Mother Mary leading us to the living light of her son Jesus Christ
Today's reading was about the Transfiguration of our Lord. The great foreshadowing for heaven's glories!
The thought of that reminded me of this photo I took a few weeks ago. A nice statue of Mary backlit and a little flash up front...Well illuminated just like she was in life as she fully accepted and lived the life of love Christ called us to lead.
Well here is to praying we all have a good week dreaming of God's glory!
-ehw
All Saints Catholic Church, Dunwood, Georgia Blessed Sacrament Chapel
Today starts the longest 40 days of the year: Lent. I kept up a small tradition of getting a photograph on the way to work at the church I attend for Ash Wednesday mass. Today it was All Saints Catholic Church in Dunwoody, Georgia.
One thing struck me in the morning mass, and it was the fact that Catholics on this day are called to put a sign of repentance on our foreheads. A mark that we have sinned and now must begin to the repentance and change needed to draw closer to God. God's mercy is boundless, but it is not available unless we make the internal and external corrections changing our live's to match God's law.
This evening (I unexpectedly had to take the big kids since the pregnant momma was feeling ill at noon) the priest specifically cited challenges of our times. He reminded us of how easy the internet puts threats to marriage, sanctity, chastity, integrity and life in God in front of us. In many ways, instead of making our lives easier it makes resisting the challenges of evil harder. He reminded all of us, our guard cannot drop. The reality is though, we are human and our guard will drop.
As a result, this season of reflection and penance is more necessary than ever for us. It is our chance to refocus our lives towards God. It is our chance to review where new threats from evil enter our lives, how they hurt our community here on earth.
I think most people know this. My wife reminded me tonight Ash Wednesday is not a Holy Day of Obligation in the United States. Despite this fact, she said more people will attend service today on any Holy Day of Obligation on the calendar outside of Easter and Christmas!
So in a world which filled the headlines with wicked spiritual warfare from ISIS, a mayor fired a respected and honorable fire chief for the sin of speaking his faith like Pilgrims did, and people steal identities like a monsoon brings rain...we have a sign of hope from the Holy Spirit. Today more Catholics (and the Anglicans I saw waving on the street for people to come in and visit) went to church to start righting themselves with God's law just because they KNOW THEY NEED GOD to achieve the potential greatness he laid in their souls at conception.
Pretty nice thought if you ask me.
-ehw
P.S. Fujifilm XT-1 with 35mm. Liking the camera more everyday. It just works without getting in my way.
I only learn with each visit how much more I have to learn...
Two nights ago I read a very short essay on photography. The author (Scott Bourne) exhorted readers to revisit a site time and time again. To shoot the scene from above, below, left, right, with new settings and depth....all because in photography we try to capture three dimensions in a two dimensional frame. When you also consider we artists may try to communicate a sense of the environment and emotion in those same two dimensions I think you can agree the task of making art communicate is actually harder than it looks.
So that is why I again visited a familiar subject. The cross in our sanctuary at St. Thomas Aquinas Church here in Alpharetta, Georgia. I've heard a few sermons about Christ's victory on the cross recently, and it made me think in new ways about those hours when he sacrificed himself for us. Then last week I read about using flash with grid to isolate a subject in broad daylight. Well I had no flash, but I could play with my exposure meter just enough to get me on my way to the same effect. So in the silence of the church I was able conceive in my mind a vision of a piece of art I wanted to share.
I wanted to convey the feeling the devil wanted Christ, and you and I, to feel when crucified or targeted by his dark friends. I wanted to convey the sense of darkness surrounding Christ on the cross. While I conveyed that, I also wanted to give us viewers a sense of hope. I did that by making sure the inner light of the word made flesh shone out above the darkness. I thought this might show how he gives hope to the world in our darkest moments.
See I could also see, in the back of my mind, the terrible atrocities being committed against Christians in the Middle East. Boys and girls my son' Kevin's s age are being tortured, and murdered, under the crucifixes of their churches because their hearts stand with God. As a father and shepherd, my heart and gut is wrenched thinking of what happened to them. I fear what could happen to my sweet children, if spiritual and martial defenses weaken in the slightest degree. The darkness is my fear revealed.
I can also see the light. Those young innocents and martyrs also demonstrate complete faith in Christ's word. They literally display the faith of a child in the face of men with weapons and fully developed strength. Those children are the light of Christ on the cross, hands outspread, using their final acts of faith to call me to greater unity with God in my daily lives.
I have so much more I need to learn and do to live the life God intended for me. It makes me wonder who and where my next lesson will arise from.
-ehw
St. Thomas Aquinas
St. Thomas Aquinas wrote millions of words in his lifetime. Today was St. Thomas Aquinas' feast day. So my picture tonight is of his last work, the Shorter Summa. I must say it is a masterpiece. It says more in a paragraph than I can muster with a novel. I am slowly working my way through it. I can handle one chapter at a time. Then I have to really meditate on what he said, because see I am just an old infantryman not used to such big thoughts. Once I get it though, I am inspired for weeks.
Been working the real job a total of 15 out of 16 days straight....so I'm a little tired but also creatively needy. So when my patron saint's day came up today, I just had to take a few minutes to enjoy it in my own special ways. First I got to be with my kids, watch a few minutes of a movie, say a rosary with my daughter, and then grab the camera of course to remember the man for what he was most famous! No I will be off to bed for a long winter's nap!
-ehw
PS To get the effects I experimented with gels on my flash. It was quite fun! Processed in Capture One 8, my current favorite editing suite.
Through the storms of life he saves
The four hour trip, planned afternoon meetings, getting a work out....the plans of man.
The morning storm in the nation's capital...three inches of snow...two cancelled flights (one after I was on board!), the broken luggage carousel adding over an hour to bag recovery, cancelled meetings and arriving after thirteen hours in the dark on a cold blustery night revealed the plans of nature.
I kept my calm...almost completely...read two good books by Scott Hahn and most importantly when I thought I was just going to be beyond frustrated for the day found the place to say my rosary. See I needed calm, and the big glass windows overlooking the tarmac and runways called me. There I stood in the long Atlanta winter sun, the warmth making me relax, and my rosary called.
Today I said the Sorrowful Mysteries (Agony in the Garden, Scourging at the Pillar, Crown of Thorns, Carrying the Cross, and Death on the Cross) and it put me right into my place. I thought I had a bad day? That was a bad day!
Suddenly tonight as I was preparing for bed I knew Christ had provided my daily photography inspiration. I could not pass it up, or fail to share right away. It was the what the spirit wished me to do to give back some glory to the Lord for my safe travels.
Vivat Jesus!
-ehw
I'll confess this little one is a sweetheart, and I'm partial to her since her parents are good friends of ours. However I think those eyes make the shot, and capture your heart. Her eyes will captivate you in person, and I hope I put such a feeling in this photo.
To accomplish this little shot I was playing with my favorite little lens, the Fujinon 23mm F1.4. In this photo I experimented with an extremely shallow depth of field, opening the aperture all the way just to see what it will do. Because I was using a mirrorless camera, my Fuji XE-1, I was able to see the DOF in the screen as I composed the image in real time.
I know some purists out there will be screaming that professionals use a viewfinder, and that I am violating some law of photography since I did not have my eye up to the viewfinder. Heck I might as well have used a cell phone right? Well probably yes and definitely no.
See part of the reason I switched from traditional DSLRs to this mirrorless design was I got comfortable keeping eye contact with my subjects during composition. An instructor told us how vital was, and at first I was like yah right...but then I tried it. Eye contact helped me take a great group photo of 64 VIPs. Why? Because by looking at my subjects I kept control over them. It then helped me take individual subjects mind off the camera and kept it focused on our conversation. With younger kids it became much less about the camera, and more about the game we were playing. I found more candid moments caught, and fewer cheesy smiles that look like the child in under duress.
Well...the journey is still moving forward as I learn more about my little craft...and I hope to share more of these lessons as I go forward with you!
-ehw
The ability to shoot fantastic people, things and events is what keeps me coming back to this hobby. I seek out lots of challenges, and they help me grow both as a professional and personal.
This '68 Shelby GT500KR was a hoot to be around. It is one of four that year to have both an automatic transmission and an air conditioner. It sounds real pretty when it is running as well.
During this shoot I learned firsthand the value of speed, efficiency, and technical skills required to provide top tier products. I realized about 25 things in my last accounting of to improves from this shoot. The biggest one I can mention now is the value of shooting in a good lighting window or creating your own good lighting.
As I created these images I could understand the technical masterpieces so many artists create with good strobes, reflectors and scrims. On the day of this shot I did not have a large enough scrim...say about 10x20 feet... so we moved the vehicles all around to make this work out in good lighting. Try as I might the 46 inch circular just did not cut it no matter what we did.
Despite all that I still produced a some really nice images I am happy to share!
-ehw
PS. As will all my images they are available for sale, and 10% of the sale price will go to charity.
Who's Hand is in the sand?
On this Sunday morning, with the two youngest kiddos on my lap, I read the Divine Office of Readings for today. The reading was about Ester. Here she was a young woman being rounded up, just because of her beauty and taken into the harem of the king.
I cannot imagine the thoughts and fears she had on that fateful day. She was nothing more than a pawn, in fact she was less than a pawn at that moment. She was a grain of sand in a vast desert. However, inside that grain of sand we know as Ester something stronger and more significant was ready to bloom through the grace of God.
See Ester had the seeds of faith planted inside that grain of sand through the gift of faith. Through the events unfolding around her she would receive the choice to stand fast with her faith or cover her face in fear. Her free choice to sacrifice herself for her people is a foreshadowing (one of many) of the type of life Christ led on his way to the cross.
As a parent Ester's story only tells part of the story's lesson. Her foster father Mordecai fulfilled his parental and priestly duties towards Ester by first forming her in faith, and then continually reminding her of God's covenant through to her people. A covenant which only survives if each generation embraces it freely in their hearts and deeds. That is why Mordecai continued to remind his adopted daughter of God's commandments and covenant until the crisis peaked.
The challenges we face in this world today are no different than those Mordecai and Ester faced. The way to overcome those challenges are also no different than their responses. Parents and children must respond to the hand in the sand, the love and wisdom of the Holy Spirit in all that we do.
Parents and clergy must form their children with wisdom and the fear of God (that is the desire not to disappoint God) so they can evolve their faith into Love of God (where we make his will our own). We parents can never stop living our lives calling out both ourselves and our children to holiness. We must never stop praying the gift of faith is given to our children.
Children must understand as early as possible, they have a great inheritance. The covenant of God passed down and expanded from God through Abraham, through David, through Christ to each of us. Through this covenant we bind ourselves to follow his law, and obtain the rewards of eternal unity with him in heaven. Their basic choice in life is to chose virtue over vice each day of their lives. Whether they choose to do it from fear or love will be their own, and a decision they must understand accountability falls on them alone.
Have a blessed Sunday while remembering how Ester and Mordecai listened to the hand in the sand.
-ehw
Fingers in the Sand
Today someone drew in the sand a little story. The lines left behind still drew me into an enchanting world of mystery. I may understand parts of the story, but I will never grasp the whole story! I am sure of this since it was not my hand drawing out the tale. It immediately made me think of God's handiwork I see around me, and the mysteries of God I will never comprehend.
Did you have an adventure from fingers in the sand today yourself?
-ehw
Shelby Cobra 67-500
This Shelby Cobra is the last of the 67's. Number 500 in fact! I saw the documentation and original window sticker to get all the proof I could need.
So it is also the last of the Cobras in the original Mustang body style. As you can see the car also wears a special badge signifying the good work of the owners to maintain it in original form. Yes it still has that wonderful throaty engine sound. It has about 14,000 original miles on it (well if I remember accurately).
This photo is available for sale if you'd like to have it adorn you wall, christmas cards or coffee mugs....please contact me at www.ehwphotography@gmail.com! It will help me pay for the website! Let me know the size you are looking for, and I will get you a price quote!
-ehw
The older Brothers
This morning, before the raindrops came falling down around us...I got to spend some time with two legendary cars (as well as two younger siblings). Yes I visited a Shelby Cobra collector and it was fantastic.
These are a '67 Shelby (number 500) and a '68 Shelby KR. They are wonderful automobiles. True museum pieces if I ever saw one...except these are working samples. Both got back inside before the rain started coming down to protect their original coats of paint. Hearing the engines was also a wonderful experience. I wish I could give you a sample of the sounds along with the photos. The owners were fabulous hosts!
I'd just like to extend my thanks to the owner and his family for welcoming me into their home today. I am excited to return soon and complete the job on a drier fall day. I'd also like to thank them for letting me add these to my public portfolio!
Thats right, the work you shall see in coming days is now part of my portfolio, and therefore available to you through EHW Photography.
-ehw
The orange VW Bug
My parents were not hippies (not my Army officer Dad!), but we did have this type of camper back in the 70's. Since the statue of limitations is over I can tell you we sat five in a car with only three seat belts for several years. My sister and brother both slept on a hammock over the driver's seat as toddlers. I can't remember if I was in the tent or not. I think I did, at least once. We also went to see the first Superman movie at the drive through in this big bug as a family. That was a fun night. I also remember holding the check from the back used to pay for it...and as an adult I drove past that spot and memory every day for two years 30 years later.
This automobile may not be a horse, but it does foster bonds between who we are today and our past. Maybe it is because we associate travel with growth and freedom here in the USA. I know this is a poor way to explain an American and their automobiles. I just had to get those stories out. The car made me do it!
-ehw
P.S. X-E1 with HDR Efex Pro2, Slight color treatment in Nik Color Efex 4.
Just too nice not to capture this image
This car sat right next to my booth on Sunday. It was screaming to be photographed. This is one of my favorites from the car. The light and reflection of trees in the chrome makes it almost magical. Well in my opinion! I hope you agree. Any feedback is appreciated.
As with so many cars at the show this one brought back memories for my childhood. This was the car of the Rich and Famous in my teen years. I could never hope to own one (still can't) but they were very refined and lovely cars for their day. Today they are just plain old classy.
-ehw
P.S. jpeg HDR conversion, nine shots +/-3EV. Done in HDR Efex2 by nik. Color Effex4 chrome correction, and finished in Perfect Effects 8.
A Shelby Cobra
I'm very excited. My son and I had a great time at Caffeine and Octane on Sunday morning. I cannot reveal the details yet, but lets just say this photo is practice for an upcoming project.
Although we had many challenges as a family this weekend, it turned out alright. Now I'm getting ready for another good work week with great people solving problems. I can only thank God for the opportunity to care for my family and others whenever possible. Jesus is the greatest example of selflessness in history...and I hope I am living the calling he set before me.
-ehw
P.S. Fujifilm X-E1 post in Nik Color Effex4..and a touch of sharpening in Aperture with a brush. As always if you want to know what I did, contact me and I'll share.
I will be there, but not driving this Chevy
EHW Photography will be at Caffeine and Octane tomorrow morning from 7A-11AM at 12600 Deerfield Parkway, Alpharetta, Georgia. I'll be selling photos, and hopefully capturing a few new ones to share! Over 600 people and their autos usually attend. So if you want to see classics, hotrods, and modern special editions come on down!
-ehw
A touch of color
Today is Techie Wednesday is about color, or lack thereof...
Today we have a lovely photo where the color of Blues and Greens provided a nice compliment to each other. However I wanted a bit more...I wanted contrast of the blue on grey to make the blue really pop on the screen while the leaves provided context without distraction.
So remember that! Black and White focuses the eye on the structure, patterns, form of the photograph. Color can sometimes enhance this, but many times will detract from it.
In this case I wanted to place each element where it would help me make an image with impact. So I used both to the best effect I could.
Hopefully if you like these little techie moments I'll make sure they get out to you more often.
-ehw
Sometimes the words and deeds get a little mixed up
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 Mimosa Blvd home in Roswell, GA
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!
The Old porch at night...
A reception house set up for a wedding
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
Imagine this as a 16x20 metal!
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
A fast start....
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