Hand of God

"Lord, show me your peace, because I don't feel any in my heart this morning". These words were in my heart and on my mouth the morning of December 16th, after a series of events that morning had brought me down. Within 45 minutes of saying that prayer, this composition appeared within the viewfinder of my camera. As the bird flew into view, I rotated the camera from a horizontal hold to a vertical one. This was one of the first frames recorded. When I reviewed my shots and saw this, I was amazed and humbled. The distinct shape of a hand through the clouds validated my prayer, uttered in the quiet of my car.

I hope that this picture will help relieve your own sense of stress and remind you that you are part of a world that's more than just what we can see.

Sunrise

In the quiet of the hour or so leading up to a spectacular sunrise, I am studying it, attempting to learn all that I can and improve my instincts for exactly what sort of scene will play out before me. There's so much that I can't discern until it's playing out in front of me, but there's a great deal that I've developed a sense for. I know people may tire of my devotion to capturing the first rays of light over my home, but it won't stop me from capturing it. While I have always appreciated a good sunrise, at its root, it all goes back to a simple prayer said on the National Day of Prayer in 2003.

Life has a way of changing your perspective. Sometimes a single moment can define you for years to come. That was the case for me on the morning of May 1st, 2003. It came with the last prayer I heard my mother pray; "Lord, thank you for the sunshine, even though we can't see it. We know it's only because it's where it's needed most".
Two days after that prayer, clouds covered the bay at dawn, but the sun quickly burned through them and remained the whole day. A couple hours after that sunset, my mother's spirit left us, following the sun into eternity. The ten weeks that she battled Breast Cancer were cold and filled with snow, rain and gray skies.

That prayer made me respect sunrises and the power and hope that they bring to people. Out of my love and respect for my mother Doris, I committed to the preservation of inspirational dawns wherever I happen to be. I hope that at the very least, you can respect that a deeper meaning drives my passion to capture the waking skies over southern Maine and hopefully, one day beyond to other horizons. If you happen to know someone who could use the inspiration of a bold and vibrant sunrise, please consider investing in my work as a source of encouragement. Tell them I caught this one for them, and I hope that it will encourage them to draw near to God and find the strength to continue on, to see what the next sunrise holds for them.

About Engine3Photo

In the Spring of 1980, the Old Orchard Beach Fire Department held a dedication ceremony. A bronze plaque was placed under the driver's side door of their new Mack CF pumper, designated Engine 3. The truck was dedicated to the memory of the Assistant Chief of the department from 1953 to 1963, William R. Murphy, Sr. It was also dedicated to his son, who shared his name. William R. Murphy, Jr served the department from 1958 to 1977, when he was lost to a heart attack after rescuing a dog that had fallen through the ice at Milliken Mills Pond. It seems to me that the skies above Old Orchard often hold the fires they spent years fighting, especially at sunrise.
My name is David Murphy. In 1977, the firefighters in Old Orchard Beach used to call me "Truck", both because I loved the fire trucks and because whenever I was in my dad's old International pickup, I was standing on the bench seat inches away from him. When I decided to try and make a name with my photography, I decided it would not be my own. For one, there are many photographers with the same name. More importantly to me, Engine3Photo represents my dedication of my work to my dad.
Since returning to a childhood appreciation of photography that my mother encouraged, I have been blessed with the opportunity to witness many spectacular sights in my home in Southern Maine. I challenge myself to capture and preserve them in such a manner that those who view my work feel like they could have been standing right beside me experiencing it for themselves.
In addition to my landscape and nature work, I have also practiced event photography through many concerts for my own portfolio and through gameday coverage for the Portland Pirates through regular season games in the 2009-10 and 2010-11 regular seasons, as well as playoff series against the Manchester Monarchs, Connecticut Whale and the eventual 2011 Calder Cup Champion Binghamton Senators.
In 2011, I also received my first award, a bronze award in the 2011 Epson International Pano Awards for my stitched panoramic composition of Casco Bay from Portland Headlight past Ram Island. The piece was titled "Doris' Dawn" in memory of my mother. When reflecting on the piece a week after the work was captured, I felt that she was given the opportunity to observe my life from Heaven. After seeing my struggles and the 4 week old grandson she never had the chance to interact with, I could almost here her in my mind saying "Lord, if ever you were going to paint the most beautiful sunrise I could ask or imagine, the son you gave me is down on those rocks, and he needs this". My sunrises are a collaboration with my Creator, an act of worship, and dedicated to the memory of my mother, who taught me how to truly appreciate them with a simple prayer. "Lord, thank you for the sunshine, even though we can't see it. We know that it's only because it's where it's needed most">

Restart coming next week

For years this blog has sat receiving very little TLC. That is about to change. In my efforts to turn my obvious passion for photography into the means by which I attempt to fulfill my role for providing a better life for my family, this blog will soon receive a restart. There is much I have to learn, but also some which I can teach. As experience is the best teacher, I will be making every effort to share some of what I have learned. This blog will be meant for the novice photographer/dreamer, at least to start. That and those who have taken an interest in me and my work, beginning with an introduction that will link back to my official site, Engine3Photo.com. Included will be a new look for the blog, as much as I can fashion, at least.
Have a great night, and don't lose any sleep over me...

Why pay for photography when you can just right-click

As I write this reboot of the blog where I started trying to gain some traction back in 2008 as a serious hobbyist, the question that titles it seems all too menacing. I confess to substantial frustration at my inability to generate even a modest income to help pay for the repairs on a car that needs a total overhaul after 3 years without being roadworthy, or cover the property taxes that will soon force the sale of a property that's been in my family for 40 years. I've even gone so far as giving my time and talents to my local minor league hockey team in hopes that their owner might see some benefit from having a photographer on hand for everything. All I've learned from that experience is that if I'm not willing to do it for free, someone with less skill who's where I was 3 years ago will.

In a sense, I stopped caring about selling my photography this summer. I still want to make it happen, but a few months ago, a fellow photographer here in Southern Maine was hit with one of those hairpin turns in life. His name is Scott, and while he was on a family vacation, he got sick and was admitted to a hospital in Florida. He found out that he had Cirrhosis of the Liver. That vacation cost an extra $14,000 in medical expenses. The hospital started calling on the bills and about a month ago said that if he could come up with ten, they'd forgive the other 4. I sent him a message asking him why he didn't offer some of his photography for sale. He ended up selling a greeting card pack with a shot of Screw Auger Falls he had taken. Between that and donations, he was able to meet the hospitals arrangement. I'm glad that sort of thing worked for somebody. Scott still has serious needs, has been in and out of the hospital and will not survive without a liver transplant.

The answer to the question I started this with is because for most people doing photography today, it's not about a big house, fast cars, etc. It's about getting out from under crushing debts caused by living paycheck to paycheck with health insurance that prevents catastrophic losses only ($2500 deductibles per year to make health insurance affordable should be a crime). It's about being able to keep their car in proper working order, before an engine block splits or a tire blows or the radiator stops working right. And it's about being able to cover the mortgage AND taxes rather than ask themselves who would take possession of the property the fastest. So the next time you see a picture you really like on a photographers website, consider buying a small print or download, or contacting the photographer by e-mail asking them what they would want for the picture. It may only be $5 to you, but if 1000 people did the same, that photographer might be able to eliminate ten other creditors phone calls. That would be the power of the American dream right there.
Enjoy the sunshine while you can, because when you need it, someone else might need it more.

Daily Photo - Cross to Bear (8/7/2010)

My intent with this photo is not to offend, but to be honest about my own faith. Looking back, I placed every own of those nails on this cross with my thoughts, with my actions, with all the ways I've failed friends, family and even strangers. Martin Luther, one of the founders of the Protestant movement in England, ...made the following statement:

"I have held many things in my hands and lost them all, but whatever I have placed in God's hands, I still possess".

I found that quote, clearly legible on a soaked scrap of paper, floating in 18 inches of freestanding water in my bedroom in 1998, shortly after I pulled a submerged, live surge protector out of the wall and up out of the water, when it instantly began to smoke. I didn't realize it was still plugged in until after I was standing calf deep in the water in front of it. I did not take a shock.
This post is in honor of my parents and my Grammy, Grampy, Memere and Pepere. They are directly responsible for who I am today, both by their presence and their absence (as well as many others). I wish they would have been able to hold their grandson and great grandson this fall...
"Everything is Wonderful"

Special thanks to Matthew Mishkin Photography http://www.matthewmishkin.com/
for the use of the Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L USM lens used to make this photograph.

remember...

Eight years ago today, the world we had lived in vanished in an enormous cloud of smoke thundering down the streets of Manhattan, chasing innocent bystanders like a scene from an old Japanese monster movie. Where the scene differed from those movies, in addition to the fact that it really happened, was in what you saw before it happened. In those movies, you rarely saw more than one or two heroes who dared to run towards the monster that threatened their lives and the lives of those around them. But in our surreal-ish reality, there were hundreds who stared into the gaping throat of the monster and lunged without regard for their own safety to rescue their unknown brothers and sisters of the human race.
On that day, I prayed with all of my heart for those true heroes of American history. It still turns my stomach to remember. As the son of a volunteer firefighter who died in the line of duty, I know better than most the ache of loneliness that those children will feel for years and decades to come. It may become more bearable, but it never goes away. I didn't know the number, but I knew many would likely not make it out. Still, each day after September 11th became progressively harder, short term, as it became apparent that survivors would be rare.

343....
That was the final tally of firefighters who gave their lives doing their job.
May God's peace be with the families of the 343 today and always. And may his mercy be with the souls of those who left this world in preparation for eternity that day.
Whenever you see flashing lights or hear sirens wailing away, let it serve as a reminder to pray for God's protection over the lives of those men and women who are willing daily to sacrifice all they are and have to keep our communities safe.