Variations On A Theme
After finding this display on a church wall, I began to think that every Christian has had a different experience, even those who have spent most of their lives within the same congregation. Some are conservative and structured like the simple wooden crosses. Some revolve around children like those crosses behind the image of the praying child. Some are lacy and some are flowery. A few crosses are small and barely visible and one cross in particular has a strong eastern orthodox influence. So much variety, but like the large layered cross in the center, they all focus on the risen Christ.
Variations on a theme.
Crab Line
This company of crustaceans were on parade in a fish vendor’s case at the Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle. Soon be be a batch of crab cakes or the principle element of crab rangoon, they stand ready for tonight’s seafood buffet.
This group portrait was taken with a Mamiya C330 twin lens reflex camera loaded with Kodak Plus-X shot at par and developed in Acufine for 3 minutes.
Weather Deck
I found this image on the Kingston ferry as I was crossing early on a Saturday morning to collect my son coming home from college ‘back east’ on the Empire Builder. I like the texture in the slats of the bench, the soft grey of the ferry deck and the distant railing running toward a vanishing point at the bow. No lovers strolling to enjoy the maritime scent. No one photographing their friends against the Cascade Mountain range. It’s quite a contrast from the summer tourist months.
Photographed with a Mamiya C330 twin lens reflex camera fitted with a 80mm f/2.8 lens. Shot at f/5.6 at 1/30 second on Kodak Plus-X film. Processed in Acufine for 3 1/4 minutes.
Historical Perspective
Many modern buildings in North America stand on the ruins of once humble settlements that just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Seattle grew from a small gold rush community with rutted mud roads, bad plumbing, and a brothel on every street corner into a major point of entry and transportation hub in little more than a century. The Alaska Gold Rush, the Great Northern Railroad, and Washington’s timber industry propelled Seattle into a thriving metropolis. Later came Boeing, Starbucks, Microsoft, and other international corporations. How long before the next economy builds upon their ruins?
‘Historical Perspective’ was photographed on Arista EDU 400 film and developed in Acufine at par. The camera was a Nikon N80 fitted with a 24-85mm f/4.5 Nikon lens.
Iconic Landmarks
We really see two icons in one. The monorail tracks frame the Space Needle nicely. If the monorail itself came into the shot, it would have been too much. (I know -- I tried) I used a Nikon N80 loaded with Arista EDU 400 film and shot through a Nikkor 24-85mm f/4.5 lens. One of my favorite lenses by the way because it is so versatile. The developer was Acufine.
Horeb
The Hebrews knew it as חֹרֵב. In Greek, χωρηβ. We know it today as Sinai. It is the mountain from where the Ten Commandments were given to the Israelites. The bush that burned without being consumed. It is the place where the preincarnate Christ spoke to Moses.
The steeple of Saint Luke’s Methodist Church overlooks the Olympic Peninsula from a hillside in Bremerton. The sun dropped below the horizon while illuminating a cloud lingering over the mountains. I couldn’t help but think of what the Israelites saw while Moses was in the presence of God.
Horeb
I used a Mamiya M645 fitted with a 70mm f/2.8 Mamiya Sekor lens. The image was recorded on Fujichrome Velvia 100 film. I forgot to record the exposure. I can’t imagine why.
Iron Work
I photographed this scene at about 10:00 in the morning because I liked the way the sunlight brought out the fine detail and texture of the iron lamp post. I had to give it a bit of context, so I placed it on the right third of the frame set against a cloudless blue sky with the British Columbia parliament buildings softly out of focus in the background. What struck me was the texture and detail in the iron casting despite the harsh sunlight. The leaves and vines that travel up each side of the provincial crest come out of the shadows and give the lamp post dimension and space.
I used a 70mm f/2.8 lens mounted on a Mamiya 645 camera loaded with Konica Centuria Pro 400 color film. Straight “sunny 16” exposure was the rule.
Parliamentary Lamp Post
Victoria Victoria
The building is lit by thousands of light bulbs outlining the contours of the arches, domes, and columns. I wish I brought my tripod.
Night Facade
Have You Been To Church Lately ?
The sanctuary of Peace Lutheran has tall translucent purple panels behind the altar that provides a majestic hue, but I didn’t think that it would translate well on chrome film because the rich color would be too saturated in the prints. I could filter it out post-production, but the color in the oak pews would suffer. On the other hand, Kodak TMax 100 monochrome film would mute the color while keeping the detail in the rich oak furnishings and give the prints a nostalgic quality.
I used low angles to photograph the altar and the cross behind it, an overhead perspective to photograph the pews and the organ, and a telephoto lens to compress the distance between the hymn board and the organ. In ‘Sanctuary - 28’, I used color to capture the incandescent light shining on a gold cross framed through the Advent wreathe, which contrasted well against the purple light that blanketed the sanctuary in daylight. ‘Sanctuary - 27’ brings out the cool violet hues of the stained glass. ‘Sanctuary - 21’ won a second place ribbon in the Kitsap County Fair in 2009. My personal favorite is ‘Sanctuary - 13’ with the organist’s spectacles resting on a church bulletin next to the calming structure of the organ keys.
Photographing the sanctuary of Peace Lutheran Church was a most rewarding assignment. The results are on permanent exhibit in the church and the church offices.
One Of A Kind
The customer thought that it looked like an electric chair, so that is what I named the print. She owns the only copy. The original. You can see it at the Two Bits Barbershop in Old Town SIlverdale. Ask for Jennifer. Tell her Tim sent you.
While you are there, I’m sure that she could help you “get your ears lowered”.
A Day At The Ball Game
I’m not much of a football fan. I could never see the point, but I do like a good game of baseball. The Kitsap Bluejackets are nearby and they play a good game, but they just can’t provide the same atmosphere of a major league baseball game. The architecture of the stadium with its long iron beams and the sixty foot scoreboard. “Peanuts! Popcorn! Crackerjacks! Ice cold beer!” You can even hear the trains passing by Safeco Field during the game, which brings many of us back in time to the early days. Nothing beats a day at the game, no matter how the home team is playing that day. My Oh My!
I will never get the kind of access that professional sports photojournalists get on the field, but there are plenty of photo ops in the stands. I snapped a few shots at a Mariner’s home game against the Kansas City Royals a while ago. The Royals got spanked, which was an added bonus to the evening.
No worries Bluejackets. I’ll keep my season tickets at Lobe Field, and the great seats that go along with them, but a day with the Mariners is worth the $100 expense once in a while.
