Daily Archives: August 1, 2011

I have shared this before, but I believe it is worth a revisit. An author wrote, “A man only needs three things to have a happy life, 1. Something to do, 2. someone to love, and, 3. something to look forward to.” I think that about sums it up, as long as the someone to love is our Savior.
Today I want to focus on something to look forward to. The image above and below are from the first His Light Workshop in Savannah, two years ago. It was a great workshop with Scott Kelby and I, and it was the beginning of a lot of life long friendships. The group that came together there
was a really special group of people that have now gathered again for two more workshops. In October it will be the fourth reunion for many of us.

His Light Ministries was formed so that photographers could get together and share, learn, and grow both photographically, as well as spiritually. The time together has been and incredible
experiences and has led to many great things in all of our lives. God does not want us to try and face the world alone. That is exactly why Jesus sent out his disciples in pairs. In His wisdom he knew that they would need each other. I know our group that is gathering in New England in a little over a month, are all excited, none more than myself. We’ve seen people get to be much better photographers, but more importantly, many have deepened their walk with Him.

A lot of very hard work has gone into making preparation for this gathering, no one has worked harder than John “the Snake” Barrett. Don’t be put off by his nickname, it’s a good thing. He was named the “Snake” after the late, great, Frank Miller, who proudly wore that crown for many years. I first met Frank at shooting trip in North Carolina, everywhere I went to make a shot
he was leaving, having already gotten it. I said, “Frank, you snaked us again.” Meaning he
slithered in and got the great shot first. It was a compliment. When Frank went on to be with the Lord, his title died with him, or so I thought. John turned out to be the next person in my life that
was always at the right place first! I loved John from the start, a really nice man, who was also a very good shooter and giving and kind to the bone. I asked him to wear that crown, and he has gladly followed in Frank’s footsteps.

John has scouted our trip through New England in a marvelous way, going so far as to have the longitude and latitude coordinates for every shooting location….. The Snake has scouted the area three times in preparation for our trip. I know we will have great fellowship, that’s a given, and thanks to Snake we will be very well prepared. So I have a lot of people to love, plenty to do, and a lot to look forward to. Blessed indeed…… Hey guys and gals, can’t wait……

the pilgrim

*Photo Note: D3, 70-300 AF-S VR, 1 Second at F8, Nik Color Efex Pro 3.0 – Glamour Glow.

Last night our family gathering rose to new heights as my brother Homer, and sister-in-law Terri
joined us for a cookout and the annual family portraits. Terri did a wonderful job, setting up a full blown studio right in our home. The family had decided on several different “themes” for outfits and one of everyone’s favorites was Kentucky Blue. I promised to share some of the results so here goes, a lesson will follow.

I’ve often said that this blog is not about me, so
this may seem strange, but it is another act of
supreme thankfulness. When I was a child
a Christmas tradition was to lay out on display
the gifts from Christmas morning with the cards
so that guests, back in those days, everyone
would get dressed up and visit family on
Christmas day, could see who received what
gifts. It wasn’t bragging or one upsmanship.
It was a way of saying thank you so much for
your kind remembrance of us.

This is my way of acknowledging the great gifts my Heavenly Father has bestowed on me. It is away of saying thank you so much for these great gifts. It’s also a gentle reminder to all who come here that they to have been richly blessed with those in their lives that God has gifted them with.
Last night we had a good picnic, took these images, and then settled in to watch old family pictures. Another tradition in my home. Each grandchild got to see pictures of their, great grandparents, grandparents, and parents from birth to the present. They got a history lesson on who came before them. After that they got see images of themselves growing up and the laughter
was music to my ears. Mostly they saw how a family is made up of love and caring, and I hope they got the message that, among God’s gifts, family is one of the most to be treasured and honored. Thank you Father……

the pilgrim