Photography is something that I have been doing in one capacity or another for about 5 years. I have been through several point-and-shoot cameras, a DSLR, and a 35mm SLR camera. I’ve grown accustomed to having an outlet for my creativity over the years.
Lately I have been feeling the itch to shoot again. To me, it is bitter sweet. It seems that the cheaper they make DSLR cameras, the more I see random people who have no photographic eye, starting their own photography businesses. I get it… A DSLR is a small investment and it is something that could potentially yield a good amount of profit, the economy is downturned, etc…
I guess the problem I have with this is that everyone is a photographer these days. I feel like my creative efforts are just another random hat thrown into a cesspool of mediocre images. As I’ve been processing this, I came to a realization: there is a big difference between a creative photographer, and someone with a nice camera who takes pictures.
About a week ago I busted out my old Canon AE-1, originally released circa 1979 this camera has stood the test of time. Shooting on film takes a lot more patience as you set up your shot, there is also not the instant gratification of seeing your image on a crystal clear LCD. If you know how to use it well, the camera will sing. Since I started shooting on it, I feel as though my creative juices have been flowing again.
I am proud of my creative efforts thus far, I think I should focus more on developing the skills that I have and am looking forward to doing that as I shoot more on film. I will be posting some of my film shots on this blog as well as on flickr as I get them developed.
Today is Saturday. Today is my lazy day, or as some of you call it, Sabbath.
Today, I have been honoring God by resting and reflecting on my life.
I’m pretty blessed, Kendra and I don’t have much, but we are loving everything God has given us in this season of our lives.
Last Saturday, Kendra and I took part in Love: Portland, a ministry of Imago Dei Community. We did some landscaping and renovation and some of the neediest schools in Portland, you can find more info about it here: http://www.loveportland.org/
Last Monday we went to Newport to visit her dad. I should add that Kendra’s dad lives in a sailboat behind the Rogue Brewery… epic.
This weekend we are having home-community dinner with our good friends the Clark’s who live in NE Portland, it should prove to be a fun and delicious time. (Amber & Jason Clark are awesome cooks!)
That’s it for now, a little snippet of life for you.
Oh yeah, before I forget, I want to share something that has been making LOL for a few days now:
It’s been a while since I have been in the habit of writing regularly or even updating this blog. There was a time in my life where it seemed more important to do so. I’m not sure what changed.
Life has been very interesting since I got married, Kendra and I love Portland. It feels like we have settled into a healthy rhythm of work, social activities, church, and alone time. I’ve said it before and I will say it again, marriage is a lot more fun than most people had lead us to believe. We recently went out to see a movie at the historic Hawthorne Theater, the movie was Away We Go, and I would recommend it to you.
A few nights ago, someone broke into my car. The person responsible smashed my window to steal 75 cents in change and a couple of burned CDs. It’s interesting because I have known several people who have been the victims of theft or vandalism and the common response seems to always be a feeling of violation. I did not feel this feeling.
Initially I was mad about the fact that I had to pay for a new window, something that Kendra and I honestly can’t afford right now. Soon after my anger subsided I felt somewhat disheartened. I would have gladly given my 75 cents to anyone who would have asked for it, why not just ask?
Anyway, I purchased some Gorilla Tape and a sheet of 2mm thick plastic and gave myself a ghetto window for the time being, until Kendra and I can save up the money needed to get the window fixed.
On a brighter note, we have been making some great connections with people at our church. We have been attending a home community with some young married couples and 20-something singles from our area. Attending the home community has been a lesson in transparency and humility. Each week that we attend I am surprised by the level of openness and honesty among the group. Not only an I surprised by the openness and honesty, but I am surprised by the loving responses, encouragement and support offered by the group in light of one’s confessions of sin, disbelief, or personal trial.
Our home community gets together once or twice a month to share a meal and some fellowship on Sundays. Last night we had Sunday dinner at our apartment, I think between 20 to 30 of the people who attend our home community showed up for our cereal themed “breakfast for dinner” meal. It was nice to have everyone in our home, to practice hospitality, and to allow the community we are a part of to see a new aspect of our lives, it was a real blessing.
On the Eternal Impact front, things have slowed down quite a bit. Gathering support has been difficult for me and my most recent trip to Medford was almost a complete wash. Kendra and I are currently discussing how we can continue to be a part of Eternal Impact and get to Uganda with one of their teams. We could definitely use prayer for direction as we do this.
I have been continuing my communications and media work with Eternal Impact, I recently finished a video of highlights from their most recent trip to Uganda. I have also been busy designing t-shirt graphics and editing the Eternal Impact website.
Here is the video I made for Eternal Impact:
I’ve been lamenting the fact that I sold my camera to pay bills when I moved to Portland, I have been itching to be creative and to capture with photos the journey that Kendra and I have been on. I’ve been using the camera on my phone for now and it seems to be working out ok, but oh, do I miss my sweet sweet DSLR.
It’s interesting how my life story is progressing. A new page is written with each day that I experience and my God is a pretty amazing author. I love reading, I don’t read as much as I would like. Though I feel I have a fairly large vocabulary and good spelling skills, I find that I am a slow reader.
I wonder what others see when they read my story, when they look at my face or examine my life… When I read, I like to make notes and jot down my thoughts in the blank spaces around the text. I like to think of my life as having margins. The bulk of the text of my life would be the size 10, Times New Roman, black font that filled each page of my book.
and in the margins…
…hand scrawled notes and ideas, written in whatever color pen I could find; the substance of inspiration derived from the narrative of my life. These are the moments that make our lives worth living. These are the subtleties of human interaction, the joy, the pain, the sweet vulnerable honesty. The best part about these marginal texts is that they are almost always messy, but they are what make us who we are. This is the grace in which we live, the space where amendment can be made and nuances can be noted.
There is beauty in the margins, take time to read and write your own.
