Hedley Indian Band Church
The sun was just breaking through the overcast sky as it was dipping behind a mountain range, Fabulous light...a photographer's dream.
Unfortunately...
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The sun was just breaking through the overcast sky as it was dipping behind a mountain range, Fabulous light...a photographer's dream.
Unfortunately, this beautiful church was burned to the ground in June of 2021 by some folks who took out their anger against the institution of the Catholic Church. These people blame the Catholic Church for all of the Church's past sins against Canada's First Nations for its role in administering the Indian Residential School program on behalf of the Canadian Government. This anger resurfaced when 215 bodies of First Nations' children were discovered in unmarked graves behind the Indian Residential School in Kamloops. Ground-penetrating radar was used to discover the graves. 6 Catholic churches have been torched in a similar fashion over the past 4 weeks.
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Unfortunately, this beautiful church was burned to the ground in June of 2021 by some folks who took out their anger against the institution of the Catholic Church. These people blame the Catholic Church for all of the Church's past sins against Canada's First Nations for its role in administering the Indian Residential School program on behalf of the Canadian Government. This anger resurfaced when 215 bodies of First Nations' children were discovered in unmarked graves behind the Indian Residential School in Kamloops. Ground-penetrating radar was used to discover the graves. 6 Catholic churches have been torched in a similar fashion over the past 4 weeks.
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Oct, 2019Views
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Magnificent Capture
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Behind The Lens
Location
My photography club organizes annual trips to different locations around British Columbia. We stay at the selected location overnight so that we can capture images over a long weekend, taking advantage of the changing light both day and night. This photograph was taken during one such photo club outing in Hedley, British Columbia.Time
Driving back from an early dinner at a local Hedley restaurant, I saw the Hedley Indian Band Church just off the highway as it was bathed in the warm evening light at about 7:30 PM just before the sun dipped below the local mountains in mid-June.Lighting
On my arrival at the church, I was fascinated by the golden light streaming through the church stained glass window - it almost seemed that the church interior was on fire. Oddly enough, the light did not shine through the other two windows on the same side of the church. If you study the image, you may notice two other curious lighting effects - the Christmas lights at the base of the steeple are also lit by the setting sun and the white ramp leading to the church entrance seems to be glowing in the reflected sunlight.Equipment
I used my full-frame Canon 5D MkII with a Sigma 12-24 zoom lens at 24mm and f:11. I almost always use a tripod, just as I did here to ensure a sharp, crisp image.Inspiration
Although I'm not particularly religious, I am a sucker for old churches. This tiny church is simple in design and almost rustic in appearance. The evening sun broke out below a bank of clouds, bathing the valley in a golden glow. I could almost hear the music from that classic movie "High Noon" in my head as I drank in the scene, moving quickly to set up my camera equipment before the magic was gone. What's not to like?Editing
All digital images require some post-processing. In this image, I opened up the shadow side of the church, lowered the overall contrast slightly and sharpened the image - all in Photoshop camera raw.In my camera bag
I use a Tamrac backpack to hold my gear when I'm on a shoot. In my bag, I always carry the following gear: Canon 5D MkII & Canon 5D converted to shoot only infrared; Canon lenses - 50mm f:1.4 (colour) & f1.8 (IR), 100mm f:2.8 macro, 70-200mm f:2.8. Sigma 12-24mm f:4.5-5.6 DG HSM. $ extra batteries for each camera body c/w 2 chargers (they take different batteries) and six compact flash cards. Filters include a 72mm polarizer (which is indispensable) and 72mm 10-stop and a 72mm grad (also indispensable) c/w step-down rings for my smaller lenses. I also carry a grey card and a collapsable reflector and a Sekonic L-358 light meter and a Godox EZb digital timer/remote. All told, this is about 55lbs of gear. I stand 6'6" and weigh 225lbs and this weight is manageable for me. However, at 70 years old, I have come to appreciate the beauty of Fuji equipment lately - similar gear in the Fuji line only weighs about 30 lbs!Feedback
Take the picture when you see it. Do not wait until the next day or next week because it simply will not be the same scene. I have yet to see light the same on different days. Carpe Diem.
