Photography as Prayer
I often pray prior to going out to take photos, and often pray during the photography process as well. I pray for God to “open the eyes of my heart” (Ephesians 1:18) and help me to be open to see whatever God wants to show me during my photography session.
If my session involves people, I ask God to help me make a genuine connection and to capture the hidden and secret beauties of the person.
This practice of prayerful photography is often called contemplative photography. I also relate it quite a bit to visio divina which is Latin for “sacred seeing.” I wrote a 3-part series about visio divina over on the Messages from God Devotional website.
This contemplative prayer practice is about connecting with God in prayer through an image such as a piece of art but can also be done in a special place of beauty or a location that resonates with you in some way. I engaged in one yesterday which I recorded live on Facebook.
Today was no exception to my contemplative photography experience. I prayed that God would show me secret things and He did not disappoint! Here is the primary image I captured today that spoke most deeply to me:
“If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me,and the light become night around me”—even the darkness is not dark to You,but the night shines like the day,for darkness is as light to You.
This little plant sits in darkness, like we often do, and yet even there in the darkness God is light and shines. Even in the dark, we are not alone. In the waiting, in the hard places, there is growth and life.
My hope for you, dear reader, is that you will see and feel that light and that you will learn to hear God’s voice as you pick up your camera or your pen or simply go about you way in the world. Make space and time to pause and listen.
If you are interested in more of my personal experience with photography as prayer, you may be interested in my latest release, Look and See: Photographic Reflections on the Goodness of God.
Each of the 33 devotionals has four parts: Photograph, Reflection, Scripture, and Prayer. I hope you will enjoy this kindle book as an inspiration of seeing God’s goodness and hearing His voice in the world around you.
