Richard Webb Temples

Gila Valley Temple Sunrise

2010-11-11T04:16:00Z

     While I was happy with my sunset image of this Temple, I still wanted an image with a stormy sky. A decent storm system came through southern Arizona, so I planned another trip to the Gila Valley. I got up at 3 am again and was making pretty good time until I reached the east side of Globe. I hit a fog bank that was one of the thickest I've seen this side of the Canada Halifax Mission. I couldn't see the highway very well and had to drive about 20 mph for several miles.
     I got to the Temple about 30 minutes before sunrise and was surprised to see that Mt. Graham was almost completely covered in clouds. The composition I had in mind featured a cloud-topped mountain as a big, looming backdrop to the Temple. I set up in a spot I had scouted on my previous trip. I was on the south side of the highway (literally) with the forward leg of my tripod in the rumble-strip. The wind from passing trucks shook my whole set-up and I had to time my exposures between the trucks.
     Clouds in the eastern sky killed what could have been some nice warm light, but it may have been too contrasty anyways. Out of the 14 or 16 sheets of film I exposed, this one had the best light. It's warm and soft, and the shadows aren't really contrasty. There is a little bit of warmth in the sky to balance the cool colors in the swirling clouds.
     I'm always on pins & needles until I get my film back from the lab and I always second-guess what I saw at the time. The daytime temps headed into the 90's, so I drove up Mt. Graham, parked under a tree, and took a two-hour nap. It's amazing how well I can sleep when it's 51 degrees at 9,000 feet.
     To make the most of my trip, I decided to try to shoot at sunset. I got all set up, waited for sweet light that never materialized, and ended up not even making an exposure. Still, the whole trip was worth it for this one image.

Gila Valley Temple Sunset

2010-11-11T03:31:00Z

     I've had people asking me to be sure to photograph the Gila Valley Temple since long before construction was complete. I wasn't likely to overlook it. I've had ties to the Gila Valley my whole life. I lived there as a newborn while my parents were attending EAJC. I went to EAC for a short time before my mission and made a lot of friends and had a lot of fun. I've grown very fond of Mt. Graham over the years and even photographed a portfolio of the mountain for Arizona Highways magazine.
     I was lucky enough to be able to attend the Temple open-house twice and was able to scout for photo possibilities. The Temple faces northeast, so my timing for the right angle of the sun was important. Summer is good for interesting clouds that build over the mountain in the monsoon season.
     I wasn't able to travel to the Gila Valley most of the summer and worried I would miss out on the stormy skies. I kept an eye on weather.com and planned a trip when the storms were supposed to return. I loaded my gear in the car the night before, slept a few hours, got up at 3 am, and drove the three hours to the Temple. Sunrise was less than spectacular, and the clouds really let me down. I decided I needed to stay for sunset and try to salvage the trip.
     Big, dark clouds built all day, but decided to go away right before sunset. I had just enough for this image. The post-sunset light on the Temple was warm and soft and gave some nice pink highlights to the clouds.
     The little crescent moon had me worried. During long exposures it makes a distracting blur. The exposure was 20 seconds, but the moon was small enough in this wide-angle view to not show much of a blur.

Bountiful Temple Snapshots

2009-07-06T00:31:00Z

I knew I needed to shoot the Bountiful Temple at sunset. Like the Draper Temple, it's up against a mountain and not a candidate for great early-morning light. I was a little worried because all the good clouds seemed to have left Utah once I arrived. There were a few clouds in the western sky, but they always have the potential to do more harm than good.

The Bountiful Temple shares a lot of design similarities with the Mt. Timpanogos Temple.

After living in Arizona, Daylight Savings Time always throws me off. What seems like late afternoon to me becomes evening in Utah. Because I was in Bountiful on a Monday, the Temple was closed and the grounds were open only until 8pm. That was almost an hour before sunset. Thanks to a really nice security guard, I was able to shoot until 9pm.
Sure enough, the clouds in the western sky began to kill the warm, late light. After a while, I started to see some promising gaps in the clouds as a big shaft of sunlight hit the Great Salt Lake and started to angle my way. At this point the light got really good and I had to put down the digital camera and work with the big camera.

This next image was taken a little earlier, but you can seen the composition I was working with.

Yes, I'd prefer a foreground other than a driveway, but the shadows help a little bit.

Draper Temple Snapshots

2009-07-04T06:56:00Z

I first saw the Draper Temple last August when it was still under construction. I've been looking forward to photographing it ever since. As I planned a recent trip to Utah I was excited to hear they were having lots of stormy, rainy weather. I was not so excited to find out that all the stormy weather left the state the day before I arrived.
As you approach the Temple from the valley floor it looks great against the flanks of Lone Peak.

There's just one problem - you're looking at the back of the Temple. From the front there's pretty much just blue sky in the background, and blue sky is boring.
I set up the big camera and tried to get a dusk image.

I got my film back from the lab and wasn't happy with the results. The sky is a little too dark near the top and the different colored lights shining on the Temple would be hard to correct. I took some snapshots with my digital camera that actually looked a little better color-wise than the film images. I went back the next morning to check out the sunrise light and got a little better look.

The fact that this Temple is so close to a big mountain means it doesn't get any warm, rich early morning light. By the time the sun comes over the mountain it's too harsh and contrasty. Obviously, late-in-the-day light won't do me any good either. I'll have to be there when the sky is stormy, with diffused light coming from the front.
If you decide to visit the Draper Temple, take my word for it that the "Deer Crossing" signs are there for a good reason. I came within a few inches of sending a big, healthy doe to the great pasture in the sky and my van into the body shop. I guess deer are drawn to the Temple too.

Logan Temple - Sepia

2009-03-31T05:55:00Z

I've grown fonder of the Logan Temple since my one and only visit. I'm looking forward to another visit, now that I can walk again. I'm sure there are a lot more photo opportunities around the grounds.
I knew right away it would lend itself well to being converted to sepia. The clouds were dramatic enough in the original (here)

http://richardwebbtemples.com/2008/10/13/logan-temple--color.aspx
but are even more so in the sepia version.
I've also got several black & white versions, but can't decide on a favorite. I'll post one when I make up my mind.

Salt Lake Vertical in Black & White II

2009-03-31T05:08:00Z

I've been rehabilitating my ankle for so long that I haven't done much new photography. It's about time I posted some images, so I'll show some new versions of older images. Here's a link to the original black & white version of this image.

http://richardwebbtemples.com/2007/09/07/salt-lake-vertical-in-black--white.aspx
The differences are interesting. The original is more contrasty in some areas, less so in others. I applied a slight soft-focus effect to this version and it shows up most as sort of a halo around the dark areas.

Jordan River Temple - Sepia - Soft

2009-01-02T06:10:00Z

A few days ago I was reviewing a color print of the Jordan River Temple and started to feel a little nostalgic for the great summer clouds. I pulled up my folder of images of the Temple and noticed this sepia version doesn't quite have the same feel. For some reason, I sell more sepia-toned images than either black & white or color. The sepia and black & white conversions tend to have a more dramatic or stormy feel than their color counterparts.
This sepia version also has a soft-focus effect. One characteristic of the effect is an increase in contrast. The sky is darker and more ominous, but the Temple has a beautiful pure glow. It's almost as if light is emanating from the building instead of reflecting off of it. The statue of Moroni is much more prominent as well.

Logan Sunset - Verticals

2008-10-27T15:19:00Z

   After I set up my large format camera to photograph the Logan Temple, I needed to wait while the light and clouds changed. My composition stayed the same, but the sky gave me a lot of variety. I had a little point-and-shoot digital camera (Casio EX-V7) that I had picked up on eBay, so I kept shooting to check the color of the light and the contrast. The human eye tends to even color and contrast out somewhat, and what you see is not always what you record on film. What you perceive with your eye and brain as an acceptable level of contrast might be way beyond what film or a digital sensor can record.
     A couple of times the sun broke through the clouds in the west and was really warm and contrasty. I rolled down the street a little (on my knee-scooter) and shot a few images of the Temple head-on. The shot on the left was with the white balance set normally for daylight (about 5500 degrees Kelvin). The one on the right was with the white balance adjusted down to approx. 3200 to 3400 Kelvin. The light was the same, and only the camera settings were changed. You could achieve a similar effect with filters on a film camera.
   While the light was nice and warm, the contrast was much too great. Notice it's hard to see much detail at all in the shadows cast by the Temple. The shadow of the tree has some light shining through, so it doesn't count. Also, you can see that the Temple appears to be leaning back. That's the result of a distorted perspective created when I tilted the camera up to include the top of the Temple. When that happens, the sensor or film plane isn't parallel with the Temple and you get a distorted perspective. In addition to the huge increase in resolution I get from my large format camera, I can make adjustments and keep the film vertical and parallel to the Temple. I'm not a big fan of leaning or tilting Temples.

Mesa Temple Side - Night

2008-10-19T06:14:00Z

     While I was looking through some old files I found this image. I made it several years ago and just kind of forgot about it. Recently, I've had more requests for color images. I'm going to start offering larger giclee prints in color, hopefully before Christmas. For some reason, I have a hard time coming up with good looking frames for color images.
     In the interest of full disclosure, I had to have something Photoshopped out of this image. There was a slight jet contrail running through the sky in the upper right. I knew it was there, but it was really slight to my eye. It showed up much better on film. For images like this, timing is everything. There's only a short time when the light in the sky and the artificial light on the Temple balance with the nice, rich blue of the sky. It's a nice effect. Lots of high-end real estate images are in this style.
     While I normally prefer more clouds, I was happy to get the nice, little pink ones on the right side.

Jordan River Temple - Color

2008-10-15T04:40:47Z

     This wouldn't have been my first choice of compositions for the Jordan River Temple, but considering the circumstances, it was my best option at the time. I prefer an oblique view, but the symmetrical nature of the Temple makes a straightforward view pretty appealing too. I've found several views from near the front that look good, but haven't been able to schedule an early morning shoot. This is a VERY busy Temple, and a people-free image isn't always possible.
     The angle of the late-day light and the awesome clouds made this my best possible set-up at the time. I tried to achieve perfect symmetry, but couldn't pull it off. You can see at the base of the spire that I wasn't totally lined up. I was pushing my luck already, in that I had my tripod set up partially in a flower bed. In one way I'm like a doctor, in that I try to "do no harm" to the landscaping. Any further to the left and I would have been rolling my knee-scooter through the flower bed.

Logan Temple - Color

2008-10-13T19:58:00Z

     I've wanted to photograph the Logan Temple for years but never seemed to be able to make the time. On a recent trip to Utah I had a free afternoon and some nice stormy weather, so I couldn't resist a trip up to Logan. I had a couple of worries. I knew the Temple was on a hill, and I was still getting around on my knee-scooter with my broken ankle in a boot. I also wasn't sure of the orientation of the Temple and how the changing, stormy light would affect its look.
     It's always a gamble trying to photograph on location when you're limited on time. Without much time to scout around, I've got to decide on a composition and pray for great light. I've been shut-down many times when the light just dies or fails to materialize. It's disappointing enough when I'm shooting three miles from home at the Mesa Temple, but quite another thing 750 miles away in Logan.
     This time I wasn't disappointed. Although I was limited to the bottom of the hill with my scooter, I liked the oblique view, and the late afternoon light was in just the right place. The clouds gave me a few worries. Those in back of the Temple got a little boring a few times and the clouds in the west threatened to block out the setting sun. All I could do was wait, so I stayed for several hours and shot as conditions changed.
     I knew this shot was going to be good. The light in the west was just slightly diffused and didn't become too contrasty. The clouds in the east looked stormy and dramatic and the warm tones of the Temple compliment the green foreground.

Redlands Temple Morning - Black & White

2008-08-25T01:46:00Z

     This image is from several months ago. I drove to southern California in the evening, got to bed late, didn't sleep well, got up early, and started down the freeway toward the Redlands Temple. The closer I got to the temple the heavier the morning fog got. The light looked bad and I decided it wouldn't be worth even trying to come up with a morning image. So, I turned around and headed back toward the motel to grab a little more sleep. I only drove a few miles before having a change of heart and turning back around.
     The fog started to thin and the light became better. I walked around for a while, trying to decide on a composition. Once again, the big camera attracted attention. A heavily tattooed gentleman walked over to me and started asking why I was using an "antique" camera. I wish I had a dollar for every time I've heard that question. We stood there talking for a while and he asked me what I knew about temples. He had several family members who are LDS and always wondered why they were so positive and happy. He felt the need to make some changes in his life and get away from a gang lifestyle. He said he was going to contact the missionaries that week. He needed to leave and I needed to get to work, so we shook hands and he left. I wish I'd gotten his name and address. I'd like to send him a print of the Redlands Temple.

     It's not easy to see at this size, but the snow-clad mountains are peeking through the clouds on the right side of the temple, near those two distant palm trees.

Provo Temple - Color

2008-08-24T06:25:00Z

I was in Utah a few weeks ago for a trade show and had several free afternoons and evenings. I had the big camera along with me to show off in my booth, so I decided to become a photographer again. As of today (8/23) it's been 14 weeks since I broke my ankle and I still can't walk. I decided I was ok with my trusty knee-scooter so I ventured out to photograph a few Temples. Picture a guy on a knee-scooter, with an enormous photo backpack, holding a monster tripod, trying to maneuver through thick grass on a hillside. That was me at the Provo Temple. If somebody were to secretly videotape me, speed up the footage, and play that Benny Hill music you'd have an instant comedy classic. Not pretty, but you do what you've got to do.
     I had great stormy weather all week in Utah and some successful shoots at a few other Temples, so I had high hopes for the Provo Temple. The Temple was very busy and I had to park a long ways away, but I got there in time for some beautiful light. My biggest fear was getting everything set up and having the sprinklers catch me. I would have been in big trouble. No problems there, luckily.
     I was afraid to lose the light so I set up without investigating any other compositional possibilities. I really liked the light on the mountain, so I got ready for the great pre-sunset light. The direction of the light created some great texture overall but lit up the underside of the clouds, flattening out their appearance. There actually were clouds - just bad light on them and not enough texture/detail.
     Although the sky is uninteresting, it helps set off the Angel Moroni statue. The clouds in the western sky kept changing the light and I got some varied looks, but this was my favorite. I'd like to go back and explore the possibilities and spend more time, especially when I can actually walk.

Snowflake Temple Sunrise - Wide

2008-06-17T01:18:00Z

Although this image has been on the banner of this site for nearly a year, I had almost forgotten about it. (It's distorted on the banner as it was stretched to fit the template.) I ran across it today and thought it deserved another look. With temperatures above 110 deg. today and the cabin fever I have while waiting for my ankle to heal, the cloud cover in the image and the memory of the cold morning seem very appealing.
Unlike a lot of my images, the Temple plays a minimal role in the composition. The clouds dominate and create the mood. I took this just minutes after the image in this previous entry.
http://richardwebbtemples.com/2007/07/31/snowflake-temple-sunrise.aspx
You can see the similarity in the clouds to the left of the Temple. The color in the sky changed quite a bit in that short time as well.

Mesa Temple - Bottlebrush

2008-05-24T01:39:00Z

I've been busy for quite a while and haven't added anything new to this blog. Now that I'm sporting a broken ankle, I have some forced down-time and will be able to catch up a little.
I actually shot this image four or five years ago and made only a few small prints. I cropped them a little closer than this full-frame image. I recently got a request for a print of this and decided to do it full-frame. I prefer the feel of this version with the diagonal lines of the sidewalks, bushes, and flowers leading toward the Temple. The red flowers of the bottlebrush tree complement the deep blue of the sky. I also like the long shadows created by the early morning light.

Mesa Easter Pageant

2008-03-22T07:19:00Z

I've had the privilege for the past six or seven years of being the photographer for the Mesa Easter Pageant and Temple Christmas Lights. I'm constantly in awe of the individuals involved in both projects. The dedication of the cast members is impressive enough, but the time and effort put forth by those behind the scenes is staggering. It's humbling to see their willingness to serve, usually with no recognition at all.
     During this Easter season I wanted to post of few images of the current Pageant. I was fortunate to be able to borrow a nice digital camera from my friend Riguel Uvaldo. I'm still way behind the curve on digital handhelds. The Pageant lighting is always tricky. If you shoot with a powerful flash you get light on your subject, but the background goes dark. If you shoot with just the stage lighting, you risk blurred images and wild shifts in color. I set the ISO high and used the flash to supplement. The great thing about shooting digitally is you can shoot hundreds of images and get feedback in time to make adjustments to your exposure and color balance.
     The scenery, lighting, sound, and costumes are awesome - more testament to the dedication of the volunteers. Here are a few horizontal images.



The actor portraying Christ is Robert Allen. He's a great person who brings a powerful, but humble spirit to his role. He does such a great job, it's hard to imagine anyone else in the portrayal. Here are a few of the vertical images.

For those who haven't been to the Pageant , here's the website with times and directions: http://easterpageant.org/

Los Angeles California Temple

2008-03-04T06:42:00Z

     The last leg on my southern California road trip was a visit to the Los Angeles Temple. I had never been there, but I had no trouble finding it. It's right on Santa Monica Blvd., not far from the 405 Freeway. As if that wasn't easy enough, I stayed right across the street and was able to walk back and forth.
     The front lawn is huge and I easily found a spot I liked. I usually try to check with the groundskeepers to find out when the sprinklers come on, so I don't end up getting soaked along with all my gear. I was told several times that "Bishop Felix" was the man I needed to talk to. My friend and neighbor back home is also Bishop Felix (Liahona II Ward), so I called him and asked if he was moonlighting and racking up frequent flier miles. It turned out that his wife had been in the other Bishop Felix's ward years ago. When I finally met the original Bishop Felix we had a great time talking and sorting out the coincidences. He's a wonderful man and shared some tender feelings about "his" Temple. He also assured me they had gotten so much rain recently that the sprinklers were turned off and wouldn't pose a threat.
     I knew the Temple faced southeast - perfect for what I had planned. I wanted to shoot an oblique view from the south, with the sun setting and rising almost perpendicular to the camera. While the lawn is huge and unobstructed, it's also a big hillside. Shooting a subject so tall and so high up taxed the limits of the perspective controls on the big camera. I made a few snapshots with the digital and had to do some straightening in Photoshop. As I've mentioned in other posts, when I remember to shoot a few frames with the digital camera, it's while I'm waiting for the light to get good or after I've finished with the big camera. With its super high quality, the big camera always has priority.
     Here are a few images from the digital camera. This one is taken a little while after the sun has set. There is a little glow in the western sky and the Temple lights have just come on.

     This one is from a bit later. The sky is a little darker and the lights from the Temple appear unnaturally warm as a result of me not adjusting the white balance on the camera.

     A nice warm sunrise. Unfortunately, no clouds to liven up the sky in any of these.

Newport Beach California Temple

2008-03-04T05:40:00Z

     I've been looking forward to photographing the Newport Beach Temple. The unique mission-style architecture and warm tone of the exterior made it even more appealing to me. Knowing the Temple would be closed, I thought a Monday would be a good time to visit. I didn't realize it would be locked up, without a soul in sight. The weather was warm and the light was nice, so I strolled around outside the fence and got a few snapshots.

     One important thing I overlooked was the fact that this Temple faces mainly northwest. In late February, the sun is still in the southern sky and never shines on the front of the Temple. A few minutes on Google Earth would have made that pretty clear. A little cloud cover would have helped, but the next morning was nearly cloudless.
     The grounds are more expansive than those of most smaller Temples, but a lot of the vegetation is close to the building. Also, the entrance is quite a bit higher than the driveway and sidewalk. I decided to give it a shot (no pun intended), but didn't get any help from some nearby clouds. I thought they would sneak in and even out the light, but a couple of jets made contrails that ruined my sky, so I just packed up and checked out the grounds from inside the fence.
     Here's a digital snapshot of the front of the Temple in the morning. I'm looking forward to photographing in the summer when the sun will brush along the arches at the entrance.

Redlands California Temple

2008-03-04T04:41:00Z

     It's been a long time, but I was finally able to become a photographer again. I've had my eye on three southern California Temples for a while and was able to break away for a little photo road trip. The weather was a little stormy and I hoped for some dramatic clouds. I got my wish the first night and the next morning, but things pretty much cleared out after that.
     I visited the Redlands Temple several years ago and looked forward to a return trip. Like most of the smaller Temples, it's on a smaller lot and doesn't have the space for more expansive views. The vegetation and fence are closer - making my job harder.
     Here's a digital shot from the first morning. Keep in mind, when I take a snapshot with the digital camera, I'm usually waiting for the light to get good, or I've finished shooting with the big film camera.

     Shooting from across the street wasn't bad, but between road signs, palm trees, and the fence, it wasn't possible to get an unobstructed view. Here's the setup I used to shoot over the fence. I had to leave a little room on the sidewalk for all the joggers.

     The high, thin clouds in the west made the post-sunset light warm and soft. You can see more of those clouds to the north of the Temple. The Temple lights just came on, creating a nice mix with the ambient light. My digital doesn't go very wide, so this image feels a little cramped. I'll post more after I get the film scanned.

Salt Lake Temple Vertical in Sepia

2008-02-01T04:10:00Z

I hope you like sepia, because here's another one. It's also another one that got a little more work in Photoshop. The method I used to convert from color lightened the sky a bit. While it started out as a night image, it has a little more of a daylight feel now.