Remembering the Beach

The other day I was just walking through my house when I noticed a bag of sea shells. I was my reminder of the beach, and the beautiful week I had just spent there was dwelling in my soul. I knew I just had to grab that bag and shoot a few photos of them, if only to just give myself a reminder of how beautiful God’s creation is all over the globe.

So often I have tunnel vision, even when I’m out photographing nature. I get caught up in the moment, with whatever God is allowing my to witness at the very moment, that I forget about the big picture. That everything under heaven and earth is under His control and power. The bag of shells just reminds me of so many different wonderful things that dwell on this earth.

I will be continually reminded, when I look at those shells, of the ocean and the power that it holds. The sand and how wonderful, yet annoying it is. The smell of the salty sea air, and my mind can’t even grasp the wonders of the creatures that dwell in deepest depths. It’s the idea of a different world dwelling beneath the glassy top of the ocean.

Another wonder is that I live about 150 miles from the nearest ocean, but the other night when I was driving home I caught a whiff, even if only for a moment, of the salt water air from the ocean. It was so refreshing, reminding just how much I love it. I love the sand the digs between my toes. I love the refreshing dip in the ocean after laying in the sun for an hour or two. Or just listening to the waves crash onto the shore. It’s all just so beautiful and full of God’s handy work.

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A Few of the Portraits that Inspire Me

* I found these images on DeviantART, I have linked them back to their owner and claim no responsibility for the content of the third party. So please be for warned, some of the content on the third parties site may be distasteful, they are only linked to give credit where credit is due. The images above are the ones I find inspiration from.

Beauty in My Backyard ♥

This is my fave from that day

Once a camera is placed in my hands I tend to find it hard to stop click the shutter. More than on one occasion, all I’ve done is step outside my backdoor into the yard, and well… I usually come back a couple hours later with several hundreds of pictures (most of which I end up tossing). After I got back from being at the beach for a week, my soul was in some need of stretching. I grabbed my camera, my new 55mm macro lens, my new lens reverser ring, and my macro lens filters; then headed off into my yard snapping here and there, looking for the right composition.

During my times outside I like to think about what has been happening in my life, and what is going to happen. Now the fact that I am going away in just 2.25 :P months is just staring my in the face. I’m excited, nervous, excited, a little unsure of myself, excited and trusting God through everything. I know in my heart of hearts, there is nothing to worry about, tomorrow will take care of itself. All I can do is prepare, savor every moment I’m spending with the people whom I am invested in, and let God handle the rest.

One of the greatest things in my life right now are my friends, they are like a garden that just brights and soothes my soul. The sweet aroma that fills the room when I see them is just indescribable, they are all blessings straight from heaven and I am filled with joy just to be with them. I absolutely love spending time with all of them so much. I guess you could say, it is something I live for, to be able to invest in their lives just as much as they invest in mine.

I think that stepping away from my friends and traveling to the other side of the globe is one of those worries that has been creeping into my mind. Yet it is also a reason I want to go, I want to meet and make new friends; I really do want to step out and let God take me wherever. Currently my friends are my life, they are why I desire to live Jesus to everyone I can, because of the joy that my friends bring into my life. And I know that I’m not going to be deserted. That God is going to place new people in my life for seven wonderful months, and I am looking forward to meeting and investing myself in them. I trust God with all my heart and I know that He will never fail me.

Calm in the Storm

Yesterday a storm passed through our home. It even brought with it the threat of a tornado, thus my mother and crammed ourselves under the basement stairs with two dog, oh yeah, there was also a tun of junk under there too. During the time that we were huddled under the stairs, I was more concerned about the possibility that my dog was about to fall off my lap, than that there might be a tornado.

After the rain had passed, along with this storm, the sun came out and the UPS guy drove up. Well my friends a couple of days ago I bought a 55mm macro lens on eBay, and now it was here.

I ended up spending time outside taking tones of photos. I took well over 400, but ended up with about 60 in the end. Oh editing… Camera Raw is one of my fave sources that I use to edit my photos. I can take care of most of everything there (except sharpening).

The pines looked like it was freezing outside and they had been the only ones to capture the moment, little liars. The droplets decorate the seine, adding the highlights and sparkle to the evening.

I love being able to capture the magic in each raindrop. They can look like glass beads, as if they are about to fall, or as if they are settling in for the rest of their lives.

Please enjoy the magic.