Easter Sunflower Service

“Easter spells out beauty, the rare beauty of new life.” — S.D. Gordon

A sunflower appeared in my back yard several weeks ago; I can only presume a bird dropped a seed because it was not intentionally planted. The bloom opened a few days ago, beautiful and new, tender and unspoiled — perfect symbols of renewal and life for Resurrection Day.

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Private appointments available

earl harris photography
Photographing people, places, pets and ponderings
throughout Central Florida.

Resurrection Sunday

“And he departed from our sight that we might return to our heart, and there find Him. For He departed, and behold, He is here.”
—St. Augustine

Whatever your faith, I pray your day may be filled with blessings, hope and a heart that overflows with love. —earl

“Expecting Someone”, Nikon D800, ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/500 sec., 50mm
Click the image to view larger size and available print options.

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Photographing people, places, pets and ponderings.
Booking family, personal, business and pet portrait sittings throughout Central Florida

Good Friday

For those observing the Easter holiday, please remember to look beyond the Crucifixion to what it reveals about God. Happy holiday; God is love.

“The Cross exposes the diametrically opposed ruling principles of God and Satan. The other-focused, self-sacrificial love of the Servant God shines in stark contrast to the prideful and ambitious manipulator of the survival-of-the-fittest principle. The God who washes dirty feet is willing to die for his creatures. How different from the creature Satan, who did not shrink from asking his creator to worship him (Matthew 4:9)! The gentle persuasion by the God who values our freedom stands in strong opposition to the methods of force, fear and coercion that Satan uses. These opposing principles were clearly revealed at the Tree of Knowledge and at the Cross. In the end, our affiliation with the respective sides of the conflict is revealed by the methods we use, as well. We may proclaim the name of Jesus with our words, but if our methods include coercion and force, we become counterproductive to God’s Kingdom and inadvertently take sides with God’s enemy.”
— Dorothee Cole, Servant God: The Cosmic Conflict Over God’s Trustworthiness, (234-35), emphasis mine

“Good Friday”, Nikon D300, ISO 320, f/22 at 1/180 sec., 35mm
Click the image to view larger size and available print options.

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Photographing people, places, pets and ponderings.
Booking family, personal, business and pet portrait sittings throughout Central Florida.

It is Finished

“In every grave on earth’s green sward is a tiny seed of the resurrection life of Jesus Christ, and that seed cannot perish. It will germinate when the warm south wind of Christ’s return brings back the spring-tide to this cold sin-cursed earth of ours; and then they that are in their graves, and we who shall lie down in ours, will feel in our mortal bodies the power of His resurrection, and will come forth to life immortal.”
– David Gregg

Nikon D300, ISO 320, f/22 at 1/45th sec. 35mm

“Earth’s saddest day and gladdest day were just three days apart!”
– Susan Coolidge

“All of heaven is interested in the cross of Christ, hell afraid of it,
while men are the only ones to ignore its meaning.”
– Oswald Chambers

Happy Easter from Earl Harris Photography
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Calla Lilies

There’s nothing quite like processing and printing your own black & white photographs from film. My darkroom experiences started at a very young age: I inherited my love of photography from my father, who always had a full B&W darkroom setup in each house we lived in. Perhaps my father has long forgotten that day in our home in Ocean Gulf Estates when I was first allowed to see what it was he did in that room off the back porch where he would often disappear for entire weekends. I certainly have not…

Calla Lily 1

I am guessing I was probably about 4 or 5. Dad was going to develop some film, and explained to me that there would be a few minutes where all the lights would be off and the room would be very, very dark. I was told I could sit on the stool by the door, and that I was not to move during that time.

When the lights went out, I heard some interesting noises. Something got whacked against the counter top, then I could hear metal against metal, scissors being used and other sounds I couldn’t identify. I was extremely curious, and I couldn’t even see my hand in front of my face!

I still maintain that my father should have anticipated my move. You don’t invite an overly curious 5-year old to “watch” in a completely dark room! I mean, he could have avoided the whole thing by simply moving the stool away from the door (and the light switch).

I was a teenager before I got invited back into the darkroom. It was SO worth the wait!

I shot, processed and printed these calla lily photos this week. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed creating them.

Calla Lily 2

I invite you to view more of my photographs here.