What are the chains that bind us?  How can we break them?  For some time I’ve been giving too much thought to the state of our economy, our nation, and our world.  No doubt we are in a sorry state.  The possible outcomes can be anywhere from troubling to disastrous.  So what can we do?  Let’s see, if I had a few hundred trillion dollars I could fix it all, or most of it,  but sorry, there’s not that much in the tank!  So if we can’t change it, what to do????!!!

Take a deep breath.  The worst that can happen is the worst that can happen.  Sorry, I’m not sure I got that?  Yep, life can serve up some tough times.  Facing them can be hard indeed, but we can prepare, prepare by having faith God, faith in our families, and pray for our fellow men.  Use every downturn to reach others that are lost and even more frightened than we are.

Are difficult times coming?  I have no better idea than you do, but I know God will be with us, He promised He would!  I know He doesn’t break His promises, and that brings me comfort!  That is how you break the chains of fear.

Blessings,

the pilgrim

Thanks to my old Nikon buddy Sam Garcia for sharing this rather scary image!!!  Doesn’t this guy know that lens mounts aren’t strong enough to support your body weight!!!???  I admit I’m super careful about how I protect my gear, o.k. obssesively!!!   If you want your cameras and lenses to not let you down when you need them, don’t mistreat them!

My efforts to protect my gear may be over the top, but since I fly a lot and the micro vibrations can really work on gear, I take extra procossions!

FIRST:  Choose your camera bags and back packs carefully.  This is not a huge problems, as today, many manufacturers make really good bags with high tech foams that isolate and protect your gear well.  Pick the one that you can afford and that works for you!  I love Think Tank bags, and they have held up well for me, Guru Gear (now gone), and the newest Tenba Anvil Series work great too. Some traditional companies like Lowepro, Domke and Tamrac make some nice stuff too.

SECOND:  To further protect lenses and bodes I have been using Tamrac Goblin lens and body pouches.  They provide surface protection and an extra layer of vibration stopping insulation.

THIRD: Use nesting to double protect your lenses and bodies.  Once you put them into a wrap of some kind make your lens and body slots big en0ugh to hold the equipment in the wrap snugly.  Don’t make them so tight that they cannot be taken out easily, just firm enough to hold them in place.  This is all valuable should you ever mistakenly pickup your bag unzipped, it would help protect the lenses from flying out!

FOURTH:  Learn how to clean your glass properly.  Always blow off any glass surface before cleaning it.  There are several ways to clean the front and rear elements of your lenses, but I’ve  been using the Zeiss Lens Cleaning wipes for some time with great results.  You  can pick them up in camera stores and the eye glass department of Walmart.  A good quality micro fiber cloth is handy for removing small smudges or light dust, after blowing of course.

So a few ideas for all of us obsessive equipment lovers!

Blessings,

the pilgrim

Well, Ricky Skaggs, Joe McNally, Jim Haverstock and I are already on the ground  in Nashville to start the Fourth Annual Nashville Event!  Nick Coury will join us tomorrow!  Our first morning as aways is American Picker’s Nashville Store, Antique Archaeology.  Our group had a great time this morning sheltered from the sweltering 90+ degrees in the Marathon Motorworks facilities.  Our critique sessions showed us we have some talented shooters.  Here are few my favorite from the morning!

Out to shoot the city scape tonight, more soon!

Blessings,

the pilgrim