Pratt: Go beyond the image to capture the spiritual message
The last sliver of sun was about to drop below the horizon at its wintertime almost southwest location when the granddaughter spotted a big owl sitting on top of a birdhouse made of rough bark.
Perched above the ground cover on a dead tree trunk we had cut off at about five feet above the ground, the owl was watching for his supper to scramble out of the vinca.
Owl has been here for a year or two, but it was his boldest appearance, at least when I was home on a Saturday to see.
Grabbing the camera and quickly replacing the wide-angle lens with my longest (100-300) zoom lens, I hoped I could hold it still enough in the low light.
A row of tall evergreen trees blocked most of the sunlight, with only a few of the dying rays filtering through to the yard, which also is fenced. A 4.5 aperture is the most light this lens will admit, but it is truly amazing what the digital cameras will do.
First, we took pictures through the window. Then, oh so carefully, we unlocked the door. That lock makes a loud snapping noise, and we were afraid the owl would fly away. Turning its head to look toward the noise, the owl stared as we stood like statues behind the window.
Soon, assessing no threat, the owl turned its head to look in the opposite direction. That bird has some neck to be able to do that, I’m thinking.
Carefully, I opened the glass door enough to get the camera lens through it and took another shot.
Still, the owl made no move to leave, so I crept quietly across the deck in my sock feet to get closer and took another picture or two. That was too much. Flapping those big wings, the owl disappeared into the air over the back fence.
We printed out a picture, and although the sharpness is somewhat compromised because we really needed a tripod to hold the camera still enough, the detail is excellent for such low light.
Although I have neither the equipment nor the skill for good nature photography, I am astounded at the rapid technological progress in photography.
But one thing that even the best equipment cannot supply is the eye of the photographer, in essence, the art that makes something more than a mere image.
Most of us with a little training can do a credible job of capturing an image, but it takes an artist to show us more than the obvious. To complete the mystery, we also must have the heart to see beyond the image to the message.
That is also true in spiritual matters. Whether of speaking or writing, we are inundated with words. So much so, that we tune out most of the words as noise until someone captures our imaginations by using those words in a way that speaks powerfully to us. Sometimes we have to grow spiritually to even hear the words as anything but background noise.
Here, too, the art of using words takes a receptive hearer or reader.
We could say the same for music or any of the arts, which after all, separate us from the animal kingdom.
This ability to respond at a spiritual level is the basis of our humanity. Is it really the power of language that makes us different or does language simply increase our ability to communicate?
When all is said and done, all theories of origin are argued, one finding will remain as it was given in the story of the Hebrew Scriptures – God breathed the breath of life into mankind. In that breath, humankind received the creative image of God, the ability to communicate through language, the arts and the beauty of nature in all its incredible variety
From the owl’s late evening who-o-o to the dove’s early morning coo-o-o, all nature speaks of that for which mankind still searches.
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beth.pratt@lubbockonline.com 766-8724
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