“I jumped on the opportunity…”

Photo Credit: Ian Tan

It all began five years ago when I chanced upon the pictures in my friend’s photo album, taken with his then newly acquired DSLR camera. “You have a really good camera!” I exclaimed.

My interest in photography was piqued. Shortly after, this same friend of mine lost interest in the hobby. I jumped on the opportunity and asked if I could borrow his camera. He agreed without hesitation. Snapping away, I soon realized that the photos I took came out really dark. My check on the Internet for photography tips kick-started my journey into the world of photography—there were so many variables involved when taking a photo.

Terms such as “shutter speed”, “aperture,” and “ISO value” were alien to me. I started reading voraciously on what those terms meant and tested each of them on the borrowed camera. I soon came to the realization that the “good camera” is only as good as the person operating it.

But even with the theoretical knowledge I had garnered, it doesn’t guarantee good photos. Each time I took the camera out for a practice, I would miss photo opportunities because I could not process the knowledge quickly enough to make changes to the camera settings. Factors such as “composition” and the understanding of “ambient light” were other variables required to capture a good photo. So even with a good camera and sound theoretical knowledge, my quest to master photography could be impeded without practice or developing a keen eye.

Looking back on my arduous journey in picking up photography, I thought about God and His work of creation. I suddenly realized that the earlier comment to my friend—“you must have a really good camera”—might have come across as an insult to Him!

When we look at nature and marvel at its beauty, do we recognize the powerful God behind its splendor? Could we have wrongly given credit to people or things in place of the Creator?

Nehemiah reminds us of God’s position as the supreme Ruler and Creator of the entire universe.

“You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.”—Nehemiah 9:6 (ESV)

Obviously, God did not have to learn how to create as I had learned how to operate a camera or to take a decent photo! But just as a good picture can only be taken by a good photographer (sure, having good equipment helps), I have developed a deeper sense of appreciation towards the Creator behind the creation. All credit and glory goes to Him!