Wireless Flash Trigger

I ordered a new toy a few weeks ago that finally showed up yesterday. I ordered a wireless flash trigger from a company called Gadget Infinity, which has all kinds of cheap tech toys. The industry standard for wireless flash triggering is something called a Pocket Wizard. Unfortunately, those run about $200-250 for one transciever, and you need two of them (one for the camaera, one for the flash) to even get started. The version I just purchased cost me $35 for the whole package: transmitter and reciever. It only has about a 30 ft tested range, but for most things, I can't imagine why you'd need more. I love it. Check out some test shots I took today (Dustin took the shot of me). You can click on the previews to see the full size image.

Sweet Sidewalk Art

Not really much to say here, but this guy's sidewalk art is, to steal a word, craz-amazing. Check out his gallery.

Christmas Pic's

I don't like, but I do like

I am not the least bit excited for the new Rambo movie. And if you're excited, shame on you (kidding). I'm going to go see it, in hopes that it's kind of like snakes on a plane...so bad that I can't help but laugh.
..::HOWEVER::..
I DO like the add I saw for it in the movie theater yesterday

Jeff and the chipmunks

I'm a chipmunk. Check it out!!!

Speaking of good from bad...

This guy makes art from dirty windshields...nice!

The good with the bad

I spent some time today looking at a few different photo galleries that claimed to be the "Best of 2007." Some were all of celebrities, some were all sports, others were shocking war images, natural disasters, and disease. Most of them seemed to all lean one way or another. Then I stumbled onto a set of Reuters Galleries and one in particular really managed to cover a lot of the good things that happened last year, and a lot of the not so good things; a good mix. It got me thinking about a few conversations I've had of late with people who can't manage to see any good in the world. But it also got me thinking about some other conversations I've had with folks who seem to completely block out the bad things. I think what made me smile looking back at this year was looking at the combination of the two. So here's what I saw in 2007...

I saw the end of my time at Bethel...but I saw the beginning of what looks to be an amazing journey at GCC.

I saw Notre Dame have a horrible season...but Ohio State had a fantastic one...and so did the Red Sox.

I saw a ton of horrible movies...but I had a blast with my friends sitting around making fun of them.

I saw a writers strike that ended my friends usual evening of watching T.V. together...now instead, some of them go to church, and the others go out to coffee and talk for hours.

I saw some prominent christians make some bad choices that got a lot of press coverage...but I also saw HUNDREDS of people get baptized inside a minor league ball park

I saw a bit of a let down movie about the beatles...then I saw my church take that same idea and whip it into shape and use it to tell people the story of Jesus.

I saw dropout rates in our local schools get pretty bad...but then I saw MY CHURCH open an alternative school in the heart of it all, and a food distribution center, and even more to come.

I walked through a trailer park with Corey and met a man who didn't know how he was going to make it through the winter without work...then I saw 800 people show up to load some boxes, and thousands show up to unload those boxes of food and care items and take them to places like that all over our area.

I saw a friend and a visitor from Switzerland get in a pretty nasty car accident...but then I saw that event turned around to show our Swiss friend what the body of Christ is all about.

I saw a flood destroy most of my hometown...but then I saw my town, my church, and most of all, my family become the hands and feet (and wallet, and car, and home) of Jesus in helping these people get their lives put back together.

...and in that, I saw my older brother struggling to find a great job....but that kept him at home during a time that my family and my community really needed him around to help.

I saw a tornado rip apart the town where I did my student teaching...but then I saw a line of aid workers backed up for miles and a call to our area churches saying "please don't send any more." That line is still working

I saw a young girl who wasn't prepared to be a mother...but then I saw some friends of mine who wanted to be parents given a chance to do just that.

I saw close friends of mine who thought they couldn't have any more children...but managed to do just that.

I saw a friend take a risk and move away from his friend...but since then he's gone on rock tours, worked on movie sets, and now gets to travel the country raising awareness for a organization that brings aide to children in Uganda.

I saw another friend lose her father...but then I watched her take that moment and remind herself and everyone around her how important it is to love well TODAY. No regrets.

With all that, I don't want to make it sound like I know what the good is in everything that happens, because there are definitely some things that happened this year that still have me scratching my head ranging from war and terrorism to the dollar theater being two dollars and gas being three. But there's been a whole host of wonderful things too, some good friends getting engaged, some getting married, two weeks of camp with tons of middle schoolers deciding to follow Christ, students going on missions trips to serve just because they know they need to, people walking through a doorway and joining the family of God, and people committing their time and money to help our church take it's next steps towards growth. I'll leave you with the photo gallery of what I saw in 2007. I think you'll see more good than bad.

adopt-a-family

Today, the youth staff (minus me because I couldn't fit in the car) went and delivered the adopt-a-family gifts. Apparently it went very well. Here's some photo's from the night the student bought/wrapped/prayed over the gifts. Enjoy!

Here we go

I'm upgrading today...hope this goes well.

A Lightfoot Christmas

Coach and Jackie Lightfoot really know how to throw a party. So they had the family over saturday night for a little fun...Lightfoot style. Note two things...
1. How much Robbie looks like his dad
2. How Lisa just decided she'd take a nap in the middle of the party.

some lifeline shots

food drop photos

shooting a notre dame game

I was watching the photographers at the Notre Dame basketball game the other night and I think I was a bit more interested in what they were doing than what was going on in the game. Probably because ND was slaughtering NIU, but anyway. I saw some cool things.
If you'll notice, this guy had two camera bodies. He used one camera for when they were at the other end of the floor, with I believe 100-300mm zoom. Then he had another body for in close with a 70-200mm. The part that intrigued me are the Pocket Wizard Wireless Flash remotes on top of the cameras.  If you look at the full size version of this photo, you can see what one of the remotes looks like.  He's got a spare on the outside of the bag on this lap.  I saw the flashes popping, but I couldn't see the actual flashes at first. But then I found them.There was a catwalk hanging from the dome one either side of the court.  On the four corners of that catwalk, at least three photographers had attached some studio flashes that were triggered by the pocket wizards. If you look really close on the photo. You can see the same 'walkie talkie' looking unit from the top of the photographers camera attached to the rail of the catwalk and wired into one of the flashes.I also noticed the end of a 16-35mm Canon lense sticking out behind the center post of the backboard. My best guess is that he had it set to be focused on the foul line for whenever folks were shooting free throws. I noticed he had a remote in his lap for that camera so whenever players were standing at the charity stripe, he grabbed the remote and shot away. It was a ton of fun to watch the photographers at work on saturday night. I wish I could see some of their pictures though. If you want to see the picturese that I took, you can check them out over at my picasa album.

Proof Jesus Loves the buckeyes

luke zeller ladies and gentlemen

questioning darwinism

Ben Stein has a new movie/documentary coming out soon.  And it's not on a topic I would ever assume.  The movie is all about the ostracism of scientists who are finding good scientific evidence for intelligent design.  Apparently people are being denied tenure, refused publishing, discredited, and all sorts of other slander from professionals in their field.  You can head to the movie home page to watch the five minute trailer.  The most interesting quote from the whole trailer was.  "In my experience, people who are confident in their ideas are not afraid of criticism.  So that tells me that darwinists are afraid.  They're hiding something."

Photoshop Tutorial - Black and White

I realize I'm not the authority on the matter, and I've seen about 35 ways to make a black and white image. Be these are the safest and quickest ways in my mind

the best call ever

Wait til the official makes the call over the P.A.

Video - Oak Grove Park

Photoshop Tutorial - Whitening Teeth

1. It stays grey for about 5 seconds. I don't know why
2. Unrelated-I changed some things in the CSS of my blogger template. I really like it. Do YOU?

On a snowy night in Elkhart

Tonight I saw something amazing. I saw hundreds of people, young and old, come together to packs boxes and boxes of food for the people in need around our community. I think I saw over a hundred palettes full of boxes, 6 semi's full, packed in a little over two hours. I walked into Feed the Chidlren last night about fifteen minutes late, and as I walked in, I noticed people walking away saying that there were too many people there to help. What a wonderful problem to have. When I walked onto the packing floor, I was overwhelmed at the amount of people that had shown up. I got out my camera to start shooting, and I had no idea where to start. I love GCC. Things didn't go perfectly for us, but the people of our church stepped up and answered the call, with smiles on their faces. Here are just a few of my pictures...

A cool project

I found this photographer online who is doing a project where he takes a portrait of a different person every day, for a year. Some of the people are celebrities, some are just random people. You can check it out over here at 365 Portraits. I really like this guys work. They're all really great shots, and in a bunch of different styles. Some are film, some are digital, some studio, some not. Just a cool idea.
***Warning-A few months back, there was a photo only for big people, so I can't guarentee it's all kid friendly***

Good day to be a Buckeye!

+PLUS+
=EQUALS=

AWAKE - Movie Review

Last night was the opening night for a film called Awake. I thought it was good, three of the five people I went with thought it wasn't good. The other person was texting his girlfriend the whole time so he had no opinion. Rotten Tomatoes says no good, but ya know what, opinions. i liked it.