Tag Archive for: photography

5 Reasons To Make An Altar of Remembrance For Your Ministry

July 27, 2021/in Entrepreneur Spiritual Growth/by Valerie Riese

5 Reasons To Make An Altar of Remembrance For Your Ministry

All throughout the Bible, people built altars of remembrance either to commemorate an event for themselves or upon God’s direction. A chronicle of your ministry’s journey can be a fun and impactful display. Here are five reasons to make a photographic altar of remembrance for your ministry.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles and the judgments he uttered.
1 Chronicles 16:12 ESV

In the book of Joshua, the Lord stopped the flow of the Jordan river so the entire nation of Israel could cross over on dry soil to the promised land. Then the Lord commanded Joshua and his men to build an altar of twelve stones so that when anyone asked why there was an altar in the middle of the Jordan river, the Israelites could tell their story “so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever” (Joshua 4:24).

All throughout the Bible, people built altars of remembrance either to commemorate an event for themselves or upon God’s direction. We all have stories about what the Lord has done in our lives and in our ministries. We remember and share our stories in many ways. The Israelites usually did it with stone because that was the only lasting material they had, but now we have many ways to record our stories, including photographs.

Whether you hang photos in a main hallway, or collect them in an album for your lobby, a chronicle of your ministry’s journey can be a fun and impactful display. Here are five reasons to make a photographic altar of remembrance for your ministry.

A Remembrance of Humble Beginnings

Start with photos depicting simple beginnings. Include shots of your make-shift, second-hand supplies cluttering the folding tables and homeless file folders stacked against bare walls. The contrast of the past crying “look how far we’ve come!” into the present surroundings can be a powerful testimony to the Lord’s providence and blessings over your ministry.

But you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth.
Deuteronomy 8:18a

A Remembrance of Suffering And Grace

We don’t like to be reminded of our suffering, but I invite you to display photos of hard times to remember the challenges the Lord brought you through. These photos set the stage for stories of unexpected miracles and of how God used all things for good. As you recall His grace during your desperation, you’ll grow in confidence of the mighty, loving Master you serve.

A Remembrance of Servants

The foundation of every ministry includes service. Photos of the people you’ve served are evidence of God providing for those in need. People who see how you’ve helped others are more likely to reach out themselves or act as God’s messengers for those who need you.

A Remembrance of Service

Don’t forget to feature you and your ministry partners! Photos of your labor testify to the Lord’s hands and feet at work. They depict the immeasurable blessings of servanthood and fellowship, inspiring your visitors to do the same.

New Memories

When our daughter was young, I made scrapbook calendars for the grandparents (and myself) for Christmas every year. Each month featured photos of special moments from the same month the year before.

Every month was a special remembrance. We could see how much my daughter had grown and what she accomplished. We told stories of the special days captured in the photos, and those conversations then became new memories.

Your Ministry’s Altar of Rememberance

Memories are more than talk of days gone by. Memories are stories that change lives. The Book of Revelation says that in the last days, Satan is defeated by the blood of the Lamb and testimonies of God’s love. I encourage you to begin thinking of how to build an altar of remembrance for your ministry today.

Reflection Question

What photo of your ministry at work comes to mind first? How can you begin building an altar of remembrance with this photo?

Next Steps

Watch the Webinar

Photography: A Visual Storytelling and Stress Management Tool | Marta Goertzen

https://youtu.be/YHJ2k9wQWwU

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FOCUS ON STOCK PHOTOS

July 26, 2021/in Entrepreneur Education/by Courtenay Collins

Stock photos are a helpful tool when you don’t have a photo to post. However, it is important to understand the rules about using stock photos.

What is a stock photo?

Stock photos are A VAST library of already created photos. They are usually of professional quality. You can purchase them with different types of licenses. You can also find them for free with various licensing. Understanding the licensing of stock photos is what will keep you out of trouble in the future.

Check your license

Some licenses are very restrictive. Once you purchase or agree to use the photo you are not allowed to make any altercations and you always must give credit for the photo.

Other licenses are totally free. They allow you to use the photo any way you would like including making alterations and selling it. These are the most open kind of licenses.

You always want to look for a royalty-free photo. Because if you don’t, you’ll have a photo that you will have to pay royalties on if you make any money from the usage of the photo.

Creative Commons licenses

Creative Commons is a popular license that allows for sharing of intellectual capital. below is a list of the six most popular Creative Commons licenses.

CC BY (BY – Attribution) This license lets you distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon others’ work, even commercially, as long as you credit them for the original creation. This is the most accommodating of licenses offered. Recommended for maximum dissemination and use of licensed materials.
CC BY-SA ( SA- Share-Alike) This one lets you remix, adapt, and build upon others’ work even for commercial purposes, as long as you credit them and license their new creations under identical terms. All new works based on their work will carry the same license, so any derivatives will also allow commercial use. This is the license used by Wikipedia and is recommended for materials that would benefit from incorporating content from Wikipedia and similarly licensed projects.
CC BY-ND (ND- No Derivatives) This license lets you reuse the work for any purpose, including commercially; however, it cannot be shared with others in adapted form, and credit must be provided to them.
CC BY-NC (NC- Non-Commercial) with this license you can remix, adapt and build upon their work non-commercially, and although your new works must also acknowledge them and be non-commercial, you don’t have to license your derivative works on the same terms.

MOST RESTRICTIVE
CC BY-NC-SA (NC- NonCommerical, SA- Share-Alike) This one allows you to remix, adapt, and build upon their work non-commercially, as long as you credit them and license your new creations under identical terms.
CC BY-NC-ND (NC- NonCommercial, ND- No Derivatives) This is the most restrictive of the six main licenses, only allowing you to download their works and share it with others as long as you credit them, but you can’t change their work in any way or use it commercially.

Where to Find Stock Photos

There are many stock photo services available. They allow you to purchase photos for use under specific licensing. They range from affordable to outrageous Prices per photo.

Luckily there are a few free stock photo libraries that you can choose from great photos that you can use for your specific purposes.

Here’s a list of a few of my favorites:

Pixabay – Includes photos and art.
Unsplash – The master of free stock photos – similar aesthetic among photos. Some photos are branded.
Pexels – Free stock photos, easy searching.
Life of Pix – Free high-resolution stock photo agency.
Gratisography – Quirky free stock images.

There are many agencies to choose from. In closing, the key is if you find a free stock photo library to make sure to check their licensing and use your photos accordingly.

Let’s DO it:

[Each blog post will have one to three actions you can take based on the content. You don’t have to do all of these or any of them. However, we want to encourage you to implement the things you learn at NACWE.]

Check out one of these stock photo libraries.
Post a stock photo that reflects your business and/or passion.
Create a curated collection in the stock photo library so that you can easily choose pictures in the future.

(You can find the webinar on the topic here: Focus on Stock Photos: What you need to know)

Tag Archive for: photography