All jobs are jobs, but all jobs have their up side!   Saturday and Sunday I got to do one of , my favorite assignments, I spoke each day for the great folks at the Wilderness Wildlife Weekend in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.  The folks that come to these events are really special, they a re down to earth, and love photography, and always how great appreciation for my programs, I guess we really love those that love us back!

 

What really impresses me is how secure most of the folks are in who they are, just regular folks, that are kind and compassionate.  A great group to find myself hanging out with. As I prepare for my future, it is my goal to do that almost every day I can!  We are given choices in life and we need to choose those things that work for us.  God doesn’t want us to live in misery, and we don’t have to.

 

I’ve found a simple formula; trust God, read His word, listen for His voice, and Obey.  If you do He will lead you to the kinds of days I spent Saturday and Sunday!!

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim

Charles Stanley’s new book is titled “I Love To Tell The Story” and it is a marvelous coffee table book of his work.  Photography really is all about telling the story, the story you want to tell.  For many years I was probably best known as a photographer for showing music/image shows whenever I would go out to speak.  I’ve done slide synchs, (that’s what we called them in the old film days),  for Fortune Five Hundred Companies, and local photography clubs.  It never ceases to amaze me how much people enjoy some images set to the right music.  Over the years I’ve worked with a number of production companies to help  produce major shows, once using 48 slide projectors!!!  It’s been fun and very gratifying to see the reaction of the audience.  Now I want to share that fun with others.  In February (20-23), Jim Begley and I will teach a small group of students all the ins and outs of planning, and producing a image/music presentation.  We will cover the following:

 

Developing an idea for a image/music show.

 

Shooting and editing for a image/music show.

 

Developing mood with the right music.

 

Construction of the show, dissolve timing, and image placement.

 

Polishing the production with titles and effects.

 

How to introduce and present the final product!

 

Each student at this workshop (limited to 12 people)  will produce their own show before the end of the workshop!  On Saturday night we will get to see all the shows!  One evening all the attendees will be my guest at my home in Corbin, for my famous Pork Bar B Q!!

 

If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to produce these shows this is your chance!  Jim and I will teach how to do them on both the MAC and PC platforms with Pro Show Gold and Keynote.

 

Be sure and email me at   billfortney @earthlink.net    if you are interested in joining us.  It will beheld in Corbin, KY   and the price for the seminar is $499.  ( 6 spots remain open. )

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim

 

I’m speaking this weekend at the Wilderness Wildlife Week in Pigeon Forge, TN,  2:30 – 3:30 Saturday, and  10:30 -11:30 Sunday, please come out and join us!

fence |fens|noun1 a barrier, railing, or other upright structure, typically of wood or wire, enclosing an area of ground to mark a boundary, control access, or prevent escape.

 

 “Mark a boundary, control access, or prevent escape.”   Let me encourage you to knock down the fences in your life. What is marking the boundaries in your life, what is preventing you from escaping?  Who would want to control access to a fulfilling life?  You have an enemy, he is real, he is the author of lies, and evil.   Let’s get down to brass tacks, if their is a God, and there is, then it makes complete sense that there is a Satan.  Think about it, a man goes into an elementary school and kills dozens of people in cold blood, can anyone really believe that real evil does not exist in this world.  Trust me on this one, there is someone out there that wants to fence you in and hold you back from what God wants you to have!

 

The amazing thing is how many people think that the existence of evil is not a reality in spite of the world we live in and the atrocities we all witness, they beleive somehow with the right government  program and we can make the world all better.  No wonder so many are wandering in the wilderness!  There is a magic bullet, and he died to save the world, when will we turn to the right source so that all our fencess can be torn down??!!  Anything else, is only mending fences…….

 

blessings,

 

the pilgrim

When you’re out of the office for a week and come back, it all hits, dozens of phone messages on the home machine, emails that slipped through the cracks, a huge stack of mail, but hey, you’re home!!! My next assignment is speaking Saturday and Sunday at the Wilderness Wildlife Week in Pigeon Forge TN, hope to see some of you there!   The following weekend I will be at Imaging USA in Atlanta, once again if you’re at the show drop by the Nikon boot and say Hi!

 

If I may, let me share some random things about the next few months.

 

IMPORTANT  Class Info:  Jim and I have two workshops coming up in the next few weeks  and one in June:

 

February 20-24   Slide Show Production Workshop.   Learn how to produce your own dynamic music and image shows on the MAC or PC!  Learn all the nuts and bolts, and you will each produce your own show while we are together!  In addition the group will be my guest at the Fortney home for my famous home made Bar B Q  !Limited to 12.  $499.   5 spots available.  In Corbin, KY.

 

March 6-10  Old Car City & the Southeast Railroad Museum.  Two killer locations for HDR work, and extensive HDR training from Jim and Bill.  $499   Limited to 20, 6 spots available.

 

June 8-16  Palouse / Olympic National Park with Matt Kloskowski, Jim, and I.  Wonderful tour and workshop of the beautiful Palouse region, and one of the most spectacular National Parks, Olympic  $1,295.  SOLD OUT but we are taking waiting list applicants, expect a few spots to open up!

 

Classes are filling fast so if you might want to join us, please contact me ASAP!

 

Suggestions for Winter Education while waiting for another shooting season to begin:

 

Check out the following:

 

The Nikon School      http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Learn-And-Explore/Nikon-School/index.pag  The Nikon School is one of the oldest and best on site training programs for a good weekend of learning.  It is now broken down into several possible sessions;

 

Nikon School :  Session One.  Which covers such subjects as Composition, People photography, Travel photography, Life events like birthdays, celebrations, parties etc,  and a better understanding of the basic camera conttrols!

 

Nikon School: Session Two:  Color, Light & Technology.  Int his class you will learn How to recognize and use great light, get up to speed on your flash photography, Shooting RAW, how and why, and finally image editing and Post processing

 

Nikon School:  HD-SLR Video 3 Day Workshops.  Taught buy some of my best friends at Nikon, learn how to plan, storyboard, and produce wonderful videos with the advanced features in the new DSLRs!  Learn camera movement techniques, audio recording, selecting the right accessories, and capturing great interviews, and lastly how to edit your videos!  A great two day class.

 

Photo Editing with Capture NX2.  A great class on this terrific program with Nikon NPS field manager Scott Diussa,  A must class for those wanting to get the most out this great post processing program.

 

Underwater Photography.  Want to go diving in a spetacular location and learn form the best, how to shoot underwater, this is the ticket!  Held in Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles!

 

Kelby Training  –   http://kelbytraining.com/    Simply the best place to do on line courses, on photography, post processing, video,  nature, widlife, close-up, commercial, fine art, travel, every imaginable subject!  The best bargain in online training in the world!  The best photographers and teachers offering the classes you want and need!!!

 

So use these cold winter months to get ready for Spring shooting!!!

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim