Virginia

Little did I know how much traveling I would be doing during the course of the year when it began. It started with no trips planned but that changed very quickly. I'll get to the others as I get around to finishing pictures of them but I have had a hard time trying to find a way to use pictures taken on some of these trips and until a better option shows up then I figured this would be a viable option.

The first trip was kind of a last second favor for one of the BYU photo faculty, Paul Adams. Paul, has been doing a photo project about spiritual leaders around the country and the impact they have on their communities. He is gathering from all different denominations and creeds. He asked me to help him on a trip back to Virginia. I figured why not and off we went. This fell on the weekend of Valentines Day. (Not a big loss, lets be honest.)

The main two people we were planning on photographing were Jerry Falwell and Chuck Colson. Jerry Falwell is an evangelical preacher and was the founding pastor of the megachurch Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia. He also founded Liberty University and the Moral Majority. He was very influential in politics and within the Christian community. He passed away in May so we were lucky to photograph him when we did.

*(remind me to ask Paul for permission to put these pictures up.)

Chuck Colson was chief counsel for President Richard Nixon and was one of the Watergate Seven that was jailed for Watergate-related charges. While in prison he was converted to Christianity and upon his release he started a prison ministry called the Prison Fellowships. His books and radio broadcasts reach millions around the world through his organizations.

Chuck was a very nice guy and I enjoyed helping to photograph him. Jerry was a little difficult. Either his head was a little to big for his own good or his assistants presented it that way. We were given five minutes in the basement of the gym at Liberty University to create a portrait before the start of a devotional. We did not like the result so we thought we would try again at the end of the devotional and upon asking from the reaction we got from his assistants you would have thought that we asked him to convert to Mormonism. Fortunately, after much persuasion, we were finally able to convince the powers that be and were granted five more minutes. In the heat of the moment I dropped Paul's camera on the cement floor (Not direct retribution for him dropping my camera at the start of the trip, I swear, mere coincidence) and luckily the farm language contained itself so we didn't make a bad impression of the Mormons in front of Mr. Falwell.

The rest of the trip we drove around the state and dropped in at random churches seeing if we could photograph someone. It was fun meeting the random pastors and talking to them. It made the trip worth it. I was supposed to fly up to Boston to meet with the Art Institute of Boston about grad school but due to weather my flight was canceled last second. Oh well. We took the extra day and drove around the state and stopped at the Appomattox Court House where the Civil War officially ended. We also drove up through D.C. and went through Arlington National Cemetery. I have included a few pictures since, like I said, I didn't know what else to do with them.

Back side of the Appomattox Courthouse

The slave quarters

Inside the slave quarters

Changing of the guard at Arlington.

That is Paul on the left obediently standing behind the barricade. I can't remember where I was.