When you work with talented and creative people, sometimes you get to do a project just for the fun of it. Such is the case with a video project we call, “A Steeple Story.” You can check it out on YouTube, here.
TH Publisher Steve Fisher is a member of the Steeple Square Board of Directors. About this time last year, he started talking with folks in the newsroom about the organization overseeing the tremendous undertaking of restoring the steeple at the old St. Mary’s Church in downtown Dubuque.
While we would write multiple stories throughout the process, we really wanted to document the painstaking work on the steeple.
TH photographers set up a camera equipped with a time-lapse device in a room used for storage at Dubuque Bank and Trust, 14th and Central. The room has a window with a great view of the steeple, 15th and White.
We set up the camera and set it to take a photo once an hour — for months.
Periodically, a photographer would go in and save the photos on the camera’s memory card and reformat the card to continue collecting images.
As work on the steeple grew more involved, we upped the count to a photo every 15 minutes. The camera sat in the bank window for eight months.
In late November, photo staffers edited images, removed those that were too dark, and pieced together the video. We inserted footage taken with our drone and added music.
After that, it seemed natural to add in some words to tell the story, and, particularly, to highlight the delicate workmanship required for the project.
I think the video turned out pretty cool, so please check it out and feel free to share on social media.
By Amy Gilligan: amy.gilligan@thmedia.com