Colors

Very early in my photography journey, I considered black-and-white as the medium in which I would work. So serious was my interest, I took an intensive semester-long college-credit course on the subject. During that experience, I learned that when working with B/W film, the vast majority of the creative process comes in the darkroom while producing the print. Those several months radically altered my direction in the art. I realized I preferred the creativity that went into setting up the shot before the shutter went click! Additionally, I found I desired to capture what I saw with my eyes as I saw it in color!

Fast forward several decades. Jean and I were photographing wildlife while on a boardwalk at Wakodahatchee Wetlands in southeast Florida. One of the birds we photographed was this purple gallinule:

While we were observing this bird, I heard a man close by on the boardwalk exclaim, “Only God could create those colors!” This statement led me to recall other examples of colors I’ve been blessed to see:

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In his insightful biblical paraphrase The Message, Eugene Peterson expressed part of what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount this way: “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world.” (Matthew 5:13a,14a)  As I have reflected on these words, they are saying to me that I am in this world to help shed light for others to see the many colors (that is, facets or aspects) of God’s character. Not just through my photography, but also with my words and my actions.