Category : blog

 

As we are all starting a new year everyone is wondering how can I make this the best year ever?  May I make a suggestion?  If you want to have a great life, ask someone who has had a great life, how they did it.  I’m not perfect, far from it, but God has blessed me with a great life and I think after almost 77 years of living, I might  have discovered, through His Word and His guidance,  just how to do it!

 

Here are my (HIS)  Rules for Living:

 

     1. Trust God, no one is more trustworthy and cares more about you than He does!

      2.  Put others above yourself.  Selfless living pays incredible dividends!

      3.  Admit to yourself and Him, who you are, what your not proud of, and ask for His forgiveness.  He already knows, he just wants you to face it, and He will gladly give you a new start, another chance to get it right and foregiveness!

       4.  Don’t worry about pleasing or impressing others, just be sure your Heavenly Father knows your heart is chasing Him and Him alone.

 

That’s it, please trust me, it really, really works.

 

May God bless you in this new year!

 

the pilgrim

 

 

In November of 2011 I bought my first Fujifilm camera, the little X10 and it was love a first sight.  I still can’t believe the quality of the files to come out of this little $699. compact camera.  The lens was razor sharp and the colors wonderful, see for yourself!

 

 

That little camera cost me a heck of lot of money as I have bought virtually every camera and lens Fujifilm has produced since 2011!

 

Blessings,

 

 

the pilgrim

 

I just bought a mint condition Fujifilm X-T1.  Why???!!!  I found one on eBay for less than $400. with only 2,000 shutter activations.  This was the first of the XT series of cameras and it had only a 16 mega pixel sensor.  But…. that sensor had larger pixels, which meant it did not have to be amped up, as much,  when shooting a higher ISO’s.  The shot above was with an X-T1 at ISO 6,400!  It is almost devoid of noise and if there was any you would clearly see it in the out of focus green background, but their is none!!!!  If I shot the same image with the X-T5 there would definitely be noise back there.  Now I have Topaz De-Noise so I could have erased it, but the original file would not have been as clean.

 

I am not dumping the X-T5, it has it’s 0wn advantages and I love it, but if I had to shoot at very high ISO, like available light stuff or night sky photography I would reach for the X-T1.

 

Cameras and lenses are tools and as the artist it is up to you to pick the best tool for the job at hand.  To be honest I’m just a little nostalgic about the X-T1 since it was the point in the system at which I fell in love with the Fujifilm X Series of cameras and lenses, so I’ve got an old friend back!

 

…..and old friends are a good thing!

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim

 

 

 

 

I’m not really sure why I love rust?  Maybe because as I age I’m rusting, but then, I started shooting rust many years ago!  I love warm colors and rusty is certainly rich and warm, so there’s that. Maybe most of the places I travel there is a lot of rusting stuff?  Doesn’t much matter, I love rust and love photographing it, in all it’s forms! Let me share a few favorites!

 

This old car was shot at Nelson Ghost Town in Nevada.  The processing was a technique I learned from my dear friend, Richard Small!

 

Can you guess where this was shot?  Yep, Utah along the road side.

 

 

I shot this old neon sign at a place called Black Dog Salvage.  A great place to shoot in Roanoke, VA!

 

This was shot at the same Black Dog Salvage building.  My father as the manger of a Coca Cola bottling plant when I was very young, I have always loved Coca Cola stuff.

 

I found this old rusted Yale lock while kicking around an abandoned mining property  Harlan County, Kentucky

 

I found this at a antique shop in my home town of Corbin, Kentucky, it’s n old Volvo door.

 

 

I know  you’ ve seen this one before, but it is one of my favorites,  I found in the gift shop of Nelson Ghost Town, never figured out if they were for sale?

 

Happy New Year and don’t rust!  Just shoot it!

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim