Burdened

There was so much going on at the end of April that I totally forgot to post the Pic of the Month! So even though May is already half gone, I figured April’s Pic was better late then never.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen it snow on April 23 before. By that time, grass was already green and growing fast. Weather permitting, Dad had contemplated doing some mowing that day. Fruit trees were beginning to show miniature fruit, and bluebirds had already laid their eggs. Crocuses were long gone. Redbud was fast fading. Lilac was in full bloom. And then . . . snow? It felt like the year had passed in less than a month and winter was on it’s way back again.

But thankfully, it only snowed for an hour or two. And it didn’t stick around for much longer. And that is why it was difficult to get a picture like this. I didn’t want to go out with my camera while it was snowing because the snow was so wet that it wasn’t much different than rain; yet if I waited for it to stop, than there wouldn’t be any snow to shoot. So after waiting till the last minute, I stuck my camera under my coat and headed outside into the sleet.

Lilac bushes can grow rather tall, so I found myself pointing the camera upwards  to compose a good shot. Well, every time I did so, a drop or two (or ten!) of wet snow would immediately hit the front of the lens and I would have to wipe it off before taking another picture. I soon tired of this time-consuming process, so I moved up the hill as high as I could to position myself where I could shoot down on the flowers. Now I could think about what I was doing!

The key to getting good flower pictures is to eliminate confusion. Flowers grow in environments that are chuck full of random, distracting objects. Twigs, branches, other flowers, lots of leaves and background elements are always interrupting the shape and beauty of a delicate bloom. Even in this composition, the twig on the right and the leaves directly behind the flower detract from the simplicity of the burdened cluster of lilacs. And yet why I chose this picture is because of how clearly one can see the snow covering the flowers as it stands in stark, unbroken contrast in front of a soft, beautifully textured rustic background.

Never forget the power of humble simplicity! God is not the author of confusion, but of peace. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work; but the wisdom that is from God is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. The style of photography you enjoy reflects the condition of your heart.