“I’m coming out of my comfort zone; God is calling me (to walk into my destiny); God is challenging me (to go where I’ve not been); God is proving me (and for the rest of my life, I’ll say yes).“

I am sooooo proud of her and how God is using her life. Sometimes God calls us to a task or ministry and we don’t answer. It takes faith in God and strength of spirit. Her quote above reminds me of a book, “Wild Goose Chase” by Mark Batterson, I started reading some months ago but haven’t gotten very far reading. Over the past year work has been far from challenging. Last year we started attending a new church but I haven’t gotten involved in a specific ministry there yet. The other day I was post-processing some wedding photos a friend and I had take, when my daughter says to me “Seriously, you should quit the job that you do and be a photographer.” For some time now I have felt a need to come out of my comfort zone. But to be honest I haven’t spent much time seeking direction about it either. In the comfort zone I guess.

“Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.”

-Helen Keller

It is probably the one set of photos that are taken of you that you REALLY care about the results – especially the bride! There is so much that happens in those hours you, the bride and groom, can’t even remember when it is done. So the photos chronicle the event for you.

A wedding is an event that is hard of just one photographer to cover. So, I enlisted the assistance of my fellow photographer Carly.

I’ve been considering changing camera for some months now. The Olympus E-500 has worked good for me, but there are as many options for renting lens and accessories as there is for Canon and Nikon. The navigation of the menu and settings aren’t as user-friendly either but that is less of a concern. So I decide to pull the trigger and purchase a Canon EOS Rebel T1i kit (not significantly different that the new T2i). After shooting the wedding I am going to sell the Olympus camera body and lens.

I found a place online that rents lens and camera bodies. So I ordered a Canon EOS Rebel T2i, for Carly, and (2) EF 50mm f/1.4 , (2) 17-55mm f/2.8 x2 and a Tonkia 11-16mm f/2.8 from Aperturent.com.

As I lay here in bed getting mentally preparing for the wedding, the sun is rising – the start of a beautiful day.

Shipment from Aperturent

Inside Aperturent Shipment Container

Washington Park Tulips

Saturday, my good friend Carly was inspired to take photos of the tulips in Washington Park. An opportunity to take photos – you don’t have to ask me twice! It was a a beautiful and sunny day. All that sun can be a challenge to keep photos from being overexposed and blown out. Though I have been trying to get a handle of the Aperture Priority mode, I experimented in Shutter Priority mode to control the amount of light entering the camera. At times I shot the same scene and altered the speed successively higher. It almost felt like I knew what I was doing.

During the Worldwide Photo Walk last year, Carly took a great photo of a flower (though “photos of flowers don’t win contests”) in Washington Park. She got down low the ground and took the shot aimed upward. Well, I borrowed that idea and took some shots like the one shown here. I tried to capture the perspective of being right in the cluster of tulips. A few times I wish I had a macro lens. One day.

Carly's Tulip Photo from Washington Park

Check out more from Carly’s Flickr feed and see some nice tulip shots http://www.flickr.com/photos/93483329@N00/

From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same,
the name of  the Lord is to be praised!

It is a warm, bright and sunny Easter Sunday morning. In the Christian faith it is a spiritually more significant than Christmas. For not only did Jesus, the Son of God, not only die for the atonement of sin on the cross, he arose from the dead conquering death and the grave.

“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? Now sin is the sting of death, and sin exercises its power [upon the soul] through [the abuse of] the Law. But thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory [making us conquerors] through our Lord Jesus Christ.” [1 Corinthians 15:55-57]

This morning during worship service the children and youth will recite, perform skits and sing. They are dressed in their pretty spring colored dress and sharp suits. (Hmmm, maybe I should bring my camera though it is usually a low-light situation, not my forte yet) I enjoy seeing youth involved in the worship service. Some child is bound to make you laugh. Reminds me of a play we did in my youth called “His Fleece as White as Snow.” It was the death and resurrection from the animals involved point of view. I was a sheep – white, fluffy and spots. (There are pictures someone has but thank God they haven’t been made digital)

My daughters are all excited this morning because their hair is “out” and hanging  down. Their hair is usually in braids. Let’s just say there has been a lot of self admiration in the mirror this morning. LOL I plan to take pictures of them in their matching pink-a-lious dresses after church.

Happy Easter!

Like the best laid plans, POOF! You would think my eyes being closed meant “do not engage.” But nooooo. Endless mind-numbing chatter, children laying on my back, and other pestering for 3hrs made it clear I would have been better off sleeping in Times Square at 7:00am.

So when asked at 11:15 “are you resting?”, the answer was a resounding “No!” (Of course the reply in my head was more verbose and sarcastic)

John Stewart has a segment he did on The Daily Show about it here.

Please hurry. I missed you.