Sunlight Through Steeple

The brick steeple of First United Methodist Church rises near Bayou DeSiard in Monroe, Louisiana, its spire topped by a cross against a pale sky. The sun bursts directly through one of the tower's arched openings in a brilliant starburst, while a leafy tree screens the lower stage. Photographed in black and white in 1998, the image catches a fleeting alignment of light and architecture, radiant and serene.