Space

“Less is more.” What does this mean for artistic imagery in photography? Often in an image what makes it more compelling is not as much what is included as what has been left out of the frame. Giving the primary subject in a composition room to “breathe” by giving it isolation with placement, perspective, or focus techniques such as use of focal length or light and shadow helps to reduce distraction and quiet the image. Reduction of extraneous distractions that don’t contribute to the intent of the image also brings a sense of focus and calm that can be very powerful.

The photo I have shared today of the view of the strait between Fidalgo and Whidbey Islands at Deception Pass is fairly minimalistic with a large sky over a scene that is primarily water. It is largely empty space anchored with the coastline of Fidalgo Island on the right balanced with the trees on the edge of Whidbey in the lower left corner. Leaving plenty of empty space along with leading lines toward the horizon and the rocks along the horizon line between water and sky leads the eye into the stillness of the sunset and clouds beyond. It is this wandering journey for the eye that I enjoy about this image and by leaving plenty of space there is room to travel with minimal distraction.

One of my favorite passages in the entire bible is 1 Kings 19:11-13. This is the story of Elijah meeting the Lord after his encounter with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Even after a great victory against the prophets, Elijah allowed the distraction of Jezebel to cause him to fear and run for his life. Fast forwarding to where God meets Elijah, I love the way that this story illustrates hearing God only in the quiet whisper.

“So He said, Go forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?’” (1 Kings 19:11-13, NASB)

So often in our lives we don’t hear God not because he is not speaking. We may be missing his voice because he is whispering quietly and there are simply so many noisy distractions in our busy lives that until we turn down the volume, we cannot hear Him speak. Take some time to take inventory of the “picture” of your life and proactively give yourself the gift of space to breathe and listen to the God of all Creation and then watch Him work.

For me, photography serves as an opportunity to be quiet, appreciate creation, and hear God’s whisper. These writings are for me an opportunity to bless others by sharing those whispers. Thank you for taking this journey with me.