Growing up on a ranch in Louisiana where we raised and showed AQHA and APHA horses had its advantages. At the time, I didn’t appreciate it. It was very hard work because there was so much to do… cleaning out stables, feeding the horses, turning out the cattle, riding the horses for show practice, etc. But it taught me some very valuable life lessons. I learned to appreciate family, beauty, life, hard work, determination, and God’s blessings. My point is that it wasn’t until later on in life that I learned how valuable that time of my life really was. A lot has happened as time has passed. The 23 year anniversary of my mother’s death is coming up in a few days on September 30th, and this time of year always gets me thinking about deeper issues that most of us take for granted every day such as family ties, the meaning of friendship, my relationship with God, and the beauty that God created.
One thing that I’ve noticed about myself since I became a photographer is that my senses are constantly aroused. I used to walk around not even noticing things such as the shape of a tree and how it frames the sky, or the way that a sunset or moonrise may reflect in the water every evening. I would bet that most people do not give these kind of things much thought. I can’t even imagine what it must be like for someone who has lost their site, but I’ve heard stories about how a blind person can hear a pin drop because they have to rely on their sense of hearing so greatly. And just like a blind man who must rely on his other senses, I have allowed my senses to be aroused by my camera. Owning a camera and trying to create art has spiraled my very existence into an upward motion.
My sister-in-law and very admired friend, Jessica recently gave me a book to read. I have to admit that I tossed the book aside for a few weeks without even giving it a chance. I really didn’t want to read this book becuase I thought that the author was a radical Christian. I totally turned my nose up to him before I even gave him a chance. I could not have been more wrong! I strongly suggest everyone, especially Christians or even non-Christians who are simply inspired by nature to read Crazy Love by Francis Chan. www.crazylovebook.com
Now stay with me here because I promise I am getting to my point…
The reason I mention this book in my photography blog is because Chan says something in this book that totally sums up who I am and how photography has aroused my senses and shaped me into who I am today. After directing readers to go to this book’s website and view a set of amazing photographs, Chan has this to say: “Why would God create more than 350,000,000,000 galaxies (and this is a conservative estimate) that generations of people never saw or even knew existed? Do you think it was to make us say, “Wow, God is unfathomably big”? Or perhaps God wanted us to see these pictures so that our response would be, “Who do I think I am?”
Chan also goes on to quote R.C. Sproul when he said, “Men are never duly touched and impressed with a conviction of their insignificance, until they have contrasted themselves with the majesty of God.” WOW!!! Stop and think about that for a moment!
I find myself, while standing at the foot of a waterfall or watching an amazing sunset, standing still in awe at the beautiful scene I am witnessing. I find myself repeating the word, “Wow” many times. I have been known to stand in front of a raging waterfall with my arms stretched out like an eagle with the spray from the water spraying me directly in the face, while thinking to myself that only a fool could stand witness to raw beauty such as this and still not believe in God. When I am out shooting anything in nature, I find myself pausing to give thanks to God without even realizing that I am doing it.
So what arouses my senses? It is God! It is the one being in this universe that gave us so much beauty to photograph! God knew exactly what He was doing when He created our world. God knew exactly what He was doing when He breathed life into my body! And God knew exactly what He was doing when He put a camera into my hands! Before I had this camera… I totally took everything for granted! I never appreciated nature. It was always just a small piece of my huge world that I had created for myself. I never appreciated family because I didn’t stop long enough to realize that my family was a gift from God. I never appreciated my talent as a photographer, because I never stopped long enough to realize that this talent was something that God entrusted me with. Why did God give me this talent? I don’t really know! It may be that he gave me this camera so that I would see things differently and get off my high horse that I had been on for so many years. It may be because I may make someone else pause and think about things on a deeper meaning just like I have learned to do. Who really knows? But I know that I appreciate every ounce of talent that God has given me with this camera and I intend to make Him proud with how I choose to use that talent He gifted to me!
Some of you may think I’m crazy, but that’s okay! I would rather be known as the crazy God loving photographer than some of the other things that I could be known for as a photographer! Every photographer has their senses aroused by something. For some, it may be a beautiful or crazy outfit that they see someone on the street wearing. For others it may be from seeing a child playing in the sand. For me… it is God. I see God everywhere now. I think about things such as how perfect the human body is, and how every organ works perfectly and serves its own purpose in keeping us alive. I think about the complexity of nature, and how we live off of oxygen yet plants live off of carbon dioxide. Do you think this is coincidence? Of course not! It is God’s perfect blue print to His creation. Nothing in this universe is coincidental!
And since this is a photography blog, I will include some photos! Enjoy…
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