Beyond the lens
Photography club member: ‘Once I saw the detail in a spider’s eye, well, how can there not be a God?’
By Jane Oppermann A
ndrew Kjos discovered he can see God in the eye of a spider. Tammy Anderson realized there are many more ways to interpret Scripture than she learned
in seminary. Tey are members of the Northern Illinois Synod Photography Club, which aims to help photogra- phers express their faiths with the click of a shutter. Founded by Jeff Schlesinger, an avid photographer
and pastor of Freedom Lutheran Church, Oregon, Ill., the group brings together folks who want to fold their love of photography into part of their faith journey through sharing and learning. Each meeting begins with devotions. Members, most
Lutherans from the synod (some are from other denomi- nations), are invited—even encouraged—to see God through the lens of a camera with photo assignments tied to Scripture. “What we don’t want to be is another photography club,” Schlesinger said. “We want to define ourselves in relation to our faith and to reflect, teach our faith and serve through our photography.” Schlesinger believes God’s good, glorious giſts and our
fragile or robust faiths can be seen in a wispy dandelion puff ball, a mighty locomotive, a barn’s silhouette at sun- set or even three wild turkeys strolling down a country path. Comprised of clergy and lay, the small group is grow-
ing. Members say they can see their faith expanding beyond the lens of their cameras. Tey also contributed their skills photographing events at last year’s synod assembly. Kjos, a member of Cross of Glory Lutheran Church,
Homer Glen, Ill., travels two hours to attend the club’s bimonthly meetings at the Lutheran Outdoor Ministry Center in Oregon. He said the club has broadened his perspective for reaching out to others. A self-avowed introvert, Kjos said connecting to the group nudged him into offering to photograph members for the Cross of Glory directory. “Doing that was a real challenge for me since I really didn’t like doing portrait photography,” Kjos admitted.
With their involvement in the Northern Illinois Synod Photography Club, members experience a merging of faith and photography. Some of the members, all from ELCA congregations in Illinois, are (from front to back), David Adams, All Saints, Byron; Jeff Schlesinger,
Freedom, Ore-
gon; Ken Reinhardt, Salem, Sycamore; Roger Luft, Mes- siah, Galva; and Paul Dallgas- Frey, St. Paul, Dixon.
JEFF SCHLESINGER
“[But] I loved it and got to know a lot of people I never really met. It opened up my conversation with people.” Using macro-photography to focus in on a spider’s eye
revealed to Kjos the intricacy of God’s amazing engineer- ing. “I always hated spiders. But when I started taking pictures of them, I became aware of how amazing they are,” he said. “Once I saw the detail in a spider’s eye, well, how can there not be a God?” Anderson, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church,
Earlville, Ill., was just trying to figure out how to use a new camera when she joined the group. “It’s really expanded my idea of the interpretation of Scriptures,” she said. “We might pick one verse from a Psalm and get many different photos.” Always aware of the beauty of God’s handiwork,
Anderson said belonging to the club has not only taught her the intricacies of that camera, but also the intrica- cies of creation. “I’ve learned to open my eyes more to God’s beauty. I’ve always been very appreciative of God’s creation around me. Wherever I’ve lived, I’ve found some glory in God’s work,” she said. “But this has made me see what God has created in different ways, whether it’s the interior of a flower or still waters reflecting its surroundings.” For Schlesinger (
freedomlutheran.fisherman@
gmail.com), it’s simply a matter of using one’s giſts to God’s glory. His children have had ample opportuni- ties to use their giſts of singing and playing instruments in church. But there’s more than one way to share your giſts. “I can’t sing, but I’ve got all these pictures,” he said. “When I look through the camera lens it’s a way of seeing God’s creation and sharing that with the world. We started [the club] to encourage others to do the same.”
Author bio: Oppermann is a freelance writer living in Barrington, Ill., and a member of All Saints Lutheran Church, Palatine, Ill.
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