Beauty for Ashes: Photography as a Spiritual Practice
FROM TL1 GRADUATE & PHOTOGRAPHER, JULES KO MYUNG
“To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes.” - Isaiah 61:3
Art had always been my favorite subject in school, & when I ran out of art classes to take in high school, I signed up for photography. With a heavy manual film camera in my hand, I ventured into nearby trails for my school assignments & started to notice things that I would have missed if I didn't have a lens that needed to be focused on specific details. I noticed tiny growths in the midst of the moss, the branches that bent in unique shapes that caught the sunlight, & textures that perhaps my eyes would have glanced over with the deep depth of focus that our eyes have.
Years later, my mother, who felt like a part of me, passed away in my mid-twenties. I was tasked to death-clean her belongings, & because I was living on the opposite coast, I couldn’t take most of her possessions with me.
The things that I wanted to keep the most were photographs that captured her essence & our memories. A single photo can have that much power.
As I wrapped up my first career to prepare for motherhood, photography became my second career. I photographed people who wanted their best sides & best moments preserved into family history. A precious photo print that will outlast our lives & be passed onto the next generations. I’ve photographed many at a prior session without realizing this may be their funeral portrait. I’ve photographed couples from their weddings followed by every year of their child’s life.
Capturing the joy in the parents' eyes as they snuggle their new babies, the tears in the groom's eyes as he turns around to see his bride, & preparing a client to announce their new positions with this latest headshot creates immense meaning to my photography. But photographing people in this over shared, over filtered social media world can be very fragile & volatile. While I captured their livelihood & beauty, they may see weight gain or wrinkles or a hair out of place.
I didn’t start my photography journey for it to be a job. I grew to love it because of the connection I felt with beauty in nature that my camera could preserve, & be shared later without needing a single word out of my mouth. The beauty that was created by God needed no introduction. “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, & tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith.” - Luke 12:27-28
When I see certain flowers, a special cloud, a pattern in a new sprout combined with a mist, or a filtered sunlight, I’m amazed that it’s in front of me like a secret code for me to discover in broad daylight. I rush to grab my camera & the appropriate lens & scroll through the settings to capture the intrigue of a beautiful detail. And as I frame the shot, or wait for the wind to stop swaying the petals, my mind quiets down & my breathing steadies. In those moments, it feels like God is showing me how much intent & thought went into every detail of his creation, the Romans 8:28 promise…”And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” How the sun transforms a leaf into a glowing jewel, or how the budding flower will never have this exact color in its petals again in the duration of its short life. Color combinations that will never look good on paper, come together harmoniously in God’s creations.
The equipment in my hands allows me to see the patterns in a small insect that I wouldn’t have seen otherwise.
The equipment allows me to blur out the weeds & peeling paint in my small garden, & fill my view(finder) with this flower that’s made of countless petals & the pollen that feeds the busy bees. It’s pure & fragile, vast & intricate, perfect yet flawed, & when it is captured, no matter how vibrant or how busy the details are, it creates a place of peace for my soul, an intimate connection to God’s heart. A serenity & calm that couldn’t be marked without photography.
On occasion, these special connections with the flower in my backyard is interrupted by my children’s yelling, “Mommy, can I have ice cream?!” or a stranger’s unsolicited advice saying, “you should photograph the gazebo on the other side…” but most of the time, it’s a quiet time & a snuggle with God, revealing His creations to me one sprout at a time.
God has placed so much beauty & thought into every petal, every dew drop, every sunset, but it’s easy to miss them without slowing down from my everyday bustle. My camera helps me escape from the weariness of everyday challenges, & reminds me who is in charge. “Come to me, all you who are weary & burdened, & I will give you rest.” - Matthew 11:28
When I share some of my images on social media, my hope is that someone else would be able to see the beauty I saw in a single tulip on my window, or the bud I saw on my morning walk with my dog. How amazing our God’s creations are, & the love notes He leaves us near & far.
“Finally, brothers & sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” - Philippians 4:8