About Doug Holck

The heavens declare the glory of God,

    and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

Day to day pours out speech,

    and night to night reveals knowledge.

There is no speech, nor are there words,

    whose voice is not heard.

Their voice goes out through all the earth,

    and their words to the end of the world.

Psalm 19:1—4

God spoke the world into existence, and my pleasure as a landscape photographer is to record the voice of its Creator. Sometimes, the voice is a grand and iconic vista thundering with rain and lighting or the solo voice of one autumn leaf silhouetted against a southwestern sunrise. I have recorded waving ribbons of the Aurora Borealis, the whisper of fog above an alpine lake, and the rhythmic swells of the Pacific Ocean. The soft flutes of spring coloratura of a hillside of poppies, dogwood bracts dancing above the Merced River, or a symphonic storm in Yosemite National Park are just some of the declarations of His creation I have been privileged to record.

As an artist, I believe the creative nature of human beings to create comes from God. It is a part of Imago Dei—made in the image of God. As His image-bearer, my art responds to the created beauty around me. Expressing myself this way is a part of being fully and completely human and is an act of worship—a grateful response to the Creator and His creation.

On the first day of creation, God created light, an act of creation for which every photographer is thankful. On day four, He created the sun, moon, and stars with His voice. Without light, photography would not be as we know it. Lastly, moving forward, I see the continued need to steward the gift of creation granted to us by our kind and loving Creator.    DOUG HOLCK