Last week, I introduced a new weekend feature on the blog where I post a picture of mine and talk about it as a part of WordPress’s weekly “Photo Challenge” (see the bottom of this post for more information).

This week’s theme is “Near & Far“. The challenge is to use perspective to create a three-dimensional space in your two-dimensional photo and “literally suck in the viewer”. So’ I’ve chosen the above picture.

This picture was taken almost exactly a year ago. It was a time of a lot change for me. I had been broken up with only three-weeks earlier, I was less than a month into a completely new job, I had just finished giving two talks at church (one on the Bible, one on Prayer) and was beginning to feel like I was really a part of leadership there, all while feeling pretty far from God (is it sad that most of those things have associated blog posts with them?).

My job takes an annual trip with the men’s group to the beach in Ocean City, Maryland, and I had been asked to accompany them this year to get to know some of the male clients we serve (I actually just got back from our trip this year). This picture was taken on one evening walk I was taking along the beach while Hurricane Irene was on her way.

I feel this picture captures this theme perfectly of “Near & Far” for me. In the center of the photograph is that older couple holding hands down the beach. But, the perspective lines lead away from them and to their ambiguous destination, which exists at that all-important intersection of two lines from the ubiquitous rule of thirds in photography.

This provides a series of tensions in the picture. The beach and night. The center couple and the corner destination. The crashing waves and calm scene. The water of nature and the boardwalk of civilization. The darkness all around and the lights of the shops. The couple having walked so far, yet having so much further to go. Feeling let in on the intimacy of that couple’s moment, and yet feeling so far form “knowing” them.

It captures so perfectly where I was practically, emotionally, spiritually, and romantically. And hopefully it draws you into that feeling of both “Near & Far” as well.

See all my Weekend Photo Challenges here.

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This is WordPress’ little plug for the Weekly Photo Challenges:

Whether you’re a beginner or a professional, you’re invited to get involved in our Weekly Photo Challenge to help you meet your blogging goals and give you another way to take part in Post a Day / Post a Week. Everyone is welcome to participate, even if your blog isn’t about photography.

Here’s how it works:

1. Each week, we’ll provide a theme for creative inspiration. You take photographs based on your interpretation of the theme, and post them on your blog (a new post!) anytime before the following Friday when the next photo theme will be announced.

2. To make it easy for others to check out your photos, title your blog post “Weekly Photo Challenge: (theme of the week)” and be sure to use the “postaday″ tag.

3. Subscribe to The Daily Post so that you don’t miss out on weekly challenge announcements. Sign up via the email subscription link in the sidebar or RSS.