Category : Pilgrim’s Chronicles

1 Corinthians 13
 1 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
 4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

The greatest example of love in history took place the day Jesus willingly went to the cross to die for all of us. How much greater love could anyone exhibit than to die for the sins of others?

Have you ever been accused of a crime or act you did not commit? Do you remember how violated you felt being accused of something you had nothing to do with. What an injustice to have to feel that pain, and to know you were not guilty. Well, Jesus accepted all the blame, all the punishment, all the wrath of His Father for our sins. He did it because He was the embodiment of the love described in Chapter 13 of First Corinthians. He did it all because of His great and deep love for you.

He asks only one thing in return, accept that love. Imagine that, all He asks is that you
accept Him! In all our lives, we have probably never done any act of kindness, and expected so little in return. What should you do?
Say yes.

the pilgrim

Traveling for photography is always a challenge, there is so much stuff you need. The best way I’ve found is to organize your packing so that the most important stuff, and only the most important stuff ends up in your bags. After a half dozen trips you will start to recognize what you think you may need, but actually almost never do, that stays home. With clothes obviously it depends on the occasion, but if it is just casual travel or in the field shooting, I tend to take four day worth of clothes and then wash them as I travel. I’m a big fan of Ex Officio pants. These tough nylon pants wash and dry easily even if you only hang dry them and look surprisingly nice. They take up about 1/3 the room as regular bulky cotton pants or jeans. Light nylon outdoors shirts serve the same purpose, they cut the wind better, dry faster and are more comfortable when the temps get higher. Many of these shirts from Ex Officio, North Face, Columbia, and L.L. Bean have mesh panels to allow the air to pass through keeping you much more comfortable. I keep at least one pair of Merrell Moab Ventilator light hiking shoes available for trips when I need to look a little nicer. I own five pair and use the ones that best fit the kind of dress code of the trip. If absolutely needed I throw in a pair of leather dress shoes, “heaven forbid”.

I find t-shirts to be another can’t miss clothing
choice for travel. I only take two or three
when flying, and pick comfortable ones.

I do the same four day plan on underwear,
socks, etc. A shave kit, meds, and other
needed things gets stuffed in with the
clothes. A light jacket for rain, a polar
fleece if it is a colder climate. Of course
heavy winter clothes when traveling to
a winter or cold weather location.

My Macbook Pro and all the needed hard
drives, cables and accessories are packed in
a rolling bag from Lowepro or Think Tank.
This is an area where you really have to
pick and choose what you really need,
but after a few trips, you will decide what is really needed. I find the laptop, two spare hard drives
that hold duplicate sets of all my images. The needed power cords and attaching cords, covers it pretty well. At the very top you see my two most frequently used travel rolling bags for air travel. If I were traveling by car I really like the Red Oxx heavy nylon travel bags, they are indestructible and work great our of a SUV. The two rolling bags at the top allow you to take the ball head off your tripod, and story it inside, wrapped in clothes. Taking a tripod on a flying trip is nearly impossible on the plane. I just put it in my big rolling bag and pray it shows up where I do.

Of course day before yesterday I covered the camera gear which now will travel in the Lowepro
Pro Trekker 300 AW back pack. I may, on occasion, ship the Think Tank belt system ahead and use it for walking around assignments.

One last item, my iPad, which contains, my schedule, images, music, movies, and my Bible, countless important apps, and my daily devotional from In Touch!

The key is take only what you need, resist the temptation to take everything you think, “you might need” and enjoy your travels…..

Now, Father thank you so much for allowing me to have such an exciting life, though sometimes I think it is a little too exciting, I know you have purpose in every assignment. Give me the strength and your gifts to complete each assignment to Your glory and honor. Amen

the pilgrim

* All AV gear, projectors, and stands get shipped ahead UPS.

After almost four weeks on the road I finally got home Monday afternoon and it has been non-stop since hitting the ground. Yesterday morning I got a delightful surprise when Fred Sisson called and said he and his wife Ronnie were driving through and would love to visit. They came by the house and we had a great time. I first met Fred, a long time legendary Nikon NPS tech rep, in the late 60’s when I attended a Nikon School taught by him and the late Dave Brady. I was so impressed by Fred that I decided on that very weekend that I wanted to be a photographer for the rest of my life. Many years later when I joined Nikon NPS myself, it was to take the position as the tech rep for the entire southern U.S. which Fred has vacated. Can you imagine that?! I had the pleasure of working in NPS for 6 years with Fred until he retired three years ago. It was great to swap stories and hear about how much fun he was having in retirement. Fred is, and always has been a man of many talents, great photographer, musician, ace Morgan sports car builder and mechanic, as well as a master neon sign maker. Fred is also one of the most thoughtful and humorous men I’ve ever known, to say I’m a fan, is an understatement. It was so great to see him and Ronnie…..

Then my grandchildren, Cassidy and Cade came over and I took a break from work and we watched a movie together, it was great to spend time with them again after being absent from home for so long. I always enjoy cuddling up to a good movie with them. It has been so unseasonably cold here I was even able to have a fire in the fire place.

Then late in the day my dear brother, Tom Patrick was passing through on his way to the Smokies for some shooting and we had dinner at the Cracker Barrell north of Corbin and shared some inspiring stories about what God was at work doing in our lives. It was yet another great time
with a wonderful friend and brother.

I share all this to magnify what great gifts God gives us. I love cameras and bags and shooting but truly God’s greatest earthly gift to us is family and friends. I still hold on to the great quote at the end of It’s A Wonderful Life, “Remember no man is a failure, who has friends.”

Thank you father for the joy of friends and family, my cup truly runs over……..

blessings,

the pilgrim

And now a few more images from the past weekend:

*Photo Notes: Fred and Bill – Coolpix D300 shot by Ronnie Sisson, rest D7000, 24-120 AFs-VR.

Tomorrow: Packing for Photo Trips…….

As promised, I’ve just completed a four day travel test of a new bag, the Lowepro Pro Trekker 300 AW, and the result is, “I love it!” I’m, unfortunately”, known for having a number of short term affairs with various camera bags, this however looks like a long term relationship…….. Let me run down what I love about this bag.

1. It really does make the “carry on rule” of the TSA. As you can see below, it fits very well under the seat even on a CRJ (Bombardier Canada Regional Jet).

1. It has industrial grade
closure snaps and zipper
pulls, waterproof zipper
on the main compartment
as well. Should keep out
the rain, salt spray, and
dust very well.

1. This is the most comfortable backpack I’ve ever worn, thanks to an extremely well designed and sewn harness system. It is adjustable to fit different peoples backs and the belt assembly really helps take the weight off the shoulder. Since my shoulder surgery, shoulder bags and backpacks have been out for me, this one just works.

1. Very well designed side pockets
allow you to carry often used
filters and close-up devices, and
other things you need quick
access to.

1. Above and right, the bag has several handy and strong handles for hoisting the bag around
when it is not firmly placed on your back.

1. Below, another thoughtful touch are the many compression straps the circumnavigate the bag.
(the Nikon stickers are from my vast collection of throw back Nikon logos….)

1. The top cover flap has lot of great storage in several zippered compartments that I use for cleaning swabs, small tools, and my shower cap (to protect the camera from sand in slot canyons and desert environments), and other small accessories like spare remote cable releases, Visine, and camera instruction manuals. The bag has numerous slash pockets for memory cards with hand rubber flaps that allow you to indicate if it is filled with a card or not.

Best of all, it comes in at just 21 pounds
fully loaded and ready to go. (Right)

Below, the top has two deep slash
pockets that are perfect for an in
flight snack and your pocket for
quick pics on the run.

On the outside back is a slash pocket
that will hold your laptop or iPad
in a matching, supplied case. I put
my laptop in a rolling Lowepro case
that also includes all the hard drives,
cords and other needed accessories
so the Pro Trekker 300 can be devoted
to the camera gear I want to keep close
by while traveling. I carry my iPad
on the plane in that slash pocket and re-
move it before I slide the bag under
the seat in front of me, or in the over
head storage space.

To the right, once I have the bag fully
packed I further bad everything with
a bunch of micro-fiber cloths to protect
lenses and bodies, plus they’re handy
for cleaning LCD’s, viewfinders and
front and back lens elements.

So there you have it, my favorite backpack yet. Tomorrow I will go into answering Paul’s question about how I pack for a field trip, what I take and how I carry it.

Now, a moment to thank God for the great opportunity I have, to do such fun stuff, and get paid for it!!!! It is a blessing to have a job, and an even greater blessing to work with such great people, in such a great company. I’m very proud to be a Nikon tech rep and I believe we make a wonderful product. I do not use this blog to promote products, just share what I’m learning about
photography and more importantly, what God is teaching me in this life.

Thank you Father, for family, friends, and great things to do, all while serving you. Amen

Blessings,

the pilgrim

*Photo Note: All images with the Nikon Coolpix P300.