Monthly Archives: September 2012

This is the week, the week, one of my favorite weeks of the year!  Great friends, tons of airplanes, both flying and sitting on the tarmac!  Photo opportunities galore and just plane great Reno early fall weather, couldn’t be better!  I always get to work with my favorite crew from Nikon, Bill Pekala and Mark Kettenhofen, and we are joined by David Lee for part of the week, all aviation guys and great to work and hang out with!   I have a special love for airplanes and love to photograph them, especially the antique and older planes and I will be giving the D800 and real workout this week.  I have also, as mentioned earlier, assigned myself the single subject of color for color sake.  I think it is valuable to assign yourself things to look for and work on while doing your normal photographic walk arounds.

 

The shot above is one of my favorites with a liberal application of Glamour Glow from NIk Color Efex 3.0.  I hope to find more subjects that will work with his kind of digital filter use.

 

I’m asking a special favor of you guys, I need you to pray for me in a special way.   This will be the first time the entire team will be back at Reno since last year’s terrible crash.  I know a lot of people will need to be wrapped in love, prayer, and concern.  For those of us that were in the middle of last years tragedy will find it hard to return to the scene of so many bad memories.  It is especially hard for me, as I was the unlucky fellow selected by the NTSB and the FAA to edit the video and still images that revealed what really happened in the crash, that very few in the public will ever see.  I still have lasting memories I wish I could erase.  I want to be there for others and be supportive, but will also be struggling with those horrible memories myself.  I shutter when I think back and remember that I was standing, shooting, at almost the exact spot of the crash fifteen minutes before it happened. Please lift all of my team up, and all the photographer, and officials of the Reno Air Racing Association that must climb this hill together!

 

Now to better thought; God is in control, He has a plan, and I will trust Him with everything!  How good it is to leave home knowing He is with me, driving up to the airport, flying out to Reno, and in my day by day duties there.  Please pray that I can rise above my own concerns and be His man on the ground in Reno.  I would not want to be doing anything more, than serving Him, and that goes for my obligation to you too!  I will pray for you, and will share faithfully what God is giving me for you and I!!   I hope to post everyday from Reno, but just in case that doesn’t start until Tuesday, (the first day is always rea lly busy getting set up), this hopefully will work as my Monday post!

 

One last thing, thank you so very much for your visiting this blog, and I’m so pleased that so many of you are sharing that it means a lot to you, and that God is speaking to your heart!!   Just remember to put the praise where it belongs, with my Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus!  When we lift Him up and praise Him, it frees Him to bless us in unimaginable ways!  I know, that’s what He has done for  me!

 

Blessings to all of you,

 

the pilgrim

 

I’m going to have to ask you to forgive me.  Please let me explain; Last night I was recounting my day for Sherelene.  It had been a great day, filled with wonderful surprises. Ever since the blog entry “Why Bother” my blog comments and emails have gone off the scale!   My partner in His Light Workshops, Jim Begley, who gets an average of 300 to 400 hits a day to see his wonderful work, has been averaging over 2,000!!!  The emails and blog comments I’ve been getting have been both warm, supportive and deeply appreciated.  Last week Jim and I announced our 2013 season of workshop events with only 80 spots available for all of next year, in one week, we’ve sold out all but 14 spots!  I had great conversations with both of my bosses and friends at Nikon yesterday and I’m excited about the upcoming events I’m covering for NPS!  On top of all that I’m getting ready to go down to Atlanta to help celebrate Dr. Charles Stanley’s 80th birthday and the release of his new book which contains some of the best photography of his life, and I was honored to write the foreword for it!!  To be completely honest my chest has been expanding!  I was allowing myself to feel pretty good about myself!   WARNING BELLS – WARNING BELLS!!!!!!!

 

Fortunatley, as God always does, He sent a message to bring me back down to earth.  The following line was in this morning’s daily devotional from Charles Stanley at In Touch!  It is about the relationship of Abraham and God, when God told him he would lead His people out of Egypt.

 

Who am I? When Moses questioned whether he was the right man for the job, the Lord gave him a promise: “Certainly, I will be with you” (v. 12). The man was able to fulfill the assignment only because God chose to enter into a relationship with him.   The Christian’s source of adequacy is his or her relationship with Christ and the presence of His indwelling Holy Spirit.

 

We all want to feel good about ourselves and it is normal to feel a sense of exhilaration when great things are happening in our lives and especially when wonderful people fawn over you, but it is vital to remember who is really providing the power in your life.  Without Him I am nothing.  No, that is not false modesty, trust me on this one, I know myself, and I know how wholly inadequate I am to fulfill His mission for my life!  I have but one hope for my life, that of being a faithful servant of the Jesus Christ.  I don’t do it to receive praise from man, as good as that feels, and I don’t do it to try to win God’s acceptance, that was settled over 2,000 years ago at Calvary.  No I do it because I owe Him more than I could ever even hope to repay, and love Him with all my heart and soul!    I’ve had a wonderful career as a photographer and have received many prestigious awards, none of which means as much to me as a simple email from someone saying their life has been changed for the better.  My most pressing issue is to constantly remind myself that those changed lives are not because of me, or anything I have said, written or done, but because of Him!

 

I said yesterday I love the “Life is Good” t-shirts, that’s becasue my life is good, but God is Great!

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim

 

*Photo Note:  Image of wrenches was made at Reno Air Races last September with a Nikon P7100.  I’m flying to Reno Monday morning for this years race, expect some airplane images over the next week!  My self assignment for next week will be COLOR for COLOR sake and I hope to find some killer color shots to share with you!

Maybe like this original shot from which the Black and White above was processed in Silver Efex Pro 2!

 

 

I got a great email that made me laugh and then made me think!  Eric Harmon who is a student, friend, and fellow brother in Christ, from South Florida,  wrote the following after he got the list of recommended cloths for the November trip,  “Oh, my! Jackets? Hats? Gloves? Long sleeve shirts? Heavy socks? What are those things? I don’t even own a pair of long pants, let alone heavy clothing! Looks like I’ll be doing some shopping between now and then, though some of that may be tough to find here in South Florida, especially in the middle of summer!”  I laughed long and hard and then realized that people that are just getting into the great outdoors photography scene may actually not know what they will need.  Let me go through the list of what I think is the essential check list of outdoor gear for the kind of trips we do where temps vary from zero degrees to 115 degrees!  I’m not saying you “must” buy these exact items but I have them all and I know they work well in the field!

 

This is my ESSENTIAL Gear list for Serious Outdoor shooters:

 

1.  A Good Parka Shell made with Gore-tex or some breathable layer.  The shell is to cut wind and rain, snow or sleet, if it’s hailing get under something!!!  I own shells from Marmot and North Face, other good brands are Mountain Hardware and L.L. Bean. Prices range on the low end from around $150 to high end up to $500.  You can get a very good one for around $150.  I once asked the president of Marmot, at lunch, (they were a sponsor of the GAPW), why their parkas were so expensive, he said, “If someone rips a seam while climbing Mount Everest, someone is going to die!”  Pretty good answer…..  * No, we don’t do stuff that extreme!

 

2.  Some Polar Fleece jackets and pull overs, I own 12 (o.k.) I’ve been fleeced!!!  Sorry for the pun, Polar Fleece comes in light, Medium and heavy weight, I own several of each but honestly the feather, light weight and mid weight are the most useful.  My favorites are light weight L.L. Bean jacket and a mid weight North Face Denali jacket. I have a feather weight Marmot that is great as a sweater.  $50. to $200.

 

3.  Smartwool socks.  These mid weight hiking socks are cushion just enough to really help your feet when your trekking around all day!  $17. a pair

 

4.  Polar Fleece – Windstopper Gloves.  You can’t shoot if your fingers are frozen, I have three pair of  these, beccause everytime a pack for a trip I can’t fine the last pair and I replace them!  I finally found all three pair, gave one pair to my partner Jim Begley and I still a have a back up pair.  At Bryce Canon, before sunrise,  you’d pay $100. for a pair, they go for $30.

 

5.  Merrell Moab Ventilator Hiking shoes.  If your feet hurt, you will be miserable. These mid weight hiking shoes are so good I own 5 pair.  I keep the nice ones for meetings and travel, and the older ones for field use, the worst ones for yard work.  I see them on the feet of almost half the field photographers I know, must mean something!  Under $100. a pair.

 

6.  I always travel with a light weight Marmot, goose down sleeping bag.   Cozy in a cold hotel room or when you camp in the vehicle, and a great emergency bag for a unexpected car breakdown in cold weather.

 

7.  Lightweight Nylon pants.  Are great for hot weather, and cut the wind, can also be washed and  drip dried in your hotel room, and are much tougher than cotton pants.  Around $65. for the regular, $85. for the ones that let you unzip the legs making them into shorts.  Google  REI

 

8.  Soft Cotton T-shirts.  I won’t even say how many t-shirts I own, needless to say, I buy one from every location, every restaurant I love, and any  place interesting I travel to, or that appeals to me!   Lets just say, a closet full!!!  Remember nature and travel photography are not fashion shows and great old, soft t-shirts are perfect and let you show off your personality!  I love the Life is Good   brand.  They are super soft, and I love to spread the message, because, life “is” good!!!!  $10. to $30.

 

9.  Smartwool shorty socks.  Same great sock as above just short for warm weather and running shoes.  Do I run, you bet,to every great cheeseburger I can find!!!!

 

10.  A fire jumpers belt.  These heavey duty nylon web bets with staniless steel buckles are great fro outdoors and backup as a rescue rope.  REI  $30.

 

11.  A fur lined Mad Bomber hat!  This is the silliest looking, but WARMEST hat you can wear for serious cold weather!  I call mine my Alaska Bob hat!  Silly or not, if you have to deal with freezing cold weather, this hat is worth every penny of the $50.   Lots of color choices of the shell and fur!! Google   Mad Bomber Hats

 

12. A ventilated Ex Officio Shirt.  These shirts and the same type shirt form North Face are fantastic for hot or cold weather and the side zips are great to get a little breeze through the shirt!

 

Now I know we are talking about a substantial investment to get geared up for working outdoors, but trust me being cool or warm, and well protected from the elements is worth it’s weight in gold.  If you aren’t freezing or burning up, or soaked to the bone, you can concentrate on making those killer shots that took you outdoors to begin with!!!

 

The value leaders in outdoor clothing are REI, L.L. Bean, and Columbia Sporting goods.  You’ll pay less and get more from all of these retailers.

 

Be prepared, know Him!

 

the pilgrim

 

***  Just in case you work in very cold climates, a Goose Down jacket can be magic!!!

 

 

 

I was in church on Sunday and they played an old hymn that I’ve heard many, many times, but it struck me in a way I’ve never hard it before.  Imagine that someone did something horrible to you, hurt you deeply, nearly destroyed your life.  Could you forgive them?  I heard a story once about a man who betrayed his best friend.  He did it for what he thought were the right reasons, but none the less he betrayed him.  The man who was betrayed died because of what his friend had done to him.  No matter what anyone has ever done to you, no matter how much it crushed you, it didn’t lead to your death?!  The man who died forgave his friend.  The three hardest words are, “I forgive you.”  The man who forgave his friend, is the same man that has forgiven you, Jesus.

 

What a Friend We Have in Jesus

 

What a Friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer.

 

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
take it to the Lord in prayer.

 

Are we weak and heavy laden,
cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge,
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do your friends despise, forsake you?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He’ll take and shield you;
you will find a solace there.

 

Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised
Thou wilt all our burdens bear
May we ever, Lord, be bringing all to
Thee in earnest prayer.
Soon in glory bright unclouded there
will be no need for prayer
Rapture, praise and endless worship
will be our sweet portion there.

 

Your friend, in Him,

 

the pilgrim