3 week stretch

Three weeks on the road... not a jaunt to say the least, but still a thrill. Great classes, fantastic experiences and new mercies every morning! A strenuous trip with so many challenges, and a lot of room for God to work. Through these three classes I've learned so much about myself and the rest of my team. Being able to tailor the program to different audiences and personalities can be such an art. Pet peeves become very apparent on classes as well... I have never thought of myself as having many pet peeves but I've really started to get a feel for what I can handle and what drives me crazy. God's really been showing me that teaching really needs to become focused on those who are being taught, and not just the material. To really have depth in a course that could otherwise become monotonous, you must really have a passion for your students and a drive to see them grow. To start every day with a purpose and stay "I'm really going to pour myself into this kid" is really something that I've stuggled with, but I've come to realize that's the only way I'll really be successful as a teenpact intern. To be an ambassador of Christ to these kids is the highest calling I could be given, and I only pray that I would keep it in the forefront of my mind.

On a political note, I got the inside scoop on Huckabee from the Arkansan conservatives. They tell me they're scared of a Huckabee administration due to his lack of fiscal conservatism and foriegn policy, but that he would make a great vice. With my man Mit out of the race, I think we all know the only hope for conservatives is a McCain/Huckabee ticket. McCain really has to convince conservatives that he'll represent them well and the only way he'll be able to do that (because he can't) is through Huckabee. McCain is really so far from conservative and frankly I don't know how he's the GOP pick as of now... illegal immagration policy... trash! I will grant him this though... he can beat a Hillary! He'll be able to take on a liberal, democratic woman pretty well. Now a McCain/Obama race is a little scary.

Obama sounds so good... he's an excellent speaker and he appeals to the emotional side of a naive society. Watching CNN today and looking at the contrast between Hillary and Barack I heard them speak for about ten minutes each and say absolutely nothing. Barack said nothing, just like Hillary said nothing... the difference was, he did it well. He can sound very good and never have any merit to a thing he says!

Anyway... all that rambling to say "vote for Jesus" cause he's the only one that can get us out of here alive anyway.

It was such a joy to work with Mr. Tim Echols in Georgia. To be able to get a hands on look at the program straight from the potter's hand really is priceless. I appreciated the fact that he always looked for news ways to implement a new experience for the students. Having nearly 50 alumni in GA 1 was very demanding on a Program Director and really required a creative mind to give them something new.

Other random rivets in Harry's life = new lense with a 2.8 aperature and a trip to the hawaii class coming up Friday! Total stoke to work with Kirstin again as well as Fuzz and Aaron! In Father's Grace
~Adversarius

The Intern Walk

I'm beginning to comprehend what an incredible task God has put me to. The responsibility of teaching your piers and the flexibility of giving yourself to Father as a vessel to use as He pleases. It's going to be quite a challenge... learning right along with the ones I'm teaching and not always feeling adequate for the task. But I have no excuse to say I'm inadequate, for that would indeed be a statement of unbelief. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" and I simply need to trust Him to follow through. I find myself saying "God if You tell me what tomorrow holds, I'll trust You today" but His never fails to remind me that He's God and I'm not. "Trust Me, My son" He says, "Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself." This season is forcing me to go deeper with my heavenly Father because without that depth I can never truly bring Christ to the rest of the world. You can't give away what you don't own and what I desire more than anything is to see kids around the nation come to know Christ in a very real way. God is reality! If the culture could simply understand that, it would make all of our problems so much more simplistic. God is so applicable to every day if we just let Him be who He is!

Trusting that he'll give me the words to say... because like Moses I am slow to speech and my mouth can't always catch up with my mind. It is truly a gift to be able to communicate thoughts. It's one thing to ponder random deep thoughts, but to be able to logically make any verbal sense of mine is beyond hope. I know Father will give me the opportunity to grow in that fact during this season along with many other logistic/physical/spiritual quirks and habits I bring.

My God is the God of life! The provider, protector, healer, and omnipresent friend. Taking confidence in that if the first step to trusting in Him. His Grace is sufficient for all my needs.

So in Father's Grace

~Adversarius

Weddings

I had the opportunity to follow a wedding photographer last week, and she was able to teach me the ropes of an average wedding.

I'm coming to understand that placement is key for most events. You have to know the event well and the chronological order in which the action will unfold. My goal was to try and create the same kind of picture story that I've been working on in the past.

It was easy to get some really fun shots with great subjects like Juan and Kendal. They're naturally such a

happy couple so it was easy to capture a lot of emotion.

Mrs. Heather Bush did that actual photography for the wedding and she graciously allowed me to tag along. It was great to get some firsthand experience in that field of work so that I could apply it to the photojournalistic site of the isle.

Obviously I spent a lot of time on the dance floor. That seemed to be where most of the action was and where the bride and groom spent most of their time during the evening. The whole wedding was so full of life and such a joy to watch!

This shot really came as a surprise to me. I can only guess that the lighting has something to do with my flash going off at the same time as Mrs. Heather's.... so I have to admit... as cool as it may look... it is an accident.

Always room for improvement

~Adversarius

Picture Stories

In photojournalism it is especially important to make sure that every shot tells a story, and that you walk away from your mission with not just simply pictures of people at an event, but a documentary of the event that took place and the pivotal moments that capture an emotion or experience that took place. I've been working on "picture stories" lately, and I've really been trying to stress the key moments in the events that I go to.

I was recently at the local homeschool basketball game trying to work on composing such a story. Typically I try to come up with a portfolio of 10-20 shots that each tell a story of their own, and at the same time contribute to the story as a whole.

I've also come to realize that I will eventually have to moderate my shutter happy finger, since I did take over 3 hundred pictures at this game. I feel so hypocritical saying "only take the best shots" and it's difficult to say which ones are the best until the night is over. In a basketball game it's really tough to set up the pivotal shots because they're so candid... you really just have to sit and wait. On the other hand, if I'm working for the local newspaper and I'm doing a write up on a wedding, I'm probably going to want to set up for the memorable moments like the cutting of the cake, the kiss, and the first dance. Playing the role of newspaper guy won't require me to "snap, snap, snap" because it really has no sentimental value to the paper or the general public... it's simply a document.
Gyms aren't known for great lighting, so most of these have been touched with a little extra light. With action shots I typically don't like to use the flash. It because fever distracting to the players and you really don't get the quality you're looking for.

The white walls do help bounce the light a little.

The game itself was tremendous, so it made it easy to grab the intensity with the camera.

My only reget is I didn't get a shot that told the view "we won". I wish I had gotten a smile on a players face, or if nothing else the score board. The quest for perfection will only dishearten a courageous spirit, so instead seek joy in the work of your hands and in everything glorify God.

Adversarius

Silhouettes

The silhouette has always been one of my favorite shots but I've probably never gotten one quite as good as this. My 7 year old brother, Manning, wanted to learn the ropes around dad's warehouse yesterday, so he spent the day with me; driving the forklift, moving carpet and organizing the warehouse. On the way home we passed by an open field with a glorious sunset behind it, so I stopped to take a few silhouette shots of the trees. While I was setting up Manning got the urge to run in front of the lens... and thus this piece I like to call "freedom".

I've also been thinking a lot about action shots lately and on Thursday afternoon I was craving life through a lens. I ended up going to the homeschool guys basketball practice to play with the camera a little bit and get some angles on the action. I've decided I'm going to try to get a few good individual shots of each player during the season.

I've come to appreciate a slower shutter speed with action shots... especially if the light is less than accommodating. By following the subject during the shot I've found I can still keep pretty good focus on my action and keep the background blurred. Clean backgrounds are crucial for a good action shot!

In Father's Grace

~Adversarius

What to expect

Disclaimer: Being my first post, I thought I'd give the world it's fair share of warning as to what it should expect from this blog.

Dear World -

I'm currently pursuing a carrier in photojournalism so you'll probably get a lot of feed back from my field work and the inspiration that comes along with it. I'm active in politics and I have a love for travel and obviously photography so "photo"journalism seemed to cater to my interests... now if I could just decide where I want to study at I might have something going for me.

Photography has a huge tendency to be over rated, especially in the world of young, ignorant teenagers who are thrilled by their own image on a computer. But the "art" of capturing the moment, or "seizing the day" if you will, is not often acquired. Something that captivates the viewer and has a deeper meaning than just a cool shot. This is one of my favorite pieces that I believe portrays this concept of intising the audience. The title of the piece is "Impact" and it depicts a 7 year old boy gazing up at the countless names on the Vietnam Veteran's memorial wall. He's staring at something he can't comprehend and yet it makes such a direct impact on his life.

You also might find yourself sitting at my feet while a expound on my walk with God. I've been raised in a Christian home all my life, and I've spent the last few years delving myself into the mind of God, trying to grasp as much as I can from our Creator.

~Adversarius