Description: Church against a perfect blue winter sky
Background: Churches are everywhere, so much so that I rarely pay attention to them. This church is on a residential street but is set back about forty yards from the street. The intervening distance with a grassy, meadow-like lawn that dips down from street level then rises to hold the church building on the opposite side. When standing there, the overall effect makes the church look as if it is being pushed up toward the sky.
About once per month, I pass this church, taking a small shortcut across the city, and each time I slow down to marvel at it. Even though there are homes on the street, the setback gives one the impression of looking into a painting of a church in the New England countryside, not on a residential street in Atlanta. This day, I was taking a detour because of an accident and passed by with my 600si that had two shots left on the roll. Having vowed many times to stop and photograph this serenely beautiful sight, this time, I stopped and used my final two frames. This is why one buys a camera.
Technical: Minolta Maxxum 600si, AF 28-85mm, f3.5-4.6 (35mm, f9.5), expired Fuji 100
Frame Works?: Yes! The Fuji 100, which I usually use for testing, perfectly captured the colors and scene. In the past, when I considered making this image, the plan was to use a higher quality emulsion. I briefly considered returning with Ektar in summer, but who was I kidding? The only image one can count on making is the one currently in the viewfinder. Besides, no matter how good that future image might be, it will not match how I felt seeing this emerge from the scanner. Emotionally and technically, this is the one.