185th Conference - April 2015

About 6 months ago I noticed a photography book about Temple Square sitting on a side table in one of the reception areas of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.  It was published quite a few years ago, and even though the photographer is a VERY well known and prominent photographer in SLC who takes portraits of the First Presidency, I personally was not too impressed with his work in this book.  I thought to myself in all humility (haha), "even I can take photos this good!"  (To be fair to this photographer, however, I have to make allowances for the advancement in the technical and editing capabilities photographers have today, that weren't available when these photos were taken.)  Anyway, a seed was planted for what is now an ongoing personal project of mine to document Temple Square and create my own 'coffee' table book.   I hope to have photos taken in all four seasons, document some of the history by photographing some of the statues as well as the buildings, show the type of events and activities that take place there, capture the Christmas spirit as visitors view depictions of the Christmas story amidst the bazillions of twinkling lights, and most importantly, try to make photos that capture the peacefulness and beauty one feels and sees as they stroll through the beautiful gardens or gaze at the Christus.

I've already accumulated lots of photos taken in past years that I will eventually have to sort through and narrow down to a select few, and now I'm taking current photos from this new perspective and with specific purposes in mind. The following are a few of the photos I took over conference weekend.  I specifically wanted some photos that show the vast number of people who gather from all around the world to receive instructions from our leaders.  These may not make the final cut for the book, but I thought I'd post a little of what I saw on Saturday afternoon.

 Sister missionaries from Tahiti, Fiji and New Caledonia.  Sister Guidi from New Caledonia is the one who stayed with us before going into the MTC, and I just happened to see her while I was taking photos.

 Mother and daughter who traveled from Tahiti to attend conference.

 Two young Samoan men.

 Another Samoan family.