In Search of Wonder
"I did not ask for success; I asked for wonder. And you gave it to me." So wrote Abraham Joshua Heschel, a Rabbi and scholar who had a gift for expressing his profound passion for God with simple, concise, and inspiring prose.
One does not have to read but a few lines of I Asked for Wonder, or any of his many books, to become quickly mesmerized by his ability to illuminate essential truths. Not only do you want to read more, but also you want to find out more about God. How did he do that? Truly, this man walked with God and was blessed by God to communicate. For those of us photographers who are passionate about nature and God, we feel that we have been graced with this artistic ability for a reason; it is our calling. So we have this burning desire to capture God’s love for us, to spread His word and do His will through our photographs. Consequently, each new photographic shoot that I take in the wilderness becomes a search for wonder. So join me on a journey of discovery as we explore God’s natural creations augmented with prose by some of the world’s greatest writers.
One does not have to read but a few lines of I Asked for Wonder, or any of his many books, to become quickly mesmerized by his ability to illuminate essential truths. Not only do you want to read more, but also you want to find out more about God. How did he do that? Truly, this man walked with God and was blessed by God to communicate. For those of us photographers who are passionate about nature and God, we feel that we have been graced with this artistic ability for a reason; it is our calling. So we have this burning desire to capture God’s love for us, to spread His word and do His will through our photographs. Consequently, each new photographic shoot that I take in the wilderness becomes a search for wonder. So join me on a journey of discovery as we explore God’s natural creations augmented with prose by some of the world’s greatest writers.
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."
-- Hebrews 11:1
This photo was taken in the Hoh Rain Forest of Olympic National Park in Washington. One of the overriding rules of photographic composition is to know what your subject is and then simplify and remove extraneous information from the viewfinder. Pictures that tell a story are as much about what you see, as what you don’t see. Here you see the lush evergreens and mist so characteristic of the Pacific Northwest. But there is a lot you don’t see hidden by the fog that lends a mysterious and evocative mood to the landscape.
I had the opportunity to display this photo, along with many others annotated with Scripture, at my church. Hands down this was the favorite among the parishioners including the Pastor. It spoke to them about the foundation of their faith and the day when things unseen will become fulfilled.
"Everybody knows, for example, that the autumn landscape in the north woods is the land, plus a red maple, plus a ruffed grouse. In terms of conventional physics, the grouse represents only a millionth of either the mass or the energy of an acre. Yet subtract the grouse and the whole thing is dead. An enormous amount of some kind of motive power has been lost."
I had the opportunity to display this photo, along with many others annotated with Scripture, at my church. Hands down this was the favorite among the parishioners including the Pastor. It spoke to them about the foundation of their faith and the day when things unseen will become fulfilled.
"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe."
-- John Muir
"Everybody knows, for example, that the autumn landscape in the north woods is the land, plus a red maple, plus a ruffed grouse. In terms of conventional physics, the grouse represents only a millionth of either the mass or the energy of an acre. Yet subtract the grouse and the whole thing is dead. An enormous amount of some kind of motive power has been lost."
-- Aldo Leopold
A smile comes to me as I fondly remember taking this photo of a Catesby’s Trillium in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (N. Carolina/Tennessee). As I was walking along the trail, I noticed this flower spot lighted by a small opening in the leaves of the treetops. Photographers often refer to the rays of light coming down from the sky as God beams; I am convinced that God’s light shone on this flower to get my attention.
This flower speaks to me on three levels. Visually, the flower’s form mimics the shape of a cross. I can see the lifeless body of Christ, especially His head (the flower), hanging down from the weight of the world. Like the cross on Calvary, this flower was sitting isolated on a hillside, there for all to see. Would we take notice?
Second, trilliums are aptly named flowers because they are easy to identify through their three leaves, three petals, and three sepals. The number three is representative of the Trinity and like the flower’s parts, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are inseparable.
Lastly, naturalists and conservationists like Muir and Leopold knew long ago that nature is interconnected. Each of God’s creatures, great and small, serves a purpose on earth, even this seemingly insignificant flower. Its simple beauty and how it fits into the intricate web of life is a testament of wonder to the genius of God. Remove it from its habitat and what remains is incomplete. For Christians, Christ is the connection God brought to us, bridging the gap that sin created, and uniting all in the universe. Remove Christ from our lives and what remains is incomplete.
This flower speaks to me on three levels. Visually, the flower’s form mimics the shape of a cross. I can see the lifeless body of Christ, especially His head (the flower), hanging down from the weight of the world. Like the cross on Calvary, this flower was sitting isolated on a hillside, there for all to see. Would we take notice?
Second, trilliums are aptly named flowers because they are easy to identify through their three leaves, three petals, and three sepals. The number three is representative of the Trinity and like the flower’s parts, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are inseparable.
Lastly, naturalists and conservationists like Muir and Leopold knew long ago that nature is interconnected. Each of God’s creatures, great and small, serves a purpose on earth, even this seemingly insignificant flower. Its simple beauty and how it fits into the intricate web of life is a testament of wonder to the genius of God. Remove it from its habitat and what remains is incomplete. For Christians, Christ is the connection God brought to us, bridging the gap that sin created, and uniting all in the universe. Remove Christ from our lives and what remains is incomplete.