Midnight Mass

The old church stood alone at the crest of an eternity that was the night sky and dark forest, the milky way shining bright above on the moonless night. A damp chill in the air seemed to rise up like tendrils from the deep as the fog rose. You stood there, a lone observer, as a figure emerges from the shadows just beyond the cemetery behind the church.

You watched as the figure approached, a hint of dread, a splash of wonder. You remained motionless as the sky seems to darken overhead, the figure turned deftly towards the open aperture of the church and began to ascend the stairs. The stars seem to swirl and blink out one at a time as the figure stepped into the doorway. A moment passed, a flash of light, for a moment you're blinded, stunned. As your eyes readjusted you look up to see the silhouette of the figure still standing in that doorway, the churches interior brightly lit, the disturbance in the sky a massive hole where the stars once were, light trailing from around the edges.

This, you thought, is what madness must feel like. You would try and catch your breath as your heart pounded with deep resonating thumps. You looked back to the church, hoping for an end to this nightmare, perhaps it was all in your head, or perhaps you would simply wake up screaming…. time, as with all things, would tell.

Of course, this scene is a composite image. I think it goes without saying that this is a construct, but made under interesting circumstances that I will get into in a bit. I found this church out in Cades Cove, and the scene was interesting enough to take a photo of, but fell a bit short with the lighting I had available. I took a shot, and carried on, knowing the photo was bad, but the idea was born.

Nightscapes are a thing of beauty, but that’s not in fact what this is. This, was in point of fact taken about half an hour after sunrise, brightly lit from behind. Almost everything you see in this photo is a lie, but one meticulously constructed form assets I own. The eclipse behind the steeple, the silhouette in the doorframe. Even the sky is an asset I own. I of course manipulated each part of the photo to become what you see here. It was a test of things I have been learning for years, seeing if I could build an image of my own. Love it, hate it, all the same I enjoyed the process of creating it.

Until Next Time!

Aperture: f8
ISO: 250
SS: 1/30th
Focal: 8mm

Fujinon 8-16mm