Photobook 2: The Church

Second of a series of articles introducing my new photobook which will be on sale starting in mid May, 2008. This is a 'self publishing' effort, so all the work going into formatting and layout of the book lay solely on me. I did have some help in the form of friends who proofed the text and/or gave suggestions, but I did the dirty work, and in the end am proud of what I've accomplished.

I grew up in western Arkansas, in a hilly region abundant with forests, lakes, and rivers. I lived small town life at it's finest... and when I turned 19, I left. I have/had full intentions of returning some day - but I had to find my own way in the world, and joined the Air Force. Eventually I completed my enlistment and started a new job, and the path led me to Dauphin County in the year 2000.

In 2001, I bought a house in Upper Dauphin County, and here I am surrounded by farmlands and forests, and the appalachian trail runs along the ridge on the side of Powell's Valley, where I call home. The entire area has become "home" to me - indeed I am at one time closer to home than I've ever been since leaving Arkansas in 1990, and farther away than I've ever been. Small town life is much the same here, and the climate similar although a bit cooler. But I am more miles away than I've been before.

Still, I find myself inspired by the scenes of my world, and the one photo that started this "photography" thing rolling for me was of this old church. Over the past few years, I've built up a collection of images featuring the church, but until recently I never really knew the story behind it.

On deviantART, I met a wonderful person named Karen Oudeman, who asked one day if she could paint one of my photos... Of course, I said yes. And so, a partnership was born. Two of the images featured here, including "Heaven's Light" are paintings done by Karen. There are 3 more in the photobook itself, but I will post those in subsequent articles.

The following is the text from the first page of The Church series in my photobook.

Over the past few years of life in Powell's Valley, I have been inspired time and again by the sight of this historic church. St. Paul's Lutheran Church, also known as Bowerman's Church, was first organized in 1825, and the first building, a log structure, was erected in 1826. In 1902, the old church building was deemed unsafe and was torn down. The new church's cornerstone was laid July 2, 1902. The new church was dedicated April 24, 1903 at a cost of about $4,000. One of my first serious "artistic" photos was of this church during an early springtime sunset. "Heaven's Light" remains my favorite photograph. Like many of my shots, it was just the result of being in the right place at the right time. Even so, it serves as an inspiration to do something more with the camera than I've ever before done. It spurs me onward to find within myself some sense of creativity and the desire to share my views of the world around me.

Without further ado, here is the series of images that comprise "The Church".

All images copyright 2005-2008 James A. Wheeler or Karen Oudeman.

Contact me at arkansawyer@gmail.com for information on obtaining copies of any of these prints or information on the upcoming 160 page photobook, which will be a "coffee table" style hardcover book complete with paper sleeve cover, initially priced around $60 - which to my cheapskate pocketbooks seems high until I compare the cost to that of eating out at a nice restaurant, which for a family can quickly exceed the cost of this book, and is quickly forgotten.

The series so far:
Photobook 1: The Story
Photobook 2: The Church
Photobook 3: Farmscapes
Photobook 4: Country Living
Photobook 5: Waterscapes
Photobook 6: Wildlife