Finding My Truth

A young mom stood, with her not-even six month old baby, staring at the 20×30 canvas of that same infant as a newborn.  “She’s changed so much.”  The mother’s tone was a familiar combination of wonder with just the hint of aching.  That small ache for a not-so-long-ago time, which is gone forever.  Her darling baby, a delight and wonder, is growing and changing so fast.  A few months rarely produce much change in us as adults, but it is almost inconceivable how much an infant develops and grows in that short span.  Each stage has it’s own joy and excitement, but as parents our hearts still want to hold on to those past moments and just linger there for a while.   We want to wrap them up and cling to them for the gifts that they are, because we don’t want to forget. It’s the common denominator between the mother of the six month old and the one scheduling senior portraits.  It’s what makes what I do meaningful.

Recently I was watching an online training in Modern Women’s Portraiture.  While that is not my focus as a photographer, I am interested in so many different genres of photography. Plus there is always something to learn from great artists in the business.  And sure enough, there was Sue Bryce speaking straight to me.  As she spoke of finding your truth as a photographer, even though she was streaming through my computer, she could have been standing in the same room with me.  The impact, as her words washed over me, was overwhelming.

You see, I know my Truth.  It absolutely defines who I am, and yet, somehow I had never allowed myself to see how much it was core to my photography.  Sue Bryce probably never dreamed that I’d take her words to heart in this exact way, but I believe that it was precisely how I needed to perceive them.  There is something that has defined me since I was very young. My very being rests in the truth of it.  It’s that the God of the Bible is true, and that Jesus is who He said he was.

So what does that have to do with my photography?  Well, really everything.

I believe that God is knitting together miracles in their mother’s womb.  I can capture that beauty in a maternity shot. My heart of hearts is 100% convinced, that birth is a miracle.  An infant is a work of amazing design.  It is my joy to capture that in a beautiful way, so that their families can remember witnessing their very own personal miracle in the midst of the mundane.

The value that Jesus, who said he was God, placed on children, touches me in my core.  My soul overflows with that thought.  They are so important, they are beautiful and they are loved.  I want to share that.  I want to capture their essence and beauty.

It’s that passion.  A passion that I believe comes straight from God. It made me want to teach; it filled my heart with longing for motherhood.  While, I knew it was something I loved about photography, I hadn’t really applied what was in my head to my heart.  I hadn’t quit worrying if I was a “good enough” photographer, to see that my photography was about so much more than that.   Sure, I need to grow in my art. There is always room for growth and improvement.  That is my continuous journey. However, the beauty of life is a gift.  Children are a blessing.  Time is fleeting.  For parents, I can capture the miracle that is their child, so they can hold on to it as a tangible remembrance.

Jesus took little ones in his arms and blessed them.  He demonstrated their absolute eternal value. As a parent I’ve gained a different perspective of what kind of love God has for us.  As a photographer, I can capture and share that perspective of love, in an image.

The littlest moments are a big part of your life. They are a reflection of a Greater Love.  The amazing thing about being a photographer is that I can freeze the littlest moment, in beauty, so that time can’t steal it from you.

That is my Truth.  Be blessed!