Stain Glass Windows
Over the holiday, I was looking through some older projects and came across the above backdrop I photographed in 2019. It was for a popular TV show that revolves around priests and the supernatural, and this drop would be used for a rectory room set. I remember the DP really wanted to have the stain glass window bright and lit up in the night version, a task easier said then done.
Traditional stain glass windows on churches are actually opaque, something that seems counter intuitive for a window. However, traditionally churches were dimly lit, and having a fairly translucent window would end up being too bright for the space. So more opaque glass would be used that still allowed for a bright window, in comparison to the room light, but more fitting for the interior.
Of course, this means at night, stain glass windows will appear black, especially from the outside, no matter how brightly the interior is lit. See below for how the window actually appeared, even with the church lights on.
Exterior dusk view of stain glass window.
Interior daytime view of stain glass window.
Knowing this beforehand, I was able to make sure we got access to the interior of the church, as well as the shooting location in the rectory. Then, using a rather tall ladder, I captured the window from the inside during the day when it would be well and evenly lit from the sunlight. See above. In post, I was able to reverse this image, erase the hanging lights and blend it into the main exterior dusk view, giving a bright window in the final version.
