Almost home… and not stretched to the limit!

Got into Knoxville, at midnight, an hour late, stayed over to drive home this morning, Delta, gotta love em’……  I’m not going to rant today, too much more important to touch on anyway.

I’m teaching a webinar next week for some friends and associates at the Bio Communications organization.  The title of the class is “Taking a Break from Reality!”  The class will encourage those that can get by the emotional trauma to try doing some interesting things with their photography, HDR, filters, radical color and tone changes and Black and White conversions of all kinds.  I have a good friend who is an exceptional photographer and he is a very traditional shooter.  He thinks this stuff is awful, I won’t repeat the word he uses, but trust me, he makes no bones about how wrong he thinks it is to do all this stuff to a straight image.  It’s interesting because his images are very artistic, but just without manipulation.  My favorite line to him is, “if you don’t like it, don’t do it!”

Everyone has their own personal philosophy about what is fair game in photography, I’m sure some people go way beyond what I can allow myself to do, and some won’t leave the “photographic” straight and narrow, my a millimeter!  I enjoy being able to do things with my photography that I was never able to do in the past.  In the history of photography all mediums, glass plates, film, and now digital have all had limits in terms of the range of light they could capture and display.  Then along came HDR and we were able to capture a far greater range of shadow to highlight detail.  It has opened up exciting new worlds, if you are open to it??!!

Walking closely with our Lord will also opens up an infinite world of joy you have never experienced before.  To receive all that God wants to give you, you have to be open to it, prepare for it, and expect it!  Simple, stay in His word, stay on your knees before Him, and pray constantly for Him to intervene in your lives, and the lives of others!  It is an adventure you want to have happen to you!  Please trust me on this one!

Last night in the Sky Room in New Orleans, (Delta’s lounge for frequent flyers,) I got a diet coke, and found a quite corner in hopes of just letting the day start to fade away and relax.  I saw Bill Frakes, a dear friend, and acclaimed Sports Illustrated photographer/videographer, across the room, so I got up and went over, gave him a hug, and we chatted for a few minutes, then I started back to my nice quite corner.   As I was walking back two business men in animated conversation walked into my little corner of the room and took the two seats opposite of where I was planning to relax.  I looked around and the room was pretty full so moving would not have helped.  I’m glad I didn’t.  I sat down and quietly went back to sipping the diet coke, when one of the men asked me a question.  As you can imagine, a conversation ensued, and I soon learned they were top executives of a very prominent photography company that I often work with.  I shared some images with them on the iPad, and then gave my usual short witness.  They both lit up they were dedicated believers as well.  This led to an even deeper conversation now on faith and out Lord.  It was a marvelous time, I think God knows when we need that kind of fellowship and He served up a great one.  One of the gentlemen had to leave to catch his flight and the other young man and I continued to talk, and it got even better.  Soon a well known photographer,  who I know, mostly by reputation, (and  he is an exceptional shooter), who had been overhearing the conversation, joined us and the good times continued to roll.

He was on the same flight with me to Atlanta, so we continued to talk as we walked to the gate.  Fast forward to this morning.  Having gotten into Knoxville in the early morning hours, I decided to sleep in this morning, about 8:30 a.m. my wife called and it awoke me, but it was time to get up and get going anyway.  Laying in bed I started my day the way I always do, I prayed and thanked God for;  Being safely back, close to, home.  I thanked Him for the great show, the not to difficult travel, and especially the wonderful company of my fellow Nikon friends, and the new friends I made in the Sky Room last night and as a bonus seeing an old friend on the plane to Atlanta, and making some more new friends all of who were up lifting to visit with.

Yes this is an advertisement!  Yes, I want you to have such a fulfilling life!  And yes, I’m selling something….  Jesus!  I want everyone I meet to get to know Him, to become very, very close to Him.  I want everyone to know the incredible joy of having Him direct your path.  It is an awesome thing to see events unfold right in front of your eyes, because they are the will of God!!!

We have an Awesome God,

the pilgrim