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11 years, 3 months ago 1

A Believers Perspective.  Our entire country is reeling from the senseless acts of supreme violence and evil perpetrated on the innocent yesterday in Connecticut.

 

 

I would ask everyone to spend significant time on their knees praying for the families that have suffered this horrible loss.  This is why it is so vital that we seek to reach as many people as possible for Christ.  What happened yesterday is proof of the sheer evil that exists in this world.  It is vital that we understand that we are truly in a spiritual war, there are forces of evil and they are getting their way, all to often.  In the big picture, they are already defeated, but they are still the cause of  havoc in this world day.   I pray that these families will be comforted by those around them, and will feel God’s love though out  this unbelievably difficult time.  I am heart broken for these families,  who have suffered such a great loss.

 

I have no idea what the reason is for the act of hate that happened yesterday.  I do believe that as more and more people have turned their lives away from God, and become worshipers of self, we open the door to unspeakable acts of selfishness and evil.  As I travel, I see more and more examples of people who have lost all concern and empathy for their fellow man.  So many people exhibit behavior, that states in their actions, that as long as they get what they want, others are irrelevant, and invisible. We’ve spent centuries seeking to find ways to “fix” man, and it has all come down to this.   I’ve stopped watching TV news because I’m so weary of seeing example after example of how far we have fallen from God’s grace.  Were it not for God’s love, I would find no comfort in our world today.  There is no solution in man, we must turn to God.

 

Please pray, please love others with His love, and please ask God to bring healing to our land.

 

a sad,

 

pilgrim

11 years, 3 months ago 12

Last June I had a great experience when I was honored to get to be a speaker a NECC, the New England Council of Camera Clubs annual event!  I met a lot of really nice folks, got to visit with some of my favorite Nikon people, and finally got to meet Mike Moats a close-up photogpraher whose work I have long admired!  I first met Mike through Jack Graham another great photographer friend. They use to do workshops together.  Mike helped me a lot when I was preparing to teach my two Kelby training videos on Close-up photography.
So anyway, when I met Mike at the show we finally got to sit down and talk and I was very impressed with his philosophy of doping close-ups!  Now I must admit that I’m and equipment freak and couldn’t wait to ask him what gear he was using.  To my shock he told me he used Nikon D7000s as his main cameras.  Now don’t get me wrong, I love the D7000 I just thought with how spectacular his work was he was using an even higher end camera body!
He told me that he used the D7000 for several reasons;
1.  It’s 1.5 lens factor actually gave him larger images within his files with the same focal length lens.   That made a lot of sense and in fact I’ve recommended that myself in the past.

 

2.  That he made 24″X36″ prints with ease from that camera.  I knew that was possible, but after seeing his prints up close, I was even shocked myself, they were breathtaking, and from a DX camera!!!

 

3.  His last reason was the one that shot me between the eyes!!  He said he wanted to show his students that you could do good work without spending a fortune on cameras and lenses!  I was stunned, I knew he was right, and I believe that myself, but I sure wan’t putting it into practice.

 

Here I write this blog and give advice on gear, but have been a little bit, o.k. a lot of a snob, about gear. I decided to turn over a new leaf, and this is what I plan to do;
It’s time for some New Years Resolutions about my photography:
A.  In the new year I’m going to force myself to learn some new things about the gear I own and how to use it to the best of my ability.
B.  I will designate periods of time;  trips, assignments, maybe even a few weeks or a month at a time, and use just one set of gear to discover just what is possible with it.  I plan to do a period with just a point and shoot camera, actually several different ones.  A period of time with just one body and one lens, and probably not a zoom, just a single focal length lens, (like a D600 and a 50mm f1.4 lens).  I plan to do a period of time with just an iPhone, and even a small manual focus system, and just one zoom in my autofocus system.  I’m going to devote time to just DX , and time to just FX.
C.  To keep myself honest, I will let you guys know what time period I’m doing what, and then show the results on the blog!
So the big question is, why am I doing t his?  Of course the first part is Mike has shamed me into trying to think less about the gear and more about the image.  Part two is that I truly want to be less of gear snob!!!  But lastly, and most importantly, I am entering a new stage of my life and I have decided I want to become a serious student again, and learn as much as I can.  I know that I’m surrounded by people that excel at different aspects of photography and I want to absorb as much of that knowledge and wisdom as I can.
No teacher is worth his or her salt if they are not also devoted students, so it’s back to school for this old dog!  Surely there are a few new tricks I can learn!
So it’s starts today, for the next several days I’m  using the D600 and a 50mm f 1.4 AF lens to shoot Christmas themed stuff, expect to see some results soon. One camera – one lens, hey I’m excited, I just my learn something here!!!  Thanks Mike……
Blessings,
the pilgrim
My buddy Kent Ervin sent this shot to me, thought it was appropriate for my new experiment, “suspended over the water!”   Sure hope that old dog can swim!
11 years, 3 months ago 2

I was coming out of Bobcat Bite a few months ago on a trip to Santa Fe and saw this Triumph motorcycle, just had to make an image of it.  This is a classic 1960’s model that was a favorite of my youth.  I used to race dirt bikes in cross country enduros, and I still have great memories of riding my various bikes!  I was looking through a series of iPhone images today and found this one, yes it was shot with an iPhone, and I thought how it matched my mood today!

 

I’ve spent a lot of today answering posts on the blog from day before yesterday about Scott Kelby’s new book.  I hate to do these plays on words, but for me the last two days has been somewhat a “Triumph”!  I expected a higher percentage of negative reactions to my comments about Scott’s book, but to my very pleasantly surprise, the comments have been 99% positive.  The most positive thing to me is how many people have expressed their hope that the book will reach those that are struggling with this decision.  I’m encouraged as Jim and I press on with His Light Workshops, it seems that God is revealing more each day about how He wants us to stay the course, and reach out to others.  Sorry, but it really has been a personal “Triumph” for me!

 

Encouraged,

 

the pilgrim

11 years, 3 months ago 6

I made this photograph of a conductor in Arkansas at a train museum, I’v always loved the image, it appears he is looking at his pocket watch and anticipating the train pulling out, looking for that last passenger, to make it before the train starts to pull away!  In many ways I think that is what I’m doing, watching for the last ones to make it on the train.

 

Someday the train will leave for all of us, the question is will you be onhoard?  I’ve been reading Scott’s new book, It’s a Jesus Thing, and I have to say, I’m really enjoying it!  I think it strikes just the right cord for reaching out to those that are still sitting on the fence trying to decide whether to join us on this side!   For some it may seem like a soft sell, but I would disagree with them, and remind them that when we were trying to decide ourselves, we may have needed the same gentle touch to slowely move us toward Christ.

 

I heard a story recently about some men that were traveling together and on the trip and one of the men lead the other two to a relationship with Jesus.  About an hour later they were forced from the road by a eighteen wheeler, and they struck a tree tree at a high rate of speed.  One of the two men that had just accepted Christ was killed, the other two were injured, but survived.  Just imagine what a difference that made in that man’s eternal life.  I was reading in Scott’s new book about how it does not often work to lure people to wanting to become a Christian by scaring them with the fear of being condemned eternally.  I agree, not many people respond to fire and brimstone conversion techniques. However, the other side of that same coin is that Jesus is the only way to the Father and we cannot hope to escape that dreadful eternity unless we ask Him into our hearts. I like to think of Jesus as that conductor, standing, waiting, checking His watch knowing that some of His children are still not on board the train, hoping to see them rush up and jump on before the train pulls away from the station. He knows that once the train starts to move, it will be too late to get on board.

 

The problem with life is the train, (your passage out of this life), does not run on a schedule.  Sadly we do not always get a warning.  I had a dear friend some years ago that was not a believer, and I loved him dearly.  I shared with him about Jesus on several occasions, he was always kind, but he never accepted Christ.  One day I got a call that he had suffered a heart attack and died, he was only 53 years old.  I thought I had a lot more time to love on him, and try to get him to see how important it was to give his life to Christ.  The train pulled out before I got the chance.  I promised myself after his death that I would never let another friend go without a fight for them!  I’m sure that I’ve made a few people a little uncomfortable trying to encourage them to know how much God loves them, but I can assure you it’s nothing like as uncomfortable as an eternity seperated from God!

 

I have a dear friend who has a great line; “If you meet me, and forget me, you’ve lost nothing, if you meet God, and forget Him, you’ve lost everything!”

 

Here’s hoping you make the train,

 

the pilgrim