Baby Goose Pictures

Last Sunday my friend called me about a photo opportunity at the Fraze Park Pond.  Some young geese were “posing” for pictures.  What could I do?

Link: 

http://creationsourceimages.photoshelter.com/gallery/Its-a-birds-life/G0000cAGKkVA64Fo

Color in God’s Creation

Recently I bought a bird feeder for our feathered friends and planted it outside my office window at home where I can make business calls and watch birds at the same time.  So far I have Cardinals, some Black Billed Chickadees and sparrows.  With the bird feeder planted close to the window and my 70-300 lens in place, I have been able to get a few interesting pictures of the birds who have come visiting.  Not that I know that much about birds yet.  I need to get a bird book from the library!  The squirrels have not figured out how to climb the skinny pole yet, but they enjoy eating some seeds under the feeder.   For the entire gallery go to:

http://creationsourceimages.photoshelter.com/gallery/Its-a-birds-life/G0000cAGKkVA64Fo

Seeing the colors God used to paint birds (from my extremely small sample so far), animals and plants, why did He create color?  I understand it has some use in nature for protection, camouflage, defense, mate attraction, etc.  He specifically created humans with special rods and cones in our eyes to see color.  “The retina contains two types of photoreceptors, rods and cones. The rods are more numerous, some 120 million, and are more sensitive than the cones. However, they are not sensitive to color. The 6 to 7 million cones provide the eye’s color sensitivity and they are much more concentrated in the central yellow spot known as the macula. In the center of that region is the ” fovea centralis “, a 0.3 mm diameter rod-free area with very thin, densely packed cones.” http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/vision/rodcone.html  

A very informative article by Bill Hilton Jr., a science education consultant, about “Animal Colors”, says “Camouflage, warning, sexual attraction, and species recognition are all among the functions of colors in animals. Even within a species, different colors may play different roles. Our male cardinal’s bright red plumage declares his presence to other males, and shows a prospective mate that he is adept at finding foods rich in carotenoids; this also indicates he could be a worthy provider with necessary skills to help feed a female and her nestlings. The female cardinal herself, however, is distinctly less colorful, with only a tinge of red and orange mixed in with otherwise tan feathers. This coloration works in her favor as she sits on her nest for three weeks; after all, an incubating female with bright red feathers would only attract predators bent on taking eggs, nestlings, and mother bird alike.” http://www.hiltonpond.org/ArticleAnimalColorsMain.html

Even with all this, God could have created everything without the use of color.  The world in black and white (which are colors!) would have been a very different place.  He created it all with color for so many reasons we count count them, for both nature and humans.  Obviously He gave us the ability to see colors in the full spectrum of light.  I never get tired of hearing how the human body is “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139).    Think about it – “6 to 7 million cones provide the eye’s color sensitivity and they are much more concentrated in the central yellow spot known as the macula, packed into a 0.3 mm area!”  What are the odds this one fact about the human body which gives us so much enjoyment could have “evolved” out of the primordial soup?  

There are so many examples of complexity, harmony, and beauty in nature that no thinking human should be able to reject God as the ultimate Creator.  But they do reject God, possibly because they don’t want a “higher power” bigger than themselves telling them that the things they are doing are not in their best interest and restricting them from their “rights”.

Human dignity and worth are written all over our created bodies.  Everyone no matter what their abilities or disabilities have worth in God’s eyes.  Psalm 139:13-16 says “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place.  When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before on of them came to be.” 

The fact that a loving God brought color into creation for our enjoyment is one way He shows his love for us.  That is why I named my company “Creation Source Images” because He is the Source of all creation and I try to show that creation in the images I take.

Florida Wildlife and Scenes

Last week Carol and I took a trip to Florida.  As usual on a vacation (and generally) I was concentrating a lot on photography.  Here are some scenes in the Lake Wales area (South of Orlando).  The gallery is located at:

http://creationsourceimages.photoshelter.com/gallery/Florida-Wildlife-and-Scenes-Click-to-enlarge-or-to-order/G0000kXhXb5hHhe8