White-crowned Sparrow in the Light

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I heard one of my favorite photographers, Joel Sartore, say something along these lines: "Go to where the light is and take pictures of what's there." Over the last year of learning photography, I've thought about that advice a lot. Some evenings the light is almost irresistible. I'll hop in the car, go to where the light is, and take photos of what's there. In this case, at 7:49 p.m., what was *there* was a White-crowned Sparrow on a fencepost.

That advice—"Go to where the light is"—works on other levels too, of course. The last 13 months have often felt so dark. In those times when the darkness has threatened to overwhelm me, I've tried to remember to go to where the light is.

Sometimes chasing light and chasing the Light lead me to the same place…like to this sparrow. Jesus said, "Consider the birds," and so I do.

Location: Silverton, Oregon

Date: April 14, 2021

Exposure: 1/250 second, f/6.3, ISO 1250

Focal Length: 600 mm

Gear:

• Camera: Nikon D750

• Lens: Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary