Paradise

“I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Luke 23:43
Paradise

I came upon this scene as my wife and I were on our honeymoon in Maui driving the “road to Hana” one afternoon. We pulled over and soaked this sight in for a while before realizing I should capture a shot of it! Needless to say, we were awestruck with the breeze carrying the scent of flowers and ocean mist up the cliffs…the sound of the waves hitting the rocks…and the sun covering us with warmth. This is one of those places where you see, hear, smell, taste, and feel God’s glory. It’s simply breathtaking. This was as close to “paradise” as I will most likely be here on earth. 1 Corinthians 2:9 states, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”. It’s amazing to know that, as beautiful as this sight is, there is nothing that compares to the beauty that awaits those who have accepted Christ!

Mountain Stream

“For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land-
a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills.”
Deuteronomy 8:7
The Stream

This inspirational photo was taken just outside of Cades Cove in Townsend, TN where the river runs beside the road. The fall leaves on the river rocks add color as the flowing water has a soft and easy-going look. Deuteronomy 8:7 fits well with “For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land-a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills.” To think that people had to walk for miles and years to find such a land reminds me of how blessed I am to see this any time I please within a day’s drive. Don’t take God’s beauty for granted. Soak it in…capture it.

Road to Wisdom

“I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths.”
Proverbs 4:11
Road to Wisdom

This inspirational picture captures the old entrance to Berry College near Rome, GA. The school was founded in 1902 by Martha Berry and has become one of the leading educational institutions combining academic study, student work and interdenominational Christian religious emphasis. The campus features some of God and man’s most beautiful work consisting of old, rock buildings nestled in among ponds, trails, rock paths, green pastures, etc. It is literally a place you could get lost in and would never bother trying to find your way out. Proverbs 4:11 fits this image perfectly as Berry College helps to lead those who step foot on campus in the way of wisdom and guides them along straight paths by centering education around faith.

This photo carries a deep, personal meaning for me as it is the polar opposite of how I felt when I shot “Road of Life“. By God’s grace I ended up on the right path.

Road of Life

“Along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them”
Isaiah 42:16
Road of Life

This inspirational picture depicts the road of life. It shows the dark Fall-looking trees down the road representing the hard times we go through and then the bright Spring-like trees at the end representing everything will be ok if we just stay on course. The road curves away at the end as to show we never have to look back at the hard times once we step into the light. Isaiah 42:16 says “I will turn the darkness into light before them.” Whatever you may be going through, have faith, don’t give in or lose hope. He is with you and will guide you as long as you stay on His path.

This photo is extremely personal to me as it was taken at a pivotal moment in my life. I had been convicted of the life I had chosen and prayed that God take control and put me where He wanted me…even if it meant losing everything I had. The following week, God did just that. My life was turned upside-down (or right-side up!) and all I was left with was my family and my faith, which ended up being exactly all I needed. Over the course of the next couple of years, my life began to “lighten up” as numerous Christian people crossed my path and kept me pushing forward as I grew closer and closer to God. Visual Forces was born and I began to use my experience in photography and website development to serve a higher purpose. Through this, God placed an incredible woman in my life who eventually became my wife. I’ve been so incredibly blessed that I can’t even begin to list all of the amazing things that have happened…all I know is that if I hadn’t turned everything over to God and trusted in the events that followed, you wouldn’t be viewing this site today and I wouldn’t be where I am now. God definitely turned the darkness into light before me and I’m not turning back!

The Lone Tree

“The dew will lie all night on my branches. My glory will remain fresh in me.”
Job 29:19-20
Lone Tree

This picture was taken in Cades Cove located in Townsend, TN on a cool October morning. The chosen inspirational bible verse reminds us that even though the fall season causes the trees to lose their leaves and seem dead throughout the winter, they hold onto life as their “glory remains fresh in them.” In the spring, they will once again blossom as they grow bigger and stronger. Our lives are much the same. As we experience ups and downs that seem to strip us of all signs of life, we can find glory remaining fresh within. If we can hold on and maintain faith, we will once again rise…bigger and stronger than ever before.

The Cross

“Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.”
Psalm 36:5
The Cross

This is one of the very first “inspirational” pictures that I ever photographed and became the starting point for what would eventually become “Visual Forces”. When I saw this scene, it opened my eyes to what I should be doing with a camera. It features a lone tree in the shape of a cross with the sun setting behind a distant mountain. The sky happened to pop with incredible color that evening as I started firing my shutter. Sadly, this tree is no longer on the hill and so this photo can never be reproduced. Sometimes God gives us only one chance to do something and if we pass it up we will never again have that same opportunity. Whether you’re photographing a tree on a hill, accepting a job, singing karaoke for the first time, or saying “yes”…go into it knowing that opportunity may never come again.

The Cross HeartThe Heart of The Cross
I didn’t notice this immediately when I first printed this image, but after a few months (maybe even a year) someone pointed this out to me. On the top-right branch that is stretched out the farthest, there is a perfectly formed heart on one of the limbs! You can draw your own symbolism, but I thought this was rather amazing.