What is a photo? Here’s a possible answer: It is an image created by light falling on a light sensitive surface…photographic film or an electronic image sensor. The majority of photos are created by a camera. In today’s world, the camera is digital or electronic.

Photography for me used to be something others did. It was not something for me. There were reasons. My artist’s abilities were not good enough. My skill with a camera produced less than satisfying results…taking time to work with a camera for photos seemed distracting. Photography was for others-not me.

Then my career as an Instructional Systems Specialist for the United States Fish and Wildlife Service began. (USFWS) Want a way to explain my job title in one word rather than three? Teacher. However, my teaching duties were highly “specialized.” My duty was to connect people to nature. My daily task was to enable others to understand how nature worked. My job was specialized within two specific natural habitats: prairies and wetlands. It was a dream job for a farm boy who grew up finding delight in the natural world.

One of the unexpected surprises of this job for the USFWS was photography. You see photography is one of the primary means the USFWS uses to connect people with the natural world. The USFWS has a term for these methods. It’s called “The Big Six.” Photography is one of the six.

It was not long before there was a camera in my hand. My immediate supervisor taught his staff how to use digital cameras. My brain filled with photography terms…aperture, shutter speed, subject, the rule of thirds, and most important-light. Before my service with the USFWS ended, one of my roles was teaching beginning photography. My skills were barely above beginner.

During those first years of photography, my attitude about photography-specifically nature photography changed. It did not take many photos to discover that a photograph of a nature subject usually revealed more than was visible with the eye alone. A nature photo freezes a moment in nature. It allows careful examination of the subject. Details missed with the eyes become clear. A nature photo does something else. It preserves a specific instant in nature. Perhaps the greatest benefit of nature photography for me personally was it gave me a second reason to be outside…it sharpened my understanding of nature around me-in all seasons.

Carrying a camera with me to record moments in nature has become something much greater than my imagination ever allowed. You should know there is a final reason which makes nature photography a personal pleasure for me. Its beauty. A photo preserves a moment in nature. It reveals the beauty always found outside. My eyes never tire of the nature beauty captured in a photo…unless I can go outside and see it in real time!

I like ice cream cones. But before too long the ice cream and the cone disappear. Like an ice cream cone, my job with the USFWS came to a conclusion. My delight with photography did not. The camera and its use in nature went with me into retirement. While my equipment is “entry level” in the professional photography world, my photos continue to provide satisfaction.

My goal is not to become a nationally known wildlife photographer. The responsibilities and demands would be too great. Besides, my skills are not equal to such notoriety. My goal is to produce the best photos possible that each would give glory to the One who made all the subjects I seek to photograph: God.

My photos all have a watermark on them: my name and Creatorpics. The ultimate goal of every photo my camera takes is to point those who view them to the One who created all nature. My photographer’s journey began in 2014. I used borrowed cameras and took photos at work. When retirement came, I bought my first DSLR camera. A DSLR camera is one type of digital camera. DSLR means digital single-lens reflex camera (notable for allowing interchangeable lenses on the same camera body). It is the same camera used for my nature photography today. While the learning curve continues to be great, and my photos not professional grade, they do reveal the wonder and beauty of the world outside our doors.

My photos have been displayed a few at a time on Facebook and more recently on my blog: creatorwords.com. While editing past photos a few days ago, an idea occurred to me: Create an exhibition and share the best photos of the season by year. We’ll begin with the summer of 2017. My wish is that you enjoy the best Creatorpics photos for the summer of 2017. If you look carefully you can see the “eternal power and divine nature of God.” (Romans 1:20)

We’ll call it the Creatorpics Summer of ’17 Photo Exhibit. Enjoy!