Monthly Archives: June 2012

Well, tomorrow the actual Nikon workshop starts and there will be little or no time to test the manual lenses for the rest of this trip.  So what have I learned?  Here goes:

 

1.  Not too surprising the older classic manual Nikkors were tack sharp back then and they still are today.  Are they sharper than current lenses?  No, but they are a lot better than you might think.  Some individual lenses are still very viable if you don’t mind the effort.

 

2.  The effort to use the older manual focus glass is considerable.  I found my work flow in the field to be a lot more “fits and starts”.   If you want to make yourself slow down and work more carefully, this is a great way.  Through out the trip I found myself missing, the shorter zooms, autofocus, and the general comfort zone I’ve come to have with the modern lenses.

 

3.  What will I do in the future?  I enjoyed the experiment and I’m certain that, from time to time, I will get back on and ride these horses some more, but I won’t sell all my modern lenses, I just need to be able to work faster much of the time and the manual focus workflow, does slow things down, considerably.

 

4.  The final conclusion is that the old Nikkors hold up very well when compared to modern glass, but they do lack the more modern coatings, and except for close-up work, where I always focus manually anyway, I really missed the speed of the new lenses.  What’s neat is that manual lenses are still plentiful and can be an attractive bargain for something you just would love to play around with.  One thing is for sure, I don’t think my work suffered, it was quite pleasant to slow down and remember how things used to be!!!!!

 

the pilgrim

Today’s life lesson is simple to understand, but hard to do, in fact in our own strength, it’s impossible, but with God all things are possible!

 

2.  Obey God and leave all consequences to Him.

 

I have shared with you over the past months that my church has been undergoing a mighty spiritual attack. Some members, a very few, have taken it on themselves to make major changes and with the power of their financial hold on the church they have succeeded in getting rid of a number of staff members.  The church is in turmoil.  I know the culprit, it’s Satan, and he is using these members to sow seeds of conflict.  I learned the other day that even though they got their way, and pressured our pastor into leaving, that wasn’t enough. One of the people causing all the trouble sent a letter to the church where our pastor is going, accusing him with all kinds of false accusations.  It wasn’t enough that they ran off a pastor than 99% of the congregation wanted to stay, they had to follow him to his next appointment and try to hurt him further!!!!

 

I was very, very angry and had decided it was time to strap on my guns and ride into town, (figuratively), and face down the bad guys!  Then Number 2. struck me!!!  My position is to be obedient to God and leave the circumstances to Him.  I searched the scripture and could not find a reference that said, “When some of God’s people act in union with the enemy, it is your job to go and attack and defeat them.”  On the cross, Jesus said, “Father forgive them for they no not what they do.”

 

That’s hard to do, but if it’s God’s will, it is the only course of action that will bring His results!  God has a plan, and He is far more capable of handling this than I am.

 

the pilgrim

 

 

 

Today I finished the scouting for the Bio Communications workshop that starts Saturday morning.  Tomorrow I speak to the group at 10:30 a.m.  When you hit your knees remember me! I am never nervous about speaking, but I love these folks and I really want to do a good job for them!  On the way driving around the loop road today I listened to Contemporary Christian music on the rental SUV’s XM radio.  Two song really grabbed my attention and I’m using one for my ending slide show in the morning, a wonderful song by Jaci Valasquez entitled, Imagine Me Without You.  It is a wonderful worship song and I hope to make a strong statement with it!  As i walked virtually alone through the Acadia Gardens I experienced such peace and joy and did some worshiping myself, if you don’t mind my saying so, I think my take today shows some of that peace!

 

I hope you enjoy them, by-the-way you can get that song on iTunes, I think it will bless you!

 

Top shot with 55mm Micro Nikkor, Directly above 105mm Micro Nikkor, below 105mm Micro Nikkor.

 

 

The last two are with the 55mm Micro Nikkor.

 

Be blessed,

 

the pilgrim

 

On a recent trip to Dr. Stanley’s office to review his upcoming book, “I Love To Tell the Story”, I saw a framed print on the wall that listed; Life Principles To Live By.  I asked if they had a copy and they presented me with a nice book marker listing them all.  I want to go over each one in coming posts, so this morning please allow me to start with number one.

 

1.  Out intimacy with God – His highest priority for our lives – determines the impact of our lives.

 

In layman’s terms, the closer we are to our Heavenly Father, the more we will know His will and please Him with our fellowship, and the result will be the impact our lives make on others will be the most effective it could possibly be.  God loves us with such a profound and deep love, that all He could ever desire for us, is what is best.  He loves others the same and His concern for them leads Him to desire for us to take part in His plan of redemption for others.  Everything you do and say makes a statement about what you desire the most.  The more closely you walk with Him the more your desire, will be His desire, the return of the lost to Him.  If that were not enough, this walk with Him carries an additional wonderful benefit; peace and joy.  If you were to list all the attributes you would like to have in life, I doubt, after very careful consideration, that there are two that will do more for you, personally.

 

Peace is the knowledge that the still small voice in your heart is God, and that He is always with you, always loving you, and always watching over you.  No enemy can touch with out His permission, and He only allows that so that we might grow stronger and pull closer to Him.

 

Joy is the incredible state of well being, and happiness, that is not dependent on circumstances.  When things are going well, we all feel good about our lives.  In difficult times of trial and loss, we can still feel secure and loved, through His Joy and His Peace!

 

I send out His love, Joy, and Peace, to you today!

 

the pilgrim

 

Photo Note:  D800, 55 mm Micro Nikkor, hand held.

 

Life without God is like processing without Glamour Glow or Nik Silver Efex 2.0!  See below!

Enough said!