Photograph by Carl Turner

 

Yesterday morning at 7:30 am Dr. Charles Stanley spirit exited his earthly body and joined his Savior in Heaven.  You can find tons of obituaries online listing the many accomplishments of Charles ministry that spanned over 6 decades.  I would rather remember Charles; the man, my friend and my brother.

 

Over 30 years ago I was just getting started in the photography game and running workshops with the Great American Photography Weekends, a company my wife and I founded in the very early 90’s.  I was a growing, needing to mature Christian and one of my sources of reliable teaching on God’s word was Dr. Charles Stanley and his In Touch television ministry.  I had bought his books and watched as much of his sermons as I could, when I found out that he was very seriously into photography.  Being over zealous as I am I thought I would invite him to attend a GAPW event as my guest, surely he would love that!?

 

I sent a letter to him at In Touch and anxiously awaited a phone call excepting my offer!  In a few weeks a letter arrive and I carefully opened it knowing I would want to preserve this first correspondence with him, maybe even frame it!

When I read the letter my spirit fell to the floor.  It was obviously written by one of the many gatekeepers I’m sure protect him from over enthusiastic people like me.  It was nice and business like but stated that Dr. Stanley has such a busy schedule especially on weekends that he couldn’t possibly accept my kind offer, best regards, not Charles Stanley.  I was crushed, then hurt and then mad.  After a few days of kicking the cat, (not really, we don’t have a cat, and I would never kick one anyway!)  Finally, Sherelene, having had enough of my childish actions and complaining set me straight, “Did you really think he would jump at the chance to come to workshop and drop everything else he is responsible to do?!”  She’s good at keeping me straightened out!

 

I knew she was right but I was very, very disappointed, but eventually let it go.  As chance would have it (not really chance, more like a move of God), I was attending Imaging USA in New Orleans so I flew very early in the morning to Atlanta to change planes to fly on to New Orleans for the show.  While sitting at the gate waiting to board my second flight who do you guess walked in, looked around sat right across from me!  There he was, Dr. Charles Stanley! *(He later shared in a sermon that when we met God told him to sit down where he did, he didn’t want to, he wanted to sit off alone and relax, but for some reason, did as he was told!)

 

This was during the run-up to David Middleton’s and my putting out our first joint book, The Nature of America.  I happened to have a beautiful 8 page promo piece i was going to share at the show so I simply slipped it out of my brief and reached it over to Charles and said, “Dr. Stanley, I think you might enjoy this.”

 

He looked through it carefully and said come over and tell me about this, which I did.  He said, who are you?   I said, Bill Fortney, I’m one of the two guys that put this project together.  He shocked me when he said, “Your not “The” Bill Fortney are you, the one I’ve read articles from in Outdoor Photographer and other magazines!  I was shocked but humbly said yes that’s me.  About then they called for us to board and he said I’m going to ask whoever is assigned to sit next to me to trade seats with you so we can visit on the way to New Orleans, if that’s ok? and we did.

 

During the flight  I shared with him about the GAPW which he was already very aware of and said he wanted to come to a workshop!  I told him about the letter and he said” If I knew who didn’t forward your letter to me I would fire them, then  he said well I wouldn’t fire them but I can’t believe that didn’t send your letter directly to me, I would  have accepted your offer in a minute, to which I said, it’s still on the table!  We spent the rest of the trip down to New Orleans sharing, laughing and talking photography, we had so much in common.  When we got to New Orleans he asked me when was my flight back and I said this evening and he said me too, turned out, (big surprise), we were on the same return flight to Atlanta.  That evening we shared deeply with each other all about lives and the challenges we both had faced.  He was going through his divorce, demanded by his wife, and was taking a lot heat by some in his church. I did something that to this day I can’t believe I would ever say, I said  “Charles, (by then he had demanded that I drop the Dr Stanley stuff) may I pray for you?”  I had no more than said it that I thought what on earth are you thinking you just asked Dr. Charles Stanley if you could pray for him!!!  He said Please!”

 

It was very emotional time and I just poured out my heart for the man I loved and admired so much,  by the time I got to amen, we both were sobbing and holding each other.  Fast forward over the past 30 + years we did many workshops together, traveled to many great locations just to hang out and shoot, I spent many nights as a guest in his home and we became very close friends and brothers.  One night sitting in his den before a roaring fire I looked over at him and was overcome with the joy that God have given me his friendship.  I said to him, “Charles I can’t believe that my prayer was to just meet you, shake your hand and thank you for all your ministry had meant to me,  and God did this!”  He turned back to me and said, “Well, you got that wrong, it wasn’t for you, it was for me, you came into my life when I needed a friend, someone not on my board or a member of my church but just a real friend that I could enjoy and relax with away from all of that.”

 

I look back on that moment now tearing up and remembering what a great friend he was, how much he loved everyone he met, how he always had time for anyone who asked for his time.  We never went anywhere that he was not recognized and approached, he always was gracious and loving to everyone even while his dinner got cold, but it didn’t matter, Charles was the real deal!  He was the man you always hoped you would find out that he was.  I could write six chapters of a book on the great things we got to share together, but more than anything he was a real friend.  Every time we talked he asked about how Sherelene was doing, he cried with me when we lost Wesley.  He prayed for us at the beginning of our book project and wrote a beautiful forward for the book, I was shocked when he asked me to write the forward for his giant coffee table book of his life’s work!  I was petrified at the thought of that task, but when I sent the Holy Spirit inspired forward to him he cried on the phone and said, “it’s perfect!”

 

No Charles you were perfect, a perfect friend, a perfect servant of Christ, a man of honor and integrity and the deepest love for your God.  Yesterday you finally met the Lord you so faithfully served for all those years, and I am sure he said, “Charles, well done my good and faithful servant. welcome home!”

 

I bet Wes was one of those that greeted him, which I imagine was a tough ticket to get!

 

Blessings,

 

 

the pilgrim

 

My Forward from His Book:  I Love To Tell The Story

 

As a Lifelong photographer, I’ve greatly enjoyed seeing and sharing in the vision others.  What is in a man’s heart will find it’s way into the images he captures.  The extraordinary images in this book testament to the heart of Charles Stanley.

 

I’ve been honored to to call Charles one of my best friends for many years.  We’ve shared great photographic adventures together, and he’s had a profound impact on my walk with the Lord. For years many of Charles other photographer friends and I have encouraged him to produce a book of his favorite work.  I’m so pleased  to see the project come to fruition.  

 

Charles Stanley is a master storyteller, teacher and mentor, and in this book you get a glimpse his vision of God’s great creation.  For decades, he has taught and inspired Christians around the world in their daily relationship with God.  Now you can share in this intimate look at his passion for photography and share in the great joy God has given him through the practice of  his craft.

 

We learn in scripture that God desires to not only meet our needs but also to give us the desires of our hearts.  I know God has blessed Charles with the renewing pleasure of photography in his life.  So sit back, relax and enjoy your journey through this wonderful collection of Charles work.  In it you will discover the authenticity of a man whose heart belongs to God and whose vision has been inspired by that relationship.

 

I promise you will be blessed.

 

Bill Fortney

Glations 2:20

 

Well I don’t actually carry these, I guess my lenses do, they help me identify my lenses in the various bags and cases I use.  These Rear Len Cap Stickers are terrific, well made, printed beautifully and look a lot better than my previous solution, a Dymo label Maker!  Field Made Co in Canada create these and they have them for almost all systems.  My Fujifilm XF stickers were $22.64 and included the ones below:

8-16 F2.8 R 10-24 F4 R OIS 14 F2.8 R 16 F1.4 R 16-55 F2.8 R 16-80 F4 R OIS 18 F1.4 R 18-55 F2.8-4 R OIS 18-135 F3.5-5.6 R OIS 23 F1.4 R 23 F2 R

27 F2.8 33 F1.4 R 35 F1.4 R 35 F2 R 50 F2 R 50-140 F2.8 R OIS 55-200 F3.5-4.8 R OIS 56 F1.2 R 60 F2.4 R Macro 80 F2.8 R OIS Macro 90 F2 R

They have since come out with the 100-400 also it was $6.00 and change.  They are classy looking and easy to see even with my aging eyes!  Check them out at Field Made Co!

 

 

Above is a toolkit I carry everywhere but not in the actual camera bag. The Nylon bag is the Viperade VE18 EDC pouch and is available from Amazon fro $23.99, of course the tools are not included above that!  The tools in this kit are: left to right; A Benchmade Sur Freak Knife, Victoroinox Swiss Champ, SOG Power Pint Multi Tool, Top; Smith Sharpener, and bottom the Victorinox Mini Champ Alox.  With this set of tools I have been able to tackle about any repair, I’m capable of doing, in the field!

 

 

These are my battery carrying choices, in the top image they are closed and obviously on the bottom open and showing the contents.  Since I shoot Fujifilm I have two different size batteries to contend with and I carry at least 4 of each.  The plastic are from Lensgo also carries extra cards of all sizes except Express cards that one is from Amazon and runs $12.36 and the Think Tank also from Amazon run $12.75, I have dozens of those!  Both of these work great, but the Think Tank’s are easier to pack.

 

 

I always have a flashlight in my bag, these are two of my favorite; The Nebo Inspector is amazing for only $16.41 (Amazon) it is very bright and charges with a USB-C!  The Streamlight Wedge in Coyote Tan is my favorite it is very bright and was a gift form Jack Graham, they run $86.33.

 

 

Extra table top tripods come in handy and the small one from Neewer (Model ST-DT24V) I got it from Adorama and it is in and out of stock, but worth the wait. It is well made and great to hold LED light panes wet doing close up work.  My heavy duty table top is the Leofoto Ranger LS-223 CFX, it is the build quality of a Really Right Stuff tripod and in fact I use the RRS BH-40 LR head on it!  It comes it’s own excellent head, I just wanted to use the RR stuff head.  Was around the $120. range, can’t figure out where I bought it?!

 

 

I love the little Litufoto LED lamps the are powerful and are very adjustable in both brightness and color temperature!  The charge fast with USB-C cords and only cost $24.99 each.  I always carry two.  Great for close-up lighting and even as fill for portraits indoors or out!

 

 

Scott Kelby has a great Youtube video about using an iPhone, or any smartphone, for serious photography, it was a talk he gave at B&H.  He also has this excellent book on iPhone photography, available everywhere, hey he’s Scott Kelby, I got mine from Amazon for $29.95, worth very penny!  For most travel and light packing days I am now using my iPhone 12 Pro Max as my back-up camera, it is that capable and I often have to look at the Exif data to see what camera shot what!

 

 

To improve my handholding I bought a G-Grip that slides on a small bracket you glue on your case, it provides a bluetooth connected shutter button which make shooting much easier and your grip more secure! You can check them out at ggrip.com  $69.

 

 

…..and finally I’m really serious about this so I have a  SmallRig tripod and Shinewee PCA 90 tripod adapter for you iPhone and I use both often for long exposures and to treat the iPhone like a real camera, which it is!  Not pictured but I also have a Small Rig case for attaching other things to the iPhone for Video work!

 

Well,  I hope this was fun, I enjoyed sharing it!

 

Blessings,

 

 

the pilgrim

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To finish off my sharing of my images from past, I decided to share a few sports images.  I used try do a lot of sports, but not some anymore.  Above is one of my favorite shots of the great running back Earl Campbell.  I have often seen it take 7 people to bring him down!  I asked this defensive back for Cincinnati, ” Is it really that hard to tackle Earl?”  His response was,  “have you ever heard of AmTrak?”

 

After having been the Washington Redskins official photographer for a couple of seasons, I later went back to cover a game with the Tennessee Titans.  This was one of my favorite shots, it was my first NFL game using an auto-focus lens!  Wow, was that’s a lot easier!

 

When covering NASCAR I had to learn to really do good pans.  (Moving the camera and lens following a subject)  At 170 mph it is tough.  The first 200 shots are empty frames or front or back bumpers, but with little practice you start to get it!

 

The same principle is used for a race horse, this was a practice session a the Kentucky Derby, which I covered 9 times.

 

I had the opportunity to cover 10 Masters Golf Tournaments during my Nikon days.  It was at the Masters that I got this shot of tiger Woods.

 

One of the most fun things to do at the Masters was go down to the Interview room and photograph the luminaries that were often there.  this was a great opportunity to photograph 3 of the greatest golfers ever, together, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicholas and Gary Player.

 

Hope you enjoyed the trip down memory lane!

 

Blessings,

 

 

the pilgrim

 

While covering the Reno Air Races for Nikon we had the chance to photograph the Navy’s Blue Angels.  One morning a group of us were out at sunrise to photograph the planes on the tarmac and the Blue Angles F18 Hornets were all lined up and perfect for a portrait!

 

On another morning while out on dawn patrol great pre-sunrise light provided great background for a silouetted Glacier Girl – P38 Lightening.  The Glacier Girl was built about 50 miles from where I live so I got to follow the process of the rebuild. She was so named because she was extracted from deep under the ice in Greenland.

 

On another early morning, this time at Sun  n’ Fun Air Show in Lakeland Florida, I had the chance to capture a Harrier at sunrise. This McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier was performing at the air show.

 

This beautiful example of the Ryan open cockpit airplane was at the Sun N’ Fun antique aircraft section, graced by early morning light!  Nikon D800 with 24-70 lens.

 

One again early morning pre-sunrise light was what this Canadian Trainer needed to show off it’s silver skin!  Reno Air Races.

 

While working for Nikon I was blessed to photograph 6 shuttle launches.  This one was captured from the VIP site at our compound with a D300 and a 500mm lens with a 1.4 converter The launch pad was 2.5 miles away and this set-up was equivalent of 1,125mm lens!  Even that far away the rumble from the rocket engines is pounding!

 

This only a few of my thousands of aviation shots, I hope you enjoyed them!

 

Blessings,

 

 

the pilgrim

 

Bonus shot!

While working the Reno Air Show I got a ride in one of the T-6 Texan Racing planes to go and photograph Lake Tahoe for my second America From 500 Feet Book, while coming back we got close to another Texan and I as able to photograph it air to air  This is me below in the one I was flying in.