Photography is a way of capturing moments, emotion, soul, and memories.  So what happens when you capture something you didn't even know was there?

     If you read my last blog, you know about Stephanie and Greg and their beautiful outdoor wedding which was poured on just before the ceremony was to start.  In those moments when the decision was to be made on whether or not to move everything inside, I was busy capturing shots of the groomsmen.  

     They stared out of the barn door watching as the rain poured down.  Then suddenly in the minutes the bride said she was going to make her decision the rain stopped.  I continued on photographing the day.  I took photos of people scurrying to dry off chairs and set out flowers at the last minute.  The photo below is one I took of the groomsmen in these moments.  When I shot the frame, I saw two groomsmen staring out the window and thought, that's nice.

     When I began editing and choosing photos for the blog preview, I threw this one on the editing pile, not knowing what was in store for me.  I sat down to continue my editing yesterday and was completely astounded by the image on my screen.  It seemed that there was a strange birdlike outline in the frame.  I checked through my other photos, and could not find any other "birds" outside of this 10 seconds.  I immediately called in my husband to help me decipher the image.  He was stumped too.

     So, I turned to my Shoot & Share community.  I posted the photo and it quickly went viral (in my group).  Many had ideas about what it might be, but most believed it was the Holy Spirit arriving to bless the wedding day.  We eventually got to the bottom of it.  

     The venue had a wire bird posted on one of the outside buildings.  Now, this in itself, is a pretty straight forward explanation of what was in the frame.  The real question is why was it in the frame?  I didn't see it.  I didn't know it was there.  The fact that the light hit it just perfect in only these moments, and based on the fact that I did not change my camera settings was totally divine intervention.  I believe there is a reason that I am doing what I do and I am truly grateful for the ability to share my art with the world!

"Sometimes I do get to places just as God is ready to have someone click the shutter." - Ansel Adams