Tulip Magnolia Study #1
Tulip Magnolia Study #2Tulip Magnolia Study #1 and #2. So much of the 'art' of my photography happens post-capture. It requires decisions all along the way: monochrome or color, realistic or surreal, full aspect or cropped? To help me decide, I ask myself, what is the emotion or intent I want to relate to my viewer. What is the goal of the image? What looks good? As one can see from Tulip Magnolia Study #1 and #2, where Study #2 is a close-in crop of the subject bloom in Study #1, there is not really a right or a wrong answer. But to see the creative crop hidden in Study #1, one has to be looking for it. I love it when there are these gems waiting to be discovered within the initial image. It is fun and sometimes my vision can save an otherwise badly composed view.

Spiritually, that is how God works in maturing me. Sometimes the real beauty of my life comes from the cropped-in version, sometimes from the overall picture with many facets and sometimes I still am in process and the beauty is yet to be realized. God has the most amazing 'eye' ever. He is the ultimate artist. He knows just how to process, crop and present the image that is my life. He can save perfectly 'an otherwise badly composed view.' I am so glad!

~To God Be The Glory~