Christ the Judge in a World of Noise

       The world is full of manmade noise. Noise, sounds and vibrations with no Godly organization, only serve to distract us from our ingrained mission of finding and loving the Lord.  This means if we want to draw ourselves to the Lord, we must through force of will, ignore the world's noise so our souls can make music in harmony with God's intended design for the world.

     For example, take a look at tomorrow's March for Life in Washington, D.C.  There thousands will walk as a result of a court decision literally made up from the air the justices breathed, and created with little factual evidence or legal precedent.  The whim of men created "rights" which did not exist ever before, denied the humanity of a child in the wound established with natural law at the dawn of time, and to this day results in the extermination of so many people it is actually fulfilling Margret Sangster's dream of the ethnic cleansing of "lesser" peoples.  Oh the thoughts of this are nauseating to God fearing people everywhere!

    In the thousands of words the people attending will hear tomorrow, very few will change the hearts and minds of committed abortion supporters.  Why?  Abortion rights supporters will constantly deny the humanity of the child in the womb by shouting their own words over anyone opposing them.  They will continue trying to convince themselves their own destiny must not include the life they helped create.  They know they cannot avoid the consequences of their own actions, but they will shout themselves horse trying to convince themselves otherwise.  In a way it is a perfect demonstration of evil madness to try and deny physical realities in such a way.  The thousands of words hurled by the protesters will only be added noise to these abortion supporters.

    What caused these abortion supporters the most fear?  It is the mandatory waiting period, and ultrasound machine testing.  Why?  Because in the quiet of a doctor's office, with the noise of the world isolated from the room, the reality of natural law confronting hardened hearts wins over far more souls than continue to deny there is a new life in their womb.  Abortionists loathe the requirement any person listen to the heart beating while they see the face of their child before they kill it.  

    The sound of natural law runs naturally in the heart of the unborn child, and speaks with a clarity to unsettled souls like no other sound on earth.  Oh how I wish we could mandate put the father in the room as well!  Maybe the natural music could save three souls at a time, and help make a proper family.

   So the next time you find yourself lost in a sea of manmade noise, find a place where you can slow down and hear the pulse of life.  Let the pulse remind you of your place in the cosmos as a child called to God.  Then follow the call of this music to build his kingdom in word and deed.  Then maybe it will be easier to get a smile out of Christ the Judge when the time comes to meet him.

-ehw    

Minor miracle of Divine Mercy

Stained glass window above the altar of St Pope St John XIII in Miramar, Florida

    As I continue to grow in my faith I strive for constant learning of new devotions and receiving apologetics.  Just before Easter, Catholic Digest arrived at the House. I read it on Palm Sunday.  During my readings I saw a few in depth articles about the Divine Mercy Chaplet and Novena.  I found myself impressed, and desired to say the novena starting on Holy Thursday.  I was doing other missions over the Tridium and started late...so instead of culminating my novena sunday I finished my novena yesterday.

    Yesterday I left on a trip.  I was not enthused about this trip, too much to do both at home and the office.  As is my custom, I took my camera to see what I could capture for his glory.  As my stomach growled, and light started to wane I quickly searched the map for the keyword Catholic.  Right down the street was St. John XIII Catholic Church.  I set off to visit.  I asked the office if I could take some pictures of the church, and they said yes but to please not bother people in the Adoration Chapel...of course I agreed.  I am sure the lady thought I was crazy, but most people do!

     The photo above was what I first saw when I entered the church.  It is a stained glass version of the Divine Mercy image commissioned by St. Faustina.  I went into the Adoration Chapel to complete my novena for the day.  Around the chapel I found great comfort.  I saw images and traditions from Mexico, Poland, Italy, and Western Europe.  I was at home away from home in the arms of my Catholic faith.

     I know many may not think much of my little reported miracle.  I recently read a set of comments by people about how they could never give themselves over to belief in God.  They said the science just was not there.   I will pray for them to receive the grace of Divine Mercy, so they too can see the little gifts of God's love all around them .  The hug of a child, the kindness of a passer by, the sacrifice needed to preserve true freedom in this world all are things I want and will capture here on this blog. I hope through these little miracles I see and record using the science of light others may come to accept the Grace of God and live in his glory.

-ehw

Morning Coffee with a few Legends

This morning, before the raindrops came falling down around us...I got to spend some time with two legendary cars (as well as two younger siblings).  Yes I visited a Shelby Cobra collector and it was fantastic.

These are a '67 Shelby (number 500) and a '68 Shelby KR.  They are wonderful automobiles.  True museum pieces if I ever saw one...except these are working samples.  Both got back inside before the rain started coming down to protect their original coats of paint.  Hearing the engines was also a wonderful experience.  I wish I could give you a sample of the sounds along with the photos.  The owners were fabulous hosts!

I'd just like to extend my thanks to the owner and his family for welcoming me into their home today.  I am excited to return soon and complete the job on a drier fall day. I'd also like to thank them for letting me add these to my public portfolio! 

Thats right, the work you shall see in coming days is now part of my portfolio, and therefore available to you through EHW Photography.

-ehw

Our old Bug

My parents were not hippies (not my Army officer Dad!), but we did have this type of camper back in the 70's.  Since the statue of limitations is over I can tell you we sat five in a car with only three seat belts for several years.  My sister and brother both slept on a hammock over the driver's seat as toddlers.  I can't remember if I was in the tent or not.  I think I did, at least once.  We also went to see the first Superman movie at the drive through in this big bug as a family.  That was a fun night.  I also remember holding the check from the back used to pay for it...and as an adult I drove past that spot and memory every day for two years 30 years later.

This automobile may not be a horse, but it does foster bonds between who we are today and our past.  Maybe it is because we associate travel with growth and freedom here in the USA.  I know this is a poor way to explain an American and their automobiles.  I just had to get those stories out.  The car made me do it!

-ehw

P.S. X-E1 with HDR Efex Pro2, Slight color treatment in Nik Color Efex 4.

Classic Lines

This car sat right next to my booth on Sunday.  It was screaming to be photographed.  This is one of my favorites from the car.  The light and reflection of trees in the chrome makes it almost magical.  Well in my opinion!  I hope you agree.  Any feedback is appreciated.

As with so many cars at the show this one brought back memories for my childhood.  This was the car of the Rich and Famous in my teen years.  I could never hope to own one (still can't) but they were very refined and lovely cars for their day.  Today they are just plain old classy.

-ehw

P.S. jpeg HDR conversion, nine shots +/-3EV.  Done in HDR Efex2 by nik.  Color Effex4 chrome correction, and finished in Perfect Effects 8.

3rd Place!

EHW Photography took home 3rd place in the 2D art category at the Roswell Art Festival! There were over ninety vendors total, and over twenty outstanding 2D vendors.  So I am thrilled to receive this recognition for the hard work of my little crew.

It was a good weekend meeting great people.  Our next show I hope will be with the ROMEOS on the first Sunday in October in East Cobb, and then Octane on Caffine on the third Sunday of October.  I will also be setting up personal car shoots with many people I met this weekend.  I hope to show you that working the coming months!

Much more later...but for now I'm still excited and recovering from the long weekend.

-ehw

Roswell Art Festival! Start your engines!

The Roswell Art Festival is on Saturday and Sunday!  Come on down and enjoy over 100 vendors selling just about everything from lemonade, paintings, metal works and pictures like mine!  I'm also a little nervous since it is a festival with a set of judges looking for best of show.  Don't know how I'll fair there.

Take at look at the homepage and you'll see my Fall Portfolio.  If there is a gift you need for Christmas...you just might find it!  Check my online store and you'll find everything you need!  

Something not in the portfolio?  Is it in the archives?  Well call me and I'll make it for you!  You want your own car, family or event photographed?  Give me a call!  It would be darn fun to make something for you!

-ehw

Memories of Childhood

Walking through Old Car City an International Harvester pickup sat thinking of glorious days long past...and I thought of shifting my first gears at the age of 7 or so...

See we once had a 1970 Scout, made by IH.  It was the fancy model with dual gas tanks and a four speed manual transmssion.  It ran on anything according to my Dad.  It was pretty smooth going to school down Poverty Lane (yes there is such a road in West Lebanon, N.H.)  It was so smooth in fact that my Dad could drink his coffee in an open cup while changing gears!

I know you are now asking how do you drink coffee nicely when you are driving a stick shift?  Well that is of course easy when you deploy your optional automatic child transmission to shift on command.  I think my Dad was WAY ahead of his time.  I mean this transmission was voice activated!  "Second! Third! Fourth!...slowing down now Four, Three, Two.......stop...First!"  Google car eat your heart out!

I was the proudest second grader on the planet when I got to school.  Not only was my Dad the ONLY Army officer in the state, the only one to understand how to build a Army standard bunker...but I was the ONLY child shifting gears of an automobile!

-ehw

P.S. As for the image this is my first image in the Fall Collection.  After reading the HDR Book by RC (www.aboutRC.com) I went back to work on several older photos.  Using new ideas, tools and skills many images found themselves re-invented...and much improved.  That is the beauty of digital and art...it can grow with you if you challenge yourself from time to time to not live on your laurels.  This will be available for purchase on 12x12 metallic floating mount for $115 by the end of the week.  Larger sizes available on request...I promise you will not be disappointed..Why later?  I am awaiting the proof copy right now to make sure it is just the way I want it!

The benefits of Social Media in reverse

     Oh tonight I had to laugh at irony.  See in our house we have two thoughts on social media.  I use it to connect with people, but I do try to be pretty careful with where and what I publish.  I know that it is probably not going to go away in my lifetime.  So I just try my best to deal with it.  My wife hates social media.  It can all burn in hell for all she cares.  She likes her cave, and the telephone.  Give her a call or set up a visit is her motto.

    Well tonight a family friend reconnect via some social media.  We've been out of touch, and our two families had a pretty busy couple of years.  So by luck she finds me on one of those blasted social media sites, requests to be linked up, and we share numbers.  Since this is my wife's good friend I send the number and tell her just minutes later.

    Now I sit here 70 minutes later and the two friends are still going strong on the phone.  I am sure I will go to bed and be followed when I am fast asleep.  To be honest I am happy she is on the phone.  Just a few nights ago I was enjoying a conversation that took me back to my highland home in N.Y. twenty two years ago.  So it is a good event we should be joyous for.   I just hope she remembers it resulted from that blasted social media.

    So the motto for the night is social media is ok when used in moderation.  The power of a friends voice is a timeless remedy for many of the trials we face in this journey.  So do yourself a favor, put your life in reverse and connect with an old friend.  Share your journeys, pray for them, and I am sure you will sleep with a smile on your face tonight.

-ehw

P.S. Pentax K-5 from 18 months ago.  I reprocessed this one in Capture One Pro tonight.  I really like what that program can go out of the box.

Welcome to the new home of EHW Photography!

     Welcome to the new home of EHW Photography!

     This new website is the result of several months of discernment on where this photographic and life journey is taking my misson, artistic interests, and business opportunities.  So please let me take the opportunity to explain what you see before you!

     Last year when I started this business I had big dreams of what I could do with it.   I wanted to understand how the real world works for dinner, pay for my photography habit, give my children a workplace example they could participate in as part of homeschooling, and also express my joy in capturing God's Glory in our daily lives!  As you could expect the real job interfered here, general life requirements interfered there, and pretty soon I realized how hard it would be to do anything I dreamed of a few months earlier!

     On the really good side I learned people liked my work more than disliked.  I just needed to give them a product they could either visualize on their home or use right away.  My children did a wonderful job of introducing themselves to potential clients, and helping me with various jobs at the market.  One even froze his fingers to the bone helping me get some of this year's selections!  This taught me volumes, volumes I'd never learn standing on the sidelines..  For what it is worth, everything I learned merely made me realize how much more I need to learn in all areas of my craft!

     I also learned a lot about the technology and services available to business today.  Unfortunately for this part time owner, some the of really great solutions didn't fit my model.  So after a mountain of research and fiddling I came up with a combination of Squarespace, Smugmug, Square Market, and Shootproof to make my work come to life.  That is why I will slowly move away from my Wordpress site to this new one for all my work.

     So EHW Photography is ready and willing to help you.  I can help you decorate, learn a few lessons about camera operations, composition, editing photos, and even photograph your car if you'd like!  Most of all though I want to help you Capture His Glory in Life!

     God Bless You!

-ehw

The Slow Spring

I don't know about you, but this almost feels like we're going to have a year without a summer!  The flowers and blooms though are trying to come out and enjoy the sun.  Just a quick shot from the yard in the fading spring light this weekend.  These flowers are very graceful for a day at most, then they get twisted, and lose a lot of their appeal.  So if I want a shot of them, I need to photograph them as soon as they open.  So the lesson of the day is to take the shot now, because you never know if it will be there tomorrow.

Good lesson for life as well.

-ehw

P.S. Fuji X-E1 with 60mm close up lens.  (This is not a true macro as it will only do 2:1, not the full 1:1 a traditional macro will obtain)

Best Car Deal Ever!

A fun part of Old Car City is hearing people point at a car and say, "That is my first car!"  I also hear people say, " That car took my family everywhere when I was a child."  Since I did not find any International Scouts, Volkswagen Vanagons, or Japanese market mini-vans (the only forgiegn cars are a few Volkswagen Beetles) I had to laugh at the first car that made me think of one from my youth.

When I was five or six I was being a brat while visiting my Babcha and DjaDja (Polish for Grandmother and Grandfather).  In particular I was not eating my vegetables.  So my DjaDja said, "That's it.  Eric Come with me."  My Dad's other eight brothers and sisters with the other first wave of grandchildren (My Dad was the second oldest) all said in various ways, " Your in trouble!  Going with the Dja to get fixed!"

Well to that level of doom I marched all the way to the attic behind DjaDja.  Once in the attic he said something to the effect of "Where did I put those ..."  After a few minutes of rummaging he exclaimed that he found them and came over to me holding two plastic cars.  One was a red version of the car in the photo.  He said that if I behaved and ate my vegetables one of them could come down.  Not wanting to pick one, I of course wanted both.  I gallantly offered to eat everything on my plate all weekend if I could bring both down.  He accepted my offer.  DjaDja explained to me that I had to look very dour when I came downstairs so his mean reputation would remain in effect.

So down we went, hiding the cars around the corner from the dining room where they could not be seen by the room full of family.  I ate my food all weekend, and raced cars up and down the house to my heart's delight.

Oh well, such are the adventures of Old Car City as you stroll through memory lane.

-ehw

P.S. X-E1 with 60mm Macro.  Processed in HDR EfexPro 2

Premium or Regular?

I received a blessing from God today...I went out to fellowship and take photos with the His Light Workshop Crew.

If you have a few minutes I suggest you take a look at the work of Bill Fortney ( http://billfortney.com/) and Jim Begley (http://www.wowphotoshdr.com/).

What you will find are stunning images of life.  You will not find subjects created for shock value or pure sex appeal.  You find written word and art which lifts you upwards...toward an appreciation for God and all his wonders. Bill is fond of saying he loves texture in his photos.  I also think he is very good at helping you appreciate the textures God adds to your life.  Jim makes High Dynamic Range (HDR) photos which knock your socks off in content, technical excellence and message.  When you talk to him, you can see feel his love of God coming out in the same manner of an HDR photograph where something we think is too dark for perception reveals itself and the composition makes sense so the message takes root in your heart and mind in equal parts.  How do these men do this?  By actively listening to you, and letting God work through them in a very humble manner.

See if you come to a His Light Workshop, you better be ready for God to speak through its many members.  You need to understand that when you join the crew, they will care about you more as a person than as a photographer.  The funny thing is when they do this, they offer more of themselves to you as teachers than most others ever will if they did the reverse.

I saw many examples today of agape love in HDR.  People freely giving of themselves to care for others,  offering a prayer for others in need, and providing an environment for people to engage in the sharing at a level their personalities and life texture permits.  It is not loud, it is not outlandish...it is quiet and subtle..it is the sound of the Holy Spirit working his way through people bringing Christ where needed for their sustainment.

So why the title?  Well we all have many choices in life for everything we do.  In choosing friends and services I think we also have a choice...we can chose Premium or Regular friends.  A regular friend will be with us as we travel through life, but when a challenge arrives they'll just walk on their own trying to help you with a man's knowledge.  A premium friend with walk with you, and when the time comes not be afraid to invoke God in the discussion of how you shall overcome life's challenges using his revealed laws of nature and scripture.

The men and women of His Light...they are Premium.

-ehw

PS X-E1 with the 35mm Prime

A Lenten Lesson

Ash Wednesday!  The preparation for the most important day of the year started today.  I attended mass near my office at the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary here in Atlanta.  The priest provided a great suggestion on a Lent tradition.  The usual tradition is that we give up something we really like for Lent.  Our celebrant put a twist on that tradition.  He reminded us Jesus does not mind us giving things up that we like as a method of preparing ourselves for a spiritual journey...but what what makes him happiest is when we give up the things he does NOT like before we meet him!

That matched up pretty well with my daily devotional in the Liturgy of the Hours.  So I'm working on giving up a vice everyday (lets say improving my language and vocabulary skills)....and a an extra vice (coffee) on Fridays.  Accomplishing #1 on a normal day will be interesting....without coffee on Fridays?  Oh maybe I'll find a way to stay in bed and hide!

I hope and pray that you too will grow in faith and wisdom on this Lenten journey.

-EHW

P.S. Fuji X-E1 with 18-55

HDR Love

Here is a photo that is a little more than meets the eye.  It is another High Dynamic Range (HDR) photo I composited from seven clicks of the shutter.  Each click gives me information, and when I composite those seven shots I can do a whole lot of art with it.  I can pick realistic, surreal, structured, B&W you name it.  There is no "right" answer, it is just how I see it.  Over time I am also blessed because I can come back to the shoot with new lessons learned, and make a photo which takes those seven layers into a new and different direction.

Today is St. Valentines Day and he is the patron saint of marriage and love.  It will sound geeky, but marriage and love require HDR.  Our english language does not serve us well when we talk of love.  The church fathers knew there were four dynamics: Agape (Divine Love), Philia (Friendship), Storge (Affection) and Eros (Emotional).  Today our society outwardly values eros, and seemingly on purpose denies the others even exist.  This is of course a recipe for failure in families and human commitment.  We all know that emotional love fades, that when the hormones fade and age sets in...the pull of another set of hormones  or selfishness will tear the relationship asunder.  The self giving love flowing from Agape is the most important to emulate as it feeds everything else, yet to speak the name of the Lord in relation to being the example of human love will only get you scorn on the major networks and advertisements.

My love just read me a story about a couple married 65 years who said the secret they held was they grew up in a time when you did not throw a damaged item away...you fixed it.

That story says it all.  Just as I may find a new direction with my HDR next year, and could create a new version of this image...so must we adapt in our marriages finding the right mix of agape, philia, storge and eros as we advance through our lives. What was right for us as newlyweds, is not what will sustain us on our 16th anniversary this year or our 50th...I can foresee we have many a layer to examine and thrive with in the coming years.

I see the same example in the longevity of marriages by my parents, my in-laws and grandparents.   I pray St. Valentine and you will join me in asking the Lord for the wisdom to help us all down here to do the same.

-ehw

P.S. Fujifilm X-E1 with the fabulous 60mm Macro

Hustle For Home

Here is the premise...I wanted to capture the interior of Grand Central Station and show how busy it is when people make a break for their trains so they can get home.  Yet on frame just did not get it done.  I had the little bits of motion here and there, but I still wanted more of the magic this place has.

So I went ahead and tried it...a seven frame HDR.   The station came out great...the people are ghosted.  The motion is both visible and implied.  Captures the hustle and bustle...and the grand interior of the station.

Ah a try at something new, and yep next time I'll make sure the 14mm comes along.  Going to and from work I was with a one lens set up...in this case the 35mm!

-ehw

Two years of Joy!

How fast can two years go?  For child number four, my precious Kellie Marie it is like a stroke of lightening across the sky.  Here are just a few highlights....

Thank you God for every minute I have with each of these incredible people you graced my family with, and charged me to care for.  I can only pray I am doing right by them, and get to do it for a lot longer before you call me home.

-ehw

Strong and silent type

This car just looks plain powerful, like it would knock your socks off just turning it on.  It does not have some of the pretties of the other cars, but it does evoke thoughts of straight ahead speed.

At Old Car City one of the hardest things to do is to isolate your subject.  Just a foot off on either side there were cars.  I tried very hard to isolate my subject so I could focus my concentration on making just one object look good.  By isolating the cars I also tried to let each car be special, and a treasured find.  I often found myself not taking shots when I found no way to achieve my desired isolation of subjects.  Just personal preference, but I wanted one car at a time on this trip whenever possible.

-ehw

PS Fujifilm, 14mm @ f/14 HDR seven shot jpeg bracket.  Emphasis texture in honor of my buddies Bill Fortney and Jim Begley.

The Sentinel

Up in Old Car City I enjoyed a trip down memory lane, and I found myself wanting to shoot photos of my grandfather's cars.  One grandfather (my DjaDja) had a Cadillac.  My other grandfather (my Pappap) like Plymouths.  After previously finding the Caddies, I went searching for a few Plymouths.

This hood ornament was on a Plymouth, and it is one I never remember seeing in the 1970's.  It was long gone before I could remember them.  I thought the ornament was stunning, and it gave the appearance of crystal inside the chrome still perfectly smooth to the naked eye.  This Puritan soldier from Plymouth still looks fierce and ready lead people to the new world!

When I took my class with Bill Fortney, Jim Begley and RC Conception both discussed ways to purify the HDR Chrome in Photoshop.  For whatever reason, HDR turns a lot of chrome blue.  So the way you deal with it is to brush away the blue and doing a mask operation.  Now first I don't own photoshop, and if I did I've never been able to understand the language of Photoshop.  So I turned to my OnOne Perfect Suite 8 and its filters.  I found with a quick application of Purify Highlights, either by brush in or whole photo, I got pretty much the same effect as six actions in Photoshop.

Cheating?  Yep. At least to the Photoshop experts out there.  Perfect?  Probably not.  Can I live with it?  You betcha!  In the end it just goes to show you there are a lot of good tools out there, just find the one  you can understand and exploit the best!

-ehw

P.S. Fujifilm X-E1 with 60mm macro.

The Long Haired Lady

This Long Haired Lady still looks elegant up in Old Car City.  I really wish I could see this car in its glory.  I love the long lines, the grace it would have sliding through the air, and the roar of the engine.  Even today you can clearly see the blue of the sky reflecting in the chrome at this partly bright sunny day in North Georgia.

Working in the cold weather my camera did just fine, and the battery did not crash.  What I did find a bit harder was staying comfortable with all the layers of warm clothes I had one...and realizing I forgot my most vital accessory for serious rolling around...my knee pads.

About 16 years ago I fell down a Georgia mountain in the cold of winter while in the Army.  I smashed up both of my knees, and they got good infections.  Today I still feel the soreness, especially on cold winter days like this one.  So forgetting my knee pads really hurt my movement up and down with the tripod.

In order to really work a scene well, a great photographer once told me to get high-low-middle-near-far-get front-back-rear and anything else.  You have to experiment.  It does not mean you have to click the shutter at each spot, but it does mean you have to observe each spot and think through the opportunities it can offer.  As with any skill, experience and creativity will drive the end result far more than the equipment available.

So the moral of the story is, I think I captured a good composition.  I still wonder however how much more I could have done if I remembered the knee pads and worked this scene even harder.

-ehw

P.S. Fujifilm X-E1 with 14mm, F/18 on a seven shot jpeg EV Comp setting processed through Nik HDR efex Pro2 and touched off in Aperture