My last blog post was about the making of a photograph of the Little Shasta Church, in far northern California. That particular photograph is dramatic and theatrical, somewhat out of character with most of the rest of my photography, which tends to be quieter and more subdued. I later returned to the Little Shasta Valley to photograph at the Mount Shasta Lavender Farm. Because it wasn’t far away, I returned to the church as well.
Part of me said to not even go there, that I’d never match the previous photo. But that wasn’t really my intent – I just wanted to see the church under different lighting and atmospheric conditions. My first visit had been in the late afternoon, with strong low-angle sun and dramatic storm clouds in the background. This time the morning sunlight was filtered through a bit of cloud to the east, and the sky behind the church contained just a few fluffy clouds. I went ahead and made a photograph, the one you see below.
This image certainly does not have the dramatic impact of the other photo, but I enjoy it. The church is less dominant, due to being smaller in the frame and being partially obscured by the foreground hedge and entry gate. The front is not lit as brightly as in the other photograph, but there is still some interest created by slightly varying levels of brightness on the different faces. And I’m a bit partial to the way the cross on the steeple is highlighted by being in front of a puff of cloud.
Overall, this is a quieter, more subdued photograph than the previously posted one. It is interesting to think what else could be done with this subject. I have tried an image at an angle to the front, but it didn't do anything for me in the way that these formal frontal views do. A view from farther away might be nice, but my recollection is that there are too many other distracting buildings, power lines, etc. around for that to work. Maybe in a snowstorm...
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