Chapel at Callaway Gardens

I like to shoot the chapel at Callaway from across the way where there are a couple of benches as from there you get the reflection in the water. There was a little cool breeze on this day, which kept the water from being perfectly smooth, but it is still a pretty reflection. One thing you have to deal with from there are all the people that come and stand and stand and stand in front of the chapel, admiring the view (which of course, is quite understandable). Joyce and I joke that we sometimes put people in the scenes to show scale. Sometimes there are other things you want in front of a subject just to add interest to a photo. Here are a couple of examples. An iris was blooming right along the water. I am sure there is a name for these iris that grow along the water as there were a lot of them and I have seen them at Vines Gardens also. I noticed a little white flower right next to them that I thought was just a wild strawberry or something, but later when we were in the Discovery Center, we admired a series of very realistic sculptures of Georgia wildflowers and that white flower was one of them. They were called oconee bells. Of course, I did not get a photo of them as I was concentrating on the iris. Guess this was a case where I should have shot first and asked later! I also did a shot with this curved tree became the first layer of the photo. I think it was having a Vanna White moment, it's branches like her arms showcasing the chapel. Take your time and look for things like this around you. Don't forget to look back from whence you came as the scenery will be different!

Inside the chapel it is quite small. I was meeting with a lady on Friday whose wedding I am shooting at Christ Church at St. Simons Island (my other favorite little church building) and she was telling me about someone she knew that was married here and there were people everywhere! I spent most of my time outside whereas Joyce stayed in here for a while so I am sure she got some great shots of the windows.

I have often taken photos of the lake with the first arch framing the view, but I think this is the first time I have stepped all the way back and included the second arch. Repetition is a good thing in photography. Speaking of repetition, there was a log on top of the water where several turtles were sunning themselves in a row and Joyce had her 70-200 mm lens (and has an extender) so she got shots of them. I had opted for my wide angles lens as my third lens so really could not get much of the turtles with the equipment I had along. That is one thing nice about shooting with someone else. You have different ideas and different tools.

Same chapel in a different time of year and season compared to when I usually shoot it.....same results.....beautiful spot on this earth!