The Lashua Family

One major benefit of doing newborn photography is getting the chance to see these beautiful, tiny infants grow up right before my eyes.  The Lashua's are good, dear friends of mine, so I called them up to see if they would like to update their family photos and the agreed!

We got to hang out at Leadbetter beach in Santa Barbara and enjoy a gorgeous late afternoon "kicking it" on the beach

Two Year Reunion

 

A couple of weeks ago I received a call from the McAvoy family wanting to do an update to their family portraits I did two years ago.

Before I go on, I need to give a little background on this particular shoot.

Two years ago, My good friend and fellow photographer Kenji Fukudome had auctioned off a family portrait session for a local charity, which the McAvoy's won.  Unfortunately, Kenji was out of the country when baby Sia came into this world, so he asked if I would fill in. I agreed.


Having never shot a family portrait session before, I went in just a tad nervous as I had never met the clients before the shoot, and as a single, unmarried bachelor, with no children of my own, I did not know what to expect.

Long story short, I had an absolutely amazing experience!. The McAvoys were an absolute joy to work with on every level. In fact, I had such a positive experience, I decided that family portraiture is an are that I would lie to specialize in!

Here we are, two years later, baby Sia has grown into a precocious two year old and older sister Keira was just a bundle of joyful energy.

I wanted to thank the McAvoy family for allowing me to spend an afternoon with them enjoying some quality time with them at the beach. Better yet, thank you for the beautiful honor and the opportunity to document the growth of your children.

=BM= 

Headshots!

Last Saturday, I had the distinct pleasure of photographing head shots of the students at Santa Barbara Junior High School.

My good friend Rich Lashua just happens to be the drama teacher over there and he thought it would be a great idea to get the kids some head shots to post int he lobby before the show. What a great idea!

The setup is pretty simple. Two Nikon SB-600 speedlights blasting into a neutral grey background, blow out the background to white.  The main light is a Nikon SB-900 Speedlight in a Westcott Apollo 50" softbox, camera right.

The lights were triggered with PocketWizard Flex TT5 and controlled with the awesome PocketWizard AC3 Zone controller. (For the record, I absolutely LOVE this thing!)

After that, it was just a matter of getting Jr. High School students to come out of their shell, in front of a middle-aged stranger pointing a massive camera lens in their face. Why would they ever feel self-conscious?. (That would be sarcasm)

Luckily Mr. Lashua was there to help, as he is a bit of a nut (Which is probably why we get along so well) together, we were able to get some great looks from the kids! Be sure to check out the show "Rules of Comedy" Friday and Saturday March 15-16 at the  Marjorie Luke Theater at Santa Barbara Jr. High School.

It's going to be a great show!

So, God Made a Framer

I just got home from watching the Super Bowl at my good friends' house, and after what looked to a bit of a snoozer after the first half, the 49ers just about pulled out an exciting win at the very end.

Alas, it wasn't to be...

Regardless, there were many fun and creative television adds this year, but the Dodge RAM Truck/Paul Harvey "So God Made a Farmer" commercial blew me away!

According to TheBlaze.com, the speech was given at the 1978 Future Farmers of America convention.  (A full audio version of the speech can be found HERE) The full text of the speech is listed below. Items in bold blue were sections omitted from the commercial.

    And on the eighth day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said I need a caretaker- So God made a Farmer

    God said I need somebody willing to get up before dawn, milk the cows, work all day in the field, milk cows again, eat supper then go to town and stay past midnight at a meeting of the school board – So God made a Farmer

    [I need somebody with arms strong enough to wrestle a calf and yet gentle enough to deliver his own grandchild; somebody to call hogs,tame cantankerous machinery, come home hungry, have to await lunch until his wife's done feeding visiting ladies, then tell the ladies to be sure and come back real soon, and mean it - So God made a Farmer]

    God said I need somebody willing to sit up all night with and newborn colt, and watch it die, then dry his eyes and say maybe next year. I need somebody who can shape an axe handle from a persimmon sprout, shoe a horse with a hunk of car tire, who can make a harness out of hay wire, feed sacks and shoe straps, who at planting time and harvest season will finish his forty hour week by Tuesday noon and then, paining from tractor back, will put in another 72 hours – So God made a Farmer

    [God had to have somebody willing to ride the ruts at double speed to get the hay in ahead of the rain, and yet stop in midfield and race to help when he sees first smoke from a neighbor's place - So God made a Farmer]

    God said I need somebody strong enough to clear trees and heave bales, yet gentle enough to wean lambs and pigs and tend to pink combed pullets; who will stop his mower for an hour to splint the broken leg of a meadowlark.

    It had to be somebody who’d plow deep and straight and not cut corners; somebody to seed, weed, feed, breed, and rake and disk and plow and plant and tie the fleece and strain the milk and replenish the self-feeder and a hard week’s work with a five-mile drive to church.

    Somebody who would bale a family together with the soft, strong bonds of sharing; who would laugh and then sigh, and then reply with smiling eyes when his son says he want to spend his life doing what dad does – So God made a Farmer

Wow...

First of all, the photography was absolutely stunning, but coupled with Paul Harvey's flawless narrative, this was the best two minutes of television I might have seen in a VERY long time. It was absolutely brilliant!

Paul Harvey was known to be a man of great faith and what struck me most about the poem in the commercial, is how the generic "farmer" so eloquently reflected the attributes of a Goldy man and how we should walk with the Lord.

We are to be caretakers of the land, hard-working, tending to our children and our family's needs, be grateful and loving husbands, strong, yet gentle, a good neighbor, creative resourceful, not ones to cheat or take shortcuts, nurturing, I could go on and on... The narrative really touched a sympathetic nerve with me.

I guess the point that was driven home, is that the farmer is a metaphor for us as men and women in Christ. No matter what our occupation, whether it be in the fields of the mid-west, or in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara, we all need to think of ourselves as lowly, humble, farmers, doing our work humbly and faithfully for the Lord while caring for our family and the neighbors in our community.

After all, isn't that what he created us to do?

Carl Sagan on Books

 

A good, dear friend of mine, who just happens to be a teacher, posted this wonderful quote from Carl Sagan regarding the gift of books.  My friend mused that he though it might be a good idea to blow this picture up and post it as a large poster inside his classroom (A mighty fine idea, if you ask me)

I too, thought it was a wonderful quote, however, I was struck with something perhaps unintended by the author, a well-known agnostic.

Let's break it down, shall we?

 “A book is made from a tree. It is an assemblage of flat, flexible parts (still called "leaves") imprinted with dark pigmented squiggles. 

Indeed! Especially the ones in Arabic. (A little linguistics humor)

One glance at it and you hear the voice of another person, perhaps someone dead for thousands of years. 

Whoa! This got my attention. I immediately thought of the Bible and God's word and how it has been handed down and endured over hundreds of years. This thought then brilliantly teed up the next sentence of his which drove the message home to me.

Across the millennia, the author is speaking, clearly and silently, inside your head, directly to you. 

AMEN! The author (Jesus Christ) is indeed speaking, clearly and silently inside my head (but not so quietly in my heart) and it is indeed DIRECTLY to me (and hopefully to you too!) When we read the Word of God, we draw closer to his love and grace. We are enriched by his Holy Spirit and moved to live in a way that pleases Him.

Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people, citizens of distant epochs, who never knew one another. Books break the shackles of time ― proof that humans can work magic.” 

Keeping things framed in terms of the Bible and the word of God, it is through His written word that He has reached "citizens of distant epochs", "binding them together" and although we "who never knew one another" perhaps personally, we do know one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. We are the Church, brought together divinely by an "assemblage of flat, flexible parts, imprinted with dark pigmented squiggles, brought to us by people who are dead, thousands of years ago" with a whole bunch of the Holy Spirit thrown in for good measure. ;0)

Sagan ends with the thought "Books break the shackles of time ― proof that humans can work magic.” 

 

I would respectfully disagree with Mr. Sagan and say that it is Jesus Christ who is working the magic. The humans are just instruments in which He does His will.  

The real magic is that He can use a self-proclaimed agnostic such as Carl Sagan to illustrate just how wondrous and precious his Holy Word is to all of us.

 =BM=

COLUMBINE 12 YEARS LATER

One of my favorite blogs as of late, is that of Bill Fortney, who is an ex-professional photographer and a fellow brother in Christ, who fancies himself now, as a "hardcore amateur" because he "no longer makes a living at photography". (I should be so lucky ;0) Yet, he is employed by Nikon as a Professional Services Tech Rep covering the Southern United States. (What a hack! :0)

IN all seriousness, it was his blog that inspired me to go the direction that I have chosen to go here, mixing both faith based issues with those that are photography based. I would invite everyone to go check it out at billfortney.com. (He's pretty darned good ;0)

Today's post on his blog, was something that was something shared with him from a friend, that I just had to share with all you.

 COLUMBINE STUDENT’S FATHER 12 YEARS LATER!!

Guess our national leaders didn’t expect this. On Thursday, Darrell Scott, the father of Rachel Scott, a victim of the Columbine High School shootings in Littleton , Colorado , was invited to address the House Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee. What he said to our national leaders during this special session of Congress was painfully truthful.

They… were not prepared for what he was to say, nor was it received well. It needs to be heard by every parent, every teacher, every politician, every sociologist, every psychologist, and every so-called expert! These courageous words spoken by Darrell Scott are powerful, penetrating, and deeply personal. There is no doubt that God sent this man as a voice crying in the wilderness.. The following is a portion of the transcript:

“Since the dawn of creation there has been both good & evil in the hearts of men and women. We all contain the seeds of kindness or the seeds of violence. The death of my wonderful daughter, Rachel Joy Scott, and the deaths of that heroic teacher, and the other eleven children who died must not be in vain. Their blood cries out for answers.

“The first recorded act of violence was when Cain slew his brother Abel out in the field. The villain was not the club he used.. Neither was it the NCA, the National Club Association. The true killer was Cain, and the reason for the murder could only be found in Cain’s heart.

“In the days that followed the Columbine tragedy, I was amazed at how quickly fingers began to be pointed at groups such as the NRA. I am not a member of the NRA. I am not a hunter. I do not even own a gun. I am not here to represent or defend the NRA – because I don’t believe that they are responsible for my daughter’s death. Therefore I do not believe that they need to be defended. If I believed they had anything to do with Rachel’s murder I would be their strongest opponent.

I am here today to declare that Columbine was not just a tragedy — it was a spiritual event that should be forcing us to look at where the real blame lies! Much of the blame lies here in this room. Much of the blame lies behind the pointing fingers of the accusers themselves. I wrote a poem just four nights ago that expresses my feelings best.

       Your laws ignore our deepest needs,
       Your words are empty air.
       You’ve stripped away our heritage,
       You’ve outlawed simple prayer.
       Now gunshots fill our classrooms,
       And precious children die.
       You seek for answers everywhere,
       And ask the question “Why?”
       You regulate restrictive laws,
       Through legislative creed.
       And yet you fail to understand,
       That God is what we need!

“Men and women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, mind, and spirit. When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up, we create a void that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and wreak havoc. Spiritual presences were present within our educational systems for most of our nation’s history. Many of our major colleges began as theological seminaries. This is a historical fact. What has happened to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in so doing, we open the doors to hatred and violence. And when something as terrible as Columbine’s tragedy occurs — politicians immediately look for a scapegoat such as the NRA. They immediately seek to pass more restrictive laws that contribute to erode away our personal and private liberties. We do not need more restrictive laws. Eric and Dylan would not have been stopped by metal detectors. No amount of gun laws can stop someone who spends months planning this type of massacre. The real villain lies within our own hearts.

“As my son Craig lay under that table in the school library and saw his two friends murdered before his very eyes, he did not hesitate to pray in school. I defy any law or politician to deny him that right! I challenge every young person in America , and around the world, to realize that on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School prayer was brought back to our schools. Do not let the many prayers offered by those students be in vain. Dare to move into the new millennium with a sacred disregard for legislation that violates your God-given right to communicate with Him. To those of you who would point your finger at the NRA — I give to you a sincere challenge.. Dare to examine your own heart before casting the first stone!
My daughter’s death will not be in vain! The young people of this country will not allow that to happen!”
– Darrell Scott

As a nation, we are becoming splintered and torn apart at the seams. We need to embrace the Holy Spirit and come back to Jesus. We do that through prayer and daily time in his word, building a relationship with him and making him the center of our lives. He has healed my life and he can heal yours too! All you need to do, is ask with a sincere heart, confess yourself as sinful man or woman and ask Jesus to take control of your life. He will bless you and honor you in ways you never thought possible.  - Amen

=BM=

Chakra Chip Cookies

One of the many blessings of attending Calvary Chapel Santa Barbara, is our pastor David Guzik, who just so happens to have an EXTENSIVE Bible commentary online at Enduringword.com.

If you ever read a passage of the Bible and aren't quite sure what it might mean, or perhaps you simply want a much more in-depth insight to a particular passage, this sight is for you!  I can't recommend David's commentary highly enough, for anyone wanting to delve deeper into God's word. I can't believe that we have such an amazing resource right here in Santa Barbara!  We are truly blessed.

The only drawback to the site, is that the (free) website is online, therefore, if I am out and about with my iPad and not near an internet WiFi hot spot, I am out of luck. 

What's the solution? Download an electronic copy for your Kindle (I use the  Kindle iPad app) and then you are free to read at the beach, or wherever your favorite place is to seek quiet time with the Lord.

Having recently attended a church retreat based on Romans 5-9 "Grounded in Grace" I decided to further study the book of Romans and go much deeper and in-depth.

The Kindle version of the Romans commentary is only $2.99, so I bought it.

Fast forward to a week later, and I see this priceless little ditty in my Amazon "suggestions"

One cannot find two more diametrically opposed viewpoints of spirituality than these two schools of thought.

One balancing "power-centers" inwardly, sellf-reliant and worshiping the god that is you.

Yet another, casting away the self as sinful and unworthy, yet saved by the loving, eternal grace of Jesus Christ, by simply believing in Him.

What is Amazon thinking? Is this some kind of cruel joke? Seriously?

I can only hope that Amazon recommends David Guzik's commentary on Romans to the people who look up "Chakra Balancing"


Paul writes at the end of Romans 8...

³⁷ "But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

AMEN!

Oh, and one more thing Amazon... No thank you. I'll pass on the Chakra and stick with Jesus. ;0)

=BM=