Church & Flag Photo

Photographer’s Note

In front of the Manchester, Vt. First Congregational Church is a monument to Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys.
The Green Mountain Boys were a band of 200 Vermonters that served bravely in the American War for Independence. Their leader, Ethan Allen was an agnostic and when elected the first President of the Republic of Vermont (later became the 14th state in 1791) he could not take office because he refused to take an oath to God.
How ironic that his monument is found in front of a church. Then again through the years many politicians have used the flag and church to hide their sins. Who said that "the last bastion of a scoundrel is the flag or church?

buscape, Didi, vmf-214, Gerrit, snunney, ymrk, asajernigan, lucasgalodoido, danos, Dyerco, Longroute, Bluejeans, Charo, skippy007, ChrisJ, BWJ, mumek, denisn72, Royaldevon, jpinkham has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

buscape (3535) 2009-03-23 19:02

Hello Tom,
nice shot of this monument and the church behind it. I like your POV and the great contrast of the church tower with the deep blue sky. I also like the yellow lines on the street. Well done.
Best wishes,
Helmut

gneufeld (15149) 2009-03-23 19:44

Hi tom,
Very nice!! I like the striking contrast between the grays of the tall steeple and the deep blue sky. Great perspective too. Very well done and TFs. Gerald

jplebrun (16768) 2009-03-23 19:45

Hi Tom
WOW de toute beauté ce cliché de cette église avec son grand clocher qui monte fièrement dans le ciel et de cette statue de Ethan Allen au devant de l'édifice, bravo.
Amitiés
Jean-Pierre

Didi (35920) 2009-03-23 20:17

Hi Tom
Gee ! No cars around !
Nice presentation of this typical church of the new continent.
Good quality scan picture.
Best regards

vmf-214 (1622) 2009-03-23 21:47

Hi Tom,

Well done on the capture of this old church, Lovely white church against a vivid blue sky. Excellent contrast and sharpness Tom.

Best regards
Jason.

Gerrit (35591) 2009-03-24 1:03

Hi Tom,
except for the color, the architecture of this church resembles very much the dutch catholic churches that are built mostly in the end of the 19th century in a neo-gothic style.
Well taken in a good winter setting and beautiful colors.
Regards, gerrit

snunney (34538) 2009-03-24 1:57

Hello Tom,
A good capture of church and monument though I would be inclined to crop a large part of the road to put the emphasis on the two main subjects. Colours and detail are both good. Interesting story. What would the situation be nowadays?

ymrk (8533) 2009-03-24 3:51

Merhaba Tom,
The different architecture with i love a that blue of sky...
I have added to WS,i hope u like it...
See youu sooonn!

Yağmur

[workshop] [compare]

asajernigan (14054) 2009-03-24 4:04

Tom,
This is a nice shot of this fine old church. The statue provides nice balance for the scene. The trees frame everything nicely. The lighting and colors are great with excellent sharpness and DOF. I think that cropping out a little of the street would put more emphasis on the church and statue.
TFS,
Asa

lucasgalodoido (16583) 2009-03-24 4:34

Hi Tom,
interesting this architecture of church, and deep blue of sky is fantastic. Great job, my friend.
Regards,
Lucas

danos (32116) 2009-03-24 7:23

Hello Tom,
nice the view of the bell tower of the First Congregational church between the leafless trees.I wonder who had the force and the means of installing the statue of Ethan Allen in front of the church as long as he refused to take an oath to God.The bell tower is outline perfect against the blue sky.Well done.

Regards,Danos

Dyerco (8984) 2009-03-24 7:25

Hi Tom
Nicely composed with the statue offsetting the spire. The curve in the road seems to suit this composition.
Well done.
Phil

Longroute (9133) 2009-03-24 10:40

How true your words are!
This white church against a deep blues sky surrounded by the tall trees is really oustanding. Actually it takes out all our attention from the statue (done on purpose?). The picture has your usual high standard quality that makes one appreciate it at first sight and the composition is well studied to have a fine sense of depth and perspective. Very neat and sharp.
Best greetings,
Donato

Bluejeans (31963) 2009-03-24 11:01

Ola Tom ,
Bonito este lugar com esta bela igreja tem uma bela arquitectura ,gostei muito da estátua do Ethan Allem , bom enquadramento da foto ,parabéns!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

npecanhuk (13567) 2009-03-24 11:05

Hi Tom!
Lovely picture!
Simple composition with the beautiful church surrounded by nice leafless trees, framed by a wonderful blue sky, in a great contrast with the light color of the church and with the monument as a plus in this image!
TFS - Congratulations!
Best regards,
Neyvan

Charo (31665) 2009-03-24 11:22

Hello Tom,
Great perspective of this church with its slender tower. Beautiful architecture and excellent composition and details.
Greetings,
Charo

berek (28838) 2009-03-24 14:23

Hi Tom,
I like architecture and your clear picture. beautiful blue sky .well framed picture. greetings.
Burak

skippy007 (6949) 2009-03-24 17:05

Hello Tom, It is ironic, perhaps someone with a sense of humour decided to place this statue in front of the Church or was it the other way round, church behind statue? It doesn't matter now it does however make for an interesting note to go with this shot. Presented in your usual excellent quality.
Thanks
Regards
Santo
just had a thought if not humour maybe it was revenge;-)).
Take care

ChrisJ (69941) 2009-03-24 18:57

Hi Tom

A good upward pov on the church steeple, with superb sharpness & graphism, against the intense blue sky. Excellent framing & contrast. Tfs!

BWJ (1771) 2009-03-25 19:04

Hello Tom,
Very nice shot. The simple church and monument were captured under good light. The vivid blue of the sky adds a nice background and contrast to the light building. Well composed picture with the monument creating a nice focal point in the center of the frame.
Kind regards,
Betty

mumek (17468) 2009-03-26 2:42

Hi Tom!
Very well captured beautiful church from Manchester. Excellent, sharp details, nice natural colours and contrast between blue sky and white walls of the church. Thanks for interesting as usual note.
regards
ziggy

denisn72 (6949) 2009-03-26 15:45

Hello Tom!
A great church taken from a good point of view. The surroundings seem nice too. Details and colours are excellent. I rarely see a clock at the top of a church tower. This on has a clock on two sides...maybe more? Cheers!
Best regards
Denis!

Royaldevon (5888) 2009-03-27 15:00

Hello Tom,

A great pov where the images become taller as you scan them: first the statue, then the tree and lastly, the spire.
It is a fine building with lovely architectural details, standing proud against the deep, blue sky.
I'm always interested in light and shadows, and your shot has great shadows from the winter-bare tree.
I think would crop the f/g road as it doesn't really add to the shot, and then the church would have mopre emphasis.

Have a great w/e,
Bev :-)

jpinkham (844) 2009-03-27 19:35

Well, Tom, hypocrites are not confined to either place, I suppose. Be that as it may, I do like this church image -- it is vintage New England, and you show it well. The polarizer, in this case, really helps emphasize that big white steeple -- some common in our childhoods, but becoming something of a rarity these days. The monument, and the history, are interesting.