skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Hannah is one of "my girls." We meet on a regular basis (with a couple of others) for prayer and accountability. She's also one of my close friends. Her passion is contagious. She's a God-follower, a photographer, and a book-lover. I swear, sometimes I think we are the same person, just six and a half years younger. She will change the world one day, of this I have no doubt.
For more pics, click here.
A radiant glow. Love written in a smile. "Where is Miss Tori?" her pre-school kids asked when she didn't come to work. "She's going to marry her prince," was the answer. And so she did.
I happened to be a privileged bridesmaid, but Tori asked me to do her portraits before the wedding day. I'm so grateful for that honor.
Click here for more pictures.
I just finished reading through 2008 in my journals. I am amazed by God. I forgot who I used to be and how much I've changed and grown. God is greater. His Word is more precious. My family relationships are sweeter. My friendships are more Christ-centered. I am so excited for 2009!
Five or six years ago around this time, my pastor sent our Church an e-mail, encouraging us to set wise goals for the upcoming year. He included in it a list of questions by Donald S. Whitney, written to urge believers to reflect on their walk with God, to "stop, look up, and get our bearings" at the start of the year. One question has had a tremendous impact on my life: What is the most humanly thing you will ask God to do this year?
(click here for the full list of questions)
In 2008 I asked God to make me a woman of prayer. He answered this request through some incredible, and very painful, situations.
I learned that I don't know myself; that I cannot discern my own heart or its desires. So I joyfully accept whatever God placed in my path.
I learned to "take a complacency in God," and allow Him to pursue me.
I learned to allow the Holy Spirit to guide me through my feelings because I cannot navigate them (I have a mental picture of being guided through a school of jellyfish, just like Marlin and Dorrie in Finding Nemo. Yeah, so I'm visual like that.).
I learned that if I know my God, I know my story's ending well enough.
I learned the importance of the Gospel in my life as a believer; that the source of all beauty-- and the only thing that redeems horror and pain into glory and might-- is the Gospel.
I learned to obey when I don't understand, and to trust the God that knows all things. "Certainty is the mark of the common-sense life: gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life... We are uncertain of our next step, but we are certain of God." My Utmost for His Highest
I learned that God is greater than my heart; that when God owns my heart, He claims the right to turn it in whatever direction He chooses, even if it hurts, or it's outside of my comfort zone.
2008 was full of good things, great memories, amazing people, and experiences that I wouldn't trade for the world. God led me through pain and impossibilities to further joy and confidence in His ability to guide and direct my life. I can't wait to see what 2009 looks like.
This year I've asked God to give me His eyes and His heart. I want to see Him the way He sees Himself, and to love Him the way He loves Himself. I want to see myself and love myself the way Christ sees and loves me. And then I want to see others and love others the way my Father sees them and loves them. I think this will be a year of even greater change. And I cannot wait!
Photography: The art, practice, or occupation of taking and printing photographs. (dictionary.com)
This definition makes it sound simple enough, doesn't it? One takes the picture. One prints the picture. The practice of photography is thereby complete. The art of photography is a little more complex, involving training, practice, discipline, and creativity. And we all know that it takes awhile to develop the particular artistic flair that distinguishes one photographer from another. It still doesn't seem too terribly complicated.
But what about the occupation of photography? These waters are a bit more... elusive and turbulent, in my mind, and rather nebulous. I've heard some claim that all a person needs is a nice camera to make money in this realm. I strongly disagree with this statement. But what does make a successful photographer? How do some rise to the $5k per wedding bracket within 2 years of doing business, while others inch along year after year, barely scraping by? How does advertising and branding play into the equation? What makes a successful website? How do photographers get their names out there for the public?
I don't really have the answers to these questions. I'm not in this for the money (I consider money a necessary evil). I don't care about success or fame as our culture defines it. I pursue professional photography for other reasons. Photography is not my passion; God is my passion and pursuit. But in the pursuit of God, He has led me to also pursue professional photography, and I see it as a means of touching my other passions: people, communication, and discipleship. My dream is to one day pursue missions photojournalism, if the Lord wills, to document the faithfulness of God in the lives of His saints worldwide, to support those who are passionately walking out their individual God-given callings, and to use my images to motivate further Christ-centered pursuit in the hearts of Christian young people in the United States.
Until that day comes, I'm in the business of portraits and weddings, trying to earn enough to purchase necessary equipment, acquire training and experience, and put money away for those days of international travel that are, hopefully, on the horizon. I work hard now with an end goal in mind. I want to be successful, so that I can do more of what I love later on.
So here we are back at those questions: what makes a successful photographer? What distinguishes one from another? About a year ago I sat down and did some research in this area. Again, I don't have all the answers to these questions. But I have come up with some good ideas. And these have come as I've studied other photographers.
I started collecting blogs. Actually, what I mean is that I started making wise use of Google Reader. In the course of my research, I stumbled upon a few of the top wedding and portrait photographers in the country. I noticed that almost without exception, these photographers use their photo blogs as one of their primary means of networking and advertisement. So I subscribed to a few with Google Reader. Every once in a while one of these blogs would link to another incredible photography blog. So I subscribed to that one, too. I started collecting photo blogs the way some girls collect shoes. To date, I subscribe to 77 photography blogs. I look at poses, lighting, composure, wedding coverage, and advertising styles every single day. I hope that looking at great images will increase my ability to see potentially great images when I look through my viewfinder.
I've listed a bunch of my favorite photo blogs below. If any of you know of any other great, out-of-this-world photo blogs that I could add to my collection, I'd love to check them out! Note: I don't condone, recommend, or approve everything that I see on these blogs, but for the most part these are clean, good photographers with good eyes and lots of creativity. Definitely worth learning from, in my opinion. Just had to put that disclaimer in. =)
And if any of you are interested in learning more about the business of blogging, check out this article.
Cheers and blessings to each of you on your photographic journeys!
Sarah
ampersandphoto.blogspot.com
______________________________________________________________
Adam Barnes | This guy is openly Christian in life, work, and worldview. I love most of his work.
Amelia Lyon | A husband-wife shooting team. Very, very beautiful work.
Ann Hamilton | I just started following her. Her work is great.
Bebb Studios | Cool husband-wife team with cool post-processing.
Becky Hill | Fresh & creative.
Benjamin Derkin | Very, very cool work. Always creative and inspirational.
Cathy Crawley | Sydney, Australia-based wedding & portrait photographer. Cool stuff.
Daniel Lanton | Fine-art portrait photographer, who is also a Christian. Very photoshopped, but incredibly gorgeous work.
David Schwartz | Beautiful lighting, most of the time. I like this guy.
David Witttig | He has a very different perspective.
Fred Egan | Beautiful, beautiful work.
Gabriel Ryan | This guy is good.
The Image is Found | Another husband-wife team. They're very creative. Not always to my taste, but still very creative. And they have quite the sense of humor...
Jasmine Star | By far one of my favorites!!! Jasmine is a Christian, and her husband JD second-shoots for her. She is pretty much ridiculously awesome. And her work is out-of-this-world amazing.
Jeff Newsom | This guy has some gorgeous work.
Jeremy Lawson | Quirky, funny, creative. And goofy-cool.
Jessica Claire | Another of my all-time faves. Jessica's work is always a treat to look at.
John Lyons | Pretty good work.
Jose Villa | Shoots in some amazing places. And his ring shots are incredible.
Joy Lyn | It's Joy (Jensen) Phillips! Her work has always inspired me.
Juxtapose This! | She has come good stuff on here.
Kelly Moore | Just flat-out amazing. I always look forward to her blogs.
Kyle Barnes | A natural-light portrait artist. Very nice work.
Leo Patrone | I just stumbled upon his blog today, but I like what I see.
Love Life Images | Pretty amazing work. Check out each individual photographer's blog instead of the Love Life blog.
Mark & Candice Brooke | Husband-wife team. Some good work.
Michael Norwood | Stunningly beautiful.
Morgan Matters | Fresh and bright
The Parsons | Another Christian husband-wife team. I love that combination. =)
Poser Blog | Amazing, amazing work right here!
Rae Leytham | Creative and cool
Scarlett Lilian | I think this gal's a Christian, too. Some cool stuff, but I'm not a huge fan of how intensely saturated her images are. She definitely goes for the high-glamour look.
Scott Strazzante | Chicago-based photojournalist. Usually posts just one image. Good stuff.
Sloan Photographers | Another husband-wife shooting team. Cool work.
Stacy Cross | She has a good eye for detail
Coffee shop. Hot americano and photo edits. Quiet contentment. Window seats, conversations with a good friend, prayer, truth spoken and received.
Life is beautiful.
Until confronted by selfishness. And brokenness. And emptiness. A pretty, middle-aged mom caught up in her life. The man with her, lonely as well, completely consumed by the unhappiness of his current marriage. Life is unfair. The past has been hard. The present is empty, unless they make something of it. "Just out to coffee" turns into questions about divorce attorneys (he needs one, she knows from personal experience which local ones are cheap and which ones are good). They go on their way, but not before discussing whether or not he could rent a room from her.
Life seems to me less beautiful than before.
Afternoon turns to evening. Table replaces the window seat, a latte replaces the americano, and a different friend sits beside me. The hour passes quickly and feels five hours too short. She leaves. I stay. Quiet contemplation on subjects of love, trust, and loneliness. 1 Corinthians 13 is open before me.
Selfishness confronts me once again. And brokenness. And emptiness. Loud high school girls out to coffee with their priest. Disrespect for teachers. Cheers because an older, conservative priest will be on sabbatical for several months. The f--- word unabashedly jumps from a 17-year-olds lips.
Life seems gray as I leave, and my heart teeters between brokenness and judgment.
The evening turns to night, and my view turns inward. Laptop open. Thoughts swirl. Emotions grow too strong to dismiss. Tears blur my sight. Once again, I am confronted with selfishness. And brokenness. And emptiness.
But this time it is my own heart that condemns me.
Lonely in the midst of friends. Self-centered in the face of needs. Judgment where love should reign. Despair in the face of grace. "Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily satisfied." C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory
My heart turns back to 1 Corinthians 13. Questions. Self-examination. Truth told. Shelter sought and found.
What is love? How do I love people?
How do I show Christ to those around me?
Do I envy the relationships that other people enjoy?
Am I patient with the Holy Spirit's work of sanctification in others?
Do I rejoice in others' growth? Do I bear all things for the sake of that growth?
Do I believe that God is working good in the lives of those around me?
At what point does my love for my God-family end?
Love is not duty for duty's sake or right for right's sake. It is not a resolute abandoning of one's own good with a view solely for the good of the other person. It is first a deeply satisfying experience of the fullness of God's grace, then a doubly satisfying experience of sharing that grace with another person. - John Piper, Desiring God
We are all constantly teaching and learning, forgiving and being forgiven, representing Christ to man when we intercede, and man to Christ when others intercede for us. The sacrifice of selfish privacy which is daily demanded of us is daily repaid a hundredfold in the true growth of personality which the life of the Body encourages. - C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory
The load, or weight, or burden of my neighbor's glory should be daily laid on my back, a load so heavy that only humility can carry it, and the backs of the proud will be broken. - C. S. Lewis, ibid.
I have no answers to share, no steps to achieving unselfish, Gospel-centered love. Just this: God has not finished His work in me yet. And that I am uncertain of my next step, but certain of God. And this is enough.
In God we trust
and the government is on His shoulders
In God we trust
through democracy and tyranny alike
In God we trust
He uses both good and evil men
In God we trust
so we fight for peace and He fights for us
In God we trust
even when He fights us for someone else
In God we trust
even when He looks like the enemy
In God we trust
even though our hearts are bankrupt
In God we trust
for more than just the value of our dollar bills
In God we trust
but there’s no gold behind these notes of reserve
In God we trust
even through our great presumption
In God we trust
even though He favors no nation-state
In God we trust
even when the blessing is a curse
__Derek Webb__
Posts
