What an amazing time I had shooting the sunrise at New Brighton beach with my son Tom, a skilled eight year old shooter himself. More at my Flickr photostream
Earlier this weekend a walk with my oldest son in one of the many domains in and around Christchurch. It was beautiful in the forest.
A walk with the whole family from Corsair Bay to Cass Bay came with amazing skies as we started in relatively beautiful weather but it turned around with heavy clouds coming in from the sea. Early Dutch painters would have had a field day here.
So here some highlights, enjoy.
The other day we went to Akaroa for a good day out with the family. As always I had a cameras with me and in recent times I have started to try and capture the different members of the family. I find photographing people difficult for some reason, and my boys are not all that much into the posing. So I try to sneak up on them or using a the zoom, do it when they are not aware of me taking pictures. At some point I called to my youngest son “look look” and “gotcha.” This was the result:
Now while nice, with the beach dirt making for playful spots and discoloring, it was the post chocolate-ice cream that really brought a smile on my face.
Now there is a boy being a boy.
It got me to think about portraits and what has my preference. The nice shot like you get from school or the shot that shows the person as he or she really is. I think I prefer the latter. Maybe that is why I like street photography so much?
What are your thoughts?
Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land. Song of Songs 2:12
… See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. Matthew 6:29
Summer to me, besides the beautiful weather is together with the spring the season of explosions of color and fragrance, of amazing flowers that never cease to amaze me, new ones that I had never seen before or golden oldies that look even more beautiful than before. Hard to beat beauty, truly royal indeed, whether it is a magnificent big flower or the tiniest small one, they all have something of a very special beauty to be enjoyed while it lasts. The good news, next season WILL come, there WILL be a new summer again and again and again in which very often the flowers come out even more beautiful, in which the plant has grown to produce even more flowers.
And so it seems with my Christian journey, one day a blossoming flower the other day withered, just as Peter explained referring to Isaiah:
“All people are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
25 but the word of the Lord endures forever.”
1 Peter 1:24
But like I said there WILL be a new summer, in which like the flowers we come out even more beautiful than last season. Maybe that is what Paul meant when he said:
And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18
“‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD. Leviticus 19:18
The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:31
8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. James 2:8 NIV
14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Galatians 5:14
