Changing Perspective
In my camera bag I have a variety of lenses. I have wide angle lenses that allow me to capture vast expanses. I have telephoto lenses that enable me to focus more narrowly on faraway subjects. I also have a macro lens that permits me to take close up images of very small subjects. It’s wonderful having a variety of lenses so that I can look at the natural world from many perspectives.
Early on in my photographic journey I used one lens almost exclusively, an 80-200 mm zoom. I had other lenses but just liked the perspective I got from this lens. There’s nothing wrong with that but it certainly limited the type images I could produce. Eventually I learned that it was critical that I learn how to use my other lenses too.
What is true for photographers is also true for general lovers of nature. We should all strive to learn to look at God’s Creation from a variety of perspectives. We should take time, to use Rob’s favorite phrase, to get “down and dirty” so that we can see the small things God has created. We should, likewise use a wide angle perspective so that we can see the big picture. I would also recommend that we learn to use a telephoto perspective by moving beyond the big picture and focusing on smaller segments of the scene before us.
Just as I limited the images I could produce by sticking too much to one lens early on, we may do the same thing with our eyes. Therefore, I suggest that the next time you go out in nature that you make a conscious effort to look at the world around you from all three perspectives—close up, wide, and telephoto.
If God is to be found in all of nature, not only will you see far more of Creation by using all three perspectives, you’ll also discover far more about God. To me, that makes it well worth the effort.
–Chuck
(The picture above was taken on Monday at Fishpond Lake in Kentucky. I hate to admit it, but I used my 80-200 lens to capture it.)