Majestic Maintenance

One of the things any photographer should try and do is capture something when it is not in it's usual form or normal self. In this case, this would apply to the San Diego California temple, situated just off the I-5 freeway, in La Jolla. The temple is undergoing some preservation type of maintenance.

What drew me to the photo was the intricate scaffolding surrounding the temple. I have had this on my "radar" for the past few weeks and I figured I have better get this shot, before the work is complete and the scaffolding disappears and the temple returns to it's normal look.

I had stopped here on my way back during the early afternoon last weekend and took some shots. Immediately, I knew that I would need a shot of this at dusk. Now, if the temple was in it's normal state, then an afternoon shot would be ideal, as well. But, in this instance, the scaffolding sort of hides the pristine white. Therefore, I needed the lights inside and outside the church, at dusk, to really bring out the magic in this shot.

I think the scaffolding is blocking some of light rays and therefore is not quite as bright as it usually is. But, the scaffolding really shows up, due to the same lights. At dusk, the deep blue sky contrasts nicely with the warm yellow tungsten color inside the temple. The incoming marine layer just barely held off long enough for this shot, to get those nice deep blues in the sky.

I took this shot from the other side of I-5, in a strip mall parking lot. I met another photographer, who had the same idea. She was kind enough to let me borrow her tripod for a quick few minutes, as I need to find a new tripod. She also let me use her little step ladder to shoot over the chain-link fence, to make it easier than to use the live-view mode on my camera. You have to like a photographer who really comes prepared. She was nice company and I hope to see her photos of this, as well.

This is a famous San Diego landmark. With or without scaffolding, it is a beauty no matter what.