Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8)

There are five ingredients necessary for a great photograph. Subject, opportunity, light, the ability to frame and love. (Photography Quotes)

First, and I believe this is probably true 99.9% of the time, almost anything has the potential to make a great photograph. This world is a stunningly beautiful place and it is populated with an amazing collection of life. Beauty is rampant. Creation rocks!

Secondly, “opportunity” means being there at the right time and the right place. Some of my photographs of the Tar River, at dawn, require many circumstances to line up; it takes paying attention to photograph gardens at just the right time; the best portraits I capture would be impossible to replicate other than via the confluence of opportunity and ability.

Light is literally what a photograph is made of – the substance. Light is the medium for telling the story. If we do not understand light then there is no image. Light is the whole thing.

“The ability to frame” is for me the most crucial. It was always a Maul family joke that you could give my mother $10,000 in camera equipment and she would still manage to cut off the heads of the people in the photo, or have a trashcan over their shoulder, or her thumb over the lens, or faces half in the shade and half in the sun. Framing is paramount.

Finally, love. Love for the subject. Love of photography. Being in love with life. A passion that drips into the work.

Anyway, these are all present, I believe, in the photograph of Rebekah walking Max around Indian Lake (both left and – even more – above).

Her poise. The light. The strong vertical lines. The path leading ahead and on into the woods. The colors. The roots wrapping around the bottom of the tree.

This is what keeps me coming back for more. This is why I am always framing life in my mind. This is why I am motivated to share with the world.

Because beauty is worship. Beauty helps to tell the story of God’s love for this world. Love enhances beauty; love interprets beauty; love creates beauty.

Paying attention is, I believe, a product of love and a window into beauty.

We only spent an hour at and around Indian Lake. Max needed all that time and more to sniff his way to all the new smells.

My point is that life is beautiful; sometimes I am overwhelmed by it. I just want to tell the story – DEREK