TIM 2014 - A Look Back (Part 2)

I must have listened to it twelve times. Rachel stood in the living room shuffling cards and making notes, adjusting this phrase and tweaking that timing. She worked for weeks on that speech. But I didn't care how many times I heard it, it got more and more awesome. Rachel had dreamt of speaking at a TED-type conference, and she was finally getting her shot.

Rachel's talk was thought-provoking and inspiring. She discussed what she's learned about her faith through photography, principles that cross over between the two, and then connections that can be made through art. She told the story of how the Eiffel tower unexpectedly shut off on us when we were in Paris and when she cued the photo, it was incredible to hear the awe of the crowd. She ended her talk with an amazing photo she got on the vaporetto from Murano and Burano to Venice, a wide shot of the skyline with rays of light spilling out of the clouds onto the buildings. She quoted Ansel Adams: "Sometimes I do get to places just when God's ready to have me click the shutter." I was glad she couldn't see me from the stage, because I was so proud I think I popped shirt button!

Not only did she show our work, she encouraged members of the audience to share their personal expressions of faith in photography with us as a way to keep the discussion going. At lunch we had some amazing conversations with other attendees, and a few people even came up to Rachel with photos they had snapped on their phones. It was cool to see how people connected with what she said, and how they wanted to share themselves, too. If you haven't seen it already, check out Rachel's talk (below)! Share your thoughts and your work with us; we'd love to hear from you! 

And in case you're interested in seeing any of the photos up close, here you go!