Seeing God's Creation With New Eyes

I just wrapped up an 8 week photography class with the very talented photographer and teacher Lisa from The Long Road To China.  The class was entitled "Push Past Your Comfort Zone."  Push is exactly what Lisa did.  She pushed me from being a Auto girl to being a complete Manual girl in a pervious class and then pushed me even further than I could have imagined.  Lisa pours 110% into her classes. She has an amazing gift.

I feel very blessed to have learned from Lisa but also to have connected with some amazing women. There were women with amazing talent and beautiful hearts in my class.  Many women in my class have adopted from China and have been so amazing and supportive on our final push of paperwork and then celebrated with us on our referral of our precious Ellie.

 The thing I love most about this new passion I have for photography and capturing life from behind my lens is the new eyes I have.  I have new eyes for God's creation.  There is so much beauty all around me that I take for granted and walk by daily.

They are lines ...

 textures ...

 heights ....

 

color ....

 amazing details ....

beauty all around me.

There are so many little details about my kids that I love capturing.  There are freckles, eyes, fingers, toes, expressions and emotions ... beauty in every ounce of them.  God's handprints all over them ... created in His image yet unique in their own way.

I feel blessed to have new eyes and a new passion for seeing and capturing the details of God's creation all around me.

I can't wait to keep learning, practicing and seeing God's beauty around me with new eyes through my lens. 

...the heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.

Psalm 19:1

Out Of The Auto Zone

I can't remember how I came across Lisa's blog The Long Road To China but once I did I often went back.  I loved her photography.  I followed her to China to bring her daughter home and was in awe of the amazing pictures she captured in China. I remember studying her photos in hopes that I could gain some insight on photography, especially insight on capturing our journey to China for Max.  There is so much I know I can learn about my camera and everything else that surrounds the topic of photography.   It is one of my favorite hobbies right now but there never seems to be enough time in the day to read, practice and figure it all out. 

I was super excited when I got an email from Lisa one morning that I had won a spot in one of her photography classes.  The class is titled "Out of the Auto Zone!" I couldn't wait to get started and learn from such an amazing photographer. I love that she gives a portion of the class fee to Half The Sky.  Half The Sky is doing amazing work in the orphanages in China.  When we got Max's referral they were the first place I contacted to see if they their programs were in Max's orphanage.  I was very sad to hear they were not but since we have come home they now are implementing their programs at Jinan SWI.  

This is one of my favorite pictures from one of my assignments for my class.  I can't wait to gain more insight from a very talented photographer.