Feature: Easter Services at Tuacahn

Calvary Chapel St. George, a non-denominational church, holds Easter Sunday service at the Tuacahn Amphitheater.

80mm | f/4 | ISO 800 | 1/500th 

There were two services, 8 AM and 11 AM. Both consisting of worship and a message from the church's senior pastor Rick Nerud. Nerud was proud to boast this was their 10th year worshipping at the Tuacahn Amphitheater.

210mm | f/4 | ISO 640 | 1/2000th

Nerud giving his Easter themed sermon.

The services have a distinct theme, "The Name of Jesus", which is hailed during a song that spoke of the "beautiful, wonderful, powerful" name of Jesus. This was reflected in a larger than life banner, raised in the middle of said song.

50mm | f/4 | ISO 500 | 1/2000th 

210mm | f/4 | ISO 800 | 1/1000th

Nerud gave a message of who Jesus is, what Jesus did and will do. Interestingly enough, Nerud's goal seemed to be to remove Jesus from religion. In a an area, let alone a state, where religious influence is abundant, this message, while still being religious in nature, was in a sense counter cultural. The evangelical nature of this message was front and center.

The worship band offered a blend of old and new, mixing traditional hymns with contemporary Christian music. Regardless, the amphitheater was surprisingly booming.

210mm | f/4 | ISO 800 | 1/500th

210mm | f/4 | ISO 800 | 1/500th

55mm | f/4 | ISO 800 | 1/500th

Naturally, the first service had less in attendance, but of those there, they seemed eager and happy to be.

18mm | f/2.8 | ISO 800 | 1/2000th

The overall experience was quite sensational as far as church services go. It would seem Calvary Chapel is making an effort to stand out and stay relevant in this day and age.

Bonus Pic: Pseudo Tilt-Shift

Some metadata may be inaccurate as I was using an older long zoom (80-210mm) with an adapter for some shots. They ought to be in the ballpark, though.

Peer Edit

From Daxton's feature post:

For this shot, I wanted to crop it and level it. Also, place the subject in an intersection (Rule of 3rd's).
After

Also manipulated highlights, shadows, whites and blacks.
After

Similar edits as the previous photo, this time focusing on the man (3rd from left).
Before

After