Toby and I have been making an effort lately to further our pursuit of fine art.  My love for photography lies in the encapsulation of a moment.  I love telling a story with my lens, just like I love telling a story to my daughter.  Usually that passion manifests itself in “people pictures”.  I came up with this name in high school as I was developing my love for photography.  ”People pictures” aren’t just pictures with people in them, they’re pictures that show the reality of a person – who they really are.  Beyond “people pictures”, I love trying to do the same thing for inanimate objects.  I love trying to catch a piece of the beauty of a flower swaying in the breeze or the simple grandeur of a tree that’s been growing for years…  

For me, photography is like catching a lightning bug in your hands when you’re a kid.  You know that you have it – the real thing – and it’s so exciting you almost can’t stand it!  You can touch it and see it, but you know that what you’ve captured is ever-changing.  You’ve only been given the privilege of holding it for a moment.  The difference between that lightning bug and photography is that you don’t have to release your photograph.  You can hold that piece of life with you forever.  To me, it’s almost magical.

I have to say that I was extremely excited about shooting the Cathedral for a couple of reasons.

First, having graduated from Covington Latin School, the Cathedral is something that I have taken for granted for most of my life.  I saw it on a daily basis for those 4 years of high school, even graduated from CLS within its walls, and I never really stopped to take in its beauty and grandeur.

Second, after traveling to Europe in 1999 (the start of my true passion for photography) and going back for our honeymoon in 2006, I have developed a deep appreciation for architecture.  I love the way that each part of a building like the Cathedral is designed for a purpose, the way that beauty and functionality are paired in the grace of a structure.  It fascinates me.  

With all of this in mind, I went up to the Cathedral Basilica in Covington to get some shots.  I am so happy with the way they turned out!  I have many other things around the city that I’d like to photograph and the experience of shooting the Cathedral only makes venturing out more exciting!

- Annie