It is 9:45 a.m. on this lovely Wednesday morning. Twenty-three student photographers are preparing to take the local Dallas farmer's market by "storm with the lens." We have each been directed on the story we need to tell. Now it is up to us to interpret what this story means...to tell the world our version through this amazing invention called a lens. Twenty-two different pairs of eyes. Twenty-two different brains. Twenty-two uniquely and creatively designed people who are setting out on a quest to tell this story...from their perspective. Incredible? Definitely!
I have always known there was alot I didn't know...but I am realizing, especially today, that the little amount I do know about this amazing thing we call "photography" hardly dusts the surface of all that there is to know! This whole concept of having purpose and vision behind every image we capture has really stood out to me. It has made me think seriously about why I take a picture. What am I looking for? How will this image tell the story I want to portray to my audience? And most importantly, how will this image make a difference...for the Kingdom of God?
Our instructors have been awesome in weaving in the foundation of photography (beauty, which comes from God) with the nitty gritty of pixels, aperture, shutter speed, ISO, composition, and all the other details which make one frantically excited about one's camera (smile). My brain feels very full and wonderfully "new" as I keep learning!
We are really starting to have fun together as students as we get to know each other better and learn as a group! I can't wait to see what else God is going to do this week! It has been great so far...gotta love those cameras!
—Prizewinning Photography Student Chelsy Bontrager
