Dad's Bible. My Photos.

For a pair of atheists, we have plenty of bibles in this house. Unless there is another one hidden somewhere, I think this is the oldest one: a Teacher's Edition published by Collins' Clear-Type Press, but I can't tell you exactly when because I can't find a date.*

Judging from a few verses noted in my dad's handwriting in the front, it was his bible: I assume his first, or at least first serious one. I surmise that he might have either purchased it or been given it around 1930, but that is pure guesswork. It seems to be a reasonable assumption, though, as he would have been 18 then and probably full of youthful zealotry.

It's well worn as the next photo fully reveals.

In a centre column of all pages, there are corresponding verses (a concordance of sorts) that one could look up to further study a word or concept used in one of the verses. I suppose that is why they called it a Teacher's Edition.

Dad had a very impressive knowledge of the bible. It would have been impressive enough for anyone, but he was a man with only a sixth grade education. Be that as it may, he knew what he knew, pastored a church for awhile, and taught a men's Sunday School class. He was pastoring not too far from where I now live in Eastern Ontario when I entered the world all those decades ago.

Photographically, I had it in mind to play around with double exposures. You can do this in camera or in post. The first, below, is my in-camera version. The open page is superimposed on the closed book. I first photographed the open book, then closed it and shifted the camera to try to get the open version resting on the closed one. To be clear: this is one image as taken by the camera.

One can also create a double exposure effect in Photoshop or with other software editors by blending two separate photos. I think my Photoshop version, below, is a little better than the in-camera one, above. It may be worth noting that I do have more experience with Photoshop than I do with actual in-camera double exposures. 

I think my preferred photo, however, is a composite that I also made. Using the first two photos of this post, I turned the closed bible vertical and put the open version by its side.

It was a little project that I've had in mind for awhile, and I finally got around to it.

And, oh look, it's Sunday and good day to show the Good Book. How is that for a bit of unplanned synchronicity, which I guess also makes it  serendipitous?

*I found some of these bibles online, mostly at a site called Worth Point. The oldest that I found was published in 1910. I still don't see a date in dad's copy, however.