Submitted by: Anthony Taylor
This photograph has an interesting story. As an artist working in the medium of photography, I always had a camera with me. While taking a family drive through Percy Warner Park in Nashville Tennessee, I had a sudden unexplainable but strong urge to get out of the car and take a photograph. The odd thing was there wasn't anything in particular to shoot a photo of. There was nothing in sight but thickets of bushes and trees. I couldn't identify anything that would make an interesting picture. So I drove on -- for about 15 feet. The strange urge to stop and take a picture of "something" returned, even more strongly than before. Again, I wondered, what is there to take a photo of? This happened three times. I finally told my wife, "Look, I'm just going to stop and take a photo so that I can get past this weird feeling." I got out of the car, not even knowing where to point my camera, and snapped three shots from the side of the road. The sense of urgency vanished immediately. A few weeks later, I developed the film and immediately understood why I had been so compelled to take a photo. There was an image of a man with arms outstretched as if on a cross. He has what appears to be a crown of thorns and the most serene expression of peace that I have ever seen. You can see pupils in his eyes, a beard, ribs, navel and other features that to me are far beyond chance occurrence. The image also seems to have a profoundly calming effect on many viewers.
What amazes me to this very day is that I heard the voice, but I continued to drive. I could get no more that 15 to 20 feet and the urge became more persistent each time. After stopping three times before I finally answered the call, I have come to believe that the image would have occurred if I got out to shoot the picture the first time I felt the urge or further up the road where I finally listened and complied. It is a day that I will never forget. The day I heard the call.