I got up early this morning and headed to the laundry to take some stuff that needed cleaning, and as soon as I got a mile from the house I realized it was going to be a great morning to shoot!  So after a quick trip back to the house to pick up a camera, (D600 with the 24-120 lens). I headed back toward the laundry making a number of stops along the way.  The following images are some of my mornings fun!

 

This morning’s devotional was on sowing and reaping, and it really hit me in a phone conversation this morning,  how I’m reaping what I’ve sown.  Explain?  A student from a photography school in Atlanta, called this morning wanting to interview me for a school assignment.  We talked about the usual stuff and then he asked if most of my work was the result of an assignment or job using producers and directors.  I explained to him that the photographer he was describing was some other guy, not me.  I suggested he give Joe McNally a call on that question.  I started to try and explain to him how my photography gets generated and it made me realize more  than ever, that I’m living the dream. well at least my dream!!  I explained to him that my work is mostly grown out of what I find interesting and what I would like to share with others.  That though I had done “directed” assignment in my younger years I’m mostly now a very serious amatuer shooter, just looking for cool things to photograph.

 

Back to reaping and sowing, of course this is true of everything in life, if you treat others with respect, you will be treated respectfully, if you are kind, kindness will be returned, if you don’t mind hurting others, others won’t mind hurting you, pretty simple!  It extends into a photographers life as well, if you seek and photograph, (sowing), things for which you are passionate, that passion will appear in the results (reaping)!  I’m not suggesting that my work deserves praise, but it does bring me joy and I love the process, and the life.  Thank You Father for such a blessed life!

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim

 

 

I addressed the terrible shooting in Newtown, a few weeks ago, and I just received this from a  friend this morning.  It sheds new light on all the violence, I think it is worth some thought.  It may be that guns are not what needs to be banned!

 

In every documented school shooting since 1992, 78 instances, every single shooter, every one, was either on a controlled substance or coming off of one, this is the list:

 

Prozac

Paxil

Zoloft

Anafranil

Luvox

Cymbalta

Celexa

Lexapro

Welbutrin

 

Now all of these medications have their place and have helped patients who need them, but if people that are on these medications, that need to be kept away from guns, not law abiding, careful citizens.

 

Talk to your representatives!

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim

 

 

 

 

 

After several months of using the D600, I’m more and more impressed with the camera!  I am finding myself recommending it more and more, and here is 5 reasons why:

 

1.  The 24.3 mega pixel sensor is outstanding both in terms of sharpness, resolution, and color. The metering and White Balance systems work beautifully with it!

 

2.  In spite of the fact that it is a FX sensor of such high mega pixels (35mm film size) it has extremely low noise even at high ISOs like 3200 and 6400.  It’s truly amazing how clean the files are!

 

3. Along with the D7000 it is the quietest camera I’ve ever heard for a DSLR!  There is very little  shake when the mirror cycles! It just sounds perfect, even when firing at 5.5 frames per second.

 

4.  Just like the three bears story, when you hold it in your hands it’s just right!  Not too big, not too small, it feels just right!  Enough heft to say quality, low enough weight to ease your shoulder in and all day shoot!

 

5.  Motionless remote shooting with the  ML-L3 remote!!!!  This is a big deal when you consider how these many mega pixels test your steadiness!

 

The D800 is “the” monster hi res camera, and for those that want the ultimate in detal, it still reins king, but the D600 does not lag very far behind, and is a joy to use, turst me the images you will get are something to behold!

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim

 

4.

The news this week is all about Lance Armstrong and his finally admitting to taking performance enhancing drugs after years of denial. It’s bad enough that he took the drugs, it’s worse that he lied for all these years, but even worse that he ruined the lives of others that tried to get at the truth while he was denying it.  What is it about us humans, that we will do almost anything to get attention, to be praised, honored, to have fame??!!  I was once guilty of being obsessed with getting attention and respect. I understand the need, I don’t understand sacrificing anything to get it.

 

Some years ago a sports team that I followed and loved, lost a game on a  last second shot.  I exploded with anger.  After I calmed down my wife ask me who was the champion two years before?  I didn’t know, two years later it didn’t matter, it probably didn’t matter three months later, but yet I was acting like it was the end of the world.  As I said that was some years ago, in recent years I’ve come to understand that following sports can really be fun because, in the end, it doesn’t matter, it doesn’t change anything about life, it’s just a game.

 

I don’t think God minds us enjoying sports, and games, but I feel certain He doesn’t want them to rule our lives, He doesn’t want anything to rule our lives accept Him!  I wish Lance had admitted his actions when he was first asked about them.  I would have admired him more for that, than all those trophies.

 

What price are we willing to pay for things that, in the end, don’t matter anyway?

 

blessings,

 

the pilgrim