I’m thankful for the freedom to be myself…..

Opening lyrics from the song, Somebody Else, from the movie Crazy Heart

I used to be somebody but now I am somebody else

I used to be somebody but now I am somebody else

Who’m might be tomorrow is anybody’s guess…… 

I used to be somebody else too.  I used to be  a lot of somebody else’s.  I couldn’t decide who I was.  Over the last several years I’ve discovered who I am, and I love not guessing anymore!  I used to want to be somebody special, then I found out I was, because Jesus died for me!  I wanted to be loved, then I discovered I was loved by my God, my family, and a few friends.  I wanted to be admired, I got over it.  I wanted to be recognized, then I discovered I would rather not be noticed at all.  I wanted to be famous, and then discovered that was the last thing I wanted!  I wanted to be considered a gifted photographer, then I discovered I’d rather just have fun being a photographer, there’s enough gifted photographers anyway!

What happened?  Well in a word, I started to grow up, I got a life, and a good one!  The changes have been coming on for a long time, but the most change has been in the last two years, since I started posting in the Pilgrim’s Chronicles.  I get emails from people that share how much, what is posted here, means to them, and I appreciate those nice words of encouragement, but the person being ministered to the most,  is me.  God has used this time each day to speak to my heart about His and my relationship.   He teaches me, encourages me, corrects me, informs me, loves me, accepts me, shows me His love, forgiveness, and grace!  I know that what He shares here is touching people’s lives, but it starts with His touching my life.  This is my daily, deep, connection with Him, a time for me to listen, and to be obedient, to first learn, then share.

I also used to be a different photographer.  I was way, way, to concerned about how others saw me, and my work.  I was a slave to convention.  I did things in certain ways because it had led to success for others.  Two photographers helped me change my way of seeing, and photographing; Jim Begley and Tony Sweet.  They both saw the world through different glasses than mine.  At first I was afraid to look through those glasses, they were so different from the ones I had worn all my life, but once I slipped them on, I started to enjoy what I was seeing, and then, I embraced it.  I lost the fear of what others would think!  I started to learn to feel what I was seeing, and trust that I was creating something that pleased me, only me, not intended to please anyone else, just to be personally satisfying!  Do I want others to like my work?   Sure, but that is not the first goal, anymore.

I’ve taken a few of the images I’ve shot this week, straight images, very little processing, and now I will share some new ways of seeing the same scene. You are not under any pressure to like any of these, I like them, and that’s the only expectation I have.  If you do like them, great, but it’s o.k. if you don’t!  I will love you and forgive you!  In your own work, feel the freedom to be yourself, it’s o.k., all the rest of us are somebody else anyway……..

All image processing done with the following programs, Topaz Adjust 4 & 5, Nik Color Efex Filters Pro 3 & 4, Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.  No HDR used. I was shooting with point and shoot compact cameras!

This is Friday’s post, will be away for the day with my bride on St. John.

O.K. with being me, and loving Christ,

the pilgrim