Old St. Thomas Church in Infrared

Stroll thru an old churchyard~

We always knew it as the Old English Church in St. Thomas, Ontario. The iconic churchyard with the lych gate, church and cemetery of the original white settlers, pioneers and founders of the community. Later, I found out the proper name was the St. Thomas Anglican Church or simply St. Thomas Church. Today it is known as the Old St. Thomas Church. Every town still has one if it is lucky: the original church and cemetery of the first settlers in the area. 

Ontario. Also know locally as The Old English Church and St. Thomas Anglican Church. Infrared image.

I was always fascinated by the beautiful, peaceful setting so after getting a camera modified to infrared in October 2012 it was one of the first places I went for a stroll. There is so much history here.

Cemetery at the Old St. Thomas Church in St. Thomas, Ontario. Also know locally as The Old English Church and St. Thomas Anglican Church. Infrared image.

Cemetery at the Old St. Thomas Church in St. Thomas, Ontario. Also know locally as The Old English Church and St. Thomas Anglican Church. Infrared image.

This was the first time I tried something I began to think of later as the “Infrared Walk.” This is where you start out with one filter, then when it comes time to turn around and go back change to another filter. It’s like a whole new camera! In this case I started out with what I believe was a 590nm and then changed to a 720nm which is basically almost pure black and white.

The Chisholm memorial at the cemetery at the Old St. Thomas Church in St. Thomas, Ontario. Infrared image.
Above~ The incredible Chisholm memorial. 

Cemetery at the Old St. Thomas Church in St. Thomas, Ontario. Also know locally as The Old English Church and St. Thomas Anglican Church. Infrared image.

Cemetery at the Old St. Thomas Church in St. Thomas, Ontario. Also know locally as The Old English Church and St. Thomas Anglican Church. Infrared image.

Burial place and plaque commemorating the life of Daniel Rapelje, who along with his family were the first white settlers in St. Thomas, Ontario.

Above~ The burial site of Danial Rapelje and commemorative plaque commissioned by the Elgin Historical Society.

Slideshow of the churchyard~

 

Above~ Churchyard images taken with a full spectrum infrared camera. Some I have left almost as they come out of the camera with a 590nm filter, some I have used the Channel Mixer, some I have included both versions. I feel no special obligation to process in a certain way. 

Infrared on Old Headstones~

Headstone in cemetery at the Old St. Thomas Church in St. Thomas, Ontario. Also know locally as The Old English Church and St. Thomas Anglican Church. Infrared image.

Infrared photography can sometimes be useful in resolving the engraving on old headstones, either desaturating a colour image as shown above, or simply using a 720nm black and white filter as shown below. Notice the leaves on the trees are white.

Cemetery at the Old St. Thomas Church in St. Thomas, Ontario. Also know locally as The Old English Church and St. Thomas Anglican Church. Infrared image.

Sources~

Elgin Historical Society~ Founded in 1891, they also have an extensive library and video collection.

Elgin County Archives~ Searchable archives.

Heritage Collections of the Elgin County Archives~ Searchable records.

Old St. Thomas Church~ Wikipedia

Other Links~

Sussex Nature Walkway in Infrared

The Farm in Infrared

The Railway in Infrared

Athletic Park Bridge in Infrared

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