Sample 89 - Orbs

Shot on April 2008 with the Nikon D40, 18-55mm lens with Macro attachment

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. - James 3:17

I thought I'd start going through my old photos. They aren't doing anything just sitting in my external hard drive. 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

Eye Must See: My Thoughts On Resuming Photography

A Black Nikon Df, with the also recently announced 58mm f1.4 Lens. Photo from Nikon Rumors

The awesome folks at Nikon Rumors got me visiting their website every 12 hours since the final weeks of October. Their reports showed that Nikon was close to announcing a retro-looking DSLR, and at the time I thought, whatever they came up with would probably be right my alley.

When they specified that this new camera would not have video, I didn't seem to mind. I got pretty excited the first time I saw the line, 'Pure Photography' on their teasers.

Before the reports came out, I was looking at buying the Olympus OM-D and then the Fujifilm X100s. I felt that how comfortable I was with bringing the camera wherever I went was as important as the specifications of the camera. I thought that the trend of retro-looking cameras was limited to coming from Olympus, Fuji, and Pentax; again, you could probably imagine how excited I was to see that a retro-Nikon DSLR was coming.

Then the day came... all 6 teasers were shown, and then the Nikon Df was announced. It looked gorgeous... it had a D4 sensor, confirmed... 16.2MP, ISO Range from 50 - 102,400. No video, confirmed. 5.5 FPS. D600 AF. Guess all that's okay... but man, $3000? I mean, Nikon had me at 'Pure Photography', but this is more like 'Snobbish Photography'... you take out features that could easily have been there without compromising the form of camera, and you make it just a little less expensive than the D800?

(Before I go further, yes, I have read reviews and previews - dpreview, Chase Jarvis, Thom Hogan, Nasim Mansurov, Steve Huff, and some others. What these great people of the trade had to say made an influence on my own opinion)

If the X100s would have taken different lenses (or while I'm dreaming, if it had a Nikon F-Mount), I'd buy one in a heartbeat. I still want the Df, though... I can wait till the Df becomes cheaper, but Lord, I would really like a proper camera...

'The best camera is the one you have right now'; Perhaps I will realize this in time. Perhaps I will appreciate the camera I have on my iPhone more, but the fact that I used to have a DSLR still haunts me. I could have done a whole lot better with my D80 while I had it. 

The Df isn't out till the 28th, and even by then, it would still cost 3000$ (might as well get it with the 'special edition' 50mm f1.8 it's meant to be packaged with). If it's going to be mine, it'll have to wait for a while. Till then, I'll have to find a body which will serve as my primary, until I have my stills taken by the Df.

For the moment, my mind is contemplating on the D610, or a D7100. I don't want a D7000 - too many bad memories involved with that model. Wouldn't mind a superzoom; then again, a couple of primes wouldn't hurt either. I'm staying away from the X100S - current photography opportunities require some sort of versatility, and a fixed 23mm (35mm equivalent) lens won't be of much help. 

Why am I typing all this down? I suppose it helps in getting my thoughts together on the subject of photography, given my current camera-less situation (more on that later, if I'm led to talk about it). I know I've stated my primary and ultimate desire should be Jesus Christ, but I'm also led to believe that it is His desire for our own desires to be addressed. 

I'm on edge right now; I see not just a want, but a need for me to acquire my own DSLR once again. A website needs content. Businesses need proper advertising. I'm not going to force myself to think of other reasons right now, but you can be very sure that I'm not about to fill a website with pictures coming from my iPhone 4; The Colonel (my name for this phone I got from my dad) has more.. candid assignments. 

To be continued... 

_________________________
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 88 - Otay Lake At Dawn

Be still and know that He is God. He will be exalted in the mountains, and in all the earth. 

_________________________
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 87 - Last Week In Pictures

By 'Last Week' I mean September 15 - 21. These pictures were washed and rinsed this afternoon through Snapseed and Mextures; all shot and edited through the iPhone 4.

Picnic In Buyagan

Not Blooming Yet

Safe Indoors

Conference Call II

Elephant In The Distance

_________________________
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 86 - My September 14, 2013 In Photos

Chase Jarvis quoted, 'The best camera is the one you've got with you.' Here are today's shots from the 4. The iPhone 4. Enjoy. :D

A Selfie - One for the Road

No Petunias Here

Life Is Where Life Flows

Scumbag Bottle

Old Woman Patiently Waiting For A Jeepney

Good Guy Goat

A Message On Every Taxi

Young Lady Fixing Her Umbrella (While Waiting For A Jeepney)

Wires along the sky - There were people from the electric company checking out the poles

For an old guy this guy drove pretty fast. Taxi ride cost me 69 pesos.

A Vendor with fried snacks on his tray, walking along one of my favorite spots in Baguio

Tough guy walking a chihuahua along the Aegis building

These are signs you see as you turn towards the road behind the Laperal Building

Meet the Men of Good News (And Brother Chuck's hand)

Manang Anabel serving me coffee

Brother Chuck

Full Tank

Today's message - Grace makes us realize how prosperous we really are. The more prosperous we see we are, the more generous we are.

Silhouette of a lady walking into the Laperal Building

Trinket vendor reading a newspaper in front of a gadget shop

Stylin' and Profilin'

Not sure I want that

I have yet to see what it says

Graffiti and Opportuniti

Sumulong Road

Bonifacio Street

Rimando Road from the Trancoville Jeep

Yes.

The Banquet Hall, all set up, without chairs.

It looked so nice, I had to Photosynth it

Jardine couldn't stop playing the Keyboard

Harrison Road in the evening

On the walk home from the Bakakeng Jeep

_________________________
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

Road Block 1

Night Shot From The 2nd Floor Of The Prime Hotel. Taken with the iPhone.

Lately I've been looking at the fujifilm x100s - it's a 16+ megapixel camera with retro looks and a fixed 23mm f2 lens. I've been checking it out, looking at sample shots online, in Flickr, Instagram, and from review after review. All this time I've been looking at it, again and again, thinking, thinking... Do I need it?

My current camera setup has been compromised to the point that all I have left is my tripod. Everything else, down to the bag - all that is gone, and I suppose I still feel hurt, but on the other hand, I was, in my opinion, long overdue for an upgrade.

I tried upgrading. But the last time I thought I was getting a good deal, I got scammed instead. The cash I withdrew at that time all went to some guy that I'm still praying for.

Now, I withdrew some more money. Thank God for my father and his foresight. However, the thing is I spent it on greater opportunities - that being an engagement ring, among other things which I regret I forgot about.

So here I am, reluctant to take any further from the hard earned money we have, but lacking. I have been found wanting, and even if I have a camera on my iPhone 4, as well as a Sony Cybershot placed in my trust, I still find myself looking at the x100s a lot.

Why is this the case? I'm not about to go forward with buying the x100s... Probably because I've spent too much in the name of photography already. I seem to enjoy taking pictures of scenery and landscapes, but at the same time I hate the thought that I'm doing any of this for attention or to have one over anyone else.

And the reason I'm writing all this is just to get my thoughts organized on the matter. Do I really need a camera like the x100s? Should I go back to owning a DSLR? Am I supposed to be content with what I currently have? As I asked myself that last question I almost hear a resounding 'NO!'

But shouldn't I be content with it? I haven't been around to shoot anything of value lately. And it's not like I have the time to go out and shoot the landscapes I love... Or do I?

Man... Lord Jesus Christ, thank You for wisdom in this matter... I want You to have all the glory in every shot I take, but I don't know if that's a path I want to take right now... Thank You for Paola, and my guitar and my family and my relationships... Show me what opportunities I have with what I already have... I know I am blessed in You, Lord, and I thank You for just reminding me of that.

I'm thinking right now that I shouldn't be too caught up I what I don't have that I don't even recognize what I do have. But what is making me look at the x100s again and again? Why am I still bothering to know the latest news in photography?

_________________________

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 85 - An Exercise In Simplicity

I took this picture while I was in the middle of realizing and appreciating how much I can do with what I already have... What I don't have is a Nikon D4 with a 24-70mm f2.8 lens, and a backup Nikon D800E body with a 14-24mm f2.8 lens. I don't have a casual Fujifilm X100S, nor do I have a (heck, while I'm at it) Leica M9 Titanium edition with a Voigtlander 50mm f0.95 lens. 

No, what I have right now is an iPhone 4. It's not even a 4s. But it took that picture. Heck, it may not be appealing in any way but I wanted to take a picture right then and there and I took it. 

I learned so much from the parable of the talents, as told by Jesus Christ in Matthew 25:

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ (Matthew 25:14-30 NKJV)

There will be times in our lives when we will see people receiving greater blessings than we would. No doubt, we would be tempted to compromise what we already have just by complaining about how others have more. However, we must understand that it isn't about how much we start with; no, it is about how we use what we already have... It is about making the most of what we have (and, I dare say, of what we don't have as well). 

How we treat what we have reflects how much we trust Who gave it all for us. Like I said, I don't have everything I think I should have when it comes to photography... but praise God for knowing what I need. It really is all about Him.

Here's to taking the 1 talent and doubling it, along with those who have been blessed with 2 talents, or even 5 talents. To God be the glory forever and ever.