Monthly Archives: February 2011

O.K. Friday’s blog might have not been such a good idea. I was frustrated after a bad day of flying on Thursday, coming back from Las Vegas, and I vented. Most readers thought it was funny,
one reader didn’t. I got an email from a flight attendant frustrated and angered by my comments. While her email rant to me was filled with some good points, she blew it when she ended it by saying, “you can’t imagine how hard it is to deal with idiots like you on my flights!” O.K. I think her frustration was starting to show. First, even when I’m being treated rudely on a plane, I never dish it back. I try to accept that the person may be having a bad day and try to return their rude behavior with kindness, even if I would love to fire right back. My point on Friday, which I don’t think she got, was that as a Christian man, I have a responsibility to rise above normal human reactions, and respond like Christ instead of react like I would otherwise.

Living the Christian life is not for sissies. I don’t think you can do it in your own strength. Let me rephrase that, I can’t do it in my own strength. One of the most troubling scriptures for me in the entire New Testament was when Jesus, advised us to, “turn the other cheek”. For many years I couldn’t see how when struck my someone, (verbally or physically), I could offer the other cheek as well. I was falsely thinking that I had to be able to do that in my own strength. God never intended for us to be “good enough” to do what we must do in His name. Jesus reminded his disciples repeatedly that only through the power of the Spirit would they accomplish their mission.

Living the Christian life is not about entering a training program where you become super human. Living a daily walk with Christ is about TRUSTING Him, not asking Him to make you all powerful.
If you were all powerful you wouldn’t need God. No, God wants you to need Him, Love Him, and communicate with Him. The best news is that God’s plan works!

When someone hurts my feelings by a cruel remark or inapropriate act I can’t respond the way I should, but with Christ’s help I can. How could we ever expect others that don’t know Jesus to want what we have, if we don’t respond any better than they do. You are all missionaries, and your message to the world is how you act, what you say, and how you respond when someone treats you in a bad way. I know it’s not easy, I’ve failed many times, but it’ worth it because someone’s eternal salvation is hanging in the balance. Help them make the right decision.

Father please help me, I don’t want to fumble the ball!

the pilgrim

*Photo Notes: Close-up experiments in prep for upcoming classes.
Top, Colored Pencils, D700, 200 Micro Nikkor, F40 @ 1.6 sec. ISO 200
Next down from top: Cheese grater with colorful napkin reflecting in it’s side.
Idea inspired by Paul Van Allen of Nikon. D700, 200mm Micro Nikkor F32 @ 2.5 sec. ISO 200
Directly above: D7000, 200 Micro Nikkor, F11 at 1/800th of a sec. ISO 1600
(Cooking oil in water, lit from below with a 200 watt incandescent bulb in a reflector,
reflecting Amber CD.) Idea from Bryan Peterson’s Youtube classes and his book on
Close-up photography.

Those of you that come here often know that I’m a pretty calm, forgiving, and kind guy. If you’ve not been here before, please wait until Monday to read this blog. Today I’m going to rant and rant real good. I met a wonderful couple at WPPI that read this blog and they said they enjoyed when I ranted, that they often agreed. So I’m going to take that as permission to let it rip. *Note at the end of this I will have an apology.

I hate flying on commercial airplanes.

Sometimes it’s not so bad, some times it’s just awful, this morning it was awful. No, no turbulence,
but the rest of what bothers me came in spades on the way from Las Vegas to Atlanta.

Here’s my list:

1. Airplanes need to be bigger or passengers smaller. I’m learning to eat healthy and I’m glad I am, and I was way too heavy, for way too lang, BUT, I’m sick of sitting next to people that take all of their seats and then spill over into my space. It’s even worse when they “spread out” and use their shoulders and elbows to “clear out” the space they wanted, but don’t have. I’m tired of getting somewhere after a 4 hour flight and having a back ache from leaning into the isle to try to give them some of the space I paid for.
2. Speaking of leaning into the isle, refreshment carts should have big red and yellow stickers on
them that say, “ CAUTION -Lethal Weapon”. Have you ever had a flight attendant ram your
elbow or shoulder with one? Trust me it hurts, and I have a sneaking suspicion that if they are
not having a very good day, they love it.
1. Speaking of flight attendants, I remember when they were all beautiful young women with
winning smiles and great attitudes. I’m not saying that none of them meet that description, but
more and more of them look, and act like the wicked witch of the north. Seniority at work……
1. If our Federal Government is going to ride us like rented mules over every little thing we have in
our suitcases, maybe they could pass a rule that says that anyone getting on a plane has to
brush their teeth or their hair, preferably both. It should also me a Federal Mandate that a
shower must be taken at least within 6 hours of a flight and a fresh application of deodorant.
1. How about everyone abides by the same rules. Every time I let my seat back to relax before taking off, a grandmotherly flight attendant raps me on the head with a ruler and barks, “get your seat back forward until after take off!” This morning a very large man in front of me leaned his seat all the way into my lap as soon as he set down and it stayed like that until we landed in Atlanta. I could have easily shampooed his hair, and should have.
2. I’ve got a good suggestion, if a Flight Attendant has a posterior only 3 inches less wide than
the aisle of the plane, they should give them an office job. They can’t be gaining that weight on
what they offer us! I opened a small bag of pretzels today and 5 fell out the size of BBs.
1. In the rare event that you did get a young, very attractive, Flight Attendant, I suggest they have
their compact and mirror confiscated so they might realize there are actually passengers on
the plane, that are not wearing pilots uniforms!
1. On conduct; any flight attendant that is rude to a passenger, without provocation, should have to exit the plane, regardless of altitude.

The New Rule Book for the Flying Public
By me, so obviously no one has to follow it, but it sure would be great if they did.

All passengers should have to be required to wear shirts, shoes and socks. Dress should be somewhere North of the people you see on the website, the people of Walmart.

When waiting to board a plane you stand in a line, you stay behind the person in front of you and
in front of the person behind you, you don’t step in front of others, you never cut the line. No matter how important you think you are, if you want to get on the plane first in your zone, get to the front of the line early and save your position. People who break this rule should be invited to inspect the jet engines as they start them up.

If you talk on your cell phone in the gate area, or on the plane before the door closes you should do so in a low voice. Talking loudly about how important you are, and how many people you can direct to follow your orders is irritating to others, who, by the way, are not that interested in your life anyway.

When boarding a plane try not to seriously injure someone with your backpack, purse, or computer bag, as you proceed through the plane to your seat. I swear some of those people have bowling balls in their shoulder bags.

Once at your seat, get things put away quickly, and then sit down and get out of the way, however if someone in front of you fails to keep this rule, don’t act like a jack wagon and show your irritation at that person. Trust me, you’ve done something just as egregious yourself, probably today.

When the plane lands, it unloads from the front to the back, jumping up and trying to get off in front of people in front of you on the plane is never acceptable unless you are late for your next flight and you have informed the flight attendant that you must rush. She will see that you can rush off.

When collecting your luggage at Baggage Claim, try not to knock people down when you attempt to take your suit case off the conveyer and can’t control it.

O.K. Having said all of that, thanks, so much, to the good flight attendants that have made my days better, the wonderful pilots that have never failed to get me safely to my destination! To all the airline people that make my great flights, great, thank you.

You want to hear something really funny, I thought all of this while wearing my favorite T-shirt today. A Life is Good shirt that shows a glass filled mid way, the slogan says, “Half Full”
go figure………..

This all proves one thing, we can be filled with Christ and not act very much like Him. I will
try to do better tomorrow.

the pilgrim

Friday Weigh in: Down two more pounds, 219, down from start 239.

Sitting in the airport, thankful to be going home, thinking about the future. When a show is over and it’s time to relax on the way home, your mind goes back to the next adventure. Lots of fun things are out there but one I’m very excited about is doing a couple of close-up classes for
Kelby Training. Step one is always how to introduce the class, and define it. It brought about a nice thought, always start by saying thank you. Of course you will say thank you for joining me for this class, but even more important, thanks must be given to those that taught me enough through the years that I can even consider teaching such a class.

Everyone that is considered an expert or at least well versed in any subject usually got it from another source. My first inspiration was John Shaw, but John learned a lot about close-ups form Larry West, then the late John Netherton learned from both of them, and I learned from them and
Cliff Zenor, another great close-up shooter. Then a whole new crop of great shooters emerged like Nancy Rotenberg, she inspired Les Saucier, and Charles Needles. Mike Moats inspires lots of people that want to wade into close-up work, and it goes on and on.

What I’m trying to say is almost anything good we enjoy had it’s start when someone taught someone something, and then they passed it on. When I was preparing to put these classes together I drew from all of these sources or at least form my memory of them.

When the the Bible teaches, “Do unto others as your would have others do unto you.” I’m pretty sure that is part of what that means. When blessed, pass the blessings on. I’m really looking forward to sharing what I’ve learned from, John S, John N, Larry, Cliff, Les, Nancy, Charles, Mike and many others, thanks guys for making that possible with your generosity!

Start today figuring out what you have to offer, and then offer it………..

and be blessed,

the pilgrim

*Photo Note: D7000, 24-120 AFS VR lens.

I went out last night with two good Nikon friends, Paul Van Allen and Jason Stewart for a little early evening photography on the strip in Las Vegas. This is a pretty common thing, after talking to folks for two straight days about cameras and lenses, you have to go out and use one. So we went down to Bally’s where some pretty cool light lead you into the hotel. We stopped at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville for a burger and then it was on the street to shoot. Our goal tonight was to just laugh off a long day, and maybe shoot something we hadn’t done before in Las Vegas.

I’ve said it many times before, but these are
really talented people and I learn so much
every time I get to out and shoot with them.
We found some interesting things to shoot
too.

On the way to the cab stand I had to walk through the Ballagio’s Lobby, the ceiling below was pretty spectacular. These are glass pseudo flowers, each probably a yard across.

I appreciate the good times with friends that go along with all the hard work on the road. When you’re missing your family at home, these guys are your family on the road.

Thank you Father for friends, and fun, after the days work is done.

the pilgrim

*Photo Note: All images Nikon D7000, 24-120 AFS f4, 12-24 AFS f4, 55-300 AFS VR.