What Do You See?

What do you see?  Do you see an old man?  Of course you do, for that is what he is, an old man nearing the end of his journey.  He sleeps most of the time, rarely talks, doesn't remember much.  And that, if you don't know him, is all you can see when you look at these photographs.  That is the limitation of photography and, in fact, a limitation of our eyes.  We can only capture what is visible in that moment in time; we don't see the broad spectrum of what makes that person who he is; we don't see the rich and varied history of his life.

You see an old man. I see my father.  You see white hair, age spots and wrinkles.  I see the gentle, good-humored, kind and dependable man who helped raise me.  You see his current uselessness, while I see a gymnast, a musician, a band teacher, a fisherman, a handyman, a fellow who worked hard, dressed like Mister Rogers and was lovingly faithful to his wife.  You see a man who no longer interacts with his world; I see someone who read to his children, took them on endless camping trips, went swimming with them often every summer, told funny stories, whose knees creaked as he came running up the stairs at night saying, "you kids settle down up there!" and who much later quietly grieved the loss of his oldest daughter.   And even what I see isn't all there is to the man.  Think what his wife and parents could tell, what they could add to our understanding of his life.  Yet with all of that, our picture still isn't complete, for only God knows the deepest parts of a man's soul.

What do you see?  What can any of us really see?  Pray that the God Who Really Sees would open our eyes and give us compassion for those who can no longer tell us who they are.  

Me in my Dad's lap

More Light

When you can't understand "The Idiot's Guide to..." you know you're in trouble.  Such was the case when I started reading photography books, including the Idiot's Guide.  I realized early on that I didn't care about the mechanics of how digital photography works, the acronyms (CCD! SR! RGB!) and all their environs.  I started to skip those chapters in the hopes of finding useful information further on, but was dismayed to find out that in order to get the most out of my camera, I had to disengage the autopilot and engage my brain to make all sorts of decisions.  Is it good for me?  Of course!  Has it been a road filled with error, confusion and frustration?  Absolutely.  I kept large note cards beside me while I read and jotted down all sorts of information that I promptly forgot.  I'm not one of those people who learns by reading; I learn by doing.  Now that I'm older, real learning only takes place when I do it A LOT.  Nevertheless, there have been small triumphs along the way.

Recently I was visiting my mom and dad at the nursing home where my dad lives.  There was a  flower in a vase by the window that caught my eye.  I took the photo  and of course the light coming in behind the vase obscured the flower in darkness - not a bad effect, but not what I was looking for.

As I pondered this business of the light, some dim memory began to surface about different options with light metering.  Didn't I read something about that 2 years ago when I was making all those notes?  Spot metering?  I managed to find it on the menu (no small feat - it's a jungle in there!), changed the setting and took another photo.  Amazing difference!

Although there's almost too much light in this photograph, my usual cry is "more light! more light!"  I crave light.  Even in the winter when opening the drapes means letting in more cold, I don't hesitate.  I have to have it.   My soul craves it as well; my cry to Jesus is "more light! more light!"   Psalm 36:9 says

"For with You is the fountain of life; 

     In Your light we see light."

There you have it.  More light must come from the Source of light and life.  It is He who opens up the aperture, who spreads wide the drapes that darken our souls.  Hallelujah!

Imagination

Imagination allows us to pick up a weirdly shaped yellow pepper and "see" a pirate lurking in it.   In this case, Sam's imagination prompted him to make his idea a reality by adding the right props, as you can see.  

Vegetables actually provide a lot of "scope for the imagination," to quote Anne with an "e."   When I was cleaning our potatoes, I found one that was the spittin' image of a bare hiney.  Now why didn't I get a picture of that?  Probably a subconscious sense of modesty kept me from making a permanent record.   However, I did get a picture of these carroty friends sharing a sweet embrace (I can almost imagine that it is a joyful reunion after a long separation, or perhaps a last hug before one has to leave the other for an extended time).

I propose this definition:  Imagination is a function of creation: it is the means by which we create new ideas, for better or for worse, from that which we see and know in the real world.  Why on earth did God give us imaginations?  For certainly imagination has its dark side as well - those of you who have imagined fearful and dark things in the future, or who have created harmful fantasy images know of which I speak.  As far as I know, the Bible doesn't say much about our imaginations...or does it?  It is said "...we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ," and Paul's injunction to the Philippians is to let their minds dwell on those things which are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellent or worthy of praise.  Thinking creatures must imagine.  Our imaginations will either be sanctified or sullied; true or tainted; whimsical or warped.   Thank God for your imagination and then ask Him to make it like His.   He came to make all things new.