| By Lance Thompson,
on August 20, 2007
|
Published in : Articles, Blog |
One Christmas, we wanted to do
something different with our family Christmas card. We decided that we'd do it
ourselves. I mean, how hard could it be? Simply set three kids down in front of
a fireplace with a few Christmas decorations and few snapshots later, instant
Christmas photo. Well, my dreams of being an professional photographer were
dashed when 30 minutes into the shoot, the kids were agitated and more than
ready to be done and I had filled up the memory card for our camera
with tons of photos hoping that just one would be "it."
As designers, we look at photos everyday. I'm always amazed
at the talent some photographers have to catch a simple moment in time. They
have the "eye" to see angles and lighting, the subject and background and at
the precise moment, click the shutter to capture an amazing slice of time and
life.
Photos can capture moments that inspire, tantalize, and stir
something in us that we miss when we simply watch something with our eyes. Life
goes by too quickly for us to catch the details of it. A smile, an emotion,
that twinkle in someone's eye simply goes by too fast for us to register it in
our minds.
I'm amazed at God's ability to amaze us when we simply take
a moment and look. The details of a butterfly or the dimples on my daughters
face when she smiles are stunning. He loves to amaze us with his awesome
creativity. And he loves it when we use our gifts and talents to amaze others that
show His creation and His glory.
As creative Christians, we have the opportunity to inspire
people when they look at the art we make, the photos we take, and the fruits of
the gifts that God has given us. It's sometimes easy to feel that what we do as
"creative types" isn't as important as preaching, teaching or counseling, but
we all have a part to play in God's body. Some of us are the eye to see and
take photos of the world around us and through that, we're also part of the
brain that holds memories. For some, through our art, we are the mouth that communicates
deep into the soul in ways that words cannot. Or we are the hands that paint,
sculpt, or craft something that impacts, even for a moment, the lives of the
people that see it.
I was inspired to write this article after looking at these
amazing photos on MSNBC.com. Thanks to those photographers because without
their contribution, we'd have missed these moments of joy, heartbreak, and
life.
As for my Christmas photo? Well, I narrowed it down to about
a dozen that were close, but not one that was "it". Since I'm not a
photographer, I did what I every self-respecting designer would do, I cheated.
I pulled out Photoshop and created a moment that didn't exist in one moment but
over several moments. I took a smile from one photo and pasted it into another,
a closed eye of one child was magically open and viola, after a couple of
hours, a photo was one that I wished I could have taken in moment. I was happy
the way it turned out and the Christmas cards were sent to our family and
friends...late as usual.
To see the final version of our Christmas photo, click here.
Got A Great Source For Inspiration? Share it with everyone below.
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