Sanctuary

Sanctuary. What does that word mean to you? Well, the first definition in the World English Dictionary says it is "a holy place". I like that. I like that that is the first definition. A few of the other ones down the list said a temple or building. That is true too, but what I'm thinking about is a bit more abstract than just a building.

Now, when you look up the definition for "holy place", one of the definitions is "a place of pilgrimage". That's interesting, because when you look up "pilgrimage" you don't find a specific location, just "a journey made to some sacred place as an act of religious devotion". To me that could be your spiritual journey or it could be to a literal place as well. For me, I know that a sanctuary can be wherever I meet with God in worship.

A place that is sacred is said to be a place devoted to God. If you decide to devote your time to God while on a walk in nature, then couldn't that be your sanctuary? Or how about having worship time in your bedroom at night or in the morning? It might not be as permanent as your church or chapel, but when we enter into God's presence in worship, no matter where we are, that place right then is a sanctuary when we devote that time to God.

When Joshua was spoken to in the desert by the commander of the Lord's army, the angel said, "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy." (Joshua 5:15) My hope is that now when I think about entering a building built for sanctuary or any place where I enter into God's presence in worship, that I will recognize that I am on holy ground, humbled before my Creator.

New Life

Spring is here! Finally! New life seems to always be more apparent in springtime. It presents itself through many ways. A seemingly lifeless tree bursting with buds all at once-adding a starkness of color to a bland landscape. And for me, I start to notice subtle differences in the world. How the sky seems bluer, the air seems fresher, and how life in general seems to change little by little. Spring break comes and those of us in school get a breath of what life is like outside a classroom. People we care about come home from far off lands. Life is suddenly speeding towards a  new beginning...summer! And the world to a photographer becomes alive with color! These are the things that I am noticing.

Spring is a beautiful dream we experience, that teases those of us who live in the Northwest, until we wake up from winter into summer. Spring is like experiencing life all over again, seeing the world wake up and refresh itself! Thank you God for creating Spring! New life is everywhere. In nature, in relationships, in our hearts, but we need to recognize that it can only come from God. God is love and He breathes new life into the pictures of our lives everyday if we let Him. :)

Laughter

I both love and greatly dislike the city. Three days ago my mom and I took a little trip up to Seattle. I had some testing to do to help steer me in hopefully a more accurate direction of what career I should take. The testing center was on the 9th floor of a historical skyscraper, Hoge Building, on 2nd Avenue in downtown Seattle. While taking my tests, I heard all sorts of sounds that can only come from being smack-dab in the middle of a city: sirens, cars whizzing by, horns, the air pressure squealing from bus brakes... My imagination gets fired up with all the possibilities and situations those sounds could be creating! A place full of curiosity! That's one reason I love the city.

Ok, I know this photo has nothing to do with the city, but it does! So, just go with me here. The photo was taken in Walla Walla, so yeah, really far from the city! Candid photos are so much fun to take and rare to have around. It always captures the mood of the group and day. You can never pose a candid picture, the opportunity is only presented to you in that split-second moment. But take just a moment and look at the faces of the people in this picture. Soak in their smiles and maybe if you close your eyes you can hear their laughter.

Laughter. That is something I have never heard on a city street. Interesting is it not that you can hear so much else there, but not the joy of laughter. Why is that? Does the other noise around us just drown it out? Or are we caught up in the motion of the next deadline or catching the next bus to not stop and smile or listen long enough to hear it if it does exist at all?

While walking through Pioneer Square in downtown Seattle with my mom a lady approached us and asked if we had any change to spare. We did not, so we moved on, but looking around at the people who were crossing the crosswalk with us with their heads bent low made me feel sad. There is no laughter on the city street, but what if there could be?

The city. A place so densely filled with people, yet so lonely to most. What would happen if we just took the time to laugh?

Unwind

Ever feel like going for a long walk to just unwind? Well, I did today. I called my best bud up and headed out to Washougal to the willdlife refuge park with my camera and tripod in the back seat of my car - ready for some relaxation and beautiful scenery for my camera and eyes to capture. And to top it off, the clouds held their little moisture friends in while we strolled along the trails. Thank goodness!

This is my buddy. One of the many things I love and appreciate about her is that she doesn't mind if all we do for an afternoon is just take a long walk somewhere and enjoy the beauty of God's nature around us. I'm so thankful for that!

We walked past this old cattle barn just a few hundred feet from the bank of the Columbia River. What drew my eye to it was that it has so many beautiful colors and textures that age has added to it. Blue, orange, yellow, and red. Who knew a rusting, metal barn could have so many awesome colors in it?

Some people find fences to be intriguing. I find that they usually have a lot of character about them. I'd like to think you can tell a lot about a person by how they build a fence. Is it crooked? Is it made out of wood or barbed wire or both? Is it high? Is it low? etc. I guess it depends on why they built it in the first place. Maybe they aren't all that intriguing at all and maybe I am just on the fence about that particular subject. ;)

Anyway, back to the main subject. I think it is good to take time for the simple things in life to help you unwind. A walk, a conversation with a friend, a long drive, and just enjoying God's nature. Photography helps me to relax in the way it allows me to look at the world around me first then putting my eye to the viewfinder and choosing the way I want to portray that same simple beauty to the viewers of my photo. You never know, someone may be experiencing that corner of the world for the first time through your photographs.

Make the most of every oppurtunity. Whether you are taking pictures or just trying to unwind from a crazy schedule or both, enjoy the simple things in life, when you do you will find that life is so much more than you thought it was. Simple subjects can make an awesome picture-it just depends on how you choose to look at it.

Lights! Camera! Photograph!

Light. It drives away darkness. Without it we wouldn't be able to see anything. Imagine that: pictures without light. Who wants a picture filled with blackness? Anyone? Nope, didn't think you would. Light is what is received through the shutter and aperture opening of a camera to create a picture. The longer your shutter is open, the brighter your picture will be. The bigger your f-stop number is the smaller your aperture opening will be.

There are also different types of lighting depending on your position versus the sun's position when you take the picture. Front, back, side, rim, and spotlight lighting are all used to accentuate a certain aspect of a picture. Think of the sun as a dentist's overhead lamp. A dentist moves his/her lamp around so that the light catch's on and highlights different parts of your mouth. Now think of the sun in the same context, except move your body and camera position, correlating with the sun's position to help highlight and capture the aspect you want in your photograph.

Different choices of lighting can give dramatic dynamics to a picture. Always think about your picture's focal point and where the sun is in response. How is the angle of the sun going to affect the outlook of the picture? Are there distracting shadows in the frame? Do I need more light? Also, being aware of the time of day may answer the last question. Photographer's always say that the best light is in the first and last couple hours of the day. Cloudy days are sometimes even better if you are worried about the "right" lighting, because then there is no direct or "hard" light on your subject only "diffused" light. I know its hard to be motivated to take pictures on a cloudy day, but you never know! You might get a better picture than you thought.

Clouds, sun, dusk, or dawn, just don't get a dark one!

Beauty in Scapes of Land

Where do you find the beauty of God's earth? In His landscape. I think my favorite place to take landscape photos so far is in a little town called Washougal, WA. It is smack-dab on the Columbia River and has a few pretty waterways of its own and the best part of all-it is a small town that doesn't have a lot of distracting commercial buildings. In other words, there is still space to live between the bricks (if you know what I mean). So, there you have it- simplicity is excellent in capturing landscapes. Distractions can be...well...distracting to the beauty that you are trying to capture, but it is still important to have a focal point in the picture so that your viewer isn't just wandering through it and wondering why you took the picture. For example: don't just take a picture of a grassy field with just grass, take a photo of a grassy field,  because the flowers or some object catches your eye and draws you into the photo.

Next, make sure your aperture is where you want it to be. Ask yourself: how much of the landscape do I want in focus? Where is the focal point of my picture? Then set it according to your desired depth of field. This is where you might want a tripod. I haven't had the opportunity to use a tripod much with daylight landscapes, but I am certain it helps! The tripod will allow you to get a better exposure just as it did for me with the night photography. Your camera needs to be as still as possible.

Also, make sure you look at the sky! Clouds are amazing. Whether you are laying on your back finding shapes in them or photographing the way they can help dramatize a simple landscape. And even if there aren't any clouds in the sky (I know that is rare around here) a brilliant blue, cloudless sky can still help accentuate a landscape.

But, don't get too lost in the "bigger picture". Landscapes, I think, don't have to be all that big to catch the eye. When taking landscape photos, don't forget to look for the details along the way. A collection of details is what makes a landscape in the first place.

Portland Brilliance

Last night for photography class we took a little trip to the Pearl District. If you have never spent time down there-do it! It is a Portland cultural experience! Powells, street violinists, a coffee shop everywhere you look... Anyways, we had several assignments to get done including: light trails, reflection, neon signs, bracketing, etc. Portland people are good natured for the most part, they didn't mind a bit that we were setting our tripods up and shooting away. Three 70 yr old ladies even wanted us to take their pictures as they were out for a girl's night on the town. So cute! Anyhow, I learned that long exposures and tripods are key to taking night photos especially with artificial street lighting. Whether it's from the passing cars, neon signs, or streetlights, if you don't have a tripod or don't leave your shutter open for very long, you will get one ugly, blurry, dark picture my friend!

Oh, and we got ourselves a little Stumptown while were at it :) Good stuff right here! And look at that art work in the cream-amazing! Best lookin' cup of hot cocoa if you ask me.

I still can't decide if Portland is better in the daytime or night. So, if you ever have the chance: take a night out on the town and your camera as a date! (Oh, and don't forget to bring a third wheel: a tripod :)