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 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 35 - Siomai (Chinatown, NYC '08)

What!? Huh!?

Show this to anyone courting

This Chinese Waiter spoke Filipino. FLUENTLY. Charming.

You've probably seen a 'slice of life' somewhere before. You probably had a 'shot of life'. This is a 'dumpling of life.'

During our 2008 trip to the States, we only had one free day to do stuff. Dad went out with his friends, while my Mom and I took the opportunity to take a ride in and around New York City. Ask my Mom about NYC and she would come to life, telling you all sorts of stories of her life as a nurse in the Big Apple back in the day. You could tell that she was really excited to take this road trip, and she was so thankful to my cousin Roy for offering to drive us around.

It was a quick but scenic drive to a few key places (pictures coming soon), but we ended up here in Chinatown to have a bite to eat with Mom's long-lost friends. Needless to say, the food was delicious - I remember downing cup after cup of complimentary tea in between bites of braised beef, steamed vegetables, and fish. It was good that Roy wasn't able to park nearby, because we needed to stand to let the food settle into the right spaces in our tummies - and I wanted to shoot.

American architecture - Chinese businesses. The place has an unspoken charm which attracts crowds of people, Asian and Western alike. Does this culture need to tear the reputation of other cultures down to draw in these people? I don't think so.

As a Christian, I believe we are to have the same approach. Instead of focusing on how we see the lethal consequences of sin in other people, shouldn't we concentrate on communicating how Jesus Christ has indeed given us lives, and abundant lives despite our previous hopelessness? There will always be errors found in man-made doctrines and religions, but one thing that we cannot deny is the truth of our own testimony.

 "And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death." - Revelation 12:11

Something for you to think about. 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