2008 Discoveries

I photographed this little fellow on a beautiful fall day in October in Shallowford Square at the A Day in the Park event that was sponsored by the Epilepsy Institute of North Carolina. As the rock-and-roll band, Sub Q, played under the Pavilion, kids were bouncing and sliding on giant blow-ups, getting non-permanent tattoos, and enjoying hot dogs and soda. All the while, adults were engaged in fellowship and in receiving support and information on epilepsy.

Discoveries

This photo makes me think of discovery. As I mentioned in my previous post, one of my discoveries in 2008 was realizing how much I enjoy photographing children. Unlike any other subject matter, I think differently, and feel differently, when I photograph children. I’ll try to explain what’s going on inside me — if I can find the words for it.

When photographing children, I think it’s natural that I sometimes see myself when I was their age, and I recall some of the simple joys of childhood.

Sometimes I imagine that I can see the hopes and dreams of children in their eyes. And I often see some beautiful qualities in them that I catch myself hoping they’ll never lose.

Other times, I’ll be shooting away (photographically speaking), and I’ll get a picture in my mind of what the child before me might look like as an adult. That can be an uncanny experience!

Sacred Territory

As simple as they might appear, on some level, I believe there’s a profoundness about children. And their innocence and possibilities strike me as sacred territory. But are they really any different than adults?

There must be something about children that, in Jesus’ eyes, qualified them for the kingdom. He not only said that the kingdom of heaven “belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14), but He also said something that’s quite startling, actually — and perhaps troubling to our adult minds. He said:

I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. — Matthew 18:2

In some way, when I photograph children, I believe I’m experiencing something that has the hint of heaven to it. For me, there’s really no better explanation.

Final Photos

As we approach the end of 2008, I’d like to share a few final photos of children that made me think of qualities I long for in my life. I’ll share more specifically about those qualities in the next post, which will be the last one of the year.

Meanwhile, take a look at a few other photos of some “heavenly” children! Feel free to share your thoughts about them by clicking on the “Comment” link below.