Words and deeds

    This week's readings and homily at church brought to light a concept of our faith as Christians.  It was that God's ways rule, not ours.  Simple concept, making perfect sense, if you accept that God is perfection in every way.

     In our lives, however, the natural cycle of things is we are born narcissistic looking out for ourselves.  As such it would be only natural for us to think that whatever we need, want or think gets our desires covered is the correct course of action.  Good parenting knocks that silliness out of us young.  We can start seeing how selfishness actually causes separation from our brothers and sisters.  Only by working with others, and caring for them as much as ourselves do we build the friendships needed to survive in this world.  This basic understanding of friendship is the antidote to narcissism.  Friendships allow us to  succeed as a husband, father, coach, soldier, businessman, farmer, or priest.

    The Gospel (Matthew 21:28-32) today told us the story of the two brothers.  One brother said no to his father's commands, but went out to follow them anyway.  The other brother said yes to his father's commands, but did not heed the instruction.  One was in the right, and one was in the wrong at the end of the day.  For the man who repented and did the right thing, salvation awaited him.  For the man who talked the talk, but walked away life would end.

    Obviously we would rather say and do the right thing all the time!  This would surely be the easiest way to unity with Christ in word and deed!  We are however fallen creatures, made with weakness and stubborness.  As such we are very capable of failing in word, deed or both! 

    Thankfully our perfect God knew this, and provided us many paths towards redemption from our birth until the very end of our earthly lives.  It is truly the only way we could be saved given our original state of mind.  I guess it is just one more way to understand why God's ways rule, not ours.

-ehw

A night out in Roswell

The last week was a crushing one around the house.  Two boys in baseball (at different fields for four nights in the week), dance four nights a week for the eldest daughter, homeschool bowling league, Blue Knights for the boys, American Heritage Girls for the eldest, Lego Robotics Club for the older son....can you identify a few of these event occur simultaneously?  Oh and the two year old always has something going on!  So please forgive the slow photo blog postings.  It just will not happen when the first time I sit down at night is 9:30PM...and 5:35AM looks too close to the dial.

Friday was a treat thought.  I took the Mrs. out to dinner using a little saved up cash from the weekly allowance.  We talked about the children of course, while they made pizza at home.  Oh the joys of having a responsible teenager and eleven year old working together!  

Saturday came, and with it about five and half hours on ball fields for me.  A drizzle of rain in the morning game, and a glorious afternoon of high seventies.  Both boys had to get hit by pitches though.  For Kalen it was the fourth time this year...the boy is a ball magnet!  Since the youngest had a special trip with Dad to the park a few weeks back, the oldest daughter needed a treat.  So I took her downtown last night to Roswell, and found some relatively inexpensive food.  It is wonderful to talk with her about the book she is writing (and I'm the editor of), school, life and the scene around us.  If I don't take those minutes she'll be out the door and I won't even know who she is!

The nice part of being with her though, is that she is a budding artist.  So I was able to pull out the little camera, set it on multiple film types and show her the color of Roswell at night Fujifilm style!

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The Old porch at night...

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A reception house set up for a wedding 

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Julia's catch

If you followed me this far...enjoy this last shot.  Julia saw the moon rising over the church and asked me to see if I could capture it in the photo. 

So after a day praising God we're back into the thick of it!  Two more weeks of baseball..then it is serious Lego Robotics....then the holidays...thank God I can enjoy this life with such a wonderful family!

-ehw

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

Color Finds a Way

One of the great arguments about photography is whether it is an art or merely the capture of something that already exists...

I bet you can guess come down on the side of art!  Well I'll also add in there that there is a bit of science and art in photography.

See the art is the composition, light and shadow. The science is the math of aperture, shutter, ISO.

In this photo I added selective color just for fun.  Well also because flowers deserve some color to show off their glory.

I think all of life is a mix of science and art.  We have science that defines physical interactions, and art that defines how we use science to effect perception.  The moral compass that keeps the art and life on track?  The Bible.

-ehw

Travel into the wild...

Yesterday I met a young photographer and she showed me some of her urban explorations....pretty cool stuff.  Well talking to her I also made me long to get out a shoot myself.  You know work and play often don't mix it up very well...and the client projects I did make over the last month were for internal release only!

So after we got home, fed the kiddos and enjoyed a quick date night out I realized I still had some daylight left.  Instead of urban exploration I did some deep forest exploration from my backyard.  I spent the rest of the night playing with development settings, Aperture, Capture One, OnOne, Nik Suite....just to see what I could do.  This is one of the three I liked.  I wanted it to make me think I was really deep in a mysterious woods. I hope I fooled you!

So the moral of the day is..as Bob Coates would say...take some time to play and imagine.  Sometimes it unlocks doors you would not know existed.

-ehw

PS Fujifilm X-E1, 23mm, tripod mount, Capture One and Silver Effects Pro2.

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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The Coming Moment

     This cruxifiction moment the world changed, but the miricle did not end with that moment.  It benefitted those who passed before it, and those who passed after.  Each of us get shot at eternal life with God because of it.  

     As we said the Rosary last night, we reflected on the Sorrowful Mysteries.  It brought me back to recently read a chapter from St Thomas Aquinas, reminding us that God exists outside time.   God can use this past moment to inspire and save us now in this moment.  To God now is no different than if we stood at the foot of the cross then.

    In the midst of our prayers, I tried to place myself at the foot of the cross.  I kept asking myself if I would be brave enough to live my faith out in the face of the threats around me.  Would I have faith looking at pagan Roman soldiers, to whom I have no value except as a slave?  Would I be cowered in fear by the vengeful crowd who reject the law of God?  Would I stay silent knowing the enemy has spies ready to bear witness to their lords about my adoration for the man on the cross?

    I found myself wanting.  Still afraid, but slowly growing in the strength of faith for the tests that lay ahead of me.  I can see in this land this land today, those same threats faced by the fathers of the faith growing in strength.   Surely you can see the new tests arising for Christians everywhere as well.

    What can you say for yourself?  Are you ready for your coming moment?

Old Glory

I will be up well before the crack of dawn to work the real job....

So tonight I post this photo in honor of the Red, White and Blue.

Everytime I see this flag my heart fills with pride.  I also reflect on what it is supposed to remind us of....

Red for the Blood shed to defend its ideal of freedom from tyranny.

White for the Purity of heart and deed required to serve its people fairly.  To lust after the goods of others is the opposite of that ideal.

Blue for the Unity required to hold a divrese people together through agape love.

There is no imperal seal, nothing to indicate personal ownership of this country and its people.  Just colors and stars we can aspire to reach though virtue and limiting vice's reach into our collective national life.

I think our founders our looking at us now, wondering if we will remember these ideals...

Do yourself a favor today.  Read the Declaration of Independence!  Read the Consititution! Read a few chapters of the Federalist Papers.  Read the Founders words from their own hand and minds.  Don't read someone elses's opinion, rather build your own.

Take the time to read it.  Then look around and ask yourself where do we stand now?   

It might be a life changing moment.  I know it was for me at 15-16 in American History.  It was in college, and it affirmed my convictions a dozen times since.

God Bless America!

Tonight I will pray very hard for us all.  I hope you do as well.

-ehw

Sixteen Years and Two Big Lessons

     I married my wonderful wife sixteen years ago on June 27, 1998.  We changed careers four times total, had eight places we called home, learned to pull out of life's valleys, and overcame health challenges both to ourselves an our seven children.

     Yes I said seven children.  See we have four with us, and three who passed in miscarriages.  I believe those three are in the embrace of God as I write this.  My wife chose the photo above to remember each one of them this past April.

     In this voyage between 15 and 16 years of marriage losing a child at nine weeks of pregnancy delivered us the worst emotional pain we've endured as a married couple.   The reason this became the worst pain stemmed from three major factors.  First we know we are nearing the end of our time to bring children into the world.  Second we never grieved properly for the first two lost children many years ago.  Finally our spiritual growth growth over the last several years of homeschooling made us more aware of God's calling to participate in creation by raising children to know and love the Lord.

     As painful as the time was, I know God's care for us surrounded us in a hundred ways.  We met two women who had four and five miscarrages before having two children make it to birth describe the joy they had when they held their new arrivals.  We had family and friends pray so hard for us, that when I started to collapse on hearing the bad news I could literally feel them holding me up in prayer.  Melanie Levergood responded to a prayer request with "Absolutely! Storming Heaven.  What do you need?"  It was amazing to get notes from the His Light team: Nick Coury, Jim Begley and Bill Fortney out of the blue filled with prayer hours just after the bad news.  My wife received good health care, and she is doing as well as ever thanks to a good doctor and his team.  I also had supportive bosses at work, in the midst of a few critical incidents, let me run to my wife's side to care for her and the children.

     Equally important to us was the fact that two clergy from church provided blessings and sacraments to us with love and compassion.  Over the last few years my family gained a greater understanding of the form and meanings of prayer and sacraments.  As a result, we were fully open to receiving the graces they offered in our times of need.  For all the bad press people hurl at our Catholic clergy, I wish they could see the millions of good people beyond the few bad apples. Without those two men (Father Mario and Deacon Joe) ministering to this family, I know my family would still harbor damaging grief and pain.  They follow in the tradition of my good and faithful friends who minister with love and kindness (yes I'm looking at our wedding priest/friends Father Mark Spring, Father Ed Kacena, and my Army Ukrainian Orthodox friend Father Peter Dubinin).

     So after sixteen years of marriage I will offer the two greatest lessons I've learned.  The first is that both parents must make our first priority for the house to stand with the Lord in heart, mind and action.  This creates a foundation for love to grow between each family member and God.  The second lesson is that when we travel through life we need to be attentive to the messages God sends us.  God sent us those women, friends, doctors, my job to pay the bills, and clergy to help us get through the pain.  By choosing to embrace the goodness God sent our way, we left bitterness behind and rejoined the community of life he wants us to travel in.  Now we are ready to help someone else at God's beaconing.  

    Oh...and I do love my wife Carrie Anne Baker Wojtkun more now than ever.   

-ehw

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June 28, 1998

Missing two front teeth..

Most of us started out in photography to record the wonderful moments of our family lives.  I am no different.  So amdist the deeply contemplative shots and thoughts are photos like this one of no less importantance.  My boy who just lost his second tooth in three days holding his minon namesake with his customary happy grin (minus the two front teeth).

I guess the moral of the story is to never get so lost in work or the hobby that you fail to enjoy this once in a lifetime moment between you and your family.  For as with the rest of life it will be gone in a blink of an eye and never come back.

-ehw

To my Dad

     Time with Dad is precious.  See he was a Cold War solider for the first 21 years of my life. 

      During spring break we were going to all watch the Winter Olympics, and instead he went off with the Corps of Engineers to make sure the ice did not melt in that unusually warm winter period.  While living in Japan I went on numerous camp outs while he had to go up and recon Hokkaido beaches the Russians would try to land on...did I mention a Russian fighter shadowed them the whole time only a few months before and after KAL 007? I know I was young, but I read the Army Staff School monthly magazine at the age of 9, and Jane's Defense memorized by 12.  I was worried for my Dad, and in awe of what he and his friends were doing for my freedom.

     So my few trips with Dad are pretty warm memories.  The photo above is from Berlin in 1994.  He came over in my first six months away from the US to make sure I was doing ok.  It was nice he could pick a few jobs he did for the State Department maintenance team.  In this case it was to look at the then new site for the US Embassy to Germany on the pre-WWII site in East Berlin.

    On those trips  I learned how much his family meant to him, and how he protected it in his work decisions.  On trips when other men might go out drinking heavy, he struck out on his own and took photos or meet locals.  (Yep it was his camera that I borrowed in the 1980s!  Canon AF) I learned he turned down a career enhancing assignment when I was in the 10th grade so my sister and I could stay in our current high schools.  I also learned how much he loved my Mom.  How he frets for her health, does what he thinks she needs, and balances his needs off of that.  No marriage is easy, but the love they have for each other after 44 years is pretty impressive.

        So what was the most important lesson my Dad gave me?  He taught me a traditional American concept of duty to God, family and country.  In this way he brought me into adulthood as nobly as he could.  He taught me to set the standards of my behavior as high as possible, for his house was to stand with the Lord forever.  It is one incredible gift to gain for a lifetime.

     Thanks Dad!

-ehw

P.S.     My old Canon Rebel (film version) with the kit lens 35-105mm took this in Berlin circa 1994!

Brothers

Raising a family comes with many challenges. One of the greatest is raising siblings to respect each other through childhood, not compete for everything, and show each other charity.  In between the challenging moments it is always encouraging to see a moment like this, when there is peace between them.  I'm glad I caught it.  It is a moment to cherish.

For once the trains are running on time!

-ehw

PS Fujifilm X-E1 with the awesome 23mm 1.4

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Brothers at work

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

Pink Springs In

Spring is barreling its way into Roswell, Georgia. Those of us with hay fever are also remembering why Atlanta Metro is known as the friendliest city to trees in the entire Untied States. The pollen count went well over 2000 for trees this week. Lovely time of year, the weather is great...but your cars are yellow...and don't touch your eyes!

We had a crazy week around my house, and a zany week to come with all sorts of fun and Holy Week to wrap it all up!

This year I found myself able to take off the last three days of Holy Week. SoI grabbed it. It is my favorite time of the liturgical year. I love the opportunity to contemplate on the fact that Jesus, God Incarnate, dies for me and everyone so we may be free. It brings me hope and peace.

The photo today reflects that thought as well. The tree went to sleep in fall, shedding its outer layer of leaves to survive the winter. Now with the light and warmth of spring new flowers arise. In them we see a mere prelude to the glory and beauty that is the love of God in our lives.

-ehw

Don't take your eye off the Ball

Shortest post ever since the sun comes up early and as usual I will beat it to work...

One more day and then the weekend. However never let your work suffer because of short sightedness or being asleep at the wheel!

-ehw

P.S. So,I'll take my nap now!>

Lessons in Silence

One of the things about being the Dad with a camera in Little League is you have to learn to be an observer...and nothing more.

See if you capture the critical play and know the umpire got it wrong..you'd better stay quiet.  It is the umpire's field, he called it the way he saw it, and he's the authority not you.  To kick, shout or throw a tantrum is to dishonor your team and status as a photographer.  It will also get you asked to leave and not come back!  Anyway the umpires called a good game, excellent strike zone and kept it all moving. Besides if you focus on your craft, you capture a moment and show how to be a good relaxed Dad.  

My son did well.  Pulled in a fly out in right, grounded into an infielders choice, and caught for an inning.  He got settled down and did well behind the plate.  He had a great play guarding the plate...but I will refer back to the lesson in silence and not tell you the call!  See whether he got credit for the out or not it did not matter for the purposes of me getting to stay on the field!  He hauled the ball in, got a tag on the runner, and improved during his second tour behind the plate this season.  I got to see all this without a fence in front of me, and with a 60-250mm (90-375mm with a 1.5 crop factor) telephoto lens!  HEHE!

So that takes me to today...first game I was able to shoot all season from start to finish.  I vowed today to make sure I did as little as I could in post production.  So I shot RAW + JPEG, set the camera to vibrant, worked the exposure settings between shots to get the best one, played with highlight and shadow controls in camera...and worked it as well as I could.  Big thing in post is cropping, and then some extra highlight controls (it was very bright!).  By working hard, and getting the JPEGs right I got the work done quickly today.  If something needed extra work it would only take a few seconds to switch to the RAW and try to recover a few more highlights of shadows to enhance the shot.  Today I did not have to do that at all.

So in a few minutes I'll share the photos with both teams (the other team's coach was my son's coach last fall)...and head off to bed...job all done!

Now all I need to to get paid for this sometime!

-ehw

P.S. Mr Pentax K-5 with 60-250F4 all day long

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)

Serious Intent

A quick post for today.  I love photojournalism.  In this genre I find that the key to a photo to to capture the story and emotion in one frame.

It is a great challenge to have!

If you want to see some great photojournalism check my friend Fran Ruchalski out!  He is a great artist and photojournalist!  Here is his webpage!  Fran Ruchalski

Well this is my son at the closing concert of an orchestra one day intensive.  He was intense as they played their patriotic songs and those of God's glorious nature!

The shot was as captured in camera.  One advantage of my Fujifilm camera is that the film simulation modes have some easy customization features.  As a result putting a curve into the photo, and then using EV compensation eyeballed through the Electronic Viewfinder shortens my time in post on most family shots...and many jobs.

-ehw

P.S. Fujifilm X-E1 with 50-200