From the moment my daughter was born, she was most content when not inside. As a baby, the best way to calm her colicky crying was to snuggle her in a bouncy seat under the maple tree or, when it got cold, take her for a ride in a sled.
During her early years, I spent hours in the woods trailing a toddler looking for critters under overturned logs, disguised behind leaves, and lurking in the water. We amazed at how they were created to adapt to their environment and needs.
I started photographing the animals we found and put them into a book for my girl…and those little books became board books published a few years back. (Check out the All About God’s Animal series over here.)
My girl is a tween now and doesn’t need me by her side as she builds tree forts and digs for fishing worms. And so it’s been a long, long time since I hunted the woods, beaches, and waterways for critters and nature to capture on film.
Until now. A few days ago, my girl asked me to go take pictures with her. The little dude was at soccer practice and the field is hemmed in with fields and trees—full of natural beauty, decay, and life all mixed together for us to explore.
A picture is worth a thousand words.
As the sun slowly dropped towards the horizon, the earth was bathed in golden light. It’s an ethereal time of day—that hybrid between light and dark. It’s impossible to describe the beauty in the collision of dark and light. There’s all kinds of metaphors in that, but I’ll leave it to you to think about those.
For me, I walked away amazed that once again my girl challenged me to see something new, to see the beauty others miss and point it out for the world to see. And there’s nothing more gorgeous than that.
Hope you enjoy the journey as much as I did…
(And check out the heart-shaped hole she found in the leaf. How she saw it, I don’t know. Guess she was paying attention!) 
If you want to see my more “professional” shots or you just need
a great baby gift, check out my two board books.
I am happy for you as a Mom to be spending time outdoors with your very aware daughter. This is a well written article. Here is a quote from Mary Oliver that has become the theme of my blog:
“Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.”
You do this extremely well.
Gratefully,
Richard Havenga
Richard,
Thank you so much! My girl—both my kids, really—pushes me to be a better me all the time. And I LOVE that quote.
I agree with Richard. You do that really well.
Thank you, my friend. It’s always good to have people in your life that remind you to look…I mean really LOOK at everything around you. I seem to be blessed in that area 🙂
Wow these pictures are amazing. God’s creation shouts of His greatness!
Why thank you. My girl and I had such a good time, I might have to schedule some regular mom/daughter photo events.
So pretty. You are both talented artists.
Thank you so much. I’m awfully proud of my girl!