Scene and Unseen

Our eyes are marvelous parts of our bodies. We can see in three dimensions. We can gaze in wonder at, not only the colors of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet), but also the countless subtle shades that exist within these hues. In addition, our eyes and mind work together enabling us to distinguish among a dozen different light and dark tones at any given moment.

My camera, while unable to replicate human vision, does allow me to see nature in ways my eyes cannot. Let’s look at some examples.

The image below is from Pleasant Ridge, a park in Greenville County, South Carolina.

I don’t know about you, but this photograph doesn’t look like any waterfall I’ve ever seen. The difference is time. My eyes can only view things and events instantaneously, as they occur. With my camera in Manual Mode, I can “add” time. The “poured sugar” appearance of the water is a result of an exposure time of five seconds.

Here’s another example. The image below of a wildflower named toadshade is from a nature preserve north of Tryon, North Carolina.

In this scene, the bright sunlit background dominated the flower, which was in deep shade. To compensate, I used my camera to add light to the foreground with fill flash.

Finally, the subject in the shot below may be familiar to you. It is Delicate Arch, an iconic landmark in Arches National Park in Utah.

However, this is not what I saw with my eyes, since I was standing across a canyon about a half-mile away. I used a focal length of 500mm on my camera to zoom into this scene, providing a different perspective from what I could humanly see.

Did you know that “seeing” can also be done with our minds and hearts? When in conversation with another person, I might say, “I see,” which usually means I understand the information, thoughts, or feelings which are being conveyed by that individual. This non-visual type of “sight” is also an example of an important and necessary part of the life of faith. I believe in God and his son Jesus Christ even though I haven’t seen either of them with my human sight.

Give me faith for what I cannot see.
– from the song “Holy Spirit, Living Breath of God”

by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend

“Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”
[post-resurrection Jesus to Thomas]

– John 20:29b (New Living Translation)