How Great Thou Art

How Great Thou Art
Carl Boberg
Translated by Stuart K. Hine

When through the woods
and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds
sing sweetly in the trees,
When I look down
from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook
and feel the gentle breeze,

Then sings my soul,
My Savior, God to Thee;
How great Thou art!
How great Thou art!



Whenever I hear this great old hymn it inevitably brings me to tears. We sang it in church this morning, and this verse brought to mind several landscapes I have photographed lately. I remember the cool breezes making the aspen leaves quake. I remember the birds singing, and the babbling brooks, lakes and rivers at the base of the mighty peaks.

As a photographer, I am always looking for a focal point. A hillside of trees is beautiful, but if I see a single red one amongst the rest, or a yellow one flamed with orange tips, or a house on the hillside, it kicks up the content and elements of the picture to make it more interesting.

I love to get water and mountains in the same picture. It does make my soul sing!