07/04/2026
As we celebrate America’s 250th birthday, I find myself thinking about the images that have shaped the way we remember our nation.
The quiet portraits of Civil War soldiers.
The flag raised at Iwo Jima.
Brave men and women who served, sacrificed, and in far too many cases, gave their lives so others could live free.
Neil Armstrong placing The United States flag on the moon.
Firefighters raising a flag from the ashes of September 11th.
Veterans, service members, first responders, leaders, pioneers, and everyday Americans whose courage became part of our national memory.
Today, I am deeply thankful for those who have served this country, for those who gave their lives in that service, and for the families who carried the cost of that sacrifice.
I’m thankful for freedom.
Most of all, I’m thankful for the privilege of living in a nation where we can gather, speak, create, remember, and worship Jesus openly; a freedom we should never take lightly or take for granted.
And as a photographer, I can’t help but notice one quiet constant woven through so many of the images that help us remember these moments:
A photographer was there.
Not as the hero of the story, but the photographer played such an important role.
Someone lifted a camera and preserved the courage, sacrifice, faith, grief, celebration, and resilience of our nation. Someone helped ensure that future generations could look back and remember not only what happened, but who was there, what was given, and why it mattered.
So, this Independence Day, I’m grateful for the freedom we celebrate, the sacrifices that made it possible, and the images that help us remember.
May we never forget that history is made by people who show up, serve, lead, sacrifice, and love their country well; and that God was gracious enough to design the role of the photographer who photographed those moments and who's images help us remembered vividly through them today.