Creche That Is On The Porch This Year

This nativity scene has been on the lawn with a custom manger in the past. This year it is on the porch. Personally I like it better on the lawn.



Creche That Is On The Porch This Year, 2011

Creche With Wooden Cutouts

Daybreak doesn't have that many nativity scenes, but this one I have returned to for the second time. It's a home-made pattern, which I enjoy because the owner had to do some thinking. A for effort on this one.



Creche With Wooden Cutouts, 2011

Creche That Says Merry Christmas

I like the sign.



Creche That Says Merry Christmas, 2011

Creche Where I Turned On The Lights

I broke one of my self-imposed rules tonight and I turned on the lights of this creche. I don't know why it's a rule, maybe there's something about not altering the scene or some such nonsense.

So tonight I sat in the car, listened to some music, napped a bit and waited to see if the homeowner would come home and turn on the lights. After 20 minutes of waiting, I decided I would go ahead and plug them in. I unplugged them after I was done.

This is a nativity that my friend Tiffany sent me to. I went and looked at it earlier this month and made a photograph, but decided to come back to it again later in the day.

I appreciate all of my 'spotters'. I am trying to get to all of their suggested locations.



Creche Where I Turned On The Lights, 2011

Creche That Cast A Neat Shadow

I have seen this set of figures three times so far this year. I have not seen them before, so I am very curious where they are being sold. Starting in October, I started looking at various retailers to see who would be selling Nativity figures for outdoor display. I have to admit I haven't seen that many, so I am curious just where people are buying their sets.

I love this one because of the great shadow it casts on the wall of this neat home.



Creche That Cast A Neat Shadow, 2011

Creche In Front Of A White House

I love how the nativity figures that are lit from inside throw a nice soft glow on the objects that are around them. Unfortunately we haven't had a bit of snow this winter, so I am not able to see the snow lit up by them. Instead I get to look at how it lights up the home and the trees that are nearby. I like this one quite a bit.



Creche In Front Of A White House, 2011

Creche In A Grove Of Trees

I found this one last night when I got lost cruising around. I love the trees. I also hadn't seen this particular version of the figures before. I was pretty happy about this one.



Creche In A Grove Of Trees, 2011

Creche By The Garage

This one I found last night and I was VERY excited after driving around not seeing anything for quite a while.



Creche By The Garage, 2011

Creche I Will Re-shoot

I went out this afternoon and drove and drove and drove and couldn't find anything. I was getting frustrated then found three that were totally awesome. This one was my favorite, so much that I'm going to re-shoot it tomorrow when the light is sweet.



Creche I Will Re-shoot, 2011

Creche Across From Lehi High School

I photographed this creche last year and was hoping that the lights on it would be turned on when I set out to shoot it tonight. The lady of the house was in the kitchen working, talking on the phone and saw me outside standing there with my tripod. I gave her a wave, she waved back. I was hoping she'd at least turn on the figures. She didn't.



Creche Across From Lehi High School, 2011

Creche That Dylan Led Me To

I have various 'creche-spotters' spread all through the valley. I appreciate their efforts. This creche is one I happened to find while on my way to a location that was suggested to me. I'm not sure if I ever found the one Dylan told me about.



Creche That Dylan Led Me To, 2011

Creche By The Mortuary

Here's a creche that a few students pointed me to. They drive by it twice a day and tonight I had some time to swing by and get it. The figures are quite impressive and are life-size. Baby Jesus had a hand-knit afghan. It was pretty sweet.



Creche By The Mortuary, 2011

Emergency Creche

I haven't have the chance to head out and cruise for creches the way I like to. I had to run down the street this evening to grab this one I'd been saving for such a day.



Emergency Creche, 2011

Creche That Got Turned Off

I went out late tonight and was worried that people would start turning off their lights. I photographed this creche at 10:30 and while I was finishing, it got turned off. This was a little too close for comfort.



Creche That Got Turned Off, 2011

Creche That I Said "Bingo!" When I Saw It

I went out last night with a dead battery, so I couldn't photograph a neat creche that I'd found. I went home disappointed and slightly angry at myself.

Tonight I went out later than I wanted to and had to cruise for quite a while. I passed-by several creches that I just wasn't feeling very good about, when I saw this one as I rounded the corner. I was so excited I yelled out "Bingo!" and I knew I'd found my subject for tonight.



Creche That I Said "Bingo!" When I Saw It, 2011

Creche That Wasn't Level

This house was on a hill and the nativity was facing in a weird direction. I was shooting looking downhill and I hate making excuses but I'm not sure I'm very happy with this image. I went out hunting tonight, found a sweet one, but realized my camera had no battery in it. Shoot!



Creche That Wasn't Level, 2011

Creche In Front Of A Yellow House

Here is a creche in front of a yellow house.



Creche In Front Of A Yellow House, 2011

Santa Kneels at the Creche

I don't see too many of these...



Santa Kneels at the Creche, 2011

Creche Where The Window Is Open

I found this creche right when the light was sweet. There is this balance between the ambient sky and the brightness of the lights that I really like. The kitchen window was open and I saw the lady of the house wandering about. I don't think she even saw me. I gave her a wave just in case.



Creche Where The Window Is Open, 2011

Creche That Wasn't There Last Year

I photographed this creche two years ago in the snow and had a shot I really liked. Last year they didn't put out their creche, and I was kind of disappointed. This year they put it up again, so I thought I'd shoot it before the sun went down.



Creche That Wasn't There Last Year, 2011

Creche Where The Cops Drove By

I was shooting this creche tonight when the police drove by with their lights flashing. It was a little disconcerting. I was hoping that no one called the cops on me. They drove by and I redoubled my efforts.



Creche Where The Cops Drove By, 2011

Creche That The Utes Like

One of my students said that he really liked the creches when they were illuminated. As I have looked back at the collection I realize that less than half of them are photographed with the lights on. I am going to try to remedy that.

Connor needed some driving hours for his license, so I told him he was going to drive me around creche hunting tonight. This is one we found pretty early. He got a full hour of driving in after we got this one photographed.



Creche That The Utes Like, 2011

Creche Where The Camel Had Fallen Down

Yesterday I went out hoping to find at least one creche to photograph. I knew I'd had an early 'sighting report' from some friends, so I went to find it. While out creche-hunting I found this one only about 20 minutes into my search. I was so excited! I have been thinking about not doing the project again this year, but there has been some renewed interest. Also, I'm not sure I've said everything I want to say photographically speaking, so I will press on...



Creche Where The Camel Had Fallen Down, 2011

Last Creche Of 2010

I have a tradition where I try to go out photographing on the last day of the year, then the following day, on the first day of the year.

Today while I was heading out to shoot at the Great Salt Lake, I drove through the little town of Magna looking for a Nativity to shoot. They had just experienced several days of snow, much of it generated by lake-effect storms generated by Great Salt Lake.

I didn't see more than this Creche in Magna, but that was enough. I only needed one.

I am sad to see the project end for this year.



Last Creche Of 2010

40-year-old Creche

Polla and I went creche-hunting in Providence this week. I found myself in a part of town I hadn't searched before, and lo-and-behold, this one popped out of nowhere.

This Nativity was unique in that it was centered in the yard under some trees and the figures were all in a circle around the infant Jesus.

As I tried to figure out how to photograph the set, I realized that I would need to be smack-dab in the middle of the yard. Although I never ring on doorbells, I felt I needed to for this one. I was definitely going to be intruding on their property and felt I needed to introduce myself.

I rang the bell and a very nice lady came to the door. I introduced myself and she was thrilled to have me show interest in her decorations. She said they were over 40 years old and that each year they struggle if they ought to paint the figures or not. I begged her to never paint them, as I felt that's what gave them so much character.

Because I had such limited space to work in, and I didn't have a wide-angle lens, I needed to make a multi-image mosaic. I shot 23 images and put them together digitally to achieve the angle of view I wanted to get.

I especially like how Jesus is resting in an Easter basket. The melding of two Jesus-centered holidays never worked better.



40-year-old Creche, 2010

Creche That Was Hard To Shoot

This creche I found with my dad in Providence the other day. I love the shape of the house and the roof.

As I approached the house I could see that the metal structure on the corner of the porch was going to be problematic. I had to ask myself..."Self, do you want to block Joseph? No. Mary? No. Jesus? No. Ok, so who do you want to sacrifice? You are going to have to deal with that thing and it is going to create a problem for at least one member of the Holy Family. Ok, Joseph it is."

So, I blocked Joseph. I hope he sees it my way.



Creche That Was Hard To Shoot, 2010

Red Barn With Star And Creche

Heading back home from lunch in Logan this afternoon I took a wrong turn and passed this big red barn.

Out of the corner of my eye I caught that it had a creche just as we were whizzing by.



Red Barn With Star And Creche, 2010

Creche Framed By A Slide

My dad and I went out Creching today. We found several different ones in Millville and Providence. I especially liked this one.



Creche Framed By A Slide, 2010

Creche That Abigail Saw In Willard

Today the family headed to Logan for Christmas with my parents. On the way up I decided to take a last-minute detour through Willard 'just to see' if I could find any Nativity scenes.

Abigail spotted this one which was amazing because it was tucked back behind a bunch of thick juniper bushes at the edge of the property. We turned around and went back to shoot it.

I love this house. The longer I look at it the more reasons I have to love it.



Creche That Abigail Saw In Willard, 2010

Creche With A Chevy Truck

Yesterday while out hunting I was heading home and this creche caught my attention right as I was passing. I am surprised I saw it because it is way buried back behind a rail fence and some trees. I think in retrospect I saw it because I was admiring the Chevy truck so much as I passed.

I was thinking earlier that there is some kind of deep metaphorical meaning in the way that I found this creche...but I don't have the energy to develop that thought right now.

Merry Christmas!



Creche With A Chevy Truck, 2010