GOD'S BEAUTIFUL CREATION

As I take a few weeks off from pastoral ministry to rest and recharge, I've found time to do something that I've always loved - Landscape Photography. Last week I drove to Laguna Beach, armed with a camera, tripod, hand-held light meter, and my Bible, with the goal of getting a nice "sunset shot" using photo techniques that I've learned through the years.

Arriving three hours before sunset (on that day, sunset was at 5:40pm), I had lots of time to scout the area for my photo shot and spend time to allow God to speak to me through His Word. After I found a possible spot to compose my picture, I sat on one of the many rocks in the area and immersed myself in the first chapter of Philippians.

As God opened my eyes to the wonders of His Word, I totally forgot about the time and realized that sunset was going to happen within the next 15 minutes! So I grabbed my camera gear, set up the tripod at my predetermined spot, quickly calculated my exposure with the light meter, set my camera, and waited for God to show me the beautiful warm colors that only appear with the setting of the sun.

The picture above is my favorite from a series of shots that I made with various exposures because it captures exactly my mood and what my eyes saw that day. Even now as I look at the picture, I can still hear the roar of the waves, feel the cool breeze on my face, and smell the clean ocean air. Just click the picture for a better view.

Thank You Lord for your beautiful creation and a very relaxing day with You.

Technical Info: 1/4 sec @ f/16, Canon 5D, Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L, 3stop Neutral Density Grad. Tripod set low. Yes...my shoes did get wet.