Terka in the Church
Church in the Sudetenland
When I need an interesting and attractive subject in front of my camera, I know I can rely on Tereza. We live only a few kilometers from each other, and for that reason — but not only because of it — we have already spent hundreds of hours shooting together.
One pleasant and well-deserved Sunday sleep was interrupted by an SMS. Yes, phones have a sleep mode, and I still don’t know why I never turn it on. But this was a pleasant wake-up call. The message simply asked: What are you doing this afternoon?
I hesitated between Netflix and a photoshoot with Tereza. It was autumn, the weather outside was gloomy and unwelcoming — the kind of day when you could easily stay in bed all day. To shoot or not to shoot?
Of course, the battle had a clear winner. But then another problem appeared: where could I find a studio on such short notice? I couldn’t possibly send her out into the cold and unpleasant fog. Her makeup would be gone in two minutes, and her carefully styled hair would turn into crepe after four.
Tereza wasn’t intimidated by the weather and quickly convinced me that if she could handle it — even undressed — I would survive it too. There is some truth to that. And when you’re chasing the perfect shot, there’s no shortage of movement to keep you warm.
I suggested a few locations where we could shoot, but none of them felt quite right. I hadn’t really prepared any location in advance, but one idea came to mind: an abandoned church. That struck the right chord. Tereza packed her fantastic wedding dress and we set off.
Soon we were driving (within the speed limit) fully equipped, heading west toward the German border. I knew the abandoned church from a previous shoot. It has an incredible atmosphere — I had already photographed some urbex there before. But that was almost a year ago.
Were we bringing all this gear for nothing? Would we even get inside? Maybe the church had already been closed and secured.
As we approached the edge of the village, we could see the church tower. We stopped talking and almost stopped breathing. Taking photos in the local pub on the village square probably wasn’t an option — but where else would we find a place?
We were lucky. We could get inside the same way I had during my previous urbex shoot. Suddenly we were standing in the middle of the abandoned church — old benches, a dusty altar, peeling walls. It was colder and quieter inside than outside. Time to set up the lights and take the first shots.
Tereza, being a bit of a rocker, complemented the pure white wedding dress with heavy boots. You could hardly wish for more contrast in a single place.
We took about twenty to thirty punk-inspired photos. The theme was simple: a bride in an empty church. And the photos were taken with full respect — as the etiquette of a church demands. Even though the church had been deconsecrated, respect for those buried beneath us left no room for anything inappropriate.
For about half an hour we walked through the church, searching for the best spots. We shot around the altar, in the pews, and upstairs near the remains of the original organ. Stunning images were created — the kind of photos no one has in their family album.
We managed to finish just in time, right before both of us nearly earned ourselves a two-week flu.
Warm clothes, heated car seats, and the knowledge that we had captured some amazing shots saved the day.
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