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I would like to revisit a really important concept about making images. I feel so strongly about extraction that I’m going to teach a class on it for Kelby Training later this summer. Extraction is nothing more than looking deeper into the scene that attracts your attention. When you see a
subject you may not, immediately, know what was attractive about it, to you. It’s a process you need to train yourself to do, asking the question, “what did I like about this scene?” The more you practice the better you will get. O.K. a couple of pieces of advice; (1) look for uniques colors. Often a strong color will draw attention and you will realize that was what attracted you in the fist place to the scene. (2) Look for strong patterns. This is another eye or attention catcher, after doing this for a while you will start to recognize patterns and lines of direction immediately. (3)
Don’t be afraid to crop with your zoom very, very tight. I use the 24-120 and 70-300 because I can almost always tighten up on the subject. You can always loosen up after you shoot the tight
composition. Walking around the track yesterday, I saw and photographed the images below,
maybe some of these shots will help you see the concepts I described above.

So, how do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice…….and crop, crop, crop.

the pilgrim

*Photo Notes; All images D7000 and 24-120 & 70-300 except last image. Nikon D3s with 600mm AFs VR f4 lens.

One of the best things about working the Derby is getting out in the morning and shooting the early light. This morning was my best morning ever for conditions. It was cold, 39 degrees and the sun came up with hardly a cloud in the sky. Kathy Siler and Tracey Hettrick from NAPP, joined Skip Dickstein, José Ramos, Francis Yeh, Rick Schmidt, and myself for a morning outing. Cold toes and fingers, but warm smiles, as we shot some awesome scenes. Skip was great, being one of the best horse racing photographers in the country and a master at working the Derby. Rick is also a wiz around the downs and really knows everyone, which really opens doors. The light provided ample opportunities for wonderful shots. I hope you like some of my picks for the day;

It was a great morning even if
the alarm went off at 5:00 a.m.
So what is my point? Sacrifice
is necessary if you want to get
great shots. Early mornings,
late evenings, lots of prepar-
ation, all add up to getting the
image. As a photographer
getting the image is every-
thing.

Great days like this are the
result of people doing their
part, having a great life is
because Jesus did His part,
He died for us so we might
have this awesome opportu-
nity for the life we have.

Be blessed,

the pilgrim

*Photo Notes: All images,
D7000, 24-120 AFs VR &
70-300 AFs VR ISO 1600
and 800.

In preparing for the Close-up classes, I
just taped at Kelby Training, I did a few
demonstration shots in the studio to
share with the students. The shot to the
right is a lot easier to do than it might
appear. The lighting is easy, one SB-900 shot on wireless remote using
the D7000’s Commander Mode to fire
it. Background is just a sheet of blue
construction paper. Plain water in a
flat sided vase, (hardest part of the shot
is finding a flat sided vase). The key is
once you drop the strawberry, hitting the
shutter at the perfect time. Can I do it every time? Are you kidding? Check
out the attempts below, I would say
if you get it, every third or fourth try your doing really well. The more you practice the better you get. The key is the decisive moment. The same is true in life, and what is the decisive moment? The moment you give your life and heart to Him, now that is a great image!

Knowing Him and having Him helping you live your life is the best of all possible worlds.

I would never consider shooting these
strawberries without getting all my ducks in a row, and I wouldn’t try to live this life without my spiritual ducks in a row.
I often been asked what it means to give over your life to Christ. Many people have a great fear of losing control of their lives. It has been my experience that we don’t have much control of anything in life, anyway! You have to know that God has only your best interests at heart. He is never going to do anything that is not best for you, trust me, you can trust Him…….

Living a life in tune with His Will is living life to the fullest. I cannot think of a single thing I’ve done without because of my commitment to follow Him. In fact, my life has been filled with the greatest joy, peace, and blessings. Am I trying to influence you to make the same decision? You bet……….. Would I
be your friend if I didn’t?

the pilgrim

*Photo Note: All images with
Nikon D7000 and 105 Micro Nikkor
f2.8 VR, SB-900 with Commander Mode.

Back on the road getting things ready for the Derby. We unloaded nine large rolling cases today to service the world wide press attendees at the 137th running of the Kentucky Derby, Saturday.
These images don’t scratch the surface of what is on hand. Eight 600 VR lenses, Eight 500 VR lenses, twelve 400mm f 2.8 lenses, eight 300mm lenses, four 200-400 lenses, a dozen 70-200’s, seventy bodies; D3s, D3, D700’s, D300s, plus three dozen 24-70’s and 14-24s and of course teleconverters, other zoom lenses, flash units, you name it, it’s here.

This may seem excessive, but we will serve over a hundred photographers over the next four days and it is necessary to see that everyone has the gear they need.

Along with Jose’ Ramos and
Francis Yeh, I will be taking
care of a number of needs
over the next several days.
One need I will be trying
to meet will be spiritual
needs as well. Certainly not
in an overt way, but just by
being there for anyone that
might need a kind word, or
some encouragement. It’s
surprising how often you
can reach out to others
by simply being a friendly
face or a having a servant’s
spirit. While I know many
of these photographers, I
don’t know some as well,
and it is always nice to make
new friends and help them
out.

Some people think that in
order to be a witness you
have to approach people and
start talking to them about
Jesus. For me it is almost
never like that. I develop
relationships with people
that lead them to know that I
care for them. That very
often leads to them wanting
to talk about spiritual side of life on their own, and in their own time. I think being a witness for Christ means you love the Lord, and He has filled you with His love for others. Few people in this
world can resist that kind of unconditional love. We all need it, we all want it, and God offers it to all of us. The best way to be a witness is to display His love in your everyday life. Over time
I’ve learned that people seldom hear what you say, but almost never miss observing what you do.
I know it’s an old saying, but it’s true, “Actions speak louder than words.” If you want people to
want to learn more about your faith, live it. That kind of witnessing works every time……….

the pilgrim

*Photo Note: Coolpix P300.