As an avid photographer, I tend to look at things with a different point of view, or a different lens, you could say. I find beauty in the simplest things, like the streak of a water droplet cascading down the car window or the way the clouds form on the skyline in the most abnormal, yet beautiful shapes. There’s something about looking at life through an artist’s eye. How something so simple can bring so much joy. It’s difficult to understand how each person looks at life. We all have a different view that makes us unique. Each of our views only pertains to ourselves, and they give us a sense that we are one in a million.

In a world where we are constantly going, it’s important to slow down and find beauty in all that’s around us. Photography has become an avenue of peace for me. I find the greatest happiness in capturing the beauty of God’s creation all around me. Don’t ask me why capturing the way the light shines on a building or the perfect lines of the mountains absolutely elates me. Because I don’t think I would ever be able to explain it. There are no words that could be able to explain the feelings a photographer gets when they take the “perfect” picture. You just have to feel it to understand.

Yet, as a photographer, I’ve come to realize how there really is no such thing as a “perfect” picture. This is for two reasons. One being that there will always be someone out there who will not like your picture. Like I said before, everyone has a different point of view. One picture that seems to be pure art to one person may seem like nothing to another. But don’t let that stop you from finding admiration in something you captured. It’s your artist's eye, not someone else’s, so don’t let those critiques stop you from being unique. And remember this in daily life too. Not everyone will agree with your point of view and that’s okay. Secondly, we can only give credit to God for our photography. Everything that we capture through a lens is a display of something God created. Without His artists’ eye, our so-called “perfect” pictures would not be possible. So give credit where credit is due; God gave us this beautiful earth to use as inspiration, to develop our talents, and to pursue our passions. Everything that we capture is a display of His great works.

I want to push this generation to go out each day with a “photographer's lens.” Find beauty in the simplest moments and the simplest things. Slow down and take time to enjoy all that’s around you. In this world that never stops running, you will appreciate the joy that comes in observing the beauty of the little things. I promise, the elation you feel from seeing something through an artistic lens will bring you happiness that will make a stressful day a bit easier and make life feel a lot more blessed. Our great God took time, concentration, and pure creativity to give us things so magnificent and alluring. So appreciate them with all you have and remember that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. You can’t find that beauty unless you stop running and take the time to look around you.