A church photographer tagged along with me last Friday afternoon. Fr. David Rider is a retired priest, resident in the Diocese of New York, and he’s contracted by the Episcopal Church and the Church Pension Fund to take photographs of church life. Some of these will be stock photos, when a church publication or website needs a generic picture. Others are action shots for specific events and occasions. Fr. David took plenty of both, on this, the first stop on his west-coast swing.
The action shots he took are for this year’s General Convention. He’s creating a loop of pictures, showing the diversity of the church across the country, to run on-screen in between convention proceedings. Fr. David contacted me because of the work I do on Haight Street and because I dress in clerical garb – cap, cassock, and collar – nearly always and everywhere. It seems I’m a bit on an anomaly, as anyone who looks at our website and social media or spends five minutes with me can attest.
Fr. David took some shots around the church and in my study, and several more as I walked about the Haight Street parish, talking with street parishioners, merchants, pub patrons, and, of course, our many and beloved Haight Street dogs. In all we spent about an hour, and we were respectful of people’s desire, or not, to be included in the photographs. Because of my relationships with so many parishioners, most were only too glad to be photographed with me. Once he’s curated his shots, he’ll send me a file. He’s given me permission to use his work as I see fit, so I’ll for sure share them with you and our on-line platforms.
One picture I’m sure will show up somewhere is from the table in the back of church. “I’ve never seen Narcan next to a Forward Day-by-Day,” he said, as he took some shots of the opioid reverser and the daily devotional that rest side-by-side for you to carry with you.
God’s blessings and peace,
Dan +
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