Welcome so glad you stopped by! This is the 3rd simple but profound Life Lessons from Photography School.
Contributing Photographer: Carla Ackermann
Life is busy. We rush around and we want to get things done quickly. When there is something we want to take a picture of, we just take it. But the fact that we take pictures at all shows that in many ways, we want life to slow down. We want to capture the moments and be able to hold onto them. One click of the shutter freezes time and records treasures throughout our days.
What if we actually slowed down the whole process? Not just took the picture in the midst of our busyness, but slowed down the busyness?
Sometimes, to get the best shots, we need to wait for it. We need to be quiet, still and wait patiently. Take these two pictures for example.
The first is an empty beach. Nothing exciting there. After seeing the kids run around and try to catch crabs. however, I knew there was a possibility of a good picture. All I had to do was wait and within a minute, several crabs emerged. They are fascinating creatures, those crabs, but they are not much for noise and activity!
Now of course in this day and age of digital photography, “getting the shot” is not as hard (or expensive!). You can just keep shooting and later delete all the ones you don’t want. Yet for many things you still need to wait. You need to be quiet (and sometimes sneaky!). Taking photos of my kids, for example, can require silent waiting (it would also be handy to invent a telephoto lens that could bend around a corner!). Two of them do not like to have their picture taken. As soon as I break out the camera, they hide! So I have to wait. And be quiet. And sit there (with my camera) until they forget I am watching them. When I do this, I often end up with some of the best and most cherished photos of my sweet kids.
How often does God remind us to wait? To be still? The bible rings with those words: “Be still and know that I am God” Psalm 46:10 (Ex. 14:14); “but those who wait(hope) upon the Lord will renew their strength….” Isaiah 40:31 (Ps 27:14; 37:9) In the midst of the crazy, busyness of life, He wants us to be quiet before Him. He wants us to wait patiently for His timing and His answers – and He guarantees that if we do this, our strength will be renewed. If we want rich, wonderful moments in life, it is worth the time and patience. So just wait for it.
Thank you for reminding me I do need to be still and wait. I am not very good at that and I have always prayed for patience. You gave me another reason to be patient and wait. Yes, with kids we all need a round the corner telescopic anything to keep up with them. Thank you for sharing this lesson (and message) at Freedom Fridays.
Beautiful. Timely. True. May your words hit home with many who read your story. And I, like you, believe in stealth photography. It is definitely the best way to capture those moments. I bet Lorraine at Grateful Prayer and a Thankful Heart would love to have you share your post at her “Think on These Things” link party if you haven’t already. I hope you check it out.
Liz