Today is the tenth anniversary of buying the “dream camera” I’d picked out years earlier.
I happened to notice this was coming just two days ago, and that has reminded me of God’s faithfulness and providence, of the patience He often asks us to practice, and of the joy He takes in blessing His children.
When I began moving toward this ministry of missionary journalism, I had only a basic consumer camera kit, and my first efforts on a church trip to Zambia in 2012 confirmed that I would need better equipment in order to faithfully record the images and stories of ministries. Every camera can take good pictures, but not every picture can be taken well with every camera. There are times that technical limitations simply prevent some photographs, such as not being able to focus in dim lighting at a youth rally or capture images that weren’t blurry.
I upgraded early to a good-quality, used full-frame camera, a Canon 5D, for my trip to Nigeria in 2013. It confirmed the value of upgrading (even as outdated as it already was, the richness of its photographs still holds up today), but it still lacked the video capabilities I would need for capturing interviews.
I’ve always acknowledged that much more basic camera equipment would serve me fine if photography was just a thing I did to share a ministry work with our supporters.
I diligently researched the current cameras and chose the 5D’s successor, the 5D Mark III, and I set about watching prices and saving up for it. It was a big investment, but God had provided the clarity, and He would surely provide the funds and the opportunity and the timing… but it was my responsibility to “provide” the patience.
God provided many opportunities for me to practice patience, as sale prices were never low enough for our budget and funds were still trickling in. After about a year, though, the photography store I most trust advertised a blessed convergence of a sale price, a manufacturer’s rebate, and an even lower sale price to anyone who let them send a free large-format photo printer. It was literally cheaper to buy the same kit with a free printer than the same kit without it.
We were moving overseas to a country with different electricity, so a huge printer that wouldn’t even work there was not appealing to me, but a free printer that lowered the price of the camera I wanted and could be sold to help pay for it?!
“Tracy, there’s this sale…”
Sure enough, for the next few weeks, the local Craigslist ads were full of people selling those printers—I was clearly not the only person who could spot a good deal. All told, I think the sale, rebate, and printer revenue made the camera about a third or more cheaper than it had been at any time before or since. God had indeed provided.
And what God had provided was every bit the amazing tool I’d anticipated. In any profession, trade or skill, there’s an absolute joy in using a well-made tool. I still appreciate the feel of holding this camera, its clearly tangible durability and strength, the pleasure of how it fills the hand and hangs effortlessly despite its significant weight. Every camera maker has some excellent gear and special strengths, and Canon has long been admired for its colors, and this old friend always delivered well. Every time I used it, I felt not only my joy and appreciation for it but also God’s joy in having provided it, in having entrusted to me to use for His purposes and glory something that I so clearly loved using.
Eventually, my beloved friend got a bit tired and outdated, so it has been mostly replaced by a more modern mirrorless camera with amazing advantages (especially in the speed and precision of its autofocus system). But truly, I miss those joys of holding and using my 5D3 and the visual richness of the images it produced. Anniversary or not, it’s always good to remember and appreciate things like that—and the joy and blessings of trusting the Lord and His joy in providing for us.
The pictures in this slideshow are among my favorites taken with this old friend.
The Heffron Family 