Old North Church

Today I joined my friends from the Plymouth Digital Photograpers at the Old North Church in Boston. My friend Jean did a great job organizing this meetup. She arranged for us to enter the church before hours and we were able to go up to the balcony, which is usually restricted.

I was intrigued by the various flags that were posted around the church. Seeing the 1776 version of the Stars and Stripes with the autumn colors peeking through the windows was wonderful. Being in the church where such a pivotal moment in our history took place inspired me to try to photograph it as it may have been seen in 1776. Unfortuntaely, the radiator in the corner and the lightbox at the bottom of the blacony didn't conform with that thought. With a little photoshop magic, I was able to highlight the flag, which served to emphasize the importance of the church and to distract the eye away from the radiator. I also used a subtle touch of HDR to preserve the fall colors in the windows, which would have otherwise been blown out.

Revolutionary history has always fascinated me. I was thrilled to be able to visit this remarkable church.

Later in the morning, I visited Copp's Hill Burial Ground. I really wanted to show some fall foliage amongst the head stones. There were very few trees that had turned. Fortunately, there were a few yellow leaves piled up against one of the stones. Their contrast of bright color against the grey of the stone drew my eye to the scene. The scalloped carving on the stone reflecting the shape of the leaves also added more form to the image. The decaying foliage also serves as a symbol of what will be...