Sweet Shot Tuesday

I am not a trained photographer. I have taken no classes up to this point and although I won’t say never, it’s not on my agenda for the near future. I also really struggle with insecurity where my pictures are concerned. I go back and forth between thinking I’m doing a really great job to thinking I have no business taking pictures … or rather sharing them with anyone. It seems to be an endless cycle for me.

Usually what it all comes down to though – and why I keep doing it – is simply that I love it. I love how photography has allowed me to channel my creative side. When I look back on my growing up years I can see so many examples that point to me being a creative person. Academics were never really my thing but I loved using my hands to make things and I loved sharing my creations with others. It’s who I am and when I’m not doing something creative, I’m simply not being me. Photography has given me the opportunity to appreciate something about myself … something that I never really saw as an asset until now.

The other thing photography has done for me is that it has allowed me to see the world with new eyes. Case in point … we live in the middle of 24 acres of woods and I can tell you without reservation that winter in these woods has never been my favorite time of the year. Every window from my house in the winter gives me a view of drabby, barren trees. It’s, at times, downright depressing.

But because I’ve started to see those trees through the “eye” of my camera lens, I’m learning to appreciate the beauty that can even be found in a leafless, barren, winter tree…

Now, as I drive down the road or look out my window, I see uniqueness and detail and beauty. I see God’s hand at work even in the midst of winter. I’m appreciating the world around me and am being drawn closer to the One who created the beautiful works of art that is the Earth.

Whether my passion for taking pictures ever leads me anywhere besides a hobby remains to be seen. What I do know, however, is that it has brought healing and joy to my heart in ways that maybe nothing else could. So for that reason, I will keep on taking pictures!