Moral Decay

In the coming months as time allows I will be posting the story behind some of my work here and sharing it on our social media pages. This is the first such post and fitting, as it is also the first image I ever sold. Still Moral Decay is without a doubt one of my most popular images. It was an old, crumbling church in a well-kept country graveyard. The oldest gravestones dated back to the late 1830s or early 1840s. The church had separate doors for men and women. Inside, the dusty pews and pulpit were still there, but many pews on the left had fallen through the floor. Water damage from the leaky roof caused plaster to chip away, and several window panes were missing. It had been years since a preacher had spoken there. It was the last week of a very hot and humid September back in 2009 that a friend showed me to the church. Inside, the heat was suffocating. I was new to using the camera on manual subsequently I was not very quick as I experimented with camera settings. I had closed the doors to manage the light, and set up my tripod, moving around searching for the best shot. Sweat dripped from my hands, and each step stirred up dust that clung to my skin and clothes. After an hour or so, I looked like I'd been working in a coal mine.

I wish I could say it was a magical experience and I came away with a perfect image, but that wouldn't be true. At that time, I was also just learning digital editing, I spent several evenings polishing the final picture. While editing, the title "Moral Decay" came to me. The image reminded me of how the world used to be and how it has changed. I think it was a better place when church pews were full and in use. I suppose that’s just my opinion, or is it?

Moral Decay giclée print on stretched canvas sized 30x30 inches hang on the wall above the desk in a study.