Church

Hiwassee Union Baptist Church

/ Michael Glover / 12 Comments

Since moving to Tennessee almost two years ago, I have done lots of exploring. I constantly search the internet to find interesting places for picture taking. I keep a list so that I can refer to it and pick out a place to travel to. Today we are going to visit the small town of Reliance, TN.

I saw a picture of this church and had to instantly add it to my list. I really love old churches. They have so much character. And when you find one this old still in great shape, well, you have to check it out!

Built in 1899, this church is situated on the banks of the scenic Hiwassee River. Standing the test of time, it is a true testament to the folks that built it.

My timing couldn’t have been better as the sun was setting and the sky was ablaze with color. I quickly surveyed the scene to find the best angle. The orange glow on the river and the fiery clouds really got me excited. I setup my tripod to capture the breathtaking light before it faded into darkness.

I plan on returning again to this spot really soon. It certainly makes me happy to live in Tennessee with so much scenery!

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Hiwassee Union Baptist Church

Located in Reliance, TN. The setting sun accents this beautiful church built in 1899.

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Marble Plains Baptist Church

/ Michael Glover / 4 Comments

Adventure can take you anywhere you want to go. Driving around just to see what you may discover is always amazing.  Since moving to Tennessee I have been exploring every chance I get. When a road looks interesting I turn on it to see what I can find. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don’t. While out and about one day recently, I followed my instincts to hopefully come across a photographic scene. I’m always curious if I can locate a great landscape or a hidden gem off the beaten path.

Well as luck would have it, at the end of this road was this beautiful church. The sun was low in the sky and the light was just perfect. I knew I needed to get my camera gear out and take some pictures. The angle was just right for the time of day. The golden glow was so awesome that I stopped shooting to just look at this fantastic scene in front of me. This is the kind of stuff I hope for.

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Marble Plains Baptist Church

Marble Plains Baptist Church

Trinity Episcopal Church

/ Michael Glover / 21 Comments

As a photographer I am always looking for awesome locations for taking pictures. Well I just recently participated in Scott Kelby’s Annual Worldwide Photowalk. This was the 7th year he has organized this and I am proud to say I have joined in every year since the beginning. Living in Florida I have just always found a walk down here. This year I decided to go a little further and see what I could find.

I ended up going to Asheville, North Carolina for the photowalk. However for the start of the trip I reserved a campsite in South Carolina. Over the next several blog posts I will share some stories and some pictures from this entire trip.

From the campground, the Smoky Mountains were only about 3 to 4 hours away. Since that is probably my favorite place anywhere, I knew a day trip was in order. Needless to say my day trip consisted of heavy traffic and even heavier rain. Arriving in Gatlinburg late in the afternoon meant I was not going to have any time to really do any serious shooting. So I did the only logical thing to do. I spent the night there!

The fall colors were spectacular in some areas while other areas hadn’t quite changed yet. Perhaps I was there a bit too early. Across the street from where I stayed I saw this church. The bold red door was calling my name, so I had to oblige and shoot it. The light hitting the tree in the background was intense against the darkening sky. All of the leaves on the ground definitely made it feel like fall, something I don’t really get to experience in Florida.

I hope you enjoyed today’s post. Please consider leaving a comment as I always enjoy hearing from my visitors! 😀

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Trinity Episcopal Church

Head of Tennessee Baptist Church

/ Michael Glover / 30 Comments

On my way to the Smoky Mountains in March of 2011, I stopped in the small town of Dillard, Georgia. I stayed the night at a wonderful place called The Dillard House. They have a fantastic restaurant and outstanding accommodations. The plan was to get up early the next morning and visit a few different sites that I wanted to photograph in the area before continuing on. One of the places I went to on this same day was Toccoa Falls which is featured in this blog post – The Falls Behind The Trees.

Now while planning a trip beforehand is a great thing to do, sometimes it’s the unknown gems that you find on your journey that really catch your eye. (Like this other church I discovered later in the day which was in this blog post – Lufty Baptist Church.)

Upon my arrival the night before, I spotted this church located just up the street from where I was staying. As someone who has a fascination with older architectural styles, I knew I had to shoot it. The sky was beautiful that morning with lots of clouds and a rich blue color. The front of the church faces due east, so the lighting was perfect. The bell tower with the stainless steel top, the brickwork, and the double arched doorways were just a few of the elements that attracted me to it. On the south side is the cemetery with a beautiful and peaceful mountain view.

Construction of this building was completed in 1932. The opening service was held on August 21st. To read more about this church and it’s history, click here to visit their website.

Also if you would like more history on this area, you can click here to see early photos of the church, The Dillard House, and other historical buildings.

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I hope you enjoyed today’s post and I encourage you to join the conversation by writing your thoughts below as I truly like to hear from all of my visitors! 🙂

Lufty Baptist Church

/ Michael Glover / 29 Comments

Just inside the park boundaries of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is a church that up until my last visit, I had never even seen before. Perhaps because of the foliage on the trees during the different times of the year? Maybe. Who knows for sure. On this particular occasion, the trees were bare. I spotted the church to my right way up on the hillside. I had to turn around and come back to a side road that went in that direction. With the church now in front of me, I found a small parking area to stop and get out. As I ascended the hill, the tall building loomed overhead blending very well into the surrounding forest. The small wooden sign next to the pathway stated that this was Lufty Baptist Church. Established in 1836. Reconstructed in 1912. It is in an area of the park known as Smokemont, on the North Carolina side. Although the church was closed in 1939, it is open to park visitors who wish to see the inside.

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I hope you enjoyed today’s post and I encourage you to join the conversation by writing your thoughts below as I truly like to hear from all of my visitors! 🙂