"The heart of man is very much like the sea,
It has its storms, it has its tides
And in its depths it has its pearls too."
Van Gogh
"The purpose in a man's heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out."
Proverbs 20:5
But if your weather is wet and sombre, and if the winter months become long and dreary, look to find the beauty in it. It is surely there, too.
God surrounds us with Himself. He is beauty and all His works owe Him praise!
These pictures are from last month. My camera memory card is still so full of beach pictures I have yet to sort through. I could easily be convinced that I've posted enough here already, but my kids love our beach pictures; what I post here is often for their benefit and enjoyment (either in for the present or for the future). We've enjoyed so many wonderful days by the sea, and their childhood memories will be heavily weighted by their experiences here. My early days in wild fields and forests have left memories etched in my being, and I am certain this coastal environment will be attached to formative and profound thoughts, convictions about the goodness, power, and peace of God, and just simple, fond and life-long impressions.
On this particular day, at this particular beach, my kids decided the waves were best suited for body boarding rather than surfing. I loved watching them play together. All four. All day.
I just had to join them.
Michael took Jack out in the shallows for some "lessons."
Jack, always with his tongue stuck out in concentration.
An interesting position for body boarding...!
Sea weed was everywhere, always getting stuck in the fins...
Coming in for lunch
A special place for lunch
Our spot with the orange umbrella
"Party wave!"
"For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse." Rom. 1:20
"When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?"
Ps. 8: 3-4
"Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it!
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
before the Lord, for he comes,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness,
and the peoples in his faithfulness."
Ps. 96:11-13
It is all so amazing to me that God, unimaginably powerful and wonderful, would be mindful of man! And if the heavens and all His creation can praise Him, how much more should I - having been forgiven, made pure by the blood of Christ, named a daughter of the King - live in adoration and awe of our great God!
~Katherine
I know you wrote this just for me! (at least my heart received it as if you did.) Thank you - mostly for the reminder to see God's beauty all the time. Because it really IS limitless.
ReplyDeleteAs always your photos are spectacular! What settings do you use for a day like that? I'm finding that some of my photos are blurry and I think it's because my appeture/shutter settings are off. Hints?
Hello Carol! Thanks for the kind words! Taking pictures at the beach can be hard during the day because the light is so harsh. I try to avoid shooting when the mid-day sun is the harshest, but sometimes I just want to capture the activity! I always keep the ISO at 100, and usually set my camera to Aperture Priority (on a Nikon). With so much light, my shutter speed is always fast enough and I prefer to control aperture myself. Occasionally, I will shoot on manual mode, but this can be tricky since the kids are typically moving fast. Also, on the west coast, I find it best if I am positioned on the beach in a direction that is more northerly than my kids' position. If I am directly east or south of their position, they appear underexposed and more like silhouettes. However, if your pictures are blurry, it might be that you are not focusing properly, or you need to let in more light (maybe increase the ISO), or you have camera shake. It takes so much practice and trial and error, doesn't it? It makes for a good challenge!
ReplyDeleteJust to clarify, the reason that I like to position myself up the beach (north of my kids) is to keep the sun from being behind them. A drawing might be a better way to explain... I hope some of this makes sense!!
DeleteThanks, Katherine. I'll try shooting on Aperture priority. I am usually on Manual. I have a Nikon D40 which is super basic - the lowest ISO is 200, but I'll try some of the things you suggested. Practicing and learning are part of the fun. :-)
ReplyDeleteGetting to manual mode is quite the accomplishment, and going back to aperture priority can feel like going backwards! But, there are so many lighting variables at the beach. When my kids are in motion, I am not fast enough at manually making adjustments and, consequently, my pictures are often out of focus or blurry. I think you should will see improvements.
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