It's a Matter of Perspective

Garden of the God's, Colorado Springs, Colorado

It seems that there are miles of trails in the Garden of the Gods. I don't know if this is true or not, but I have done a great deal of walking in the park and still haven't hiked every trail. Some of these trails are paved, others are not. You are warned of possible rattlesnakes, but I've never seen one. However, what I have noticed is that a person's perspective of the garden is dependent on the direction they take.

If you enlarge the picture you'll see a man walking off in the distance on the same path. Since he was walking towards me, his view on this path was different from mine. This is not good or bad, but a fact.  

"But if you criticize and attack each other, be careful that you don't destroy each other." Galatians 5:15 God's Word Translation

There were three things that could have happened as this man and I approached each other. First, we could have ignored each other (probably what happened). Second, we could have run into each other and blamed the other person for not moving. Or third, we could have simply said "hi" to each other on our journey.

It seems to me that brothers and sisters in Christ, those who know the power of forgiveness, too often take the second approach when they don't see eye-to-eye. Sometimes its better to say "hi" and keep moving, trusting that both you are formed by the working of the Holy Spirit in the Word of God.

Better yet, how about stopping and having a conversation.

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(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.

Casting Our Shadows

Bear Creek Regional Park, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Surf images on the internet and you will find plenty of pictures where photographers took pics of their shadows. I'm no different. This is not the only picture that I've taken of my shadow and it probably won't be the last.

What's the appeal of taking pictures of our shadows? The appeal might be that they constantly change as they casts themselves in different places and on different surfaces. Every shadow gives us a different perspective of ourselves.

"We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it." Psalm 39:6 New Living Translation

Now that's a zinger.

This might not be the perspective we want, a shadow that reveals our rushing about, pursuing the almighty dollar, a higher lifestyle or fame, and then in a moment everything we've worked for is handed over to another person.

However, there is another shadow we need to see in this picture, and that is the shadow of the cross. The shadow of the cross covers our shadows no matter what shape they take, no matter how selfish or ambitious we are.

We might even say that it is the shadow of the cross that shapes our shadows. It is Christ who shapes our lives so that we cast our shadows where he desires them to land. And where he desires our shadows to land will be ours for eternity.

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(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR

"Hi, My Name Is Doug, and I'm a Photographer"

I think I can finally say it, "I'm a photographer." It has taken me a while to say that. I've seen myself as a person who takes pictures, enjoys taking pictures and loves to share his pictures. Now I think I've cross the line from a person who likes to take pictures to a photographer.

I say this not because of the quality of my photographs, or because I'm quitting my job to make a living at photography (oh, please, no!), but because of the reason I take photographs.

For more than a year, Praying With the Eyes has help define my photography. In preparation for a photography workshop this past January 11, I was able to state my core value of photography which defines why I take pictures.

I am a creedal photographer.  This is my core value.  It is this core value that makes me a photographer.

1) I believe in God as the CREATOR

It doesn't matter what I'm shooting with my camera, I believe that the objects of my photos have their roots in God. We human creatures might have corrupted what God has created, and sometimes that corruption makes it into my photos, yet I believe that God has called all of this beauty into existence. It didn't happen by chance.  It happened by design. I try to capture this three dimensional belief in a two dimensional world so that anyone looking at my pics sees the hand of the Artist.

2) I believe in God as the REDEEMER

As mentioned above, we human beings have done a pretty good job of messing up God's creation, yet our God is a God of redemption. He nails our sin to a cross, our abuse of the authority he gave us at creation. Stories of redemption are all around us and they reflect what God declares in his Word. A beautiful sunset, a child playing, even a family standing behind a casket, are stories of redemption and mercy when seen through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

3) I believe in God as the SANCTIFIER

You've got to love the breath of God's Spirit. Without this breath we'd never know God as the Creator or Redeemer. I pray that the breath of the Holy Spirit is the inspiration behind the photographs I take. Pictures are meant to have life. And the life we share as God's people comes from the Holy Spirit. I pray that through the Holy Spirit there is a touch of the sacred that passes through the aperture of my camera and burns itself on my sensor.

This core value of being a creedal photographer is not the same thing as my vision as a photographer. That's another discussion for another time. However, having come to this realization that the reason I take pictures is to reflect the person of God has helped me acknowledge that I'm a photographer.

With this gift comes an amazing amount of responsibility. It's not about the quality of the photographs. It's about what they communicate.

More than anything, I hope you see Jesus in my photography.

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(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR

Climb On

Lutheran Valley Retreat, Colorado

It appears that Pastor Jeffrey Meinz is free climbing this telephone pole as he ascends to enjoy a ride down the zip line at Lutheran Valley Retreat, yet if you look to the right you'll see a rope disappearing into the sky. This rope is securely fastened to Jeffrey and he need not fear falling as the belayer will stop him from hurting himself.

Because of Jeffrey's relationship to the belayer below he need not fear the climb.

"And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, 'Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.'" Act 18:9-10 English Standard Version

Because of his relationship with God, Paul didn't need to fear what might happen to him in the city of Corinth as he proclaimed Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected. Corinth was an idol rich city filled with two difficult groups to reach: the wealthy and the poor. His challenges would be many as evidence in his two letters the fledgling church in her midst.

Because of the relationship that God has established with us we need not fear living life to it's fullest. We might think, "how can I proclaim Christ in our culture? How can I let others know the grace that gives meaning to my life?

And we hear God's word to Paul, "Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent..." The power to proclaim Christ and the power to live as children of God comes from the Holy Spirit. We are not expected to conjure up the power to witness. We are strengthen by God.

It's all about our relationship with him. He will not let us fall. He is with us.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR

The Death Grip of Life

Lutheran Valley Retreat, Colorado

Lichen are interesting organisms.

Lichen are made up of two different organisms living in a symbiotic relationship with each other. Lichen consist of fungus and algae. These organisms are everywhere. One estimate states that 6% of the earth is covered in lichen.

I'd hate to be that graduate student doing that statistical research.

"I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely." Psalm 63:8 New Living Translation

I'd love to say that we live in a symbiotic relationship with God. Believe me, as I wrote this blog I tried to make that metaphor work, but I couldn't. Here's the difference:

Algae is algae apart from the fungus, and fungus is fungus apart from algae. We are nothing apart from God.

Though we do not live in a symbiotic relationship with God, we cling to him like the lichen clinging to this rock.  He is our life.

Or maybe I should say, God clings to us. His "strong right hand holds" us secure.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR

A Solid Foundation

Lutheran Valley Retreat, Colorado

This rock cairn is one of many cairns that play a significant role for people climbing Cedar Mountain.

Cedar Mountain is a popular hike for those staying at Lutheran Valley Retreat (more affectionately known as LVR). Though not a tall mountain by any stretch of the imagination, it is a fairly steep climb to a vista that looks out over the retreat as well as the 2002 Hayman Fire and the Rampart Range Mountains.

These cairns guide the way to the summit. They withstand gale force winds, rain and snow. From year to year they stand and lead people to an experience they might otherwise miss.

"So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God's holy people. You are members of God's family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself." Ephesians 2:19-20 New Living Translation

The foundation of the prophets and the apostles has withstood the challenges of history. This foundation continues to point people to the chief cornerstone, to Jesus Christ. Long before we entered history and long after we join the church triumphant this foundation will last. It will stand until Jesus returns.

That foundation of the apostles and prophets is the Word that is read and explored in the context of the God's community. It forms our community and it commission this community. Without this foundation we'll lose our way and never experience the life that God intends for us to live.

God's Word can be trusted to lead us to Jesus.

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(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR

Conquering Fear

Lutheran Valley Retreat, Colorado

Some of you are breaking out in a cold sweat looking at this picture. You can't picture yourself on this tiny platform clinging to the pole because you're deathly afraid of heights.

This is a zip line at Lutheran Valley Retreat.  The line is strung between two telephone poles. To reach this platform you must climb the pole on small rungs (another picture is coming in a few days). Yes, you are belayed to keep you from hurting yourself should you fall on your way up, but who wants to find out if the belayer is paying attention?

When I made my first journey up the pole I was promised that if I fell I wouldn't hurt myself. That information did little to stop my hands from sweating and my heart from racing.

"I praise God for what he has promised; yes, I praise the LORD for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?" Psalm 56:10-11 New Living Translation

God has made us a promise. He will not abandon us no matter how fearful life becomes. I don't know the fears you face. I know mine and at times it is hard, maybe even impossible, to feel God's presence. But his promise remains whether we feel it or not. He will not abandon us.

Our fear is conquered when, by the grace of God, we trust his promise. His promise is not visible proof of his presence, but the conviction of what we cannot see (Hebrews 11:1).

Even if death, which we fear most, confronts us we need not fear. God has promised his presence throughout eternity.

Maybe one year I will try "repelling" the two hundred foot cliff at LVR...NOT!

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR

Our Proper Place

Lutheran Valley Retreat, Colorado

Yesterday I wrote about a recent men's retreat at Holy Cross. I had mentioned that it was my goal to do some night photography as I had listened to a photography podcast on shooting the night sky and was ready to go.

However, there were a couple of problems.

The full moon was my first problem. The moon was so bright that you couldn't see many stars. The next problem I had was the focal length of my lens. I didn't have a long enough lens to fill my frame with the moon.

And it was cold.

"When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor." Psalm 8:3-5 New International Version

It can be overwhelming to stare at the night sky and consider the vastness of the universe. The psalmist didn't need the Hubble Telescope, nor knowledge of the billions of galaxies to ask the question of our importance to God.

In spite of the vastness of the universe, God has created human creatures as the crown of his making. In essence he is saying that you and I are of more value to God than the unnumbered galaxies. Think about that for a while.

Besides, Jesus' sacrifice on the cross confirms your value. He died for you.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR

My Five Favorite Photography Podcasts

Sony A65, Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 lens, shot at 75mm, f20, 30 sec. ISO 100

I've been known to fish, hike and garden, but I don't have the passion for these hobbies as I have for photography. So it shouldn't surprise you that I'm also a student of photography. I don't have the time or the money to take photography classes, but I've discovered podcasts on iTunes that serve as my classroom in photography.

Here are my top five podcasts on photography.

1) Improve Photography by Jim Harmer

Jim produces two podcasts per week. Early in the week he interviews a photographer who is engaged in the business of photography. Later in the week he answers listener's questions dealing will all sorts of photography questions. Of these two weekly podcasts I enjoy the latter the most. Jim is funny and pleasant to listen to. This is the podcast I'd begin with if I began to take an interest to photography podcasts.  http://improvephotography.com/

2) Martin Bailey Photography by Martin Bailey (Enhanced Version)

Martin is a world landscape photographer who, in his enhanced version, displays his pics then explains his technique in shooting these pictures. At times he can be quite technical, but I have found that he takes me deeper into photography than other podcasts. I love his photography, especially of Japanese Snow Monkeys.  http://www.martinbaileyphotography.com/

3) Tips from the Top Floor by Chris Marquardt

You've got to listen to this podcast simply for Chris's German accent. This is the longest running podcast on photography. He deals with all sides of photography from composition to equipment. Like Improve Photography he will take questions from his listeners. I find Chris to be quite engaging.  http://www.tipsfromthetopfloor.com/

4) The Candid Frame by Ibarionex Perello

This is the best interview podcast that I've come across. Each week Ibarionex interviews a different photographer or someone in the industry. He also has a wonderful Flickr page, The Candid Frame, where anyone can post pictures and others write comments. I have posted a few of my pictures on his Flickr page. http://thecandidframe.com/

5) The Digital Story by Derek Story

Each week Derek has three "stories" one that usually deals with equipment, one on traveling light which he calls his Nimblelosity Report, and the third story dealing with technique. I find The Digital Story most helpful for equipment. Apple fan will enjoy this podcast as he works exclusively with Apple products for post production.  http://www.thedigitalstory.com/

There are others that I listen to periodically; LensWorks; Subject, Composition and Light; Camera Position. Like I said, I'm addicted to learning more about photography. The beauty of podcasts is that I can listen to them while I drive, exercise or relax at home.

DISCLAIMER: By listing these podcasts as my favorites I am not necessarily endorsing their worldview.

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(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR