THINGS ARE NOT ALWAYS AS THEY SEEM

SAINT BERNARD CHURCH, EUREKA 2011

This photograph is one wherein I put a lot of time. I took the image on a Sunday evening last September. The facing walls were bathed in the golden light of the setting sun. I thought that the clouds were noteworthy. The camera produced jpg shows much more yellow, and for this image I decided to show something closer to the actual color of the walls.

This photograph was an exercise in many aspects of photography. By using my 17mm TS lens on my 5dmII, I was able to stand directly across the street from the church. This freed me from having to deal with other elements that would have been in the foreground.

SAINT BERNARD CHURCH FROM THE PARKING LOT ACROSS THE STREET, 2011

I think this photograph is visually more interesting than the first one. This was taken with my 24-105mm lens set at 28mm. I think conveys a more even sense of the structure and its environment. The colors are closer to what I felt in that golden evening light. By-the-way, this was the first photograph that I took of the church that day.

I spent a lot of time cloning out the power lines in the first photograph - literally hours! I really like both images, and it may be awhile before I chose one over the other. The point is that I am able to make either. If you get a chance, go by the church and see what a challenging photograph the first one was to make. I'm not bragging here - just sharing my process. I know that it is vital for any artist to master their craft. One may have lots of raw talent, but in my experience I realize that one must apply one's self to learning how to use their tools.