Saint Patrick Church Long Exposure

Mar 15, 2021

I've found if I'm not intentional about my photography, I tend to be much less active. I guess that's how it is for all of us, for anything we do in life.

Sometimes I plan my shots, sometimes I have a general idea what I'm after, and sometimes I just walk out the door. In the case of this image of Saint Patrick Church from about two weeks ago, it was the latter.

I felt cooped up, so decided to go for a walk. I wasn't planning on photography, but last-minute decided to carry my camera and a tripod. It's been said that the best camera is the one you have with you, right?

I was actually headed to the waterfront to look for piers and pilings for long exposure shots, but my path there brought me near this beautiful and iconic Tacoma church. I was a block or two away when I noticed the beautiful, soft, late afternoon light.


My plan was long exposure water images, so I actually kept walking. But then, thinking an image in the hand is worth two in the bush, I backtracked to the church and spent about 1/2 an hour making some photos. Afterwards, I still finished my walk to the water, in peace, content, and thankful for what I hoped would be a good image. So, I didn't pre-plan this shot, but still had an idea as I was making the pictures. It turned out very close to what I visualized. Here is the before shot, so you can compare to the final image above.

Any comments about my thoughts above, the image, or my process? I'd love to hear it. Please leave a comment!