WASHINGTON CONNECTICUT – I went out with my Alpa Max today to add to my collection of Litchfield County churches. In reviewing my progress to day I realized that I hadn’t yet taken a full frontal image of the iconic Washington Congregational Church with high res medium format gear. I wasn’t satisfied with the image that I captured so I’m not showing it today – I’ll have to go back to try again – but I caught this as a set up the tripod and did a test image to assure that all was in order.

Washington Congregational Church

On this day one year ago: Frnacesca trimming the tree.

Francesca trimming a tree

Share

TORRINGTON CONNECTICUT – Back to Torrington for the Center Congregational Church. This is an oddity – the only stone Gothic revival Congregational Church that I’ve seen I’m my travels in this part of the state. Here it is. Two frames taken with my Alpa Max and cropped to fit the form factor of the church. Torrington by the way was the birthplace of John Brown, the radical abolutionist who merits a line in the Battle Hymn of the Republic.

Center Congregational Church Torrington

On this day one year ago: Union Savings Bank.

Share

TORRINGTON CONNECTICUT – This afternoon I drove to this former mill town on the Naugatuck River to photograph churches. The light was right to collect two of the large Catholic Churches in town, St. Peter Church and St. Francis Assisi Church. The light was wrong for the Central Congregational Church – I’ll be back tomorrow morning for it. The large Episcopal Church, Trinity Church, is very tight to a narrow street and accordingly very hard to photograph. Anyway here are St. Peter and St. Francis Assisi, taken with my Alpa Max and an 80 meg Phase One back. These subjects require full use of the camera’s rise and shift features. The St. Francis Assis (the second image) is two frames stitched.

St. Peter Church Torrington

St. Francis Assisi Torrington

On this day last year: Marty gives us a sinister look.

Share

NORTHVILLE CONNECTICUT – Back to Connecticut at last. No hurricane. No blizzard. No problems. A rare relief.

I had a chance to explore a de-commissioned church that I’ve seen many times from a distance in gentle, late afternoon light. This is two exposures with my Alpa Max, stitched in Photoshop. Whatever information there may have been about this structure appears to be lost, at least on the web.

On this day last year: Citicorp Center at night.

November 19, 2010

Share

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – Today we did the sacred and profane on Fifth Avenue. Starting with the sacred I stopped by Marble Collegiate Church, the oldest Protestant congregation in North America and for decades the bully pulpit for Norman Vincent Peal. The Church has a “Payers for Peace” program. The congregation offers prayer for service men and women who have died in Central Asia during the week; yellow ribbons with the names of the departed are attached to the railing around the Church. Here’s a segment of the fence with a statue of Dr. Peal in the background. Images taken with my Leica M9 and a 24mm Summilux lens.

Marble Collegiate Church

Now the profane. At the 42nd Street Library I spotted the following, which I couldn’t resist:

XXX rated at the Public Library

From my self portrait series taken hourly on February 13, 1999 the image from 8:52 PM. Taken with an Arca Swiss 8×10 view camera.

Share

KENT and WARREN CONNECTICUT – Well the IQ 180 (see my posts from the previous two days) is starting to sing. I went for a hike today carrying my Alpa TC with the 36mm Schneider Digitar and the Phase One IQ 180. This is a compact, hand holdable combination. The form factor and functionality are very similar to the legendary Hasselblad Superwide C (one of my favorite film cameras ever), but the 80 meg digital back delivers much higher resolution than medium format film. The trick is mastering this oddball combination of exotic stuff to the point where I can stop thinking about it and start really shooting.

I joined my old friend John Novogrod for a hike on the the Appalachian trail.. I’m posting three images from the hike.

Appalachian Trail

Appalachian Trail

Appalachian Trail

Earlier in the day I shot the Warren Congregational Church again.

Warren Congregational Church

On this day last year: Hacienda Zuleta

Chicken offering

Share

KENT CONNECTICUT – I felt that yesterday’s photograph of the wooden gothic church in Cornwall Bridge was a success, so I drove to Kent to shoot the gothic Congregational Church there. According to the Church’s website it was founded 1740 with the present building dates to 1849. They’ve fallen onto slightly hard times with 200 members and a bunch of peeling paint. But at least they have some attitude. According to the website the Kent Congregational Church was ” first to ordain an African-American pastor (1785), a woman (1853), an openly gay person (1972) and the first to affirm same-gender marriage equality (2005). ” “First” out of what universe isn’t clear. Anyway, here’s the picture, taken with my Alpa Max, a 60 meg Hasselblad digital back and a Schneider 48mm Digitar lens.

Congregational Church Kent Connecticut

On this day one year ago: Rose.

Rose

Share

CORNWALL BRIDGE, CONNECTICUT – The bridge in Cornwall Bridge is actually a highway flyover. A few miles north in Cornwall there is a famous covered bridge. Anyway down under the flyover in Cornwall Bridge, near the Housatonic River, is a lovely wooden gothic church. I’ve photographed it before but never well. Many of the churches that I’ve photographed are in poor condition. St Bridget Church is beautifully maintained. There is a new addition to a long stone wall and an impeccably kept graveyard. I shot the church full frontal with my Alpa Max, Schneider 48mm Digitar and a Hasselblad 60 meg digital back, using the movements on the Max to control perspective.

St. Bridget Church, Cornwall Bridge Connecticut

On this day one year ago:In our dining room.

Andrew Moore and Murano Glass

Share

NEW PRESTON, CONNECTICUT – Here’s the New Preston Congregational Church captured in profile with my Alpa TC, 36mm Schneider lens and 60 meg Hasselblad digital back. I’ve been here before with a camera – a full frontal view is the subject of my post for November 7, 2009 – in one of the early shots in my ongoing project on Churches in Litchfield County.

New Preston Congregational Church

On this day one year ago: Boating on Lake Waramaug in our 1956 Chris Craft.

1956 Chris Craft

Share

SOUTHBURY CONNECTICUT – Here’s another installment in my project of photographing churches in Litchfield County Connecticut. This is the Southbury Congregational Church. See the gallery to the right. According to the Church’s website:

The Southbury Congregational Church was founded in 1732.

It occupied several sites until a third church was built on the present site in 1844. In 1923 the members voted to federate with the Methodist, and from 1923 until 1957 this church was known as the Federated Church of Southbury. The Federated Church served the spiritual needs of the community until the Methodist Conference requested that the federation be dissolved. In 1957 the Congregational Christian Churches and the Evangelical and Reformed Church joined to form The United Church of Christ, and in 1966 the members of this church voted to join the new denomination. At that time the name of the church became The United Church of Christ, Southbury.

Captured with my Leica M9 and a 50mm Summilux lens; three frames stitched.

Southbury Congregational Church

On this day last year: Once again the Chrysler Building.

Chrysler Building and UN Secretariat Building

Share