Just finished a second trip to Germany, and this time got to see some really cool things. First difference from last time was that I was able to do sightseeing during the day, so that was definitely a good change. We were able to see the Nymphenburg Palace, the city centre, the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady, built in 1488), the Allianz Arena (soccer stadium), and the BMW museum. You may be thinking it must’ve been cool to visit those places. I think it was an absolute blessing for the opportunity. But how does this translate into picture taking? I was physically exhausted and at times overwhelmed at what I was looking at. Like a kid in a candy store, I didn’t know what to take a photo of first. So, I ended up taking ok pictures of everything rather than taking good pictures of a few key things. At the same time, I was physically exhausted with the walking and traveling. So, I didn’t take the pictures I wanted to take.

As I was walking around, I settled for the normal “tourist” shots. I gave up kneeling and trying different angles because I thought my thigh would cramp up from walking, haha. I didn’t go down several walking paths because I didn’t have breakfast and didn’t have the energy to.

What’s the conclusion? One, make sure you take care of body. I’m glad I brought proper walking shoes and clothes, but then I wasn’t prepared physically. Second, take pictures that stand out to you. Be picky with the things you photograph. If you don’t think a picture is worth taking, there’s a good chance that people won’t care looking at it either. Not to say that the pictures aren’t good, just that we don’t have a long attention span. Again, what creates amazing pictures? You do. Not your camera, not your lens, not the place you are at. It’s your ability to pick out what is appealing, compose it, and then think through the settings and take the picture. If you are worried about how hungry you are, when you’ll be able to sit down next, or how you are going to photograph everything you see, you are not going to take the proper time to think through your shot. At least these are things that happened to me.

Inspiration:

It’s so easy to get overwhelmed by our surroundings and the situations we face on a daily basis. Though we think we have the tools(in my case walking shoes) to face difficult situations, we find out quickly that we don’t have nearly what it takes to face our problems. Whether it is a difficult job situation, or friends/relatives in difficult health situations, we at times don’t seem to have the strength to press on. Like I was overwhelmed with taking pictures of everything I saw, we try to run a hundred miles per hour doing all that is in our power to overcome difficulties in life. What’s the solution? How can we ever get ahead? When are we ever going to catch a break?…It’s easy for me to sit here and tell you to trust in an all-loving God. It’s easy to say that the Person who is in control of the universe is in control of your life. It’s easy to say life will get better. Whether better means finding an amazing job, a miracle that cures the incurable disease, or just peace of mind. It’s easy to say all these things…but it’s hard to actually do it.

 Mark 9:23-24 “Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”