Risen Light Nature Photography of Birds

Over the years I have held a certain vision for the look and feel of my photography. I want it to have a soft warm look, balanced with a contrast of highlights and shadows. The soft warm light I am looking for can be seen very early in the morning as the sun is just beginning to rise. To accomplish this, I stay away from artificial flash and use natural light. Many of my pictures are not what you would see in nature and wildlife magazines. This is because they are just a little on the artistic side and slightly away from the technical, brightly lit photography that you see in some magazines and reference books. The best way to accomplish this warm look is to shoot just as the morning sun is breaking over the horizon. There is a very small window of morning light that gives everything that soft warm look and feel. This can make it very difficult to photograph wildlife. It took me several months to get pictures of wood ducks because they kept arriving to the pond after that small window of time. But eventually my patience paid off and I got the shot. That is one of the reasons our books are titled "Risen Light." The other reason for the title is that through my photography, Donna's writing, and our lives, we give honor, praise, and glory to Jesus, the true Risen Light.

The photographs are accompanied by scripture from the Bible. We did this because the Bible contains the very words of life, and that alone is more important than anything in this world. If the scriptures we have selected can help you to understand, just a little bit, who God is and the love that he has for us, then Donna and I have accomplished our purpose.

These books are one of the ways we share the word of God with those who are looking. As you turn each page and view the pictures and read the words, I hope that you will get a glimpse of the natural beauty of creation that has captivated us. God has put everything together in just such a way that when we see nature, we just know there is a creator. If you see a portion of a buried treasure protruding from the ground, the small part you can see will let you know that there is a real treasure hidden beneath, that you can’t see. If you see it and just believe there is a treasure, but never seek, you will never have that treasure.

Psalm 19:1-4
The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
The skies display his craftsmanship.
Day after day they continue to speak;
night after night they make him known.
They speak without a sound or word;
their voice is never heard.
Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
and their words to all the world.

Romans 1:20
For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.