Category : Pilgrim’s Chronicles

O.K. I don’t believe in channeling, bet you knew that, but I sure wish I could with Tony’s talent. Tony Sweet and I met many years ago when he was on his way up the ladder of success. I admire people with vision. Tony sure has it. I would never copy the work of another artist, but I sure can admire how they see, and how they translate the world they see. We learn by studying the masters in every art form. We see how they translate their vision and learn how to see better ourselves.

God knew we needed a lot of help in how to live this life He wanted for us. So He did two things, He sent the Master for us to emulate, and then when His Son went home He sent us the Holy Spirit to guide us moment to moment.

I want to be a much better photographer so I study the masters of the craft, and I want to live in a way that pleases my Heavenly Father, so I study His Son the Master. If I watch how great photographers see and capture the world they see, it helps me see the world more clearly myself.

If I study His Word I see how He lived, how much He loved others, How much He gave of Himself,
and the pattern He set for all of us to try and honor and follow.

So when you can study the Masters………

the pilgrim

*Photo Note: D7000, 24-120 AFS VR f4.

After endless hours of watching the devastation from the earthquake in Japan, I’ve had a moment of clarity. First I feel so deeply for those families that have lost loved ones in this natural disaster.
Secondly, I work for a Japanese company and it causes one to wonder what long term affect all of this will have on my company. Beyond all the speculation, life is, what it is. That led to the thought of what do I know for sure? Let me make a list;

1. I know that God is in “complete” control of my life and I can trust Him implicitly………
2. I know I love my wife, my family, my friends, and my associates. My love, respect, and
affection for them is not affected by natural or unnatural disasters.
1. I have been blessed with a great life, filled with great people, wonderful experiences, more
comfort than I deserve, and the assurance of an unshakeable faith.
1. I know that I love being a photographer, working, and being friends with other photographers.
2. I know that I’m not sure of very much else.

So the bottom line is that when you see the devastation in Japan and realize that life went from perfectly normal to turned upside down in a matter of seconds, you realize how fragile life is. We have no guarantees, save for the ones I listed above.

For me that is why faith and family must come first. Why would I build my life around anything that offers no substance. Riches and fame cannot buy peace, joy, or love.

Matthew 6: 25-34

25 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
 28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
 31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
 34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
I am just as tempted to fret and worry about the state of the economy, the condition of our world,
and my own fears and anxieties as anyone else, but for me I have an anchor that is wedged into solid rock, and though the winds will blow and the storms will rage, I know I have a greater hope in Him.

the pilgrim

Speaking of Solomon’s clothes and the flowers of the fields, I shot some neat stuff in the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens while doing and event for Nikon this past weekend. Here are some of the images from that weekend shoot.

God’s Colors

One of the things I love to do most in making photographs is drive around until I see something that catches my eye and then try and figure out why it caught my attention. I’m down in North Carolina to speak at an event in Belmont, (near Charlotte). While trying to find y hotel and the event site in late afternoon light, I saw a few things that interested me. Below is the scene I saw from the road,
which I immediately pulled over and shot, then I made the image above, complete with some Topaz filtering.

I call this technique the shot, within the shot. After examining the overall scene, ask yourself the question what drew me to this opportunity? With the old Sinclair station it was the gas pump.
Below are three shots of a red bench against a grey wall with a great shadow. The three shots are step one, two and three of moving in tighter and tighter. Admittedly, the first shot is just to show what i saw from the car speeding by, the next two are an attempt to move in on the main idea of the shot, you may or may not like the last shot, I like how tight it is, but you may prefer having the entire bench shown in shot two.

The bottom line is, does it work for you? If you think you’ve captured the essence of the scene, you have succeeded, I was going to say Win, but that has gotten a bad name lately……..

O.K. One more, just for fun.

A little extra help on that one, the yellow box allows you to see what I realized caught my attention once I examined the tractor.

Go out and have some fun doing some extraction of your own!

Blessings,

the pilgrim

*Photo Note: All images D7000 and the 24-120 AFS VR f4 lens.

I got up this morning and turned on the news while I took my blood pressure and blood sugar, normal morning routine for a 65 year old! I was shocked at the news out of Japan of near record setting eathquake. My boss and dear friend, Bill Pekala has been in Japan this week in meetings and I don’t know if he is on his way home or still there. I’ve emailed him to see where he is and if he is o.k. I hope to hear form him soon. Please pray for the people of Japan, it sounds like so far a very small number are reported dead but the devastation seems very wide spread, plus a sunami is racing across the oceans in many directions. More opportunities for prayer.

This morning reminded me of an event from a number of years back in my life. Many years ago when my children were still very young, Sherelene and I had a fight over something, still can’t remember what. She took the kids and stormed out and tore out of our driveway, angry. A little later I got to feeling guilty and got in the car and went out to try and find her. While driving up the interstate to the next exit where I thought she might have gone, I saw that in the other two south bound lanes all traffic was stopped and there were a large number of emergency vehicles. Some people had been in a very serious accident. I was struck with fear that it was Sherelene and the kids. I rushed to the exit and then joined the long line of traffic headed back south to see if my family was o.k. It took forever to get to the accident scene, when i got close I couldn’t make out the vehicle over the side of the road but it was the color of Sherelene’s car. I was even more stricken with fear. I had been praying furiously and the prayers gotten even more intense accompanied by tears running down my cheeks. When I got to the accident scene it was awful several cars all torn apart, but none of them were Sherelene’s. I thanked God all the way home and when I got to the drive way my prayers were further answered when her car was in the driveway.

I went in and apologized and held Sherelene and the kids and wept over my family. Both Sherelene and I agreed that whatever we had fought about was not worth the effort.

Two points, (1) Prayer works, (2) Be careful what you argue about.

Today’s Prayer; Father, please be with the people of Japan that have suffered under this mighty
earthquake. I pray that your spirit of peace will be upon them in this time of great stress and anxiety. I pray for any that are trapped that a rescue will come quickly. Amen

the pilgrim

I will be in North Carolina this weekend at a photo event speaking both Saturday and Sunday,
please pray for those people in my audience!

*Photo Note: Close up of cooking oil in water. D7000, 200mm Micro Nikkor f18 @ 1/25th of a second, ISO 1600.