A Photographic Revelation

I've had this dilemma in my photographic world that has kept me in a stumped sort of place.

I call myself "A Lady With A Camera" and my tag line is "I'm a lady who walks around with a camera trying to capture what she sees".

The problem has been that after taking a picture the way I would see it I would then begin to concern myself with whether or not it was technically good. Well, in some cases that's important but I'm realizing that for me -ultimately- it's not that important. Part of me has known that but there was this other part saying to me that I needed to "color inside the lines". There is a place where that's appropriate. I'm part of a group online that does focus on "good photography" and "good technical practices". I love being a part of this because it IS making me a better photographer.

But then there's the times when I'm together with people. Often times that's inside where the light's not so good. I would take my pictures and I would be happy with what I see but there is also things like - blur - and weird lighting - and things in the composition that are distracting.

But it HIT me - isn't that the way it is in life and relationships with people. Could it be that my photography actually does represent the way I see community?

In my pictures people are in motion. So? Aren't we all in motion at some point? Then sometimes we're being still.

In my pictures the light isn't right so things aren't' clear. So? Don't we still actually see through a glass darkly?

In my pictures there are distracting elements. So? Life is full of distracting elements. I mean - are halos of Christmas lights really a distracting element. Maybe that's a matter of opinion.

Now I'm not trying to over-spiritualize what I'm doing with the camera but STILL I've always known that it was about something other than being a photographer according to the normal job descriptions. I just haven't been able to put my finger on what I'm about.

This is probably not the whole story. I certainly hope it isn't. But it is in my heart and mind a moving forward in an area that I like to think of as something I do as God's expression of himself through me. I really felt that this New Year's Eve when I was taking pictures of what I was seeing. I really felt His involvement. I guess I was actually involved in something that HE was doing.

Very cool.

This reminds me of the time I was in a "service" with one of my grand daughters and I was trying to tell God why she needed to "sit down and behave" when HE was clearly telling me I needed to let her go play. I was trying to play by rules that were not his. I don't think He's coloring inside the lines.

We're just to be.

Be in His light.

It's all very cool.