Life Through the Lens of a Camera

Principles of good photography mirror principles for good living.

“Life is like a camera: Just focus on what’s important, capture the good times, develop from the negatives, and if things don’t work out, just take another shot.”

Reading this post on Facebook, I resonated with it because that’s been my experience, both behind the camera and in life. It’s no secret I love to write. (Actually, like many professional writers, I hate to write – but I love to have written!) But my other passion, an avocation that at times has been central to my vocation, is photography.

I’ve enjoyed taking pictures most of my life, but didn’t seriously engage in photography before becoming a graduate teaching assistant in photojournalism in college. I learned about film developing and photo processing, but most of all had my first chance to take photos with a quality SLR camera, which at the time was a Nikkormat FTN.

When I became the editor of two suburban community newspapers, and then a business magazine, being able to photograph people I interviewed, as well as the settings where I traveled, proved invaluable.

Today, for the most part the days of film and the laborious task of printing photos have faded into artistic history with the advent of digital photography. It used to be when people asked, “Did you get any good pictures?” I’d reply that I would know as soon as the film had been processed and the photos printed. Now we can tell immediately. The camera’s digital viewer – whether on a true digital camera or a smart phone – shows whether we’ve captured the desired image. If not, we can easily discard unsatisfactory photos to free up space on the memory card.

So in a sense, life is indeed similar to the quote above. If we succeed in focusing on what’s truly important, rather than getting entangled by life’s minutiae and things of lesser importance, we can get a lot more accomplished – and enjoy it more as we do it. As my favorite devotional writer, Oswald Chambers, often stated in his book, My Utmost for His Highest, “good is the enemy of the best.” In other words, strive to discern what’s really important and concentrate on that, even when many other urgent needs are beckoning.

One reason I usually have a camera in hand as I travel is that I can capture interesting images that help me to recall enjoyable moments. Thankfully, we also have memories (at least most of us do) that help in storing away experiences we’ll long cherish.

An interesting thing about printing pictures from negatives is that the photo (the “positive”) is the opposite of the negative. Similarly in life, as we’re struggling through pain and hardship, we can learn to turn those bad experiences into positive, growing opportunities to enhance our lives moving forward. In Philippians 3:13-14, the apostle Paul wrote, “I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal of the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

As Paul showed in other passages, he didn’t develop amnesia about his past, but didn’t dwell on his failings and wrong decisions. Instead, he used them as preparation for faithful, fruitful service to his Lord and the people God sent his way.

I love the last phrase in the original quote, "and if things don’t work out, just take another shot." This is so true in photography today – take a photo, check it out on the digital display, and if it’s not good enough, take another. We don’t have to worry any longer about wasting film. In life, of course, we can’t simply “delete” events and experiences we don’t like. At the same time, we do have the choice of either wallowing in the past and letting it swallow us up, or we can “take another shot” at whatever we were aiming at.

So much of life consists of the mundane, drudgery that seems devoid of purpose. Going nowhere fast describes a lot of everyday living. But if we’re willing to persevere, to remain focused on our goals, not letting ourselves become distracted by matters of lesser importance, we can eventually arrive at our intended destination.

As Paul exhorted followers of Christ in the ancient city of Corinth, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58). Elsewhere he wrote, “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary” (Galatians 6:9).

So there we have it, a simple recipe for good photography – and successful living:

·       Focus on what’s important

·       Capture the good times

·       Develop from the negatives·        

·       If things don’t work out, take another shot.

Photographic Memories

Swans at Barnsley Gardens near Atlanta provide a "Kodak moment."

When I was young, if someone kept staring at you for an inordinate amount of time, we’d say something like, “Take a picture – it lasts longer.” It was a snide way of telling someone to mind their own business, but there’s truth in that old rebuke.

Whenever we travel to interesting places I’m rarely without my camera, Next to writing, photography is my second-favorite activity, but taking photos of sights we see is more than a simple hobby. As the saying goes, if I take a picture then the experience lasts longer.

Last year we did a fair amount of traveling and I have hundreds of photos to prove it. No, we didn’t go to exotic venues like Hawaii, Alaska, Europe or Asia, but I have photographic evidence to prove there are many visual delights in places like Orlando, Florida (and not just Walt Disney World), Asheville, N.C., Columbus, Ohio (yes, the land of the Buckeyes), Atlanta, and even Nebraska.

Fireworks at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom
leave an indelible memory on visitors.

Long after we’ve returned from our trips, I can review my collection of photos from those times and relive some of our experiences, using them to jog my memory. As I review images from those trips I also can take note of details I might have missed when I saw them originally.

When I find myself caught in the humdrum tedium of daily work and responsibilities, it’s fun to remind myself of special times my family and I have enjoyed as we've ventured outside the mundane moments of everyday life.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could do something similar along our individual spiritual journeys? Actually we can, although not by using a digital camera or smart phone camera. We have to rely on our memories, the mental images of key moments in our lives when God intervened in both ordinary and extraordinary ways.

It’s important to make a point to do this regularly because if we don’t, we fall into the trap of the ancient Israelites when they would forget their miraculous deliverance from Egypt and start asking God, “What have You done for us lately?”

After witnessing the numerous plagues God brought upon the Egyptians – none of which affected the people of Israel – they were served an eviction notice by the frustrated Pharaoh. Then, when Egyptian forces pursued the Israelites after Pharaoh had yet another change of heart, God parted the Red Sea and led Moses and the men, women and children of Israel to the safety of the opposite shore.

As they traveled, whenever the Israelites grew thirsty or hungry, God made miraculous provision for them. Still, their “photographic” memories often failed them. “The Israelites said to (Moses and Aaron), ‘If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt. There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into the desert to starve…” (Exodus 16:3). Later they grumbled, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?” (Exodus 17:3).

Even though the Lord brought both quail and manna for the Israelites to eat, they still found reasons to complain. Instead of “don’t worry, be happy,” their theme song was “don’t be happy, be worried.” Maybe it would have helped if they had been able to look at Kodak scrapbooks of the times when God bailed them out, but they chose instead to forget what He had done. Instead, they sugarcoated their centuries of enslavement in Egypt and longed for them as if they were “the good old days.”

Who could guess these pandas displayed at
the Grove Park Inn are made of gingerbread?

Don’t we do that sometimes? We pray and God answers, often in ways far beyond anything we could have hoped and imagined. Yet months or weeks or even days later, we fret and worry, acting as if God had never done a single kind thing for us.

So I make a point of reminding myself of wonderful things He has done. Can you remember the first time you sensed God is really there? Was there a special moment – perhaps in church, at a spiritual retreat, even an in-depth conversation with a friend – when God revealed Himself and His truth in a way He had not done before?

Has there been a time when a family member or friend was in dire straits and you prayed for them, clueless about how God could possibly resolve the crisis – and yet He did? Was there a personal struggle you were dealing with, possibly involving finances or illness, and you turned to God only as a last resort – and yet He came through in an amazing way?

One of the wonderful things about the Bible is the honesty of its writers. They weren’t much different from us. For instance, the psalmist writes, “I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me. When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands and my soul refused to be comforted” (Psalm 77:1-2). Does this sound like anything you’ve experienced?

How did the author of this psalm find comfort? He remembered. “I will remember the deeds of the Lord, yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds” (Psalm 77:11-12).

The psalm writer might not have had a handy stack of photos to sift through, but his vivid memories – both from his own life and from those of his people – served as reminders, helping him to remember and continue to trust in God’s faithful presence and provision.

Is it time that you pulled some out of the “photos” from your spiritual journey, reminding yourself of what the Lord has done in your life, perhaps even some things you haven’t thought about for a long time? As the psalmist urges us – remember.

Memories . . . and Then There Are Memories

My sister, Ida, and me during our wild and crazy days!

A longtime friend, Jim Mathis, is a very accomplished photographer. I enjoy the craft, and think I’m fairly good at it, but Jim’s probably forgotten more about the art of photography than I’ll ever learn. So for me he’s the camera world's E.F. Hutton – when he speaks, I listen.

Recently he wrote about the problem with cherished photos from 30, 40 or 50 years ago. Many have become discolored or faded with the passage of time. Today, a service Jim offers through his photography shop is salvaging old photos. He says his restoration techniques can make the pictures last for hundreds of years. (I think he’s telling the truth, but don’t plan on being around to check the guarantee!)

What he’s doing, however, is more than preserving aging images. In essence, he’s assisting people in salvaging fading memories.

A few months ago I had several hundred old photos digitized. Reviewing them took me on a tour of Memory Lane: pictures of my mom, dad, sister and grandparents; my childhood home; long-departed pets; old cars; travels to picturesque settings like Europe, the Grand Canyon, Jamaica and Disney World; our grandkids not long after they were born.

My father explaining how my life was about
to change with a baby sister on the scene.

As I reflected on these images and experiences they represented, it occurred to me there are memories – and then there are memories. Some worth holding onto as long as we can; others we should discard as soon as possible.

With photos it’s easy. If it’s someone or something you want to remember, you keep the photo – even have it restored if necessary. Photos that carry bad memories? Those we can tear up or throw into the trash.

If only our cerebral memories worked the same way. The bad ones – hateful words directed our way, destructive relationships, painful losses, devastating failures – those tend to linger much longer than we’d like. If only they’d fade like old photographs.

Maybe that’s why the advice of the Bible is to remember the good, but to forget the bad. Put the negative stuff in the rearview mirror – and don’t look back.

The apostle Paul wrote about this. “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). He had a lot to forget – days he proudly persecuted Christians before he became a follower of Jesus himself.

In essence he was saying, “I could dwell on my vengeful, self-righteous past. But I can’t change that. God has forgiven me and for the rest of my life, my goal is to do what He asks of me.”

We all have things in our past we wish we could undo – if only God would grant us a “do-over.” But that’s not possible. And they haven’t invented time machines, at least not yet, to enable us to revisit the past and correct what we did wrong. So we, too, need to be forgetting what is behind.

But the Bible doesn’t tell us to forget everything. We can learn from failures to make course corrections. We can delight in happy memories that have helped make us what we are today. And as we seek to grow in our faith, we can – and should – remember what God has done for us, and for others.

The ancient Israelites often were commanded to do one thing in considering their heritage and what God had done for them: Remember. The 11^th chapter in the book of Hebrews, sometimes called the “hall of faith,” is a series of remembrances about the Old Testament patriarchs.

Jesus’ very last words to His followers urged them to remember – and anticipate. “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). He also promised, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:3).

So the lesson is this: Baggage from your past, memories dragging you down or acting like chains that keep you from moving forward, bury them in your “forgetter.” But memories of special moments, along with experiences that have helped to shape you into who you are and who you’re becoming, never let those fade. Restore them if necessary. And revisit them often.