Encouragement

Encouragement!   It has the force to lift-up, plump-up, square-up, man-up (or woman), buck-up and cheer-up... to name a few 'ups'  that can pep-up and break-up the spiral of depression and negative shadows that can plague our day.  Our God is gracious to know what we need in times of discouragement and often will send a messenger to bring a breath of fresh air to help renew our spirit.  These messengers may be a friend or a stranger - whether it be a two legged or four legged critter!  Our Father God knows that sometimes we need a touch "with skin on it" to soothe away anxieties and hope for a better tomorrow.

                                                        The dictionary definition of encouragement is:  

                                                          - to inspire with hope, courage or confidence...

                                                          - to give support to; foster... 

                                                          - to stimulate, spur...,. 

                                                        Other words defining encouragement is comfort, rally, reassure.

God is not restricted to human or animal to help make our day.  It can can in the form of an inspired word or music.  His creative nature is all around us in abundant beauty and we stand in awe of a God who is beyond limitation.  The below photo was taken by a friend of mine who captured this glorious  Grant County sunrise from the deck of her home.  What a beautiful way to start the day in God's promise of new beginnings.   

September Sunrise - Photo by Linda Watson

A quote by Helen Keller says...."The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart."    Here was a woman who was blind and deaf, yet left a legacy of infusing hope in encouragement for others.  She was not privileged to enjoy the sight of such an amazing sunrise or hear melodious sounds. But she had a higher sight and sound in her heart where encouragement became an active force in her life and made a difference not only for her  personally, but for others.

I wrote about Helen Keller in a prior post in March of 2013.  Click on the below link if you would like to read my message entitled, "Mountains, a Grain of Sand & Helen Keller".... 
http://www.turn-uppatch.blogspot.com/2013/03/mountains-grain-of-sand-helen-keller.html

Since I mentioned in my last posting about iPhone Photography, I'd like to bring to your attention the photograph featured in today's illustration.  It was not taken by a 'big-gun camera' but rather Linda took this awesome sunrise image with her Samsung Galaxy smartphone.

Until we meet again, see you next time at The Turn-Up Patch on Monday, November 9th.....

Opportunity

As everyone is aware, we experienced a 'moon event' in September which graced our heavens.  I was able to capture a few photos of the blood moon and the eclipse with my simple Nikon Coolpix camera.  Since I did not use a tripod and trying to keep a steady finger on the shutter, the photos turned out with help from the built-in camera zoom.  I share a few of them with you in today's post although the media was saturated with outstanding moon photography taken in various parts of the world.  The below pictures were part of a camera shoot from a Mt. Vernon viewpoint - mainly, the patio deck of our house. 

September 27th, 2015

September 28th, 2015

This last shot of the moon was taken through a spider's cobweb that had been spun between two deck posts.  At the moment I noticed the web, the moon was situated at the center and I was able to capture an interesting effect.  If I had been five minutes later, the moon and cobweb would have been out of position with one another and I'd have missed a great photo opportunity.

Opportunity  is defined as (a)...a favorable or advantageous circumstance or combination of circumstances  (b)...a chance or prospect.  
Opportunity comes in all shapes, sizes and circumstances available to enhance a furthering of dreams, goals or skills.  Using photography as an example, technology has increased and continues to increase the power of digital camera capabilities as well as built in cameras on the iPhone and Androids.  For a photographer - whether he or she is a professional or amateur, being able to capture an expression of life becomes personal in satisfaction and delight.  

The photos taken below are with my iPhone.  I have become increasingly interested in the quality of photos that this camera takes.  I used to regard it as an inferior type of medium in the art of photography that was useful for spontaneous photos when not carrying my regular camera.  But now I appreciate the dimension that the iPhone camera can take you in photography.  Technology in the future will only increase the range in dynamics for taking smartphone photos to the next level, for both the iPhone and Android.

I discovered this website recently and was so impressed with the range of information regarding iPhone photography, I'd like to share it with you personally.  It is about iPhone Photography School, founded by Emil Pakarklis.  I ended up enrolling in the online Academy offered and have learned so much about photography techniques.  As the saying goes, a camera is only as good as the photographer.  It does not matter if the camera is in digital or smartphone form, photography elements are involved to create a great photo.  Some know this instinctively and some of us need help to make a good photo exceptional.  Check out Emil's link: http://iphonephotographyschool.com/about/

And this is my tip to pass on to you in this post....  many opportunities are missed through a variety of  reasons but many more await discovery.  A quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson states...."Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting."  What better way of viewing God's handwriting by using photography to express His faceted creations.

Until next time at The Turn-Up Patch, join me on Monday, October 26....