Finding Hope with your Camera

    A dear friend died in November 2009. He was 84, and suffered with cancer. None the less, when he passed, his longevity did not soothe my grief.  I was raised in the Christian faith that teaches of the resurrection and life ever lasting. At times, like St. Thomas, I want more concrete proof.

     

   A few days after the funeral, I went into our backyard. There was a light snow the previous night, making everything look like it needed a good dusting.  Something red, in what had been our flower bed, beguiled me.  Upon closer examination, I discovered a rose, sprinkled with snow, blooming in November! I am convinced it was sent as a message of reassurance that my friend was in a better place, and that I could join him in the years to come.  I was able to capture a picture of it which I can look at over and over when doubts jab at me. 

   That rose expressed so much, and it was not even a particularly, spectacular bloom.

But for November in New Jersey, I did not expect to see any flowers, let alone a rose!

What other images express hope or a lack of it?

Look at these. what you think and/or feel?   

 

   Photographers are known for capturing a story, for freezing a memory forever. Common photo ops are celebrations and vacations.  Photographers not only want to record, but to evoke. What emotion do you feel while pressing the shutter?  What do you want                                                                                                                        those viewing it to feel?

         We make assumptions, no?  Are all "street people" without hope? 
 Do those with wealth have no need of hope?  Is it possible to capture things not readily visible on a camera?  Of course, many see beauty and feel awe, maybe a sense of peace and calm.  Think about the media--newspapers, and magazines. What emotions do you think those producing them, want to elicit?  All is not peaches and cream, nor should it be.

    Hope is not wishful thinking.  It is active, while the latter is passive.  When I have hope, I act accordingly.  Those who developed vaccines to fight Covid 19 had hope. So did Bezos and his flight crew in their recent blast off into outer space.  My family finally includes a grandchild, and she brought us great hope--hope for her happiness, hope that she may, in some way, make the world a better place.  When I think of her, I can't help smiling.

      What other  photo subjects might help folks to express hope?  Check out  these images. Most of these things make me think of hope.

 

  

What shots would you include in your file about hope?  What other emotions do you want to focus on with your camera?

Hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?

Romans 8:24

A Matter of Perspective

What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?  You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.   Psalm 8:4-5     👑

 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. I Corinthians 13:12

    On a recent trip, I had a window seat on the plane 🛧and managed to snap a few pictures.  It amazes me how man's footprint 👣is apparent all over the landscape.  After take off, the aircraft climbs very quickly and  objects below seem to grow smaller and smaller. Cars and people become indistinguishable.   We are as specks of dust.

   
This picture shows more detail as                                                         the plane was at a lower altitude.

Perspective is an important element in good photography.  What does the photographer want us to discover from the vantage point of the shot?  So many factors influence the perspective of a picture.  What angle is being used?  Does viewing the same scene in color have the same impact as seeing it in black and white?

How about these views of two different trees?  What makes them different? Are they the same in any way? Which would you say is taller? Older?

           

In this case, one shot shows a monument marker. The second one adds a person, and what is he doing?  Which one do you find more appealing?

  

Enroute LAX, we had to transverse mountains  🌄 that were 4,000 feet high.  These 2 views are of the same terrain, but which hills appear steeper?   How does the inclusion of the truck warning affect your perspective?

   Good photographers take multiple snapshots of the same subject, but the results vary with each click of the shutter.  We try to take the best picture that we feel will appeal to the most people.

    Our perspective in life is also key to our growth and well being. Is the glass half empty or half full?   🥃   Does a loving Creator really care about us, who seem so small and insignificant?

    It has been hard to maintain a positive perspective as we come out of a pandemic that overtook our lives for months.  Our troops are pulling out of Afghanistan after 20 years of fighting and bloodshed.  Our TVs and newspapers report about the most recent shootings.  🔫

All of these things make it difficult to remain hopeful.

    Yet, we witness selfless acts of courage and sacrifice daily. Messages of hope help us not to get stuck in the muck, but to focus on the promises of our Creator, to uplift one another, and to believe that a brighter tomorrow is coming.   Our perspective means everything. We do see in a mirror dimly, no?

 Keep the important subject inside the frame.   🖼   Fine tune the picture.  Improvement is possible!  Just keep things in perspective.