Monthly Archives: August 2011

O.K. it’s just an expression, and honestly, way over stated. Here is the deal. Golf Tournaments like the PGA Championship where we are now, and the Masters each April ,are interesting events in that you have flurries of hyper activity, usually early morning before the golfers tee off, or late afternoon when they are finished, mostly mornings. During a couple of hours you do 90% of the days work, the rest of the day you’re, “on call”. Golf events are great for catching up on reports and working on teaching programs. They are also great for catching up with old client friends that you seldom get to see. I had a nice long visit this morning with Dom Furore, a great golf shooter for Golf Digest who has become a dear friend over the years of seeing each other annually at the Masters. He is truly a great shooter and really, really nice guy. He has shot many of the images you’ve seen of Tiger both on and off the course. For a long time he was the official family photographer. Another wonderful shooter that will drop by this week is Fred Vurich. Fred’s a former Sports Illustrated photographer who now works for a number of major magazines, another incredible shooter with a strong of Golf covers to his credit, he also shoots a number of other sports as well. Fred is also a brother!

The facility here at Johns Creek Country
Club is very nice, good food service,
and run by a first class team of PGA
folks. The problem is it’s golf. My idea
of dying and going to hell is to find
myself required to watch baseball and
golf for eternity. The last few holes of
a tournament are usually exciting, but
I have little interest in much of the rest
of it. If they played the World Series
in my back yard, I doubt I would watch
it from my back porch. Don’t get me
wrong, I think it is great to have sports
interests, mine are college and pro
football and college basketball, but
I’m not nearly the rabid sports fan
I was when I was younger. I worked
for a short time as the official photo-
grapher for the Washington Redskins
and seeing pro ball up close caused
me to be less of a fan than I was before.
I have a problem with us, (society),
making heroes out of athletes. I can
see a policeman or fireman or a
good teacher is a hero. But someone
that can hit, shoot, or throw and catch
a ball seems a little less important in the
big picture of life. At least for me, Heroes should be people who’s actions or life have made a big
difference in the lives of others. A teacher that changes the outlook and hope for a child, a law enforcement person or fireman that places his life in jeopardy to save another, or a pastor that fervently preaches God’s Word to show others the way to salvation, those are heroes to me. I love
football and I love to watch the great players and appreciate their athletic skills, but they are
not risking their lives in service of society. The other thing is that professional athletes are very well compensated for their work. There is nothing wrong with making a good salary, but when you consider how much so many do for society and how little they are compensated it dulls the glamour of athletes to me. As I’m writing this blog entry the TV is on in the corner of our little office and a parade of golfers are being interviewed in the interview room. I know it’s part of the sports world, but I find it interesting that so many reports, photographers, video crews, and network personnel show up to cover these major sporting events. It is a reflection of our society that we need heroes, so we create them.

Now, I’m not bashing sports, or musicians, or movie stars, but as for me, if I’m going to idolize someone, I think it will be a man who sacrificed His life so I might have mine, forgiven and living abundently…….

Be blessed,

the pilgrim

*Photo Note: D7000, 12-24 and 10.5 lenses.

I will be traveling tomorrow to my next Nikon assignment, the PGA Championship golf tournament.
I will be posting from Johns Creek Country Club all week, since I will be driving at O:Dark thirty
in the morning, I thought I would post ahead today. Tim delivered another great sermon this morning and I would like to share so of it with you.

Ephesians 6: 10-18

The Whole Armor of God
 10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
 13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

For many Christians their God is too small. Jesus said, “I have come so that you might have life and have life abundantly.” He didn’t say, “I hate to tell you, but your life will be difficult and you will always be facing defeat, and you will loose, you have no hope…..”

God wants you to be a Mighty Warrior in this spiritual battle called life. The power of grace is not just to forgive us and assure us of heaven, it’s also to the grace to have the power to live victoriously. You have the Word of God as your sword to cut through any of the lies of Satan
and His Shield of Faith to stop the flaming arrows of the enemy.

You have a God of hope. Unshakeable and unconquerable hope. He has given us everything we need to be everything He has called us to be. His Word is the instruction manual, His Hope is
your promise of victory.

Glory be to God………..

1 John 2:8 New Living Translation (NLT)

8 Yet it is also new. Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and you also are living it. For the darkness is disappearing, and the true light is already shining.
Be blessed,

the pilgrim

*Photo Note: D3 and the 24-70 f2.8 Nikkor zoom. ISO 1600. Laural Lake in fall, shot from
500 feet above the lake out of Cessna.

We often don’t have a lot of choice in the light we work in. We find a subject that we really want to photograph and we are stuck with the light the way it exists. Now we can always come back later in the day or early the next day, or if we are fortunate enough to live close to the subject, return time and time again until we get just the light we wanted for the scene. Sadly that is often not the case. If you are in Montana, on vacation, unless you’re alone traveling just to shoot, other peoples schedule or patience may dictate moving on. If it’s shoot it now, or get nothing, it’s good to know a little bit about what to expect with specular and diffused light.

Specular light is direct harsh light, in the natural world, that means direct sunlight that casts distinct
black shadows. Specular light has a magical quality all it’s own. The harshness brings out details because of the shadows. It’s great light to show texture, and shape. Angles take on a definite edge in specular light. Colors can be warmer or cooler depending on the time of the day and the angle of the sun. Early morning and late afternoon are the best times to get warm light. The atmosphere filters the light and the more particulate matter in the atmosphere the warmer the light will become. In the months following a volcanic eruption you will have some of the most spectacular sunrise and sunsets. Below are a few examples of how specular light early and late can give warm colors and distinct texture to your subjects.

Diffused light is the opposite of specular, no harsh shadows, softer textures, richer colors because of the lack of extreme contrast. Diffused lighting is perfect to show softer contrasts, for portraits of people, scenes and details. It is easier to expose because the tone range is condensed. I love diffused light for streams, forests, or any knock you downs rich color subjects. For images of streams with flowing water, use a small aperture setting, long shutter speeds of around 4 to 8 seconds and of course a tripod. A polarizer will take off the reflections on rocks. Here are some examples of good subjects for diffused light.

The good news is that any subject can work in any light if you know what the light will do and how to use it to your advantage. A couple of simple rules will always help, (1) Early and late are always better than mid day for specular light. (2) If you really want to make color rich wait for a
overcast day or use a diffuser. I hop that helps in your quest to be the best you can be.
Always remember do everything as if unto the Lord……..

Blessings and have a great weekend,

the pilgrim

Earlier in my career as a photographer I started a workshop company that spanned seventeen great years. I left the business nine years ago, and had been able to work side by side with some of the greatest nature and outdoor photographers of my day. John Shaw, David Muench, Art Wolfe, Galen Rowell, John Netherton, Jim Brandenburg, Cliff Zenor, Pat O’Hara, Jack Dykinga, Bryan Peterson, David Middleton, Rod Planck, and many, many more. I learned so much while becoming friends with these great shooters and every time I make an image, a part of them are with me.

Today I’ve surrounded myself with a new set of shooting friends and Christian brothers, they are none the less great shooters, but because of the changing landscape of photography their names may not be as familiar. Trust me they are exceedingly talented photographers. They too, have inspired me to want to improve my skills and vision just as that stellar group from years ago did.
When I look at a great image, no matter who took it, I’m inspired to see better, look deeper, and capture what appears in front of my eyes, better. I thank God for vision, for a love of photography, but most of all, for giving me such great men and women to call friends. Thank you for your inspiration and I hope those visiting here will be just as inspired by your work as I am.

Some of the new Greats………..

The key to shooting great images
is to see with fresh eyes. We
see the world through the eyes
of our experiences. When we
see the world as other see it,
we open up a new vision for
ourselves, uninhibited by our
own life’s filter. This is true vision,
the combination of our vision
and that of others melded into
a more complete way of seeing.

All of my photography friends,
past and present, have left a
little piece of their vision with me,
and I’m a better visual artist
for it. Even people that I do not
know, but are struck by their
treatment of the scene inspire
me. Below is an image from
Judith Sparhawk, simply stun-
ning, thank you Judith…..

A few more places you will find
stunning images to feast on.

http://www.christopherburkett.com/home.html

http://www.wowphotoshdr.com/

http://www.agpix.com/photographer/prime/A0216050.html

http://jameshaverstock.com/

http://dg.hollums.com/

http://500px.com/photo/1070940

http://twitter.com/#!/ramblingphotog

http://www.scottdiussa.com/Scott_Diussa/Scott_Diussas_Blog/Scott_Diussas_Blog.html

http://www.scottkelby.com/

http://www.imagema.com/

Enjoy, learn, and be blessed,

the pilgrim

Finishing with the work of my Nikon friends work that is pretty spectacular as well, and finally
the grand master himself, Richard Small!

* All images displayed are protected under the sole copyright of the photographers listed.