This is the 4th Presbyterian Church on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, the second oldest building north of the Chicago River (after the Water Tower complex), one of the buildings that was constructed as Chicago rebuilt following the Great Chicago Fire in the 1880s. I've attended services here for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur because the synagogue down the street can't accommodate the numbers and those of us who aren't members attend here. I've always thought it was a lovely spot - it's really beautiful. I noticed the door was open today when I was in the area running errands before the arctic temperatures arrive and went in to take some shots. This is HDR from 3 bracketed photos.
Thank you all so much for your wonderful response to my shots of the elevated train and of the 'outdoor seating available' shots. They are on PP today which is a wonderful way to start the year. I so appreciate your visits, comments, and favs!
Extras shot: http://365project.org/taffy/the-also-ran-ph/2014-01-04
Dear Lord, We are calling on you to retrieve joey's photos. Amen. You do know when two or more come together in His name things can happen. @friend2303@joemuli@taffy
Very grand, and so appropriately so. My mom's maiden name was O'Leary, and my grandpa always joked that we were related to THE Mrs. O'Leary of Great Chicago Fire fame. (Unfortunately, it's not something to really brag about :o). So neat to hear the history of this stately place of worship.
Beautiful architectural shot Taffy! The golden, almost pink lighting is so majestic in this interior. Must be amazing for High Holiday services! Gotta Fav this!
@jaynspain Heehee! I'm staying inside to photograph when I can! So architecture is probably an upcoming theme for me!! Thakns for the visit and kind comment!
@mikeswaja@darsphotos@redy4et Thanks for the fav's -- now I'm glad it started snowing and I ducked inside to take the shots!! I appreciate your kind comments!
@gratefulness Oh, how cool to be an O'Leary!! And of course, now the myth of the poor cow starting the fire has been debunked so you can just be a proud Chicagoan!!
Thus is wonderful Taffy! Gorgeous tones and details! You really excel at this kind of shot! Is this taken hand held? If so you must have increadibly steady hands!
A stunningly beautiful capture -the sepia finish suits it so well, and the pop of the purple flowers gives it a real lift and interest .Super capture of the interior light
Absolutely beautiful! Amazing arches, curves, lights, color. Just magnificent! FAV of course!! Lucky you were able to get inside. Hope your storm passes soon.
You have taught me the value of indoor HDR. I can't help but compare this magnificent church to my tiny country Presbyterian church where our congregation might fill a single pew here. Fav.
@shepherdmanswife@pamknowler Hi Pam and SMW! Thanks for your kind comments! For many of my architecture shots, I DO use a tripod -- whenever I can -- as I don't have that steady of a hand. But for things like this where a tripod would not be appropriate (or allowed), what I do is set the camera on continuous shots (to 3), then use the bracket function, and plant my feet really firmly so I can be as steady as possible. I hold the camera up to my eye with my forehead sort of serving as another brace, then take a deep breath, press the shutter release and I don't breathe out til the three photos are done. I did it three times for this shot, figuring/hoping one of the three sets would be steady enough to use. So much is luck as a little motion will make it not useable. I've had that happen a lot, actually.
@taffy Thanks for that Taffy i shall try that out. I would never have thought of doing the 3 continuous shots plus the bracketing - it makes perfect sense!! I just need to find the inside of a building to practice. So many of our churches are locked in the day - such a shame!!
@pamknowler I've practiced on almost any building inside -- just fine some pattern that is interesting -- you have such a good eye, that won't be hard! Try a local post office, or entrance to a grocery shop, or something. It really is fun to play with HDR indoor shots as it's all about the lighting and sharpness. I look forward to your images!
@taffy Ha, ha, thank you so much! I would love to be an honorary Chicagoan. A story was passed down in our family that one of the siblings ran back into the burning house and saved his younger sister, who was sleeping in the house when it caught fire. I'm not sure if we're descended from one of those two? So nice to learn more about Chicago...Maybe you can capture your temple sometime, too. It sounds lovely. :)
@olivetreeann@taffy Thank you, Ann, for sharing your background in Sacred Space the past couple of weeks. It sounds so interesting! :) Do you mind if I create a Pinterest Board and call it, "Sacred Space," for pictures of churches? For pics already on Pinterest, as I'm not sure how copyright works for 365 folks.....
@gratefulness This is Taffy's shot, so I can't give you permission for it. I tend to keep my 365 shots just on 365 but I admit I don't know much about Pinterest.
@gratefulness@olivetreeann Thanks for your interest Sandi! I'm not sure how to post someone else's photo on pintrist. And since this doesn't have my signature on it anywhere, I think it's best to hold off for now. If I figure out how to add a watermark, I can see if I can post it on flickr or something so you can get to it. Will keep you posted.
@joemuli
@gratefulness Oh, how cool to be an O'Leary!! And of course, now the myth of the poor cow starting the fire has been debunked so you can just be a proud Chicagoan!!