Learning How to See… in Photographs

For his “Learning to See” podcast, Brian McLaren of the Center for Action and Contemplation interviewed photographers Thomas Jay Oord and Christy Lubbers Berghoef. Here’s a link to the interview.

Much of the conversation revolved around Christy and Tom talking about experiences in nature as photographers. They told stories, discussed the effects of climate change, and pondered the divine.

Below are a few photos from Tom and Christy that illustrate how they have learned to see…

THOMAS JAY OORD

This photo is a good representation of the wildness and the wilderness I often photograph.

Blue Herons are some of my favorite birds to photograph. I startled this one along a river bank.

Photography is literally “light writing.” I often make photos with strong light/dark contrasts.

“In God’s wildness is the hope of the world,” wrote John Muir. Few subjects say “wild” to me more than the wild horse herds of Idaho.

Photographers unconsciously gravitate toward making particular kinds of photographs. This one represents my vision. It’s moody, off-kilter, unsettled… and, as I see it, hauntingly beautiful.

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CHRISTY LUBBERS BERGHOEF

“Mom! Look outside!” my daughter squealed with wonder-wide eyes that morning, tugging on my hand. “There are a million diamonds scattered across the ground!”

I followed her to the window. We didn’t have much. But on this morning, as the dew slid, slipped and rolled down everything, shimmering in the early light, we believed we may have, in fact, been the wealthiest people on the planet.