The Story Behind the Photo

August 2024: Architectural Detail

Steven McKeen

©Steven McKeen

Mildred B Cooper Memorial Chapel

This story behind the photo all started when we were planning a family reunion.  After talking about numerous places, we chose Bella Vista in the Ozark Mountains in northwestern Arkansas.  The weather is nice, great swimming and totally different landscape and surroundings.  I then started looking for places to take photos of items unique to the area.  I found the Mildred B. Cooper Memorial Chapel from a brochure and fell in love with it.  And luck was with me.  The chapel was only a short distance from where we were staying, (on a beautiful lake).  I showed the family, all 20+, and we all went to see the chapel in the woods.  Arriving on a beautiful sunny day, it was not very crowded.  After getting the traditional family photos at various places at the chapel, I took out my tripod while the family went for a walk in the area and focused on getting the photos I had come for.  At one point, a beautiful and colorful jumping spider came to visit.  He was left to enjoy the chapel as his home.  I was amazed because if you look at photos of the chapel, it looks like an open-air chapel.  It is totally closed in with glass.  The open-air feeling is what makes it so special.  It brings the outside into the chapel.   So, after taking way more photos than I needed to, (had to make sure I got the one I wanted), we packed up and went back to our Airbnb.  I did however get one piece of broken branch lying on the ground to make a pen out of when we got back to Washington.

Here is what the chapel looks like from the front door.

I really like the photo of the full chapel and considered sending it in for the Architectural Detail Design assignment.  Having to take my own advice, I needed to focus on the detail portion of the assignment.  Seeing how there are so many points of interest, my focus was not on the architectural detail, and it was very easy to get lost in the photo.  I made several crops of the photo to now focus on the detail.  I really liked the way the final image turned out.

Several things I learned doing this assignment:

  • Take time to plan photo outings

  • Take plenty of photos

  • Frame your photos (Or crop in post production) to make the subject your main focus, getting rid of anything that detracts from your subject(s) or is not important to the story you are telling.

  • Most importantly-Have Fun!!!!