從加國後院，走進世界各地 |From Oakville to the World
- josephyu4
- May 2
- 5 min read
Pexels 最近開始列出相片庫中的相片被哪些人或機構使用。看到自己一些自然生態相片，竟然靜靜地走到世界不同地方，我心裡感到驚喜，也十分感恩。
我在 2019年4月10日上載了一張睡著的 Red Fox 相片，至今已經超過六年。這張相片仍然是我最多人瀏覽和下載的作品。最近，我發現它被用在一些幫助讀者認識動物與牠們行為的文章中。其中一篇文章形容 Red Fox 像是大自然中「貓與狗的完美結合」——牠們有像貓一樣撲向獵物的動作，也有像狗一樣活潑玩耍的特質。另一個墨西哥的西班牙語網站，也用這張 Red Fox 相片，介紹夜行性動物如何在黑夜中生活和覓食。
我也發現自己的 Coneflower 相片被不同地方使用。IDN Times Bali 在一篇印尼語文章中使用了這張相片，介紹能吸引授粉昆蟲的花卉，說明 Coneflowers 如何提供花蜜，吸引蜜蜂和蝴蝶，也使家中的花園更適合授粉昆蟲停留。一個斯洛伐克語網站也使用了這張 Coneflower 相片；現在又發現一個 .cz 域名的捷克網站也有使用。.cz 代表捷克共和國。這張 Coneflower 相片是在 2017年10月17日上載到 Pexels 的。種子需要時間發芽；有時，相片也需要時間，才慢慢顯出它的價值。
我的 squirrel 相片也走得很遠。它出現在多篇 LinkedIn 文章中，有些作者用 squirrel 作為注意力、分心、或職場行為的視覺比喻。同一張 squirrel 相片也顯示曾被 Times of India 使用；此外，印尼語文章也用它來介紹 squirrel 的有趣知識。其中一點我特別喜歡：squirrels 常把堅果埋在泥土裡，有時卻忘記了收藏的位置，結果有些種子或堅果便有機會長成新的樹木。連一隻小動物的「忘記」，也可能在創造中成為隱藏的祝福。
我也留意到 allevents.in 曾在一些關於開花植物或園藝講座的活動資訊中使用 Coneflower 相片。這讓我很受鼓勵，因為相片不只是裝飾網頁，也能支持學習、公眾興趣，以及人們對植物、花卉、授粉昆蟲和自然世界的欣賞。
從加拿大安大略省 Oakville 出發，這些相片靜靜地走到美國、墨西哥、印尼、斯洛伐克、捷克共和國、印度，以及更多地方。不同國家，不同語言，不同讀者；但同樣透過影像，邀請人停下來，重新留意創造之美。
在一個常常充滿沉重消息的世界——戰爭、破壞、污染、濫伐，以及對創造的忽略——我很感恩看到不同網站使用這些影像，幫助人認識 flora and fauna，從花草樹木到飛鳥走獸。相片雖然安靜，卻仍然可以說話；它能跨越邊界，進入不同語言，支持教育，也邀請人以更多驚嘆與關懷去觀看自然。
也許，這就是一張相片可以服事人的安靜方式：不是高聲呼喊，而是幫助一位讀者稍停、觀看、學習，並且多一點珍惜。
「地和其中所充滿的，世界和住在其間的，都屬耶和華。」——詩篇 24篇1節
讓相片的信息傳到地極。讚美主。📸✨🙏
Pexels 網頁：https://www.pexels.com/@oakvillejoe/
Let the photos talk: From Oakville to the World 用圖片說話：從加國後院，走進世界各地 ...
From Oakville to the World
Pexels has started listing where photos from its gallery are being used, and I was surprised and grateful to see how some of my nature photos have travelled across the world.
I posted my sleeping Red Fox photo on April 10, 2019, more than six years ago. It is still my most viewed and downloaded image. Recently, I found it used in articles that help readers understand animals and their behaviour. One article describes red foxes as “nature’s perfect blend of cat and dog,” noting their feline-like pouncing and dog-like playfulness, while kindly crediting the photo to Joseph Yu from Pexels. Another Spanish-language article from Mexico uses the same Red Fox image in a piece about nocturnal animals and how they survive at night.
I also found my Coneflower photo featured in several places. IDN Times Bali used it in an Indonesian article on flowers that attract pollinators, explaining how Coneflowers provide nectar, support bees and butterflies, and make a home garden more welcoming to pollinating insects. A Slovak-language website also featured the Coneflower image, and now I see that a Czech website under the .cz domain has used it as well. The .cz domain represents the Czech Republic. This photo was uploaded to Pexels on October 17, 2017. Seeds take time to germinate — and sometimes photos do too.
My squirrel photo has also travelled widely. It has appeared in several LinkedIn posts, including articles using the squirrel as a visual metaphor for attention, distraction, or workplace behaviour. The same squirrel image is also shown as being used by the Times of India, and an Indonesian article used it in a piece about interesting squirrel facts. One point I especially enjoyed was how squirrels often bury nuts and forget some of them, allowing new trees to grow. Even a small animal’s “forgetfulness” can serve creation in a hidden way.
I also noticed that allevents.in used the Coneflower image in connection with past flowering or gardening talks. That is encouraging because the image not only decorates a page; it also supports learning, public interest, and appreciation for plants, flowers, pollinators, and the natural world.
From Oakville, Ontario, Canada, these photos have quietly reached readers in the United States, Mexico, Indonesia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, India, and beyond. Different countries, different languages, different audiences — but the same visual invitation to notice creation.
In a world often filled with heavy news — war, destruction, pollution, deforestation, and neglect of creation — I am thankful to see websites using images to teach people about flora and fauna. A photo may be silent, but it can still speak. It can cross borders, adapt to different languages, support education, and invite people to see nature with greater wonder and care.
Perhaps this is one quiet way a photo can serve others: not by shouting for attention, but by helping a reader pause, notice, learn, and care.
“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” — Psalm Chapter 24 verse 1
Spreading photo messages to the ends of the world. Praise the Lord. 📸✨🙏
Pexels Webpage: https://www.pexels.com/@oakvillejoe/
Let the photos talk: From Oakville to the World
用圖片說話：從加國後院，走進世界各地 ...
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