A memory of the Knights

    I'm on a trip to D.C. and I really wanted to walk the city a bit...well at 7 degrees this morning and 15 this evening walking around town was not an option.  It was to work, to a meal along the way back and to bed.  I just don't have the right hot gear to have photography fun today.  I'm also really tired after a long day of work.  I think I walked an easy six to seven miles today between meetings and around the city.  I should be in better shape...

    Today out of the blue a friend of mine called to tell me he had joined the Knights of Columbus this year...always wanted to, and finally did it this year.  I was overjoyed to hear the news.  See my favorite memories from my last stint here in Virginia came mostly from my work with the Knights.

   Instead of a current memory I thought back to my favorite memories of my previous years here in the region.  An this image taken last year about this time was one bringing back good times with my friends helping others, caring for our families or being the visible arm of the order!

    Vivat Jesus!

-ehw

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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.

Change of Perspective

Just a quick post as we all head past the top of the week...

Just a quick play with light and depth of field here in our Blessed Sacrament chapel a few weeks ago.

It is very peaceful in the chapel, and the soft lift, and lovely rose window let one sink into the presence of our Lord.  

Like most people I found myself drawn to the largest light source...and after a few minutes I realized the Lord was there in the quiet shadows waiting for us all.

-ehw

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Missing my Kiddos →

What does a Daddy miss on a trip?

How about the youngest playing in sand by the lake?

Or the lovely, thoughtful girl writing up her dreams in her special spot?

Or the good son who always tries to please and grow into a responsible young man way to fast?

Or how about the funny boy who always provides us wisdom in words as sharp as diamonds?

And of course the Momma who builds a warm home where love can grow.  (If I posted her photo without permission she'd kick my butt)

Funny how some time away always makes you long for home...and you forget about potty training, the work of cooking for six, someone's sniffles, and the lost this or that...

Well time to head off to work...I bet my feelings are the same as those shared by every good Dad on the way to work...

-ehw

P.S.  Three taken with the new X-E1 and various lenses...and one taken by a six year old Pentax K200D..yep it still takes good pictures if treated nicely! 

Cold Rabbit

This was a fun shot.  This darn rabbit watches over my yard day in and day out.  An I finally caught him in the camera.  He was so cold I could not miss him!

I initially did this in color, and got a pretty nice file from it all.  However I wanted to express how cold this rabbit had to be.  So I turned over to my B&W in Nik SilverEfx2.  This Nik (well now Google) application is simply awesome in rendering B&W.  Perfect Effects is getting closer all the time, I just know SilverEfx and can get the results I want very fast right now.  So I turn to it most often for B&W.

I hope this type of photo inspires a few of us to get out and look at our environments when seasons change.  Just the addition of snow, of new pine needles, leaves and green grass change our perspective significantly.  If we all take a few minutes to enjoy our environment, maybe we'd a little extra motivation to realize how lucky we are to have what we have.

I just mention this, because today a mother of four (the youngest being three months old) collapsed in front of her family just a few feet from my wife and kids.  We're waiting on word of her condition, and praying for everyone involved.  Luckily her husband was at her side and was the first responder, and friends and family were able take care of the children while Dad tended to his wife.

Life is precious.  Life is short.  If we do not recognize that, we'll miss moments like this when the whole world of Atlanta, Georgia turned an unusual white..or our children smiled at the sight of the sun coming out from behind the clouds...or the fleeting moment we get to hold the hand of a loved one for what could be the last time.

Wouldn't it be a shame to miss that moment?

-ehw

PS Pentax K-5 with 16-50 F2.8.

Roswell, Georgia snowed in!

The last month flew by like a whirlwind.  Sorta like that football flying past Manning on the first down...still hurts to see my team get crushed like that...

Well last week we had the second big storm of the season here in Atlanta.  I have no illusions about driving on ice...did that before...did not like the results from an ice storm when I was 16, and respected them ever since.  So we tucked into the house early, and never had an intention of leaving.

So here is our home covered in snow and about 1/2 to an inch of ice in spots eight days ago.  I think I was the only person on my street who owned a shovel...leftovers from living up north.  I really don't blame people down here for not owning a snow shovel.  You'd use the darn thing once every few years.

While public school kids rejoiced, the homeschoolers here drove on with their lessons.  Live continued to go on normally in our house as the worst of the storm went south and messed up the electric service down there.  I was tangentially part of their day at school...and it was interesting for all of us.

Well the loss of work for me resulted in longer days since then to catch up, and that is how you pay the bills!  So sorry for the absence...but feeding kids comes first.

This photo is from good old Mr. Pentax K-5 with the 16-50mm.  I had a lot of snow and water falling all over me, so no lens changes here that's for sure.  Since the whole combo was weathersealed, life was easy and fun as long as the front element stayed dry.  Pentax RAW files, like most RAW files, are flat.  You must process them to get what your mind's eye wants to share with the world.  So for this shot I did the edits over in Perfect Effects 8, with a final crop in Aperture...done.

-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

Travelling Lighter

Going on a business trip, so I packed up my camera as I usually do...only to recognize some pretty big changes in my load plan. Now this is a business trip, and if I get to shoot and enjoy myself it will be a small miracle. I just feel unprepared without a good camera on hand...and being a geek I wanted my toy set with me. On my last big trip I toted my Pentax K-5 DSLR along. Great camera, outstanding quality from its 16mp sensor. I took the little bag you see below. Inside was the K-5 with a 16-50 F2.8 and either the 50-135 F2.8 or a trio of primes (usually DA 15 F4, DA35 F2.8 (or the FA43/FA77) and DFA100 F2.8 Macro). I could take either one flash, or store my batteries and charger in the top compartment. This was a great set of toys.

Over the last six months I traded out a lot of Pentax gear to pick up a Fujifilm rangefinder style kit. So this time I put the following in the bag: Fujifilm X-E1, 18-55 F2.8-F4, 55-200 F3.5-4.8, 14mm F2.8, 35mm F1.4 and 60mm F2.4 close focusing lens with a small XF-20 flash, XF-42 Flash, off camera flash cord and the battery charger. This is way more than I need...probably too much. The way I shoot though is opportunity driven, as such the better a set of tools I have on hand the better I can handle any situation.

What did I gain and what did I lose? Well the X-E1 displays much sharper image due to its lack of an AA filter, and in dim situations and almost no noise up to IO3200. Now I also want to point out that I have an early generation 16MP sensor in the K-5, and a later generation 16MP sensor in the X-E1 both probably made by Sony. Sony does continuous improvement on the sensors, and users of current 16MP K-5II and K-5IIS do have a better sensor. On the plus side I also had more room to carry some fill flash without exceeding my previous carry weight in the Fuji package. I used that a lot over Thanksgiving, and it could become useful here.

The style of the X-E1 is definitely a retro design with aperture rings and a shutter speed dial. It is simple and direct. For more complicated functions I can dive into the Q menu and handle the need quickly. It does force me to slow down in some situations to get everything set up the way I want it in terms of focusing point just because of button positioning and how my brain works. The AF is definitely slower compared to a DSLR, but it is very precise. I also can compose just as easily on the large LCD as the small Electronic Viewfinder (EVF). I am still working to use it as fluidly as I did the K-5.

I made the jump because quite frankly Pentax had not grown very far since I had purchased it. Now they made advances in the last year I would like to take home with me....but I was not sold on where the company was going and what their intentions were. Heck the company could not tell anyone what they their strategy was. My prize lenses were the FA43, FA77 and DFA100. They were dreamy...but out of place on crop sensors most of the time. I had hoped to use the crop sized zooms for sports, and the primes for deliberate work on a 35mm size sensor one day. With no Pentax FF on the horizon to waltz into at some point, I really had to make a decision about their usefullness. Fujifilm on the other hand had a coherent strategy of getting great APS-C quality with compact glass that was very portable (and when on sale relatively uber affordable). So for now when focus speed and weather sealing is of most importance, Mr. Pentax comes out to play. Other than that....it is getting aback seat right now. The Pentax primes are gone except for the macro....all to fund the new Fujifilm kit.

I must admit the jury is still out on whether I made a good choice. Both are good systems, and a little off the beaten track. I almost picked up a Micro 4/3 Olympus OM-D5. Iit has incredible glass, better AF, and a good sound design except it was a little too small for my hands. The Fujifilm fits me well...and the system is growing by leps and bounds. So time will tell if I did the right thing...until then I just need to learn my craft until I get blue in the face! The gear today is very, very good...and the limiter is not the gear but rather me!

So if you are looking for something to lighten your load take a look at the growing number of mirriorless options. They are good cameras, and by design could save you quite a few pounds on your next all day excursion.

-ehw

Season Finale

Today was the season closing game for Roswell Little League Fall Ball.  We had a nail biter of a game.  The Royals put on a furious rally in the bottom of the 5th, scoring five runs...but our very last available pitcher fought for the final three outs and got the save.  With the save came the division title for our Astros.  I think we ended up second in the league, but I'm not sure if that was part is official yet.

It was a great season, I can't say enough for the good coaches and families that made it so enjoyable for all the boys.

If you want to see a compilation of the year please feel free to click right here...

Roswell Astros 2013 11-12

It was a long day...so this will be brief and I'll close out with just a few more images from today.

Just a reminder that if your in the Atlanta area and would like something like these products made up for your team please let me know.  I'd love to help you out!

-ehw

PS  Two photos taken by My Pentax K-5 with the 60-250 and one from the Fujifilm X-E1.  Edited in Aperture using a Sarah France Holga Color preset.  I used the preset to make the photos across the video as consistent as possible even while taken across different days and with different cameras.  I think it worked for that purpose...let me know what you think.

A few more for sale

I added three photos to square market you might like...Tuscon Monsoon Morning (above), Roswell Bridge and the DC Tidal Basin.  You can purchase them on square market.  If you want them in a different format...or see anything else in my Smugmug portfolio you like please contact me so I can serve you!

The EHW Photography store is open at:  EHW Square Market

View the rest of my portfolio here: EHW Portfolio

You'll also see some other gear I have up for sale there as well.  Some good gear not getting enough use.

As always 10% of the print profit goes to charity.

-ehw

Big kid baseball! (Finally)

Just before the start of my son's game on Saturday I was talking to a parent, who was very happy with my work for the team.  I said thanks, but I really did not feel I've been at the top of my game so far this season.  I had a few keepers, but I knew I could do better...and with that resolve I set out for the field.  Armed with my K-5, 60-250, monopod, and knee pads I got myself to work.

I picked up the standard nice to have shots, but I was hungry for good shooting for the first time in a while.  My head was clear, my fingers dialed in and I was shooting the best I could in bright 2PM daylight.  Yep 2PM harsh shadow pain in the neck daylight.

Since I was hungry I started looking for the good shoot I looked where I had not looked yet this season.  It is a fun season to watch.  My son is 10, but playing with kids over 12.  The difference in capabilities and skills these kids have is pretty fun to watch.  They are now picking up the fun parts of the game.  Distracting the pitcher while base running, getting base runners into pickles, and pitching hard right into the strike zone with some consistency.  It is even more fun when you have a good set of coaches like ours...they know the great range of the kids in capabilities.  They respect that each kid's dream is to play...and they make sure they all play and respect each other.  They do not give up on any of the kids.  I have not seen my son this happy playing ball in years, and that only made my desire to shoot well bigger than me.  I wanted something to give back to those helping my son enjoy the game of baseball.

The final trick of the day was in post processing.  Harsh sunlight really makes for ugly photos.  However, my camera was consistently under exposing by over 2/3 a stop.  So I fixed the exposure (yes I shoot RAW just because of that) and then went for a retro film look.  I used the same preset for all the photos for consistency.  It really did the trick, and I think the photos came out pretty well.

It was also nice that while I was processing these...my son and I had the National League Championship Series on in the background.  What a baseball filled day!

-ehw

PS  I told you all my tricks I can share for right now!  I'm going into settings on the camera and will have them fixed up shortly.  I'm sure it is something that I did when fiddling with presets on camera a few weeks ago!

The DeSoto-Up for Sale

This weekend I participated in my second art show in Alpharetta.  I came to the event with three new large prints for sale.  The one which garnered the most interest was my 10x20 metallic print of the DeSoto at Old Car City.

Over the last few months I've realized how nice real prints are compared to screen shots.  To see and touch a photo is to have them come alive!  I really don't now how to describe the feeling I get when I see the photo come out of the box.  The closest word I can use is magic.  I first felt this when I was 16, and my Dad took me over to the photography store to meet our favorite printer at Twinbrook Photo!

If you are interested in sharing some of the magic in this print, I found a nice way to work out the deal!  As with all my sales 10% will go on its way to charity through our church.  The rest balances out the checkbook so I can make some more art!  I know shameless...but you have to pay the bills.

You can purchase the photo on the Square Marketplace, and I will have the item shipped right out to you!  If you are local here in Atlanta I might even be able to bring it on over!  Just click the link and head on over to the Square Store

DeSoto

Thanks for looking!

-ehw

PS This was Mr Pentax K-5 with the 15mm prime, tripod mounted doing their thing back in March 2013

Art in the Park! Alpharetta, Ga

This weekend I will be selling my photos at Art in the Park in Alpharetta, Georgia.  Saturday 9-4 and Sunday 11-4.

I have a portfolio selection matted and ready for framing, and four ready to mount works ranging from metallic prints to two varieties of canvas wraps!  The photo of Tater (not Matter...this is his brother) above is one of my collection you can see!

I will also for the very first time offer portrait sessions as a service.

I am very excited to participate in the show for a second time...and I'd love to see you there!

As always 10% of my sales go to charity.  Last month I was able to help a child participate in a faith formation group for a year at our local church (we got him most of his supplies).  Hard times are all around, and he needed just a little help to keep growing in the ways of God

If you are far, far away and still would like to pick up a photo from my portfolio please contact me at either ehwphotography@gmail.com or use the form below.

-ehw

[contact-form][contact-field label='Name' type='name' required='1'/][contact-field label='Email' type='email' required='1'/][contact-field label='Website' type='url'/][contact-field label='Comment' type='textarea' required='1'/][/contact-form]

Fall Ball

Everyone needs practice...and I mean everyone!  The boys on the field and Daddy behind the lens.  I'd been working out Mr Fuji for a while...and I almost forgot where my buttons were on Mr Pentax!

Today I'd like to make a pitch to really get to know your gear.  I know I've said that many times before, but I really mean it!  I'm looking for ways to reduce post processing time, and the best way to do that is getting the shot right in camera.  And oh by the way these cameras have a ton of features we can maximize and use if we so dare!

So today I worked on using high dynamic range and I actually played with the color settings.  Yep I took it off Neutral and played with the Dynamic setting with some curves thrown in.  Well worked pretty well, except a few were too dark from over contrast.

So get out there and enjoy the fall light!  It in an of itself is a wonderful thing to enjoy and play with!

-ehw

PS Both with Pentax K-5 using the 60-250

Patriot Day Calling

Tomorrow is Patriots Day, and as we remember 9/11 we need to remember what historical patriotism is in our country's history.

Patriotism is selflessness of action when others are down.  Patriotism is using the talents God gave us to care for ourselves well enough to have a surplus from time to time.  Patriotism is sharing the bounty through charity tithes without being forced under a government edict.  Patriotism historically recognizes each person has a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  Note there is no guarantee of happiness..that is why the French ended in guillotines. the Russian revolution ended in some 10 million or so dead, and Mao killed his own millions.  I could go on and on...

If you are in doubt as to what you should do to be a Patriot, I think we need not look further than the cross.  Simply remember who will be our judge at the end of time.  I've yet to see anyone go wrong just following natural law in terms of Patriotism.  Because when people work together following natural law they build communities.  Natural Law does not divide people willfully.  We must respect those who go down their own path, under their own right to life self determination.  The Founders knew this, and built natural law into our national fabric from the beginning.  If you do not believe me read their writings from their own hand, not what a modern author says about them today!

So what will you do today to be a Patriot and join the ranks of those honored?  Remember our nation is not one of birthright defining our lives, it is one where we are supposed to have a birthright to stake out our own lives.  Whether you are 1 or 91 you can choose to live a life of a Patriot.  Simply follow the law that was here before time began.

-ehw

PS This is an example of re-developing a photograph using new processors.  I used OnOne to take a good photo and make it a whole lot better.  It is something I could not do a few years ago.  So go back and play with the past and bring out the vision you wanted with what we now have today.  Hey that is why they kept negatives in the film days!  No different at all!  Oh and don't write when you should be in bed...typos abound!

Negative space in life and a portrait

Here is my pretty china doll Julia Rose...

I think the world's technology if overloading us with stimuli.  Our brains are truly wired differently now because of it. Unfortunately this is robbing us of our ability to be introspective.  Introspective people often look into what appears to be nothingness, and find the rich textures and beauty God has hidden in there for their enjoyment and enlightenment that others ignore.  While making these portraits with my daughter I was able to slow down just enough to explore what I was doing...the why...the how...the wonder of the moment before me.  Writing this article, and thinking about what I wanted to do actually made me go back and re-edit my photograph to make it more attractive..actually to make the nothingness more attractive and complementary of the subject!  I had set the stage, but only by self examination was I truly able to explore it.

Here is the story of the shot:  When I shot this portrait I wanted to explore the concept of negative space a bit.  I just finished reading about in in Bryan Peterson's book so I thought it would be good to practice.  This is one of those times where you purposely let a big set of space be empty...but in this case I filled it up with a rich texture.  Before last month I would be scared to do something with the space, wondering if I was "allowed" to by the photogurus of the world.  Bob Coates helped me walk away from that supposed stigma last month at a class I took with him.  "If the masters of art did it, why can we learn from them?" he said...and then he encouraged us all to play a little but with the concept.  Only through play can you learn, experience and find the your style in the wonderful world of photo development we have at our fingertips today.  It is a great lesson we should all grasp on in so many ways (Bob Coates website bcphotography.com)  I used Julia's eyes and body curve to compliment the negative space...she is looking at the negative space as if something is there you cannot see!  By moving Julia in the lighting space I also purposely created shadows to give the subject a three dimensional depth to match the texture.  If I had more space in the old basement I'd pull her further from the backdrop..but I am out of that vital commodity in the basement right now...to create more depth and contrast in the textures.  Next step is to do more with the lighting outside of post to make this easier.

So put down that smart phone, ipad or gameboy.  Look into the nothingness, and see what you've been missing.  Remove the man made stimuli, and look, listen and feel for the rich textures of life God prepared for us.  I think our lives will be much greater for it...I know this portrait of my daughter certainly was.

-ehw

P.S.  The Fujifilm X-E1 F5, 1/110, ISO1600, at 234mm(35mm equivalent) tripod mounted!

A tale of two portraits

It is that time of year when I need to catch up on things before the crush of school year life hits us with the power of a thunder clap.

So before my lovely big daughter grows out of her 2013 dance costumes I just had to take advantage of it to take her portrait!  This time I think she enjoyed it...at least for the first 90 minutes and four costume changes!  The last change is the one you see here.

I'll share some more over time, but this one has the emotion in the smile, the sweet innocence of a 12 year old, and the eye contact a daddy longs to get in the lens.  It was a wonderful time spent with my daughter.  This is an image I will not soon forget.

Now below you will see a photo of the little guy Kevin, he so wanted his photo taken with his dogs, the only dogs he'll ever get in my household.  I'm allergic to them, but he is not so far....and he reminds me of that every other day at least.  When these guys don't have breakfast with the two of us, one is smelling up my bed.  The miricle here is that he looked at the camera!  Grin is a little goofy, but everything at six is a little goofy for good reason!

So what do I take away from today?  Constant lights are perfect for kids indoors.  Set them and work them.  I just recommend you get as much power as you can.  I need more power from them to make the photos at a faster shutter speed, so I'll save up for a while and see what I can do.  I learned a lot, like I will not shoot portraits without my tripod.  Too much fun.  I also like how my mirrorless camera lets me back off the viewfinder and use the screen.  Much easier to keep eye contact with my subjects...and make them laugh!

Ironically the first two shots I am sharing are the only two I shot without my tripod!  The top is the Fujifilm X-E1 with 60mm Macro while I stood on a stool. The second it the Pentax K-5 shot head on a few feet back.  Both processed simply in Apple's Aperture using some Sara France Presets, and custom contrast curves.  I really concentrated while shooting to avoid eye reflections today in the glasses, and I think I did pretty well.  In both of these I actually thought through some classic posing rules as I worked the slightly more casual portraits.

I hope you enjoy them!  These are two of the five lights in my life!  Go capture some images of your blessings today!

-ehw

Places to Worship and Pray

During our trip to Colorado we went to St. Anne's Catholic Church for Sunday Mass.  The building fits right in with its rustic, mountain feel with the rest of the church.

That Sunday we heard a sermon from a traveling priest, who ironically my wife alone heard two months ago in Atlanta at the Seton Homeschooling Conference.  His sermon was a great call to action about the need to evangelize a culture of life from conception to death worldwide with all our hearts and minds.  I will use my pictures to illustrate one point he made about the horrible confusion we suffer in our society right now on this topic. (See this website for this additional information: Humanlife International)

This week, CNS News Service showed a short video where college students signed a petition for "Fourth Trimester" abortion.  Yes Fourth Trimester...there are only three Trimesters....so much for education in world class colleges...basically these men and women are convinced a woman should have the ability to kill their offspring at anytime.  Horrible, chilling, and if you pardon me sickening thoughts.

Based on the demographics and polling in the last election, the same people probably support enhanced environmental protection laws.  Laws which already make it illegal to touch an endangered bird species egg, shut down damns so fish can spawn in cold mountain streams, or to kill a doe out of designated season.  The same groups often also sponsor animal rescue missions at fantastic costs to help injured animals heal up for return to the wild.

The evangelization the priest talked about is that we need to show people the disconnect between the two concepts.  If we recognize a eagle inside the egg is the same eagle that will one day soar through the sky, how can we also not rationalize the child inside the womb is not one who could care for your dignity in old age?  We must evangelize with somber reminder that some of the greatest leaders of faith, had horrible sins in their past.  St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Augustine...and coming close to home I even know my own sins....all needed an awaking.  Some had a lightening bolt.  Some had a gentle calling.  All came home to live within a culture of life, one which they bestowed on us with more tools to build up higher with our own generation.  We are called to provide each of us sinners a chance to live out their conversion with good deeds inside the church of God.

So I encourage you today to recognize that the guidance I heard from the pulpit, is derived from the same holy words I heard as I sat in the cathedral of the mountain stream that afternoon.  Proverbs clearly state the Wisdom of God streamed before the first ray of light, the first breath of wind and bubbling brook of water.  So for those in doubt, I call you to listen to the call of life in a house of God or in grand creation itself.  As our Founding Fathers knew, natural law is the one source of wisdom which can bind people of all faiths into one people to respect the life, liberty and pursuit of happiness of each other from conception to natural death.

-ehw

P.S. The priest closed his homily with a reminder that following a the Lord's calling will result in suffering and rejection from those who reject the teachings and desire to force your acceptance of their own selfish cause.  If you chose not to follow my postings anymore...I'm sorry.  You must however understand that my photographic calling directly manifests itself from my faith.  Since I respect the dignity of every person, don't post shock photos or sexed up visions of men and women.  I look for beauty where others may not.  I look for a capture which expresses a manifestation of wisdom in this earthly life and appreciates God's beautiful creation.  I seek to unify through charitas, not divide.  If you liked photos I capture, it is because of what God calls my heart to capture.  In the end, each and every photo I capture must past the family room edit test where my computer rests...and so must the words and lifestyle I chose to live.

Wildlife

After a full day of exploring (remember my version of exploring with a family ages twelve to 17 months old is not what the twenty something with no children crowd calls exploring) my almost ten year old showed disappointment .  His Junior Ranger book was called for him to see a few more animals.  I knew, and he knew, midday on the mountain near the road was not the time to see large animals interested in safety.  So I proposed a dusk big boy expedition with Grand Dad looking for big game!  As you can see we were successful!

We saw lots of caribou, one moose in the far distance, and three sunsets as we again climbed the mountain looking for the elusive mountain goats with no success.  Our little adventure resulted in rich discussions, and a chance to experience the wonders of the world through the shutter clicks and voice of an almost ten year old boy.  His seriousness on completing his ranger mission made me proud.  He is a boy focused on accomplishment, with a heart sensitive to caring for others along the way.

Those moments on this little jaunt up the mountain will be long remembered and cherished.  It is why we must struggle from time to time to separate ourselves from the daily struggles of workplace survival, to reconnect with those around us.  Even Jesus did it by walking up mountains to pray closer to his Father without the distractions of crowds and disciples!  I know my moment of appreciation would only be a shadow of what the King of Kings would feel, but then again my burdens are a fraction of a shadow of those he bore.

So as I finished this day I was happy with a few good frames, the growth of my eldest son, and generosity of my father-in-law.  It was an excellent day in of photographic discovery.

-ehw

PS This is Mr Pentax K-5 with 60-250mm at 98mm (147mm in 35mm equivalency) , F8, 1/250 and ISO 800.  Close lady caribou huh!

Tenacity of Life

At the top of the mountain, I captured a wonderful vista with my children descending off the peak.  In this seemingly desolate space, just a few feet away was this cluster of small flowers.

Throughout my trip one theme arose before my eyes time and time again, it was the tenacity of life.

On this windswept mountain, these little flowers stubbornly cling to the thin soil in the brief Rocky Mountain summer just a few feet from my position in the first majestic photo.  In the plain states it was large trees owning the low ground, avoiding the windy peaks.  In the high prairie we saw how grass and cactus eked out survival on little water.  In each case life was present and thriving where it was not easy to achieve basic survival.  Yet as you can see, the beauty and power of that little life is just as moving as places rich with plants and animals.

Today's Gospel reminded us that life here on Earth is a struggle...and every moment of success we get should be savored...and every hardship we experience should help us revel in the beautiful moments a little more.

-ehw

P.S. Fujiflm X-E1 with 14mm top and Pentax K-5 with 60-250mm below...