Sometimes people use cameras in a way that is a distraction ...

... from what needs paying attention to in this world. Others can pick up the same camera and provide opportunities for seeing truth in a whole new light. Sometimes, snapshots seem only to glance at the most trivial of human experience, while other photographs take the viewer deep into the spiritual human condition. One example of this is VISIO DIVINA.

To view one congregation's Visio Divina project, CLICK HERE.

The practice of photography can, indeed, become a profound spiritual practice, so that it helps the photographer and viewer become more mindful of their relationship with God, and with other human and more-than-human companions in creation. It is a way to visually celebrate or grieve what is, as well as find inspiration and motivation for what can be, ... as Spirit would have it; prayers without words. See below for ways I have found spiritual inspiration through the lens of my camera. These photos are part of my ongoing praise of Creator for abundance and beauty in this world, as well as an acknowledgment of G_d’s call to my own ministry of care for creation. How would you use a camera to give witness to Spirit at play in this world?

A great resource for this practice is:

Eyes of the Heart: Photography as a Christian Contemplative Practice, by Christine Valters Paintner

Regarding Thomas Merton as photographer, CLICK HERE

For another person’s expression of their photography as prayerful practice, CLICK HERE

For a photo set of sacred journey pathways and portals, CLICK HERE

For a photo prayer project, CLICK HERE