Photo ©2011 and Commentary 2025 by Chuck Davis
Monday, August 11, 2025
Getting sunrise photos of Mt. Rainier from “Reflection Lake” meant getting up early and a long drive in the dark. Landscape photographers place a high value on the quality of light. The “Golden Hour” (around sunrise and sunset) produces warm diffuse light that can put a glow on the subject.
As I set up for the photo shoot that morning, I felt rushed to capture the best composition possible. Should I be up high to get a full reflection of the mountain, or down low to include the wildflowers as a base? I was thinking, “what are the most important things that will best document this time and place”?
While it is important to identify the salient elements when composing a photograph, it is paramount to identify what is most important in our walk with God. The list of those things is robust: Faith, Trust, Obedience, Discipline…
“And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him” (Genesis 5:24 KJV).
“And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV).
What do you think is most important about this photograph, the mountain reflection, or the wildflowers? (I chose the flowers.)