Faith and Photography

Sometimes I do get to places just when God's ready to have somebody click the shutter. ~ Ansel Adams

I heard a song the other day whose words begin, "I stand in wonder. I stand amazed." * So many times I have expressed a similar sentiment when I realize God has placed me in the "right place" at the "right time" to capture something incredible. For me, photography is much more than a hobby. It is inherently tied to my faith in God. From the smallest of creatures to the grandest of vistas, I see God there. He is truly omnipresent, all around me.

I have used the photograph below as an example in a previous article. However, it continues to be the first image that comes into my mind when thinking along these lines. That particular day, I was just in my yard photographing what I could find. I had taken many other pictures, none of which were memorable. Yet, what I thought would be just another photograph of a lady bug turned out to be a glimpse into a whole other world. Had God not placed me there at that moment in time, I would have missed it entirely.

The World of Bugs

On another day, I came across a pair of crab spiders. I have seen this species many times before and the flower they are perched on is considered a common weed here, yet never before (and not since) have I come across a pair of them together in this manner.

Male and Female Crab Spiders

God directed me there in both of these instances. I only took the picture. His leading me, His placing me there, these times, and so many others, continues to astound me. If my family had not visited the park, we would have missed the full beauty of an autumn maple. If I had not gone out, despite the weather, I would have missed the glory of the sunset highlighting the clouds. I have so many similar stories.

But it is more than that. It is His putting everything else into place just for me. How marvelous that thought is! I am not anyone special. In fact, my life is rather ordinary. Yet God organized that event just for me.

Autumn Bench, Cherokee Lake

Storm Clouds at Sunset

Everyone of us has a calling, a gift. Mine are photography and writing. Your gift might be music or drawing or preaching or any number of other things. God can use your gift, just like He has used mine. But know first, it is only with His input in my life that causes anything I do to make sense. I am but a tool in His hand, a tool to capture my world in pictures and to share the love of God through words.


*"In Wonder" The Waiting Kind

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Suzanne Williams Photography
Florida, USA

Suzanne Williams is a native Floridian, wife, and mother, with a penchant for spelling anything, who happens to love photography.