“I am the resurrection and the life.” A stained glass window in the Trinity Lutheran Church sanctuary, Faribault, Minnesota. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo.
You are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here.– Mark 16: 6
Wishing you, my dear readers, a most joyous and blessed Easter!
Copyright 2015 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Palm branches.
PALM BRANCHES AND HOSANNAS. For the Christian church, both mark Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week.
Small groups participated in 45-minute tours on “Journey to the Cross.”
This morning at the church I attend, Trinity Lutheran in Faribault, Holy Week also began with a “Journey to the Cross” event. I was blessed to be a volunteer in this journey which led attendees through Christ’s final days to his glorious resurrection on Easter.
Participating kids (and some adults) carried passports. At nearly every station, stickers were distributed to place in the passports.
With passports in hand, kids and adults traveled from station to station, listening to performers role-play the parts of towns’ people, a temple worker, soldiers, an angel and others.
Participants had their hands washed by volunteers, following the example of Christ washing his disciples’ feet.
But this was about much more than sharing biblical history. This was about hands-on activities that reinforced the spoken word. This was about engaging the senses and experiencing Holy Week.
Matzo, unleavened bread from Jerusalem, was served as representative of food from Jesus’ time period.
And therein lies the strength of “Journey to the Cross.” Participants received palm branches, felt the weight of the 30 silver coins Judas received for betraying Jesus, heard the crack of the whip against Jesus’ back, pounded nails into wood, tasted vinegar like that offered to Christ suffering on the cross, raised their voices in “He is risen!” at the vacant tomb and more.
A volunteer crafted this crown of thorns similar to the one Christ wore on the cross. Tour participants saw it close up and could touch the crown.
I left with a deeper connection and understanding of what Christ endured. I could hear, see, feel, taste and smell the events of that final week. It was a memorable morning and the perfect contemplative beginning to Holy Week.
THE JOURNEY IN MORE PHOTOS:
Stop #1, Jerusalem on Palm Sunday:
Volunteer Theresa speaks to participants about Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.
Stop #2, Judas betrays Jesus for 30 pieces of silver:
Randy, role-playing a temple worker, tells how Judas betrayed Jesus.
Making coin rubbings in passports to remember how Judas betrayed Jesus with 30 pieces of silver.
Stop #3, Before the Passover meal on the Thursday of Holy Week, Jesus washed his disciples’ feet:
Actress Diane talks about Jesus gathering with his disciples and washing their feet.
Rather than washing feet, hands were washed.
Stickers were distributed for placement in the passport after the hand washing.
Stop #4, Remembering the Passover meal, Jesus’ last meal with his disciples:
Signs marked each station.
Participants could sample various foods such as horseradish, matzo, grape juice and more.
Grape juice ready to be served.
Stop #5, Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane:
A sign marks the station focusing on prayer.
Stop #6, Jesus was whipped, beaten and teased:
Volunteer Leann talks about the torture Jesus suffered even prior to his crucifixion.
Wayne played perhaps the most memorable role, that of a soldier whipping Jesus.
The whip cracks across the mannequin representing Jesus.
Stop #7, Christ is crucified on the cross:
The stage was set with a cross, hammer and nails. Participants pounded nails into wood to remember how Christ was nailed to the cross.
This artwork and nails were placed at the base of the cross.
Stop #8: As Jesus died on the cross, he said he was thirsty. He was given vinegar to drink. (I don’t have any photos from this station.) Participants could taste vinegar.
A photo of Christ’s face from a stained glass window in Trinity Lutheran, Faribault. This depicts Him after His resurrection.
Stop #9: Jesus’ tomb is found empty on Easter. (I don’t have any photos from this station.) Those on the tour joined the angel and the woman at the gravesite in celebrating Jesus resurrection with these words: He is risen!
Stop #10, The final check-in station allowed participants to talk and write about their experiences:
What a young girl, Jennifer, wrote.
FYI: “Journey to the Cross” is available for purchase through Concordia Publishing House. Click here for more information.
It’s described as “an outreach and educational event for your congregation and community. Through activities based on Scripture, participants experience the joy of Palm Sunday, the disappointment of Judas’ betrayal, the devastation of the crucifixion, the jubilation of the resurrection, and so much more. This family program invites children and adults to walk the path that Jesus walked.”
© Copyright 2015 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Edited photo shot while driving by Trinity Lutheran Church sign, Arkdale, Wisconsin.
Copyright 2014 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Trinity Lutheran Church, decorated with ferns from my friend, Mike, and with hydrangea pew flowers by my floral designer sister, Lanae Feser of Waseca Floral. Trinity is our family’s church, where the bride was baptized and confirmed and attended Faribault Lutheran School.
Dear friends, since God so loves us, we also ought to love one another.—John 4:11
LOVE. GOD’S LOVE. The young couple’s love for one another. Love brought family and friends together at 4 p.m. Sunday, September 22, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Faribault, Minnesota, to witness the marriage of my daughter, Amber, and her now husband, Marc.
I love that they chose Sunday as their wedding day, although I know not all invited guests were pleased.
Amber and Marc. Photo by and courtesy of Minneapolis based Rochelle Louise Photography.
But Sunday, a day of rest, a day set aside for the Lord, seemed the perfect day for this couple to unite in marriage. Their faith has been an important part of their relationship from the beginning and will center their lives together.
John 4:11 was among their chosen Scripture readings.
Mr. and Mrs. Schmidt are absolutely, incredibly, in love. Photo by and courtesy of Rochelle Louise Photography.
They also chose, rather than to light a unity candle or pour sand from two containers into one, to share Communion. Just the two of them. The pastor noted in his message, how he appreciated this decision, how years ago Communion was a part of most Lutheran wedding services.
When the young couple partook of The Lord’s Supper together for the first time as husband and wife, tears edged into my eyes, just as they had earlier when my husband walked his daughter down the aisle. It was an emotional moment.
And even though the mother-of-the-groom vowed that she would not cry—and she didn’t—I would not, could not, make that promise. For I knew I would never keep it.
BEFORE THE WEDDING SNAPSHOTS:
The bride and her attendants with the stunning bouquets created by my floral designer sister, Lanae Feser of Waseca Floral. Photo by and courtesy of Rochelle Louise Photography.
The bridal party awaits the beginning of their photo shoot. The second-hand bridal gown was purchased at Andrea’s Vintage Bridal in Minneapolis. The bridesmaids’ dresses were custom made by dressmakers in Hong Kong (I think) and purchased through etsey.
When my daughter tried on this beaded replica vintage dress, we all knew, just knew, it was the one for her. She had it taken in and a sash added with no other alterations.
Sister of the bride and maid of honor, Miranda.
A single hydrangea adorned every other pew.
The wedding party heads outside for photos. No, I did not follow out of respect for the professional photographers and at the bridal couple’s request. It’s best to stay out of the way. Because of that, dear readers, I took no formal wedding couple/group shots.
The flowers, oh, the flowers. My beyond talented sister, Lanae of Waseca Floral, created the bouquets.
FYI: Please click here to check out the work of Minneapolis based Rochelle Louise Photography. This husband-wife team set a serene mood for the photo sessions with their relaxed and confident attitudes. I cannot wait to see the remaining results of their nine hours covering Amber and Marc’s wedding. From this first glimpse of their work in three of the photos so credited above, I am beyond impressed. Thank you, Rochelle and Tom. When you click onto Rochelle’s website, also click onto her blog to view her take on Amber and Marc’s wedding and some of her favorite photos.
Click here to reach Waseca Floral, where my sister, Lanae Feser, works as head designer.
To learn more about Andrea’s Vintage Bridal in Minneapolis, click here.
To view previous “My daughter’s wedding” posts, click here and then here and also here.
Two more wedding posts will be forthcoming.
© Copyright 2013 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Photos by Rochelle Louise Photography are copyrighted and published here with permission.
ARRIVING AT TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH in Faribault prior to the appointed family photo time at my daughter’s wedding on Sunday, September 22, I managed to sneak in a few photos without intruding. I hope.
Randy and I had come a bit earlier than we were supposed to be there. But I figured the parents could bend the rules ever so slightly as long as I stayed inside the church and did not follow the wedding party outdoors for the professional photo shoot.
Here are a few of my favorite pre-ceremony images, converted to black and white:
My daughter Amber, the bride.
The bride lifts her dress as she walks through the narthex.
Details inside the women’s dressing/prep room.
Miranda, the maid of honor, poses for a snapshot in the women’s dressing room.
Barb, the pianist, practices.
Tim, an usher, waits.
And back in the changing room, the bride uses her smart phone.
On Monday I’ll bring you more images shot before the service, this time in color, including long-awaited (at least I think you’re waiting) photos of the bridal gown.
FYI: Click here and here to see the first two posts in this “My daughter’s wedding” series.
© Copyright 2013 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
GOOD MORNING. It’s 6 a.m. And, if you’re an avid garage saler and have the morning free, you likely already are preparing your route of must-hit sales.
An overview shot taken Tuesday evening in the Trinity gym with more items to be set out on Wednesday.
In Faribault, add the Cannon Valley Lutheran High School sale to your list. Doors to the sale site, the gym at Trinity Lutheran Church, 530 Fourth Street Northwest (Minnesota Highway 60 across from McDonalds) open at 8 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 25, and Friday, July 26. Saturday, July 27, hours are 8 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Tuesday I got a sneak peek at this gym full of treasures. Yes, I adhere to the “One man’s (or woman’s) junk is another man’s (or woman’s) treasure.”
Frames and mirrors and merchandise reflected.
Except for clothing, of which there is none at this sale, you will find the usual assortment of merchandise ranging from household décor to kitchenware, books, furniture, toys, sporting equipment, some collectibles and more.
Sweet vintage thermoses.
A bit overwhelmed by the volume of offerings, I methodically worked my way through the gym, photographing items I found of particular interest. Note that I am drawn to vintage more than anything.
A kitschy vintage clock for the cat lover.
I collect vintage drinking glasses and tablecloths, but did not uncover any during my one-hour walk-through. That’s just as well. I already have more than I need.
A beautiful Pyrex casserole for the collector.
A large bowl for the Pyrex collector.
And two more beautiful Pyrex bowls.
I suggested to one of the organizers that the three Pyrex bowls and casserole I spotted ought to be marked at collector prices. “There will be collectors here,” I advised her.
“Puppy Love” and “Winter Solitude” by Rhody Yule, appraised and priced at $395 and $375.
If you’re an art collector, you will want to examine four paintings by my friend, Rhody Yule, a Faribault sign painter and prolific artist whose work was featured in a 2011 gallery exhibit at the Paradise Center for the Arts six months before his death at age 92. He was a remarkable man of deep faith and I was blessed to be gifted with one of his religious themed paintings. Now you, too, can own a piece of Rhody’s art.
Some wonderful wooden puzzles, newer and older.
If I had young kids or grandkids, I would have scooped up lots of books and toys, most in excellent condition. I did nab a homespun poetry book, The Old Hometown, by Faribault resident Marlene Hyatt Meehl, now deceased. I also found two blackboards to use at my daughter’s wedding reception.
Another view of that gym full of merchandise, to which more has been added since I took this photo.
I expect you will find something you “need.” How could you not in a gymnasium packed with treasures?
MORE FINDS:
There are plenty of hard-sided suitcases for sale and a few soft-sided also.
I have not seen curlers like this in 40 years, just like my mom used and occasionally poked into my head. The plastic pins for securing the rollers are included.
This vintage timer was made in one of my favorite Wisconsin towns, Two Rivers, along Lake Michigan. The box and the literature inside are as vintage cool as the timer.
A peek at some of the furniture.
Among the abundance of Christmas decor, I spotted these precious Nativity pieces.
© Copyright 2013 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
A member of the Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge Choir rehearses his solo before a concert on Sunday at Trinity Lutheran Church in Faribault.
SHE’S FOUR MONTHS to graduation, this mother of four, this 13-year meth addict.
Jill speaks with passion, sharing her downward spiral into addiction and her remarkable recovery through Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge. Her voice raw with emotion, Jill reveals how, as a single mom trying to raise a son and a daughter, who had cystic fibrosis, she gave her girl up for adoption. That pushed her over the edge.
Later, she would marry, have two more children and, eventually, her husband would enter treatment at Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge, a faith-based recovery program for those with drug and alcohol addictions. “I watched him turn into a godly man,” Jill says. “Our lives are unbelievable. We love each other. It’s amazing what God can do when He’s in your life. He restores.”
Praise and personal testimonies highlighted the choir’s performance.
By age 13, James from my community of Faribault, was smoking crank out of a light bulb. The son of a teacher and social worker, he had no direction or purpose in life. He was using and selling drugs and breaking into places. By age 22, he’d been to prison twice, had a son. “You try to manage and have as much fun as you can before you get locked up again,” he says.
He also used heroin. Then his brother died. “They’re thinking they’re going to bury two kids in the same month,” James says of his parents.
In 2011 he graduated from the Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge treatment program. “I found God and feel God. I have the joy of the Lord.”
And then James shares more. He was once best friends with a 27-year-old Faribault man charged last week with first-degree attempted murder and first-degree and second-degree assault in an attack on his fiance, stabbed more than 30 times. She survived and is out of the hospital.
“Bad things happen…God sustains you,” this former addict says.
A soloist performs with the choir.
Heidi, 22, the daughter of divorced parents and an alcoholic father, grew up in a small town. She started drinking, eventually wracked up two driving under the influence charges, was in and out of court-ordered treatment.
She turned to abusing prescription drugs, yet managed to go to college, even held a job in sales. She stole from her family, got into heroin.
By her admission, Heidi says, “I threw away opportunities in life…I hated myself…I was sitting in my apartment all day getting high.”
Then she overdosed, suffered a seizure.
Heidi is set to graduate in May from Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge. “I needed a relationship with God,” this young woman says.
IF YOU’VE NEVER attended a Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge presentation like the concert/personal testimonies I heard at my church, Trinity Lutheran in Faribault, on Sunday, I’d encourage you to do so. You will never forget the stories of these courageous individuals who have overcome so much to reclaim their lives and their families and forge new relationships with God.
Choir members line up and dish up at the potluck after the service and concert.
At the potluck dinner after the concert, I sat with Tyler, a 20-year recovering heroin addict and father of two boys, 9 and 13. When his wife died two years ago, Tyler knew he needed to change. You’d never guess, just looking at and talking with this well-groomed and articulate young man, that he’d once been into drugs. He’s been in and out of treatment several times. But this time, in the longer one-year faith-based recovery program, Tyler’s succeeded. He’s set to graduate soon, will start college and work, and get his boys back.
Tyler, Jill, James and Heidi and about 35 others, through primarily song and those few personal testimonials, brought their messages of hope, joy and recovery to my church through the center’s community outreach program.
Anthony Bass, who played for the Minnesota Vikings from 1998-2000 and is now the church relations manager for Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge and is planting a church in northeast Minneapolis, says the on-the-road programs are part of an effort to help fight heroin, meth and prescription drug addictions, showing “how God’s power has helped and restored.”
Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge has eight facilities in Minnesota—in Minneapolis, Brainerd and Duluth and one soon to open in Rochester. The name was changed last October from Minnesota Teen Challenge to Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge, more accurately reflecting the ages of program participants. Eighty percent are over age 18.
Bass also asked for prayers and financial support.
The Trinity Quilt Makers gifted the group with this stash of quilts.
As I sang the hymn, “Who Are You Who Walk in Sorrow,” with the congregation and choir members, I considered how fitting these words:
Great companion on our journey,
Still surprise us with Your grace!
Make each day a new Emmaus;
On our hearts Your image trace!
FYI: Click here to learn more about Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge.
© Copyright 2013 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
(Note that I may or may not have the correct spellings of names referenced in this story. I did not check the spellings. And, yes, I asked and was given permission, to photograph the Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge Choir.)
“TRICK OR TREAT,” I blurted upon my turn, realizing in the very moment I shouted those words that I had erred big time, as in a major brain fart moment.
My teammates’ mouths dropped. Their laughter chastised, mocked me. I could hear their question—“What were you thinking, Audrey?”—even though they dared not speak it aloud in the church fellowship hall setting. They exercised that bit of restrained Christian charity.
But I deserved the laughter. Who would respond “trick or treat” to a Family Feud question about a popular holiday greeting? Me.
First, the specific Family Feud game version we were playing focused on Christmas, a theme I failed to remember. Second, Halloween may be a holiday for kids, but not officially.
Thus went the annual Trinity Lutheran Church, Faribault, Family Game Night Christmas Party on Saturday, an event that always brings laughter. Lyda, who attended with her husband, Sean, and daughters, Rosemary and Anne, summarized the get together quite well in an email thank you to party planner Billie Jo. “We haven’t laughed this much in a long time,” Lyda wrote. Me either.
Laughter is good for the soul, even if the laughter is sometimes because of you.
Mandy, left, and Billie Jo vie to open a gift wrapped in multiple layers of boxes and wrapping paper and secured with layers of duct and packaging tape. Rules called for contestants to dress in scarves, hats and mittens before attempting to open the gift.
From the exchange of white elephant gifts (more on that shortly) to the drawing of a Christmas scene upon a paper plate placed atop our heads, to tearing snowmen from paper tucked behind our backs to the pushing/near-wrestling/grabbing involved in the competitive unwrapping of a single gift secured in layers of paper and rolls of duct and packaging tapes to parceling M & Ms into bowls, the evening’s activities showcased comedic competitiveness.
Racing to sort M & Ms by color is not as easy as it looks.
Honestly, you would not expect grown-ups to behave like this, especially in church. But, and this is just my thought, I think sometimes we all need to act like kids, to let loose and freewheel our way through life, if but for a few moments.
We competed for prize packages like this snowman poop.
Now if you’re thinking my Family Feud Halloween stupidity rates as the evening’s most memorable moment, you would be wrong. It ties with Jeff’s unwrapping of a white elephant gift which has become a Family Game Night Christmas Party tradition. For years, a gaudy holiday photo frame has circulated into the gift exchange. And, at some point, photos were added. Unbeknownst to Jeff, he grabbed the wrapped photo frame.
I knew, just knew, that my friend Jesse (who is a doctor, but not a medical doctor—so says his son Noah) would wrack his brilliant librarian brain until he came up with an incredibly creative photo to insert into the frame. Little did I know that my husband and I would be the subjects of Jesse’s creative efforts.
Jesse totally outdid himself. We party-goers erupted into thunderous laughter upon seeing his version of artist Grant Wood’s American Gothic.
This modern day version of Grant Wood’s American Gothic painting was created by artist Jesse and features my husband and me. Outstanding, isn’t it? The garish frame will be regifted next year with a new photo inserted.
The only disappointment was that Jesse could not witness our reaction; he was home with his two youngest children who were ill. However, I asked Jesse’s wife, Tammy, to tell him I would be seeking revenge, to which there was some response about revenge belonging to the Lord. OK then, get back at/get even.
And I can get even, because that hideous photo frame is now in my possession. Yes, I actually stole the frame from Jeff at one point during the game because I really did not need a silverware tray from a dishwasher or two can coolers. My husband later stole this from Jeff—apparently for the can coolers.
I expect we broke many of the 10 Commandments Saturday evening what with stealing, infliction of bodily harm, mocking, maybe even coveting of some gifts, over-indulgence (ahem, consumption of too much chocolate)…
But we redeemed ourselves with laughter and with love.
Another of the coveted prizes awarded to game winners.
© Copyright 2013 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Strolling along Central Avenue in historic downtown Faribault late on a Saturday afternoon in December 2011.
ALREADY I CAN FEEL the stress. Only four weeks until Christmas and so much to do:
I created a Christmas family photo card online yesterday (gold star for me) and will soon work on the holiday letter.
Greeting cards to write and send.
I’ll bake cookies, but probably not candy. How well I remember this ribbon candy of my youth, dropped into goodie bags parceled out after Christmas Eve worship services. This candy is artfully displayed by Vicki, a family member who has a real talent for decorating. The candy, card and lights images were all taken in her home.
Gifts to purchase and wrap. Cookies to bake.
The only lights at our home will be on the Christmas tree, although we really should decorate outdoors given we live along a busy street. But because our house was scheduled to be shingled (work started Tuesday), we could not hang lights in the balmy weather. And who wants to freeze their fingers now?
Decorating to do. Holiday events to attend. Travel.
My dear husband grilled this 2011 Christmas Day dinner.
Menus to plan. Food to buy and prepare.
It all can seem a bit overwhelming, throwing me into a rather Grinch-like state of mind. What’s a woman to do?
Short of acting like a Grinch and eliminating some items from that list, which I’m not going to do, I have one choice. That’s to cope. But how?
My friend Mandy Blume, who’s a nurse practitioner and the parish nurse at Trinity Lutheran Church in Faribault, my home congregation, is coordinating a Stress Relief Workshop set for 2 p.m. Sunday, December 2, in the Trinity Fellowship Hall.
If you can squeeze this into your pre-holiday schedule, do. Susan Knutson, a registered nurse and certified healing touch practitioner from Rochester, will speak on “Stress in the holidays & healing touch.”
Workshop attendees will participate in stress relief activities such as guided imagery, progressive muscle relaxation and deep breathing.
Mandy even promises massages. Can you feel your muscles loosening already, the tension easing from your body?
The majority of the workshop—and Mandy emphasizes the word “workshop” over “presentation”—will be hands-on participating in and learning stress-reducing skills. In other words, do not expect simply to sit and take notes or read hand-outs. Oh, no.
Additionally, delicious snacks (and knowing Mandy, also healthy) and beverages will be available and door prizes awarded.
Cost is only $10. Register today by contacting the Trinity church office at 507-331-6579.
Or, you can just show up at 2 p.m. this Sunday in the Trinity Fellowship Hall, 530 Fourth Street N.W., Faribault, with your payment, although Mandy would appreciate preregistration.
(If you cannot afford the $10 registration fee, talk to Mandy.)
HOW DO YOU DEAL with stress during the holidays?
© Copyright 2012 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
MY VOLUNTEER ASSIGNMENT was to photograph the mass choir comprised of 250 singers from 11 churches.
Choir members from 11 churches sing four songs in closing the choral festival.
That shot came near the end of a 1 ½ hour Festival of Choirs event Sunday afternoon at my church, Trinity Lutheran in Faribault. Choir members from churches in Eagan, Faribault, Inver Grove Heights, Janesville, Morristown, Northfield, North Morristown, South St. Paul, Stewartville and Waseca performed separately before joining in singing four songs of praise, thanksgiving and hallelujahs.
Congregation and mass choir, a side view.
Now, when I cover an event like this, I do not simply stand at the back of the church aiming my camera lens forward. Oh, no. I rove, searching for photo ops and angles that will tell a story. That is the photojournalist, and artist, in me emerging.
A piano’s player’s hands.
That same piano player and the choir she accompanied.
And, of course, the piano player’s feet working the pedals.
My pastor promised that if anyone got upset about me ranging here and there taking photos, they could speak to him. With that pastoral blessing, I set to work, moving from side-to-side of the sanctuary, tucking myself behind pillars, crouching beside pews, scooting along pews, crawling, squatting and, finally, for that mega choir group shot, climbing onto a chair.
Proof that even kids need someone to lean on while standing on a pew. This is not technically a perfect image. But look at that little girl’s face. Pure joy as she and, I assume, grandma, clap to the music.
At one point, I even slipped off my shoes and stepped onto a back pew, leaning on a stranger’s shoulder for balance. A spongy pew cushion does not make for a stable perch.
Because I shoot without flash, I knew I had to hold my camera perfectly still with each shot. I also knew that would not happen. But that is the beauty of shooting digital. Overshoot and you’re bound to have enough “good” photos.
I watched this boy, a member of the Trinity Lutheran Church, North Morristown, choir, for awhile before capturing this moment.
I was also acutely aware that simply photographing choirs performing at the front of the church would not make for particularly interesting shots. So I watched for the personal moments, the snippets that comprise the whole.
My favorite photo of the day came quite unexpectedly as I was walking through the narthex. These brothers, brothers to the boy in the above image, were hanging out in the narthex with their mom, one watching the concert, the other not.
That takes patience and observation—consciously choosing to notice individuals and details—and often a bit of luck.
I wanted to show all perspectives of the concert, including that of the pianists.
I happened to be on the floor, saw the men from Peace Lutheran walking toward the steps and took one quick shot.
And then I raced to the opposite side of the sanctuary to get this photo of the Peace, Faribault, choir singing.
The director of the Trinity Lutheran Church, Northfield, choir exhibited such enthusiasm that I simply had to catch her in motion.
Remember that little girl from earlier? There she is again, watching. She makes me smile.
I set my camera on a front pew and aimed up for this perspective.
The mass choir can quickly become that, simply a mass, unless you focus. I chose to see the individuals, specifically the little boy in the front row who had lost his place in the music.
While noticing the details is vital to a photo essay, so is the broader view.
The light of late afternoon made the western stained glass window glow in golden tones. Here’s a snippet, Christ’s face.
I placed my camera on the floor and shot this mass choir and congregation image, the angle drawing your eye to the cross.
The mass choir disbands and the concert ends.
TO THE ORGANIZERS OF and participants in the choral festival, thank you for blessing us with your musical talents. I cannot read a single note and thus so appreciate those of you who do and who share your gifts.
© Copyright 2012 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
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