Humanity Through Photography

I invite you to read all the way to the end, as you have a part in this article. I took some much needed time off with family for the holiday season, and I hope you all did as well.

Today I wanted to write about a really small gift I received a while back, that had a significant impact this year. I am going to ask you, in advance, to stay with me on this one.

Almost a ten years to the date, I received a Christmas gift from a young lady who I truly believe was speaking from the heart. I had walked out of her life back then and getting anything from her was a surprise, much less a gift like this. She somehow found an Eastman Kodak Company tin film canister. That, in and of itself, was a rarity. As a former professional photographer, I knew in an instant the amount of work and thought that went into the gift. Sadly, the tin was not the biggest gift. Inside it was a written letter from her to me. I wasn’t going to share the letter in it’s entirety, but I feel in not doing so, I am keeping you from seeing what I now know to have been a delayed blessing.

“A little over a month ago we sat in a Subway over lunch and you shared with me a vision for a photography project that you have for the coming year. I haven’t stopped thinking about it, and I hope you haven’t either”

The truth is, I did stop thinking about it. The choices I made in my life back then were selfish and out of a sense of betrayal, heartbreak, and pain. I was not myself for a very long time, and I certainly did not deserve a gift like this.

“This is your ministry-the one I hope you will embrace in 2016 and beyond.

As a photographer you have the eyes to see things that the rest of us miss. And as a man who chooses to serve the one, true God, you have the heart to understand his gifts to us. You are in a position that not many people are. You can make God tangible for the world. Whether you take a picture a day, a picture a week, or a picture a month, He needs you to help make Himself real and know to the broken world. You needn’t travel the continents for the pictures that will change humanity. You only need to look at what’s around you and help us to see.

Help us to see grace. Help us to see love. Help us to see peace. Help us to see hope. Help us to see Joy. Help us to see forgiveness and gentleness and patience and self-control. Help us to see salvation. Help us to understand God. Help us to believe God. Help us to know God.

Im not sure what you will do with this, be He laid it on my heart to share it with you today- the day when the world celebrate what God makes possible through seemingly ordinary people -people like you – that He sees as nothing less than extraordinary”

I never got rid of that tin, or the letter inside of it obviously. But I never dug it out to really read it from a healed heart. I was wounded for many years and photography was the furthest from my mindset. I stopped shooting professionally, I even stopped shooting for enjoyment. My iPhone became my camera of choice. In fact, a few months ago I put my entire professional camera system up for sale. That’s when I heard that still small, but very distinct voice “What about your passion?” I knew that God was speaking to me. Ironically, when I told my son I was going to sell the gear he asked the same EXACT question, word for word. If that isn’t confirmation, I do not know what is.

I spent the following weeks in prayer. I know what I wanted my photography to represent back in the day. I just could’t put it into words or clear thoughts. Nearly ten years later, when clearing out old stuff and selling off what was worth anything, there sat that tin in the bottom of a box. I smiled because that tin will always represent a time when someone got me a gift that spoke to the soul of who I was. But that letter, yeah I wasn’t prepared to read that again after all this time. There it was in black and white. Words from the heart of a person, who at the time, had every reason to hate me. She had every reason to wish me failure. But she didn’t. That is how I know, and believe, she was really sharing words that God placed on her heart.

I can’t undo what I did back then, and I would if I could. But I can live in the very forgiveness and grace that God provided me over the following years. What’s more, is that I can clearly articulate now what it is I feel I am called to do with my photography.

Mid December, after finding all of this new information, I packed up my old photography gear and set it aside for my son who said he would love to have it. I upgraded to a mirrorless camera system from Nikon and am currently relearning everything I once knew. This new technology amazes me. It gets me excited to be able to capture life again. The camera will travel with me this year as I explore the various states I cover for my full time job. I pray that He puts me in the places I need to be to share the grace, love, peace, hope, joy, forgiveness, gentleness, patience, and self-control. I pray ever more, that I can help others see God in a world so desperate for His presence right now.

Don’t worry, the story doesn’t end there. You are not off the hook just yet. I am I inviting you to my 2026 challenge. I am calling it Humanity Through Photography. I invite you to take a picture week, a month, or just once a quarter. Then, I would ask that you send that to me and I will share it here. You retain all copyright information and can watermark the image if you feel better about it. Unless you tell me otherwise, I will give the artist name as to ensure you get the credit you deserve. If you would rather remain anonymous, simply say so when you send me the file. Send an email to me with the subject line HTP (Humanity Through Photography) Make sure the photo represents some part of humanitarian values. Due to the sensitive nature of our society, images of children will not be allowed without a written consent of the parents. That consent will be kept on file, but will not be displayed for others to see.

All of us in this industry started with a purpose, and a passion. I would like to see some of us get that back. The world really is a beautiful place if we just allow ourselves to see it. Sometimes, others need help seeing that. That is where you and I come in.

I have sent the person who gifted this tin a written thank you letter. They have no idea how much this meant to me back then and I did nothing to show that. Sometimes God has to work on us before He can send us back out to the mission field. He had certainly done that. Of all the times when I asked for clarity, let’s just say this one jumped right out at me. Best wishes for a healthy and happy 2026! I cant wait to see those images come rolling in. Email your submissions!