The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Jaša Tomić is not just a building. Like any sacred space, it is a living entity, filled with layers of time, prayer, and silence. Trying to capture its essence with a single, “ordinary” photograph felt like trying to describe the ocean in one word. I knew a digital record would not be enough here. I needed film, but I also needed a technique that could see the invisible.
I chose multiple exposure.
Why multiple exposure?
In photography, we usually try to “freeze” a single perfect moment. But spirituality is not a single moment. It is an overlap—an overlap of past and present, light and shadow, tangible stone and intangible faith.
A multiple exposure on film does exactly that. It allows two, three, or more moments to merge into a single frame. Details of stained glass overlap with the arches of the vault. The silhouette of a statue dissolves into the texture of a wall. The result is not a sharp, clear image. The result is a dream.
It is the visual equivalent of the feeling you get when standing in a cathedral: you sense the history and the presence of something greater, even though you cannot see it clearly.
Ghosts in the Emulsion
Doing this on film is a special act—it is a surrender of control. Unlike in Photoshop, there is no “undo.” Every time you rewind the film and expose the same frame again, you are surrendering to chance. You trust that the light will imprint itself exactly as it should. It is a process that is, in itself, almost an act of faith.
These photographs are my attempt to capture those “ghosts in the emulsion.” They are a visual whisper. Instead of saying, “This is the cathedral,” they ask: “Do you feel this?”
Legacy: An Imprint of Feeling
When this series one day appears as a handmade silver-gelatin print, it will not be just a picture of a church. It will be an imprint of a feeling. It will be physical proof of overlapping light and time, captured in silver.
In a world chasing perfect sharpness, these photographs are a reminder that some of the most important things in life cannot be seen clearly and simply. They can, perhaps, only be felt, if we search for meaning beyond superficial superstition.
