Bob wins an award or two...

As part of my photography class this summer, I shot a roll of film at old North Lamoure Lutheran Church. The church closed down a few years back - if it were still open, I’d be its pastor.

The assignment was a simple one: Shoot a roll of anything you like. I chose the church for a few reasons. First of all, I hadn’t actually been out to see the church... just driven by on the highway and seen it about a mile distant. This seemed like a good excuse to go out and have a look around, maybe even “let myself in” if I could.

Second, I thought the church would probably make for a really interesting photo. There’s an awful lot of emotion involved in an abandoned church, and I hoped to be able to capture some of that, along with the spirit of the place, as I shot my roll.

The picture above was my favorite from that shoot. In my mind I was imagining that I was shooting a portrait rather than an architectural picture, and I worked hard to isolate the old church from all the modern surroundings (road, parking lot, electrical wires, etc.) for this picture and to “pose” it as though it’s looking off into the prairie, just as it did almost a hundred years ago. It’s only in the details that you notice that the church is no longer in use.

I made an 8x10 enlargement in the VCSU photo lab, and then made a second one for the Litchville Museum, which has several items from North Lamoure. After framing both prints up, I brought the photo over to the museum as a gift. (Yes, it’s true - my photography is now hanging in a museum. So it’s a small-town museum... everyone’s got to start somewhere!)

I’ve been showing the copy I kept for myself to folks at church. Lots of them are former members of North Lamoure, and seeing my pictures was a bittersweet thing for them. Several mentioned that I should enter this particular one in the Litchville Fall Fair Art & Photography Contest.

So I did. Results? I received a red ribbon (second place) in the black and white photography category. Even better, my picture of North Lamoure won the People’s Choice award for photography. 120 people voted for their favorite photo, and it was exciting to walk into the display and see the purple ribbon pinned to my pic!

A few folks have asked for copies... I’m selling signed and framed ones identical to the two I’ve already made for $40, and have sold three copies so far. Good thing my new printer does such a fine job!

That’s all for now...