Sample 51 - A Clear Path To Follow (Vail, CO '11) (1)

This was taken from the gondola that took us to the top of one of the mountains overlooking Vail, and the glass I needed to shoot through gave this shot some extra blur. Couldn't complain though; the shot looked nice when I played with it as I converted it to black and white.

I liken an achievement as getting from one place to another. You were in one place/condition and you ended up somewhere better.

There can be many paths to get from one place to another. Some paths are less taken than others. Some paths are clearly the best routes to take. It's rare but possible for us to make our own paths to achieve something.

It's easy to fall into the temptation of over-assessing a situation and all the paths to the next step. Something I thought about this morning:

Thinking too much about everything + focusing on nothing = Headless Chicken.

I found out that I can rely on coffee to help out in thinking about everything, but if I'm not focused on anything, frustration can suddenly take over.

Sometimes it's best to let other people go on with their own paths, while we take our time in assessing, consulting when we can, and praying all the way.

That last bit was important. Solomon was absolutely correct in stating in Proverbs 3:6, "In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths."

The quickest and most effective path to take is taken while walking with the Holy Spirit.

God bless you.

 
_________________________
jb.redeemed
email me at jibee@rocketmail.com. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift His countenance upon you and give you His Shalom. - Numbers 6:24-26

Checkpoint 5

I call this 'The Slaughterhouse, Revisited'; This shot started off as DSC_3985.NEF, but this wasn't the first place I posted it; It was number 12 in my abandoned 365 project last year, 2011. How unfortunate for me to forget that Flickr only allows me to show only 200 of the most recently uploaded photos on my stream. Check it out here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jibee/5354790648/in/photostream/lightbox/; I noticed it was a bit darker than this version. 

Right now I'm thinking about just merging jibeeshoots.blogspot.com with the original jibee.blogspot.com; I'm a Christian who happens to be enthusiastic about photography - no sense in keeping what I share in two separate blogs when I can have just one.

Now I remember; Hope In Sight was originally 'The Headset Hook', a blog which I made originally for me to make secular posts regarding call center issues and other technical stuff.

Lord, here's another decision I raise up to You; let Your Name be glorified in all this. In Jesus Christ's Name, Amen. 

Okay. I've been watching a documentary on Ansel Adams, and I have to say, this guy was motivated, and focused above all other things. He was 100% concentrated on ensuring he was accurately communicating what he felt when he shot a landscape, from composition to presentation. His large-format, monochrome pieces of art are sheer masterpieces, blessings in their own form; They are instantly captivating, and obviously need no complicated elaboration to leave people speechless.

That convicted me in the sense that I should look at my own life, my own testimony - am I leaving the same impact? Should I even be thinking about it? No, I should keep on moving forward, taking step by step by faith and not by sight, allowing the Holy Spirit to minister... Shooting along the way.

Let's see how all this plays. To God be the glory. 


_________________________
jb.redeemed
email me at jibee@rocketmail.com. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift His countenance upon you and give you His Shalom. - Numbers 6:24-26

Sample 50 - Curtain of Light (Colorado '08) (2)

...So you probably noticed the color of the skies in both shots are different - when I ran the second photo through Photomatix, it applied Tone Mapping settings I used for a previous shot, and... well, I kind of liked it looking a little warmer. If I made it look more natural, I'm thinking that it'll look like any other cloud shot, and the impact of the light punching through the clouds would have been watered down. What do you think?

"Lord of endless light,
 Let Your glory shine forever;
 All the earth, all the earth will sing Your praise!

 Hope of every heart
 Let Your Name be lifted higher!
 All our hearts, all our hearts will sing Your praise!

 God be exalted, God be exalted, in everything!
 We live for Your glory, live for Your glory!"

- Hillsong, "Endless Light"

As the light of the sun shines as great and beautiful curtain through the clouds and into the darkness, so the glory of the Lord is made more evident in the most difficult of circumstances. Whether we believe in Jesus Christ or not, I firmly stand by the truth of His Word, that He has been and is faithful to us even when we were faithless, and the best thing to do during these times is to draw near to Him...

Are you weary? Are you tired? Are you confused? My brother, my sister, cast your burden upon the Lord Jesus Christ, and He will give you rest.. Believe in Him, and you will be saved.

God bless you.


_________________________
jb.redeemed
email me at jibee@rocketmail.com. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift His countenance upon you and give you His Shalom. - Numbers 6:24-26

Sample 49 - No Longer Just Wallpaper (Arizona '10)

I'll have to admit, we weren't in the Canyon at the best time of the day, but who was I to complain? Shooting in the Grand Canyon was a great experience, and an absolute blessing! The colors in this shot may be a bit too saturated for some, but there's more from this shoot to follow...

"It's not about where it's coming from, but where it's going. It's not about where you get your power but for who you're doing it for." -Pao

The opportunities I've had to shoot in the Grand Canyon and in other scenic locations in the USA were definitely blessings. There was just one issue.

I had the gear. I'd like to believe I had enough skill. I prayed, and I prayed to the Lord again for creativity and boldness. When I went out there with my family, I usually find myself wanting before, during, and after the shoot.

Then, earlier this morning, while I was having yet another beautiful conversation with Pao, it hit me. I was asking the Lord for His power, love, and sound judgment, sure. But I wasn't doing it for the Lord.

Thank God. Indeed, thank God because though I think I wasted my time, He definitely did not waste His. It took me a long, long yet sweet time to realize this: That it isn't about the gear AND the photographer but it's all about the Lord. I say this in the sense that our desire to serve and praise Him is what gets us stepping forward, and the gear, the skill, the locations, all that follows.

We were created by the Father, saved by the Son, and empowered by the Holy Spirit. God's power is manifested in us through the Holy Spirit.

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow...

_________________________
jb.redeemed
email me at jibee@rocketmail.com. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift His countenance upon you and give you His Shalom. - Numbers 6:24-26

Sample 48 - In And Around The Oven

'The Oven' - Metrodorm, Ortigas Home Depot. Nah, I'm overreacting. It isn't too hot inside here, long as the fans work. May I add that it's been a while since I used an HDR combined using JPEG files. It still looked pretty good in my opinion. This shot was partially inspired by Trey Ratcliff's piece from an airport.

This is a side alley of the Sitel OJV building; originally posted on my first blog.

I spent some time with some good friends (and their families) 2 nights ago. We all were part of the group that went down to Manila last December 2008 to assist in the launch of a new account in Sitel Ortigas. We were mountain people in a new land, and right now what that meant was that we no definite lack of stories to laugh about. Good memories. Good moments.

In our weekly pastor's meeting over at the church family I'm part of, we talked about how important it was to take pictures of even the most mundane of events - mundane in my flawed opinion, at least. Records add to our testimonies, and it helps to edify everyone involved.

Jack Brauer made an excellent point in his guest post about landscape photography in Nasim Mansurov's site photographylife.com; That we should aim to step up above capturing a mere landscape but a 'moment in time.' This is why we should always keep the weather (especially those clouds. Those beautiful clouds. :) ) in consideration.

And so today I post a picture I took in Manila, as homage to the wonderful memories I've had of that great city. The hatred I had for this place before I lived there for close to 2 years is an example of how we tend to be unreasonably insecure of what we do not know. Not only was there adventure and experience to gain, but personally I was blessed so much more, through Paola. We keep telling each other how God was just so good to allow us to meet at the right place at the right time.

I mentioned in at least one checkpoint that as photographers we are responsible for the message we deliver in every shot we exhibit. We are blessed as Christians with the inspiration and empowerment given by the Holy Spirit to ensure that Jesus Christ gets all the glory for every picture we show. I've seen through my intentions of posting this shot that not only are we capable in displaying the hope we have in Christ, but the grace He has in being true to His word: that He makes all things - past and present and future - He makes all things happen for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

Indeed, God is good, all the time. And all the time, God is good.

God bless us all.

_________________________
jb.redeemed
email me at jibee@rocketmail.com. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift His countenance upon you and give you His Shalom. - Numbers 6:24-26

Checkpoint 4.75

Fontana Resort, Clark Field, Pampanga. A beautiful place with trees which exude power and wisdom. They may not have fruit (not in my observation, at least) but they do wonderful in providing shade from the lowland sun. 

As we are moving towards expressing the promises of God through the photography shown on this page, one major revision in my workflow is to prepare a message before selecting which picture is to be used in the next sample.

Samples? Why do we call them Samples? I suppose we are showing part and not the whole glory of God; one thing that is impossible to capture is the whole glory of the Lord in one exposure. Absolutely impossible.

I chose to do a checkpoint now to make that clear. I recently posted an excerpt of a Christian comedian, Michael Jr., on my original blog. That was from a podcast where he co-shared a message with Pastor Miles of the Rock Church, concerning our gifts.

Right now I couldn't help but think about what the Lord told me some years ago concerning writing and photography. I am led to believe that these are two gifts from the Lord, and that I have unfortunately toyed around with them for my own gain for the longest time. Anyway, what I remember was 'write about salvation, and shoot about God's promises.' There was another point when I was pondering about how my walk with Christ and the blessing of photography were linked - I started off pretty good, writing a good foundation while on my way to Colorado, but it stopped there. There was one point that the word of knowledge for me was to 'finish what was started.'

Michael Jr. is a Christian with the gift of comedy. He related how his ministry of comedy was made exponential (at least in my view) when his mindset was changed - When he made the choice to give people a reason to laugh, as opposed to taking energy from the laughter. I couldn't remember his exact words, but he was blessed as he made the choice to prioritize giving instead of taking.

In the light of my last post, I have seen how I have strayed from using what is given to me in the light of the Source - that I have prioritized taking attention instead of actually blessing people with scenes to remind them of the love of God, and the hope we have in Christ alone.

It is my prayer that this site and the pictures posted here would continue to give God the glory, as more and more people are drawn to Him through His promises displayed through His awesome creations.

God, be praised in and around all. In Jesus Christ's Name I pray, Amen.

_________________________
jb.redeemed
email me at jibee@rocketmail.com. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift His countenance upon you and give you His Shalom. - Numbers 6:24-26

Sample 47.5 - Half Baked (La Trinidad, '12)

"Michael, I did nothing."
- Peter Gibbons to Michael Bolton in the beautiful movie, Office Space

I call this Sample 'Half Baked' because, unfortunately, I'm really just posting to fill this day's slot.

God forgive me for not really working and walking with Him today. I must admit that I was pretty selfish today - though He keeps proving His absolute faithfulness through the lives we still have on this world, I feel as if I was just seeking comfort and entertainment for myself this Monday.

It's sad to think that I could have learned and accomplished so much. But I pray that we just keep on going anyhow.

Here's to better posts moving forward. To God be all the praise forever and ever.

Sample 47 - The Frozen Waterfall (to Vail, CO '11)

So in the previous Sample I said something to the lines of 'Thank God for giving us opportunities to shoot even when the sun is up high in the sky"; Well, thank God for also giving us opportunities even on the road. This was shot en route to Vail.

Recently I've been fighting all thoughts I had about me being in a standstill - that everything I have going on for me is on hold or on pending. I've been fighting these thoughts by rationalizing; I would overcompensate on certain activities that I knew I had ease in executing just to think that I was actually doing something. In short, I was productive on my own terms, and sadly I was satisfied just feeling that I was productive.

It's so good to know the facts of who we are and what we have in Jesus Christ, as mentioned in the Word. Jesus Christ Himself mentioned that it was necessary for Him to go away (to die) in order for the Holy Spirit to be sent to convict the world (see John 14) accordingly. He went on by saying that the Holy Spirit convicts those who do not believe in Christ of their sin, therefore stressing the futility of salvation through any effort and work that man has to put on the plate. The Holy Spirit also convicts those who believe of their righteousness, therefore placing focus on the victory Jesus Christ won over any more obligation we have to our sinful nature.

It's been revealed to me during these past days that any worker despite his or her vocation depends on both tools and skill. A worker who has raised his life to Jesus Christ is not only dependent (and consequently empowered) by just tools and skill, but also by the Holy Spirit who directs him into the paths of righteousness (Psalm 23:4).

I've been a Christian working only with my tools and skill, without really acknowledging that I have the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ. A Christian who doesn't regularly and constantly acknowledge what can be done with the proper power and sound judgment the Holy Spirit gives is bound for burnout, or like the case of waterfalls in the winter, standstills.

If we yield to what the Holy Spirit has to say to us, and cast aside any other thought that glorifies itself above Christ, then we can hear council that strikes deep into our core, deep beneath the hard surface that some of us have in our hearts. In my case, around a few hours back, I was told in a service filled with the anointing of the Holy Spirit that God had a word for me:

"You have not failed Me."

This spoke to my heart more than anything else I heard today - that though I may be dilly-dollying by my own standards, the Lord comes and says to me, confirms that He indeed makes things happen for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. I just have to say that without the Lord in my life, without the Holy Spirit working in me, and without the confirmation of the Holy Spirit working in me, confusion and chaos is inevitable.

So come, Holy Spirit, and continue to minister to us in our lives as we keep on dying to ourselves every day - though there may be times that we may see that the flow we're used to seeing is frozen, help us always to remember that You never waste Your time. Help us to always remember that though we may be seeing ice, that Your Spirit, like water, is still moving inside, in one way or the other. Thank You Lord, for Your revelations. October 21, 2012 is a memorable day for me, for Your glory. In Jesus Christ's Name I pray, Amen.


_________________________
jb.redeemed
email me at jibee@rocketmail.com. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift His countenance upon you and give you His Shalom. - Numbers 6:24-26

Sample 46 - Grass|Strokes (Pensacola '08)

These shots were inspired by those nice looking cardboard sample pictures you see placed on frames being sold. It's grass on the white beaches of Pensacola, picture converted to monochrome, Levels edited giving more black and white. On this particular picture I remember using the spot healing brush on one errant sliver of grass. Can you tell which one that was?

Thank God for inspiration and reminders. Thank God for the possibility to shoot something to appreciate even under the noon sun.

Some time ago some person I know claimed that the saying, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" was in the Bible... Somewhere. I knew that saying was heard somewhere else, but just to make sure I went ahead and searched. Thank God for technology and the ability to incorporate a search engine into a Bible app. Had it not been for these apps I would have done a really long manual scouring through the New Testament.

Nobody said for us to follow everything that a certain area's populace followed, but we see in Jesus' actions that we are to fellowship with everyone, regardless of how good or evil we think they are. We should do this with the primary purpose of sharing the Gospel.

I say 'how good or evil WE THINK they are' to stress that what we think and feel is not necessarily true. What's true is that God loves everyone (side note: It's sad how people stop there), and it is because of His absolutely perfect love that He sent Jesus Christ to die for us so we can have fellowship in His absolutely holy presence. You have to admit that it's sobering to a degree to think that Jesus Christ also died for that person you have great difficulty in being civil, much less being gracious with.

We are to love as He loved us, and the greatest way for us to show love to another is to show him or her the Way back to God, who loved us even when we were sinners. This goes beyond our own perceptions and feelings of a person.

God bless you.

_________________________
jb.redeemed
email me at jibee@rocketmail.com. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift His countenance upon you and give you His Shalom. - Numbers 6:24-26

Sample 45 - Solid. (Bauang, La Union '12)

"In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory."

Ephesians 1:13-14

In Jesus Christ I have peace, indeed it is peace that goes beyond all understanding. Whenever things happen, whether they are blessing or trial to me, I am constantly ministered to by the Holy Spirit, constantly reminded of that powerful promised that all things work for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

When I joined the men's group in our church in an overnight outing over at Bauang, we camped out at a beach full of bamboo shacks. There was also this one bamboo shack that was situated around 50 meters off the shore and on the water. Apparently there are people who prefer drinking and/or sleeping on a bamboo house seemingly afloat on the sea.

I say 'seemingly afloat' because I learned from a friend of mine who was there before that this shack has legs that go all the way to the ground underneath. That house isn't just anchored, but grounded.

Grounded. We have a ministry that calls itself 'grounded'. I suppose each and every one of us who makes the choice to walk with Jesus Christ is reminded, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to stay focused on the prize, to forget what lies behind. This means that we should always, always remember that it is not about what we think or do, not about what we have, but it is all about the Lord whom we serve, and even in serving we are empowered only by the Holy Spirit. we are to recognize how hopeless we are on our own, and how all our hope is really on God through Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is what I believe is being 'grounded' in a Christian sense.

What we are blessed to have in this world may be anchors, but it is our relationship with God - made possible by Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit - it is our relationship with God that really keeps us afloat and upright no matter how the wind and waves blow against us.

"Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all."

Ephesians 1:15-23

God bless you.

_________________________
jb.redeemed
email me at jibee@rocketmail.com. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift His countenance upon you and give you His Shalom. - Numbers 6:24-26

Sample 44 - Practice In Being Still

Big Bo Peep

Unplugged

Going Towards The Light

So I've upgraded from Blogger to Google+. That means that I can now upload pictures as big as 2048x2048 px without it counting against my free 1GB of storage space. I pray this is true.

In other news (Say it like Steve Carrell did in Bruce Almighty):

I mentioned in an earlier post that I've been helping a younger brother of mine by teaching him how to take pictures, landscapes in particular. Now I have a schoolmate of his approaching me to help her out in still life photography. They're submitting the best that they get for a competition.

I have close to no experience in what I think is 'Still-Life'. Fortunately, while I was contemplating on how to help this young lady out, I had my camera, 50mm prime fitted, and the afternoon light coming into our store (which happened to be filled with trinkets and doodads to be sold) looked encouraging.

I found out soon enough that though I had f1.8, 50mm on DX was pretty limiting for me, especially in that shot with the lamps. I could have been more on point with a 35mm.

One distinct difference I see personally between landscape photography and still-life photography is that it is absolutely easier to have almost complete control over every aspect in the latter. The photographer can compose to his or her exact preferences to be more precise in the message he wishes to communicate.

On a side note, I've also seen the Brenizer method used in still-life; see it here. It's fascinating how you can mix-and-match techniques and approaches in photography.

I admit that in the amount of time I'm given, I may be doing some spoonfeeding to both students mentioned. I pray that they take the time to actually read more and practice more (as I should) even after the competition.

God bless us all.

_________________________
jb.redeemed
email me at jibee@rocketmail.com. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift His countenance upon you and give you His Shalom. - Numbers 6:24-26

Sample 43 - Nangalisan Rice Fields (Benguet '12)

I had other photos in mind to post but my nose had other ideas. I don't know how this cold happened, but my preference to let my sweat naturally dry off after working out probably had something to do with it.

So here I present a picture I took with my iPhone (which I call the Colonel) when we had the opportunity to be part of a group from our church called to bless a resort quite a ways from the city and the main highway. That meant a long drive and an equally long walk.

Now that I remember the events related to this shot I also remember that was also feeling under the weather back then. My joining the 'expedition' to the resort and my posting this right now (despite current and improving circumstances) - I suppose they are testimonies to the message, 'the show must go on'...

Thank God for the strength He gives us in times we absolutely need to go on - in walking great distances, in posting blogs and photos consistently, in staying on the path regardless of what hindrances come. Truly, His glory is needed even more when the enemy tries to take the upper hand. It is my sincere prayer that God would be glorified, and the love and salvation of Christ would be made known before, during, and after every situation.

God bless you!

Sample 42 - Towards Midday (Colorado '11)

This is the first shot I'm uploading without reduction. Please take the time to view it in full resolution.

 Based on all I've been through these 4 years I've owned a camera, I honestly felt iffy in posting this. The picture was shot at approximately 10 am in the morning from a moving car (we were on our way to Vail - more from there and on the road to there to follow! :D ). You'll see noise and the softness of the 18-200mm (though I remember shooting this at f/8)...

...But I guess it's better left alone. After going through the first black and white landscape photo in a reprint of Ansel Adams' work as compiled in his book, The Camera, I felt more encouraged in posting this picture. Thank God for the creativity and the eye He gave Mr. Adams. What an absolute genius in landscapes he is.

Besides, Pao liked the shot too.

It goes to show that though the sun is so high in the sky, there are still opportunities to take some landscapes to be happy with...

...sometimes God sends you motivation to share it through the work of a legendary landscape photographer, and my girlfriend (who, I must say, shied away from my camera during the first months of our relationship).

God bless you.

Verse of the Day:

"The lips of the wise disperse knowledge: but the heart of the foolish doeth not so." Proverbs 15:7

_________________________
jb.redeemed
email me at jibee@rocketmail.com. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift His countenance upon you and give you His Shalom. - Numbers 6:24-26

Sample 41 - Pao Ala Brenizer (Baguio '12)

This was shot with a Nikon D80, through a Nikkor 30mm f1D lens...

...that's according to wedding photographer Brett Maxwell and his notorious Brenizer Method Calculator. The Brenizer method is known also as the 'bokeh panorama', a method I saw shared here, in Nasim Mansurov's site. The way I understood it was shooting a subject including the whole area around it/him/her, preferably with a prime lens wide open, and then stitching it.  

The Calculator is a fun tool to see what lens you would actually need to shoot the resulting stitch at one go. This was actually a composite using shots from a wide open 50mm f1.8D, with Paola obviously at the focus. 

This obviously isn't the best application of the method, but it is the very first successful stitch I've had (out of 5-6 attempts at another time in Manila). You can tell I'm still practicing and perfecting the whole method for myself; I believe it has its potentials. 

I find it exciting that I'm still shooting this with a Nikon D80. My loyal camera is still working, even after more than 4 years. Thank God for that. Thank God for Ryan Brenizer and everyone else who comes up with these sorts of methods - I say this because it's simple enough to be executed by what I already have, and its potential in leaving impact in a different way is reason to give it a go. 

Oh, and of course, thank God for Paola, for not just standing still, but being so patient with me in all things. God bless you, Babe.

And God bless us all.

_________________________
jb.redeemed
email me at jibee@rocketmail.com. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift His countenance upon you and give you His Shalom. - Numbers 6:24-26

Checkpoint 4.5 - Pahabol (or, 'And it gets deeper!')

There's more that I want to accomplish with my blog besides showing where I've been. I keep telling myself this, and I pray with all sincerity that Jesus Christ is promoted more than anything else in my posts, from concept to shoot to process to post. Father, take all the glory! In Jesus Christ's Name I pray, amen!

Mga kaibigan, hindi po ito pasikatan, inggitan, pagalingan, o pagandahan. There is a message that is communicated with every picture we take. Each and every one of us that has a camera of any sort, whether it be a camera on a cellphone or a Leica S2(!), it is our responsibility to ensure that we deliver the right message every time.

Technicalities may need to be observed. Creativity has a vital role. Providence could be all that matters at times.

But for those of us who follow Jesus Christ and just happen to have cameras, well... We need the Holy Spirit, more so in this craft. In a field so full of people with their own unique and wonderful perspectives, it's near impossible to stand out - but because we have the Holy Spirit, God's presence in our lives made possible through Jesus Christ, we have peace regardless of what our own established standards say.

Zechariah 4:5-7 says it is not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of God that a mountain can be reduced to a plain. I've often heard 'wala sa pana (gear) pero nasa Indian (the photographer him/herself) yun.' Well, I'm led to believe that it is not by our gear, not by our skill, but primarily by the Holy Spirit in our photography that makes every exposure stand out in a way that it gives God all the glory!

It might be a good idea to worship and draw near to God before a shoot, now that I think of it.

God bless you! If this doesn't make any sense at all to you, ask Jesus Christ into your life! :)

Checkpoint 4

According to what I've been searching in Google, this is a Red Osier Dogwood Tree/Shrub. Beautiful. 

Here's something I wrote down a few hours ago during what I'm establishing as a Saturday afternoon habit: Reading in Starbucks all by myself.

___________

Proverbs 13:4 The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; but the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.

Focus is key. Diligence follows. Diligence to study His Word. Diligence to worship. Diligence to face responsibility.

Proverbs 13:2 A man shall eat well by the fruit of his mouth, but the soul of the unfaithful feeds on violence.

I know that part of my focus should be on who I am in Christ, but nowadays it seems like I'm seeing the sheer depth of rebellion associated with who I was before Christ.

I see how absolutely filthy I was before Jesus came into my heart. Thank God for being so faithful, even when I was faithless... Thank You, Lord.

__________

I suppose we should all be like that dogwood shrub in a way... by the way I learned it turns bright red like that only in the winter. In the coldest wind, that's when the blood that moves in our veins shows the most, and the blood that those of us who believe no longer is our own blood, but the blood of Jesus Christ. For those of us who say we are Christians, we should always remember that we represent Him wherever we go, and especially in the most trying of times.

Thank God for winters, for tribulations... for then we see how hopeless we are, and how the hope we have in Christ is all that matters.

I may not have upgraded my camera and my gear as I so desire, but I am humbled enough to step forward in faith and confidence, pursuing the strength to wholeheartedly share the same words of Paul:

Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

- Philippians 4:11-12

In lacking and in plenty, all we need is the Lord.

In D80 and/or D600, all we need is the Lord. I have to say He's been so patient with me because there was a time I was reading more on the D600 than what wisdom He had for me in His word in a given day.

 Father, continue to take all the glory in what I have to shoot and to share, regardless of what I use to shoot. Let Your name and Your name alone be praised, glorified, and honored, in every click of the shutter. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen.

God bless you.

_________________________
jb.redeemed
email me at jibee@rocketmail.com. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift His countenance upon you and give you His Shalom. - Numbers 6:24-26

Sample 40 - Transition (Baguio '12)

Nikon D80, 18-200mm @ 55mm, f/8, 25 second shutter (-0.3EV, Center-weighted metering), ISO 125

Nikon D80, 18-200mm @ 36mm, f/8, 1/800 second shutter (-0.3EV, Center-weighted metering), ISO 100

Transition - From the lights of the night to the light of day. As the night fades and as dawn looms, the glow of many lights gives way to the slow yet pronounced ushering in of the brightness of the sun.

This is the second time I shot the sunrise with some good friends in photography up in Kabuyao, an area you would pass as you climb Mt. Sto. Tomas. You'd have to wake up really early to make sure you're up there, all set up and ready before sunrise. As I go through these shots I'm reminded of some very important lessons.

You need to be prepared - well rested, fully charged, with all equipment accounted for. Also, sometimes you need to do some travelling to get to some good spots to shoot.

I have to be honest; The reason why I posted these shots is because I took some shots from my iPhone during the same shoot, and I posted that shot on Facebook first. Here it is:

iPhone, Auto-all Settings (Like I had a choice), Instagram filter (Forgot which one)

Now I figure, posting this shot on Facebook was an accidental challenge I gave myself - is it possible for the pictures I took with the D80 to look at least a bit better than what I took from my iPhone?

I'll leave you to decide on which pictures look better. Of course, constructive feedback is always welcome.

God bless you!



_________________________
jb.redeemed
email me at jibee@rocketmail.com. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift His countenance upon you and give you His Shalom. - Numbers 6:24-26

Sample 39 - The Windmills Of Your Mind (California '08)

This was taken on the way back to Los Angeles following our super-short trip to San Francisco during our 2008 trip to the USA.

Some things are constant. Some things need to change. For the longest time I thought my walk with Christ was going to be process after process, method after method.

I learned yesterday in a way only God could point out, that this cannot be the case. According to the Word we are to step up from glory to glory, and not stay in one place and be happy with it. In my particular case, I've been bringing my own secular mindset to the forefront, trying to apply it in my dealings in ministry. Right now I'm taking it one step at a time, knowing full well and believing that God will continue to show me an more excellent way in all things - all that's needed to be done is to trust in Him with all. Not some, but all.

So windmills turn, and turn, and turn. There are other things that need to be turned in other perspectives. Our minds need to constantly turn back to Christ before we naturally go the wrong way again.

God bless you.




_________________________
jb.redeemed
email me at jibee@rocketmail.com. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift His countenance upon you and give you His Shalom. - Numbers 6:24-26

Sample 38 - Wet Floor (Colorado '11)

Airports are massive, but I had no idea they would be so huge as DEN, with its own subways... This shot was taken as we were moving from one point to another through the trains. It goes to show that there are those moments when you need to make every second count - in this case I only had one shot at positioning, composing, and shooting this to my liking. 

This was taken with the same trusty D80/18-200mm combination, at 18mm, f/5.6, 1/30 second shutter. The VR on the said lens proved to be invaluable in this case. 

Going back to the subways, I'm just glad my mom and I were able to get around and to where we needed to go just fine. Our trip took us from Manila to Narita to Minneapolis to Denver in the span of 21 hours, at least. This here is one of the many beautiful opportunities I was blessed to have to shoot. I remember rushing myself to upgrade to a D7000 at the time, but I also recall thinking, it's better to have a D80 (or any other camera for that matter) than nothing at all... 

And that brings up a thought. We like to make plans, but I just like to say that we need to keep hoping for the best as just that - hoping for the best. If we expect things to get better, then we definitely can have a Plan 'A', but not before we have a Plan 'B'. Above all, let us remember to acknowledge the Lord in all of our plans (as previously mentioned) for any of our plans to have any sort of potential. 

God bless you. More for Colorado coming soon.

_________________________
jb.redeemed
email me at jibee@rocketmail.com. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift His countenance upon you and give you His Shalom. - Numbers 6:24-26

Sample 37 - BreakPoint (San Juan, 030612)

This is a reduced and cropped composite of around 11 shots, taken with an 18-200mm lens on my trusty Nikon D80, @ 18mm, f/11, 6 seconds per shot.   

See that rock in the middle? Pao and I were there at least one time before. We almost broke up there when we made one mistake too many. 

Involving God in our relationship initially meant that we needed to hold each other up to a standard 'to keep Him in the center.' The problem with that was that we were, in our church's terms these recent months, 'keeping ourselves under the law'; i.e. we were too caught up in guarding ourselves in our own efforts that it was inevitable that we would make a mistake and our relationship would consequently take a turn for the worse. It was all about our own performance, and that simply would not do, for us as individuals or as a couple. 

The moment the love we have does not come from the cross, the moment we love without realizing that Christ loved us first, all sorts of crazy things happen.

One famous verse we see often shared in Christian circles is Proverbs 3:5-6; "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." This verse certainly applies in relationships as well. In our case, we make it a point to keep recognizing Jesus Christ as the reason and purpose of our relationship; we acknowledge that it is only by the grace of God that we are strengthened by the Holy Spirit to keep on going, together.

I simply cannot share this photo without that message. God bless you.

_________________________
jb.redeemed
email me at jibee@rocketmail.com. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift His countenance upon you and give you His Shalom. - Numbers 6:24-26