit. St John's is truly unique with the old feel of the statuary and mural background. Amazingly this was taken with a Flip Phone. I was biking in the area and stopped to visit the church and found this wonderful window lit opportunity and could not pass it up. I used this picture as part of my Land of the Cross Tipped Churches photo show I had at the local library. I had some issues getting it printed.  The big box store was convinced that I had got this out of a magazine or book and refused to print it because of Copyright. I finally convinced them it was mine. It remains one of my favorite pictures of the Pieta statue. Click here to see the original post from my LCTC Photo blog.

Blessed Exit


Most of these churches are symmetrical in nature and this pictures captures that.  I like the way the oval of the mural above the door  breaks it up and adds a splash of color.  I think it makes for a lovely exit.

Waiting for a Prayer


I was trying to make this shot work with a landscape orientation but once I took a peek through the viewfinder in portrait mode I knew I had found my shot. I purposely used selective focus on the dark crucifix rosary to add visual interest to the photo.

Thursday, May 19, 2016

Praying Angel - Archive



Over the years I have taken thousands of pictures of the churches known as The Land of the Cross tipped Churches. This picture of the Praying Angel is just a small part of several murals that adorn the church walls and comes from one of my earlier trips. Click here to view the original post from my LCTC Photo Blog.

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

St John's Altar Rail


The light shining down from the stained glass window above the altar onto this altar rail was what first grabbed my attention. I am also a fan of geometric shapes and lines.

St John's Processional Crucifix


I always try and take advantage of natural window light when I am taking pictures in the churches. It worked very well with this shot of the processional Crucifix. I also like the unique style of the Christ figure.

Black and White Version

Monday, May 16, 2016

Breaking Bread



I found this little jewel in the balcony of the church. I spent quite some time trying to get the right angle and lighting. The title of the post comes from the title of the bottom book.  

This is one of those old curved church pews that you don't see very often any more. I loved the lines, the rich wood tones in contrast  with the books. And the hint of the checker-board floor in the background.