You Asked About My Photography. I'm Answering.

                                                                        - Photo by DC Curry, July 2008

Photography is all about light and glass. The better your glass, the greater your ability to capture the light. The better the light, the more likely you'll end up with a stunning photograph.

The best glass? In my opinion Leica and Swarovski are peerless. At the point you spend more than a thousand dollars on a lens it doesn't matter what kind of glass you use. Nikon. Canon. Olympus. Sigma. Sony. Hasselblad. They're all better than you are. You do your job and they'll do theirs.

The best light? It's all good. Lighting conditions prompt creativity.

I began my journey in photography when I was in 7th grade. My uncle was a professional photographer. With his help my dad got me an old Leica M7. I loved it and gave it back to my father when I left home to attend Ball State University.

My next camera was a Nikon. It was just an entry level SLR but with a couple of lenses I shot thousands of pictures. That Nikon carried me through college and seminary. I took it everywhere: church, camps, mission trips and family adventures. One too many trips in the ocean's salt-spray ended my Nikon's career, but that camera lasted through the first decade of GCC. I eventually got rid of it.

I shot a Sony for a while. Loved it. Zeiss glass is remarkable. Then I bought a Canon 20D.

I've carried little point-and-shoot digicams for many years, but I'm not considering the pictures taken with those cameras would have prompted your questions. Even so, I'm letting you know I still carry a digicam so I can get pictures wherever I am. You can't take a picture if you don't have a camera, right? I pack Canon's G9.

My Canon 20D was awesome. I sold it, after saving my money for six years, to buy an EOS1D Mark III. Canon's L glass is unbeatable and that's what I shoot.

Photography has shaped my ministry.

People think in image and story. We live in a visual culture. We started GCC in a movie theater and used my pictures (to great advantage) on the screen in every service. We now have 100 feet of screen in front of our auditorium and images fill our screens throughout every service.

The value?
You can debate whether a picture is worth a thousand words, but I'm persuaded my communication is far more effective because I illustrate my offerings with story and image.

(Spend an hour watching some of these videos and you'll discover the glorious impact of images. Click on "Media Player" in the upper right corner and you're there.)

Great art enriches life.

I think my photography enhances my ministry. It is essential? Maybe not. Is it beneficial? Absolutely.

Summing up:
My life is for Christ. Photography/Videography inspires, informs, and enriches communication. We're building memories together and pictures help us remember. We're taking steps toward Christ together and pictures help us see the vision of God's preferred future. There are a lot of us on the journey and pictures facilitate the feeling of "family," connecting us as we share life's moments and memories.

My blog has one central purpose.
Through this blog, I connect with multiplied thousands of wonderful people in the church. I want to help, encourage, inspire, correct and redirect. I want to add real value to the lives of our people. This blog helps the church know what I'm thinking, what I'm doing and how I'm feeling.

This blog helps my people, and my pictures help this blog.

My camera is a ministry tool.

The bottom line:
I'm determined to offer my best for Christ. The pictures you see on my blog (or at GCC) are carefully selected. Every picture (or video) you see is used because it is the best I have for that particular offering. It may not be as good as someone else's picture. It may not measure up to what other photographers could deliver.  But, it is the best I have for the offering I'm bringing.

Know this. I have thousands of pictures that reek of mediocrity. You ask, "How do you always get such great pictures?" Hey. I don't. I have a "Delete" button on my camera. I miss shots. I get pitiful pictures. But I bring my best for Christ. I offer my best for His Church. I can only offer what I have.

I'm giving you the best I've got.

I'm giving God the best I've got.

Malachi 1:6-11 
  "Isn't it true that a son honors his father and a worker his master? So if I'm your Father, where's the honor? If I'm your Master, where's the respect?" God-of-the-Angel-Armies is calling you on the carpet: "You priests despise me! "You say, 'Not so! How do we despise you?' "By your shoddy, sloppy, defiling worship. "You ask, 'What do you mean, "defiling"? What's defiling about it?'
⁷ "When you say, 'The altar of God is not important anymore; worship of God is no longer a priority,' that's defiling.
⁸ And when you offer worthless animals for sacrifices in worship, animals that you're trying to get rid of—blind and sick and crippled animals—isn't that defiling? Try a trick like that with your banker or your senator—how far do you think it will get you?" God-of-the-Angel-Armies asks you.
⁹ "Get on your knees and pray that I will be gracious to you. You priests have gotten everyone in trouble. With this kind of conduct, do you think I'll pay attention to you?" God-of-the-Angel-Armies asks you.
¹⁰ "Why doesn't one of you just shut the Temple doors and lock them? Then none of you can get in and play at religion with this silly, empty-headed worship. I am not pleased. The God-of-the-Angel-Armies is not pleased. And I don't want any more of this so-called worship!
¹¹ "I am honored all over the world. And there are people who know how to worship me all over the world, who honor me by bringing their best to me. They're saying it everywhere: 'God is greater, this God-of-the-Angel-Armies.'

Comments

[Cyndi]

Wonderful post. It took the members of our church a while to be comfortable with my husband and I snapping pictures in the church ( especially when hubby started shooting from the pulpit). Now they smile when we or our girls show up with a camera. Still working on the photography skills, so my pictures are not professional looking but I think they (the congregation) are starting to "get" it, so we keep working at it. I love the thought of it being a ministry tool, and the importance of giving my best.

[Josh H]

You inspire me. In more ways than just your photography, but your pictures are awesome...I only hope mine will be close to yours someday :) I plan on making you teach me more next week. And now that you have a 1d I am super fired up to see it!

-your admiring nephew

[Sheryl Spurrier]

THANK YOU SO MUCH for the response! Thank You for your talent that you share with us to illustrate visually God's scriptures.

[Ken Ritchie]

Mark,
I love the post. I am a photojournalist who has recently felt the call into the ministry. God seems to be trading out my passion and drive for "the moment" of a great image for what I might be able to do for His kingdom. One other aspect that is particularly true in photojournalism — You have to be able to connect. Whether I am shooting a child on a playground, a portrait of a politician or a grieving mother of a soldier, I have to make a connection of trust before anything good and true can come of the interaction.
Keep up all of your good work!

Ken

[Jimmy Williams]

Pastor Mark,

Thank you for your post. I have been to GCC for a conference and loved it. One of the things I loved was the visuals you guys use! In your post you tell a story so well that always have a picture that seems to tell the story also! Your blog is a true blessing and great ministry source! Thanks!