What story does an abandoned church in the middle of a city on the rebound tell?

• Buffalo Obscura hosts pop-up photography event to start converstion about preserving the city's history 
• Next event is July 26 from 6 -11 p.m. at Transfiguration Church on Sycamore Street 
• Fundraising effort underway to help restore church, which dates back to 1897

Buffalo Obscura, a collective group of photographers and artists, is hoping that question leads to a greater conversation about preserving the city’s history.

"We've been rolling out one-night photography events in obscure locations all over the city," said Molly Jarboe, a founding member of Buffalo Obscura. "We focus on underrepresented and overlooked parts of the city. We think there is a lot of potential in Buffalo. There are a lot of places that aren't getting a lot of attention. We've got a lot of important landmarks that are loved in the neighborhood."

One of those spaces is Transfiguration Church on Sycamore Street. It's the site of the next pop up photography event.

The church was completed back in 1897 but has been vacant since 1993.

Now, thanks to Daniel Britt, it has a new spirit.

"The address resonated with me," Britt said. "I bid it up to $2,300 and this is what I got."

Britt now is working to restore this piece of Buffalo history.

"I feel like we can bring it back to life and bring back some life to this neighborhood," Britt said.

It's all about seeing blight through different lenses, as explained by three photographers who are part of the upcoming photography event where the church is the main focus and host. One lens is water and preserving memories.

"Inspire memory of being by the water, skipping stones, fishing, or just having a day at the beach," said photographer Kate Stapleton Parzych.

Another lens is through culture.

"Being able to bridge the gap between tradition and culture and knowing what that looks like for an individual person and finding those parallels every day," said Lydia Maybee, another photographer. "People who are different, people who are similar and being able to build a stronger community."

They’re also asking where and who is benefiting from Buffalo's comeback.

"Maybe there's some call to action in there, like wait a minute, this isn't progress and why it isn’t and then do something about it," said Greg Meadows, a third photographer in the event.

These artists and the 15 others at the event want to inspire and challenge photographers and residents to see Buffalo in a new way.

"Art can really be a pivotal change agent," Jarboe said. "We would like people to look at the art and think of the possibilities."