when gentle breezes blow

"And the LORD will be king over all the earth.  On that day the LORD will be one and his name one."

It seems that almost everyday, I grab my camera in pursuit of capturing the beauty of the nature around me.  And why not?  The flowers know their Maker.  Everyday they proclaim the work of His hands.  

People are beautiful in their own way.  They were created in God's image.  What could be more beautiful than that?  But there's something so innocent and delicate in a flower.  There is something in their stillness that is so captivating, so...reassuring.

I can't help feeling that we have turned from beautiful flowers to wilted weeds.  We have lost the ability to be still and listen, to be silent and hear.  We have forgotten what true beauty is, and we are afraid to show it.

One day, all will hear and know Him.  One day, all will be still and seek His face.  One day, all will bow and praise His name, just as the flowers bow when the gentle breezes blow.  

i heart faces | a little bit of whimsy

the perfect day.

Item 1:  Texas Sheet Cake

Item 2:  Assorted Candy 

Item 3:  Blue Sky 

Item 4:  A Good Book 

Item 5:  A Soft Blanket 

Carry all items to nearest swingset.  Spread blanket.  Open book.  Eat candy.  Eat Texas Sheet Cake.  Read.  Enjoy summer day with the blue sky full of clouds.

Nothing could be better.

The end.

Update:  Yes, I am home.  I had a wonderful week!  I'm so glad to be back!  I missed you.

showing glory: a guest post by mary catherine

I have loved photography ever since I got my first point-and-shoot back in 2007. I began capturing funny things that my sisters did, and I liked being able to save those moments.
But the main photography genre that dominates my family computer?
Nature photos.



I adore taking pictures of plants, animals, and anything else un-human that God created.
The reason for this is that I’ve discovered that I can make pictures tell a story. I can make people see how glorious creation really is.
That is how I’ve discovered that photography is part of my ministry. I can take pictures of things that a lot of people wouldn’t notice, showing them that nothing that beautiful could happen by chance.
I love to glorify my Creator through my pictures and share them with others.



I want my photos to speak to the viewer and make them think. And that, to me, is the most satisfying aspect of being a photographer.
What is your favorite thing about photography?

 

Mary Catherine blogs at

http://www.glitteringcompositions.blogspot.com/.

why i photograph: a guest post by Kiley

Hi. My name is Kiley and I blog over at Click and Capture. I am a teenage girl with a huge heart for Jesus. I've loved photography since about a year ago, when I bought my first SLR. Ever since I've been a little snap crazy....I'm also very sarcastic. ;) I love every second of this life but can't wait to be with my Jesus. I love my friends and family, they bring more joy to my life. Oh, and I'm kind of new to this blogging thing. But it is awesome.

Photography has really taught me some things. Like to cherish moments, and don't take advantage of them.

I know it sounds weird, but I never noticed how beautiful the world was until I started photographing things.

God gave us this life to enjoy, and teach others about him before we live eternally with him in an even more beautiful place. ♥

Photography is what I love to do. It is my creative side, my "sport", my "hobby."

It is what I LOVE.

I love to capture little moments that may be forgotten at some point. 

When I'm older, I want to look back and remember the beautiful live I lived with my family and friends. 

And that, is why I photograph.

photography tip number one: composition

Composition is somthing that is very dear to my heart.  It's the thing that I look at first when I check out a photography blog, or any blog with photography for that matter.  I have found that what sets you apart in this huge world of blogging is your style.  If you can learn to shoot with some creative composition - and other things that we will talk about later - your photography will stand out. 

*The first few photos are shot in auto for the sake of an example.*

So, let's get started!  When you take a picture, you want to show the subject, make it look even more beautiful than it already is.  Your eyes see things, or they either just pass over it if you already know what it looks like.  It's your job to look at that subject with different eyes.  You could take a picture like this...

Half of the photo is covered with my shadow, and the other half is so blurry that it is hard to tell what it is.  One thing I try to remember when I'm shooting nature is eye level, eye level, eye level. 

This was taken at eye level.  You can see the flower.  You can actually tell that it's a flower! 

Here's a second example...

This is clover.  But, you cannot see the clover.  If you tell me this is a picture of a clover, I want to see the clover!  :)

Like this.  Once again, eye level!  When you shoot nature photos at eye level, it is going to usually look so much better.

The next things I want to talk about is where you position your subjects.   Sometimes, center is great!  However, you need some variety when doing protraiture.

I love this photo.^^  It shows her face, her body, and her pose.  You need to have some variety though.

Like this.  It's more posed, but the featues in her face are still first and foremost. When doing portraits, I believe that one of the most important things is variety.

The third thing is creativity.

Sometimes, it might be hard to photograph ordinary objects in a way that looks new.  It's how you make familiar objects like trees, grass, even siblings faces stand out that's important.

See the difference?  You can make an ordinary tree look different and new.

So, guys, have you learned something?  I hope you have, because I learned something as I was writing it.  Go out and practice now.  Take that camera and see what you can do.  If you post about what you are learning, leave me the link so I can read it!  :)

*This is the first of a few posts with photography tips.  I will be gone this entire week, so I have set you up with a few guestposters!  I will write more tips when I get back!*

friday favorite things

I love spontaneous weed picking.  In dresses.

I love good movies and movie nights.  Read: Les Miserables at 11:30.

 The fact that summer is here to stay.  At least for a few months.

Baby hugs, with those sticky hands and messy faces.

I love good books and a treehouse to read them in.

Homemade things

Freshly mowed grass

Birds that sing, perched on top of tall branches

 

Baby feet and hands that never stop exploring are the best.

Blue skies dotted with clouds.

Soccer balls and friends to play with.

Favorite things

Thinking of and naming my favorite things.  :)

You - all my followers.  (And your comments.)  You're the best.

i'm officially in love

With golden hour that is!

The light dances gently over everything.  It makes things shine and glow like never before.

It's as if you have stepping into a whole different world, a fairyland. 



Glowing curls are the best thing ever!

For just a short while, it seems as if time itself has slowed, and is taking in the beauty of the world.

Flowers are illuminated, people shine as if they are wearing halos.

If I had to capture golden hour in words, I would call it a glimpse of heaven.

In truth, though, it is difficult to put into words the beauty of golden hour.  Perhaps that is why it is so special.

the play-doh kind of day

 Even though this was a while ago, I'm still posting about it!  :)  I love the pictures too much.

I've been striving to pay more attention to my siblings the past few weeks.  I don't care if it means getting dirty, or looking immature, or feeling stupid.  I do it any way.  I've rolled down hills, made pay-doh creations, and pushed them on swings for hours. 

It's actually pretty fun.

Take for instance, the day when I did play-doh.  Just me and my two brothers.  The entire table was covered with tools, and bits of colorful dough.  They didn't care.  And I chose to ignore it. 

They informed me of every detail of Star Wars I.  They showed me the absolutely right way to make a certain creation.  They asked me questions and more questions. 

But, when all was said and done, they wouldn't do the play-doh unless I was in the room.  And that made me happy.  I'm glad that they want me around, that they want to talk to me and tell me things.  After that day, I have started to play with them more often, listen to them more often.  Yes.  I like these play-doh kind of days!



announcement! [please read!!]

Dear Lovely Followers,

I wanted to let you know about something that is very special to my heart.  I have started a blog where you can order some of my prints. 

It's called Drip Drop Photography.  The name sounds a little weird right?  Well, let me tell you about it.  As some of you probably know, I went to Ethiopia last November.  We spent time at a school there called Trees of Glory.  On the grounds at Trees of Glory sits a well.  A well that cannot be used because someone put rocks into it, vandalized it.  The children who come to this school struggle to find clean water that is safe for them to drink.  I met many of these children.  We played with them, taught them things, and gave them supplies and toys.  What they need most of all though, is clean, safe water.  A new project has been started by Karen Wistrom and many others.  Their goal is to raise the amount of money needed to start drilling a new well by this November.  I want to help them.  Eighty percent of all proceeds from the selling of my prints will go toward this new well.  Why eighty percent?  I pay for printing, shipping, and handling.  You don't have to!

I would love it if you went and looked at Drip Drop Photography.  I would love it even more if you ordered a print!  All the details are on the blog.  Also, if you see a photo here that you would like, please email me and I can list it.  Thank you guys, for letting me share that with you!

learning.

learning to be a better sister

learning how to listen to them, love them in a way that leads them to respond

learning every detail of a Star Wars movie or a tap dance move

And you know what?  I want to know about those things.

learning to be a better daughter.

learning that sometimes, the best thing to do, is the thing you don't want to do.

learning what it takes to raise a family and care for a home.

And you know what?  I can't wait to be a mom.

learning to be a better friend.

learning that phonecalls have to be made, and dates have to be set.

learning to listen, and care, and feel.

And you know what?  I don't do that often enough.

learning to be a better child.

learning that He wants to hear from me, He wants to know my feelings.

learning that it's hard to be the girl He wants me to be.

learning that I have what it takes to be that girl.

And you know what?  So do you.

lovely photo wednesday | my brother

"This is the funnest day of the rest of my life!"

Those were the words my little brother said as he was swinging last Sunday evening.  I couldn't agree more, even though I couldn't tell you what he meant!