photo by: Dorie Griggs

You know that God has called you to do photography. You even have a great idea of using photography in a way that others have not thought about doing. It is a great idea.

Does this sound like you? Big, powerful ideas are everywhere, and the vast majority will go nowhere. So keeping your big picture in stealth mode will likely make no difference to your ultimate success.

I realized long ago that people were lining up to talk to my mentor Don Rutledge about becoming a full-time missions photographer. I believe there are even more today wanting to use their photography as a way to serve on the mission field.

They want to use their photography for social justice issues and work with NGOs.

I have been teaching photographers how to make this all happen for years. I wrote one blog post, “How to become a humanitarian or missions photographer,” that continues to be read by those searching for how to make it happen.

While I have outlined the things that you must overcome to become a photographer, there still seems to be what I call the “Frozen Chosen” audience.

While there are a few meanings to “Frozen Chosen,” it refers to Christians who sit still in worship. They are lifeless. I am using it here to refer to those Christians who love listening to inspiring messages but never implement those messages into their lives.

Why people fail to act

I have a few reasons why it is so difficult for people to act.

Analysis paralysis. Many people let questions and doubts paralyze them. They believe they can’t start on a goal until they have all the answers to every “what if” scenario. However, no matter how long and hard you prepare, you will never have all the answers to the questions you ask.

Misunderstanding of Goal Setting. Many think setting goals and objectives is writing a list on paper. Goals are about making fundamental changes in your life. Plans are not about a one-time moment but something that changes you over time.

No Destination. I remember learning how to shoot a basketball. My teachers all said the same thing. You must look at the goal and picture the ball going through the net before you shoot. Your destination needs to be precise – something you can visualize and describe to others. Without such a clear view of what you want in life, you’ll be forever changing course and falling short of your potential.

You are distracted by too many goals. You only have so much time and resources, so you need to limit your efforts to that which will be the most significant Return On your Investment. You need to be focused. Yes, you can have more than one goal, but do your best to put your effort on one at a time. Once you accomplish it, move on to the next one.

Don’t seek help. Too many people do not understand that the things we desire most usually will require stuff we do not have to attain. We need mentors, coaches, and teachers to help us on our journey. Just like we often go to a bank to get a loan to buy things like a car or house, we go to people to get their help to achieve our goals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZzZERmk05o

Boils down to Execution

I love this clip from Indian Jones where he must take that “Leaf of Faith” to achieve his goal.

Are you expecting the following steps to have no risk? Maybe that is your problem.

You see, there are usually two things that keep us from achieving our goals: 1) Time & 2) Money.

If you have the time and the money to make your dream a reality, then there is no need for a “Leap of Faith.” It is a no-brainer.

I believe God calls those without the resources to make it happen because he needs you to take that “Leap of Faith.”

Why would God call you to do something and not give you the Time and Money to execute it? Because then you could take all the glory.

Without God, I know I wouldn’t be doing this as a career. I know because I cannot explain any of my success as to my abilities. I was born with autism. I have Asperger’s Syndrome.

Autism – a mental condition present from early childhood, characterized by difficulty communicating and forming relationships with other people and using language and abstract concepts.

I cannot believe that God called me, a person with a communications deficiency, to be a professional communicator. I can attest that it has been an arduous journey, but I can also say God made it happen.

Will you take that “Leap of Faith” today?

I had a lot of fun capturing the brand new Chick-fil-A food truck tested in Athens, Georgia. It was parked in the restaurant parking lot to show their customers, hoping they would book the car for an event.

This shot was taken at sunset, with the sun setting behind the truck. To show the truck, I put one flash on the side, lying on top of some bushes, to light up the side of the truck.

My assistant pointed the second flash on the front of the truck just off to the camera’s left.

I love using the Neewer T850 with the radio remote. I can control the power output from the radio remote. I just set each flash to a different channel, and then I can vary the power from the camera—no need to walk over to the flash to make a change.

Now I have the more expensive Nikon SB-900 but have found it challenging to use in manual mode and change the power from the camera of several flashes. Also, if you barely move the camera, shooting in TTL can change the moment and how it puts out light. Having the lights set to power gives you more consistent exposures than TTL.

Dave Black, former speaker at SWPJC

SWPJC March 10 – 12 and Student Workshop 9 – 10

“Next Year” is the common thing I always hear from people when I ask them if they are going to Southwestern Photojournalism Conference this year.

This is the 25th annual meeting of the conference. The conference has changed through the years to reflect the industry as best we can.

In 2007 and 2008, the economy was a brutal hit, and our numbers suffered because everyone’s budgets were hurting.

We added a Student Workshop to the front end of the conference for students to get some one-on-one time with our speakers. This has proven to be very helpful for students to get their work reviewed and talk to the industry leaders.

The industry has been hit hard. Last year Canon and Nikon Sales were down close to 50%. All this doom and gloom doesn’t mean there is no longer a need for photographers.

At the same time, the industry is changing the number of pictures taken last year. That adds up to more than 14 trillion photos annually (14,600,000,000,000). Much more conservatively, if only one billion people have cameras or phones and take less than three photos per day/1,000 pictures yearly, that’s still 1 trillion photos captured annually.

The need for those who know more than just how to push the button is in great demand. People know that with all these photos being created every moment for their “Brand” to be seen, it must break through with images that “Capture the Audience.”

I know I go to the conference to meet people I can hire throughout the year as projects pop up for my clients. Last year I hired many photographers for projects and continued to look for more photographers. This is where I go to find great shooters and those who see this as a calling.

Don’t wait for next year anymore. Commit to meeting with other photographers who see this as a calling. Come to Fort Worth this year and connect. Listen to some of the best in the industry tell you where they see things going for the professional photographer.

Go to the website to learn more about SWPJC.org. Then go and book your transportation and hotel. I hope to see you there.

Don’t resort to Next Year when there might not be a Next Year conference. Signup and come while we are still doing SWPJC.

Nikon D5, Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 1100, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000

Many things go into the making of a photograph. However, only one will indeed be the key to a great picture.

Exposure Triangle

The exposure triangle is a common way of associating the three variables that determine the exposure of a photograph: aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. One must balance all three of these to achieve the desired result, an adjustment of one requiring adjustments of at least one of the others.

If you execute this flawlessly, you still can have a photo that lacks any connection with the audience.

Principles of Composition

In photography, the composition is the arrangement of parts of a scene to form a particular visual outcome. Design can also be about picking a viewpoint to create a pleasing visual effect. In practical terms, the photographer uses both “arrangement” and “choice of viewpoint.” 

In general, composition aims to direct the viewer to see the point of the photograph. The “point” may be an aesthetically pleasing scene or something containing a more complex story. Even a visually disturbing or discordant outcome is the result of efforts in composition. 

The finer points of a particular composition rely on a range of “photographic elements” and the “principles of photographic art” for using them.

When you execute the composition and Exposure Triangle rules together, your photos will look even better but still fall short of connecting with the audience without one more thing.

Previsualization

The greatest proponent of previsualization was Ansel Adams, and it was he who perhaps summed it up best with a single sentence, “You don’t take a photograph; you make it.” Great photographs require you to work out everything that goes into making that photograph before you take it. So how do we mere mortals go about previsualizing our shots?

The first book Ansel Adams wrote started chapter one by explaining this concept to people.

While my work cannot stand up to Ansel’s, I still believe there is a better way to describe this process of previsualization by asking a simple question.

WHY take the photo?

For example, Ansel Adams assumed no one could look at Half Dome and not be moved. Half Dome is a granite dome at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park, California.

When you ask yourself, “Why am I taking this photo” you will get to the core of the element that will help you connect with your audience. This is the #1 Key to Great Photograph.

I love the two words “so that” in the Bible.

“So that” is used as a subordinate clause to show purpose or to give an explanation. It indicates an action producing an intended result or a cause having an effect. In Sentence 1, “so that” in Sentence 2, the first sentence is the action/cause, and the second is the intended result/effect. In the format “So that” Sentence 1, Sentence 2, the first subject-verb clause is the intended result/effect, and the second is the action/cause.

I push my shutter on the camera to inform, imagine, influence, meet social expectations, and express feelings.

Show & Tell

I believe that photos alone cannot tell a story. I think, at best, they can capture a slice or a moment. People need words to help understand what is going on in the photograph.

We learned this concept in Kindergarten when we had a “Show & Tell” day at school. The objects your classmates brought into school needed them to tell us why they got them to school. Without their words, we didn’t understand.

Now the best part of “Show & Tell” was that the visuals gave us a great deal of information that the words alone couldn’t do as well and briefly did as the visual.

Here is the formula I think works well for photos that communicate:

Ask Why

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Previsualize

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Take Photo

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Add Words

Ask yourself why I want to take this photograph. For example, how is the situation affecting me, and what do I want the audience to understand that I am experiencing?

Once you know the answer to WHY you must use all your photographic skills to best capture this moment, this “previsualization” is understanding how the best shutter speed, aperture, ISO, composition, and lighting, all controlled by me, can be used to capture what I want to communicate.

I then execute the previsualization and make the photo.

Last we know that the photo by itself will make the audience ask a question. What is going on here? They will need more information to be sure the message is not left up for interpretation. You will then need to marry the photograph with words to complete the communication process.

Example

I think this is a compelling photo, but I want to know more. Now compare this same photo to one using it with words:

Together with the words, the picture completes the communication process.

Now I am not saying put words on photos always. Captions under photos work just as well.

Use the caption to tell the reader something new. When readers look at the photo, they’re usually confronted with some form of emotion and information (based on what they see in the picture). The caption, in turn, should provide the reader with a piece of information they were unaware of from simply looking at the photo. In short, the caption should teach the reader something about the image.

Now go forth and make photos!

Last night I took in Gilley’s of Dallas with a large group. At the end of the night, I was really pleased with my ability to shoot everything without a flash.

The reason is the Nikon D5 has such a wide range of ISO. ISO 100–104200 can also be pushed to 3 million ISO.

Since there was a lot of line dancing, I wanted to crank the shutter speed to a minimum of 1/250. The stage lighting was lighting the people in front, and then the rest of the place was incredibly dark in comparison. However, the dynamic range of the Nikon D5 did a great job. I could pull out all the shadows in Adobe Lightroom from the RAW images.

Now when the people jumped up on the mechanical bull, I needed to capture this without everyone being blurred. No problem. I set the camera to my Sports Settings.

These are the settings that I use on my Nikon D5 for shooting most all sports action. Nikon has made it pleasant to allow photographers to save these settings, so they do not have to remember every little setting they like to use for a style of shooting.

If you go to Menu and under the camera, the icon picks the first item, “Shooting menu bank.” I have chosen B, which is my sports menu.

If you toggle into the “Shooting menu bank,” you can rename those settings. Once you choose one of these settings, everything you do to change the menu will be saved in that menu bank. I recommend trying all my settings and then tweaking them to your preferences.

When shooting sports, it is prevalent for the lighting conditions to change instantly. While the football player runs toward you, they may go from shade into direct sunlight. For this reason, I let the camera do some of my thinking.

Go to the camera icon and look for “ISO sensitivity settings.” Select this, and you will then see this menu:

I turn on the “Auto ISO sensitivity control.” Then I set the minimum shutter speed to 1/4000. You could pick something else. I used to shoot at 1/2000. The ISO setting is what you see in the smaller window below the menu. I set this to ISO 100 and the “Maximum sensitivity” to ISO 102400.

While I am in Aperture Mode shooting, the camera will always pick 1/4000 shutter speed. If in sunlight I am at ƒ/4, the shutter speed may go as high as 1/8000 at ISO 100, but as the scene changes and the athlete is now in the shade, the camera will automatically drop to 1/4000 @ ƒ/4, and then change also the ISO up until I can still shoot at 1/4000.

The only time the shutter speed will dip below 1/4000 is if the ISO peaks out at 102400.  If my aperture is wide open, the camera is doing everything I would have done manually, but faster than I could ever adjust the camera. That is how you get more shots than the guy next to you.

Here I am letting BOKEH create the mood for the nightclub. Shooting at ƒ/1.4, let that background go to a silky smooth out of focus while directing your attention to the man in the foreground.

I love the Nikon D5 because it lets me capture anything I can see with my naked eye.

Nikon D5, Sigma 35mm ƒ/1.4 DG Art, ISO 100, ƒ/1.4, 1/2500

Capturing moments like this one in Togo, West Africa, is what I thought many years ago would be my full-time career today.

During a youth retreat in high school, I responded to what I believed was a call to full-time Christian ministry. My church licensed me into the ministry. This was the first step down a process I thought would have me do ministry/missions full-time. Full-time, meaning I would pay all my bills from being on the staff of a missions agency.

I received this call while a senior in high school. My father, a pastor/missionary, gave me counsel. My father mentored me and guided me to avoid some of his mistakes. Together, we determined that I needed a path in education.

You will open more doors with a master of divinity degree. This is required for most pastor and missionary positions. Before you can get a master’s, you need a bachelor’s degree. This is where my father gave me some wisdom from his experience. He said he worked a great deal in two areas that a master of divinity doesn’t prepare you well.

Most ministers and missionaries are an organization’s leaders, and a business degree would help you with administrative responsibilities. The second area was that of a counselor.

I decided to major in social work, and then I planned to go to seminary.

While in college, I discovered photography and, more specifically, photojournalism. In my senior year, while on spring break, I was offered a job as a photojournalist for a newspaper. I didn’t see this as a departure from ministry but a call to a specialist role in the church.

I met Don Rutledge during my senior year in college; he would become my mentor. Rather than telling that entire story here, you can read more here. Don was a photojournalist who worked for the Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board as the primary photographer for The Commission Magazine.

A year and a half later, I would get a phone call from Don Rutledge about a photographer position on their staff.

I would spend five years working on the staff before they went through the financial crisis and cut my position.

This was a great time with Don Rutledge. Unable to find a staff job due to the economy, I believed seminary would help open closed doors. This was one of the best things I have ever done. I thought I would study and learn all this theology that would help me, and I did, but I didn’t know how much I would learn about education. I learned a lot about lesson planning and how people learn.

Upon graduating, I thought I was better equipped to help tell those missionary stories and a better communicator. However, no positions opened up for me in the church. I did find a job at Georgia Tech.

The assignments here stretched me in other ways. I worked with Gary Meek, and the two of us helped to tell the stories shared through all kinds of media. We have published in many national magazines and newspapers as well as all the public relations materials for the school.

I thought my time at the school was God’s way of further preparing me for something in missions. Well, it did help me in so many ways, and I learned many new skills I use today.

For the past fifteen years, I have been a full-time freelancer, taking any job in photography and communications to help pay the bills. I was assisting NGOs with web design. I had learned how to create my webpage to help me with freelancing, and others heard and asked me to help them.

I would make a mission trip every few years but never turned this into a full-time career. Last year, I made four separate mission trips, each for a week. The rest of my freelancing helped pay the bills, allowing me to do those mission projects.

I am still longing for the opportunity to do full-time ministry work.

Today, I am asking myself, did God call me? Why am I not working full-time for an organization doing missions/ministry if he did?

Most likely, I am limiting God with all my questions. Maybe I am doing missions and ministry, and my understanding of what defines ministry is more limiting than how God sees it.

The one character in the bible I can relate to the most is Joseph, the youngest son of Jacob. He was given a dream that wouldn’t come true for most of his life. In telling the story, it wouldn’t be fulfilled until the very end of the story, which took most of his lifetime.

His older brothers knew Joseph as their father’s favorite. For this reason, his ten older brothers conspired against the boy and sold him to slave traders while telling their father an animal had mauled him. Joseph had been given dreams of God’s plan for his life, so he endured this fantastic story in Genesis with confidence and strength.

He would be falsely accused and thrown into jail. It would be his gift to interpret dreams that would have him later become a leader for the Pharaoh of Egypt and lead them through a time of famine and for his vision as a young boy to come true.

Are you, too, feeling depressed and beaten down? Do you wonder if God ever called you to pursue your profession?

Did you know that scripture commonly associates those who minister for a paycheck as false ministers?

“No man can be the bondservant of two masters; for either he will dislike one and like the other, or he will attach himself to one and think slightingly of the other. You cannot be the bondservants both of God and of gold.”

– Matthew 6:24

The first missionary was Paul, who earned his living as a tentmaker. He said:

If you support others who preach to you, shouldn’t we have an even greater right to be supported? Yet we have never used this right. We would rather put up with anything than put an obstacle in the way of the Good News about Christ.

1 Corinthians 9:12

Paul also instructed people to work and earn a living:

Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and wasting time meddling in other people’s business. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we appeal to such people-no, we command them: Settle down and get to work. Earn your own living.

2 Thessalonians 3:11

The biblical word “pastor” is the same as “shepherd” (which is simply a caring servant of God’s people), and Jesus Himself made this point clear when he said the following about such “ministers”:

“A hired man is not a real shepherd. The sheep mean nothing to him. He sees a wolf come and runs for it, leaving the sheep to be ravaged and scattered by the wolf. He’s only in it for the money. The sheep don’t matter to him.”

John 10:12-13 (MSG)

Christians supported Paul’s travels financially, and Paul encouraged the Saints to consider those who spent their lives ministering the Gospel. Still, the gifts were given freely, from love and in response to need (ACTUAL NEED – i.e., FOOD AND CLOTHING).

Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.

1 Timothy 6:6-11 (NKJV)

I fully believe that IF God has ordained their service, He will also fully provide every legitimate need. But the minister should not have a high and mighty opinion that he is above the need to earn his living and provide for his family and ministry.

That provision may be having another job to pay the bills.

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9 

If you have the money and time to do missions full-time, then God wouldn’t get any credit, but if you lack money and time, then when you get to do missions, you know it is because of God and not your abilities that made it happen.

A shallow Depth-of-Field can help draw more attention to a subject and diminish things in the background. For this photo, I used my Nikon D5 and Sigma 35mm ƒ/1.4 DG Art lens with the camera set at ISO 100, ƒ/1.4, and 1/100.

You must adjust the exposure when shooting on snow or at the beach. I find that adding +1 stop using the exposure compensation dial gives the best results. Depending on how your meter interprets the scene, you may need more or less.

This is tricky lighting, but I could tweak the image before I shot it. I saw the results I would be getting, and in theater, the lighting changes so much that this is a blessing to shoot with the mirrorless Fuji X-E2. The electronic viewfinder lets you see what the CMOS chip is seeing and capturing.

The teams are practicing now for Spring soccer and baseball. Here are some tips for getting those action shots for soccer.

You need the right gear to get those peak action shots. Your camera phone is just not going to cut it.

For most of your action shots, you will need a lens to bring that action close to you. I recommend a lens covering the 300mm to 600mm range.

Here is what I use:

I also use the 1.4 or 2x converter with it.

This lets me get close to the action.

Now there are less expensive choices for you to use. I would recommend for the Sigma 150-600mm. It comes in two versions a contemporary and sports version. If you are a heavy user you would want the sports version.

You need to pair these lenses with a good camera body. You can use DSLR and mirrorless cameras to capture the action.

I like to shoot at a high shutter speed of 1/4000. This lets me freeze the action, which makes the photos even sharper. I also enjoy shooting wide-open aperture to keep a shallow depth of field.

When I bought my lens, Nikon had not made the 200-500mm, selling today for about $1250.

These lenses let you shoot from the end zones. I like to be not far from the net, capturing the player’s faces as they move closer to the goal and defend the plan.

Many people try to shoot this action with 70-200mm lenses, but they are not long enough for soccer. They work ok as the action gets close to the goal, but you need to be close to that goal.

Let me say that all of these lenses paired with the latest camera bodies of the major camera manufacturers will give you incredible results.

Here are some features that I would compare with camera bodies.

1. ISO – I recommend cameras with a high ISO of 12,800 or higher
2. Shutter Speed – you need to be shooting at 1/1000 or faster.
3. Motor Drive – I recommend 5+ per second
4. Buffer – The higher, the better. The Nikon D500 and D5 have a pad of 200 shooting RAW.

I believe that the Nikon D5 is in a class all its own for shooting sports. If you don’t want to shell out $6,500, look at the Nikon D500 for $2,000.

While I say all the time, it is the photographer and not the gear that determines a good photo–with sports, you do need some long glass, or you cannot capture the action.

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art, ISO 100, ƒ/4, 1/320

Before you read this post, take a moment and look at all the photos. Then take a moment and think about what you think they are all about. Once you have done that, come back and pick up the reading.

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Why did I take this photo and the others I am showing you today? Let me talk about each one separately. Also, I would rarely not include some text with these photos no matter where I share them because I want to communicate what is going on.

I was accompanying one of the workshop participants I was helping teach in Togo, West Africa, on her story of a pastor. This was part of the story.

This is a Charlatan Witch Doctor of Fetishes in Togo, West Africa, going into the temple he built for the different gods he worships. In Togo, about half the population practices indigenous religions, of which Vodun [worship of fetishes] is the largest, with some 2.5 million followers.

Vodun cosmology centers around the vodun spirits and other elements of divine essence that govern the Earth, a hierarchy that ranges in power from major deities presiding the forces of nature and human society to the spirits of individual streams, trees, and rocks, as well as dozens of ethnic vodun, defenders of a particular clan, tribe, or nation. The vodun is the center of religious life, similar to doctrines such as the intercession of saints and angels that made Vodun appear compatible with Christianity, especially Catholicism, and produced syncretic religions such as Haitian Vodou. Adherents also emphasize ancestor worship and hold that the spirits of the dead live side by side with the world of the living, each family of spirits having its female priesthood, sometimes hereditary when it’s from mother to blood daughter. [Wikipedia]

I took this photo and how I took it to communicate the belief in many gods by the people of Togo. For many who become Christians, it is still common for many to still practice these Fetishes. The tradition has been so strong for so long in their culture that it is difficult for them to break away from these practices.

Here is the story that the student Hannah Teramura tells the tale of Martouka.

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Why did I make this photo?

Before we sent all eleven students out individually to go and work on their stories, we did a refresher on capturing the interview.

We walked around as a group and agreed on this place to do the interview. We did this based on the lighting, the sound, and the background. We then set up the camera with the subject to be interviewed, the translator, and the student asking the questions and doing the story.

We then practiced and stopped here and there to talk about the camera settings, the interviewing process, and the importance of the student listening with headphones and watching that the subject doesn’t move too much to put them out of focus or out of the frame of the camera.

Can you see how I composed and picked a moment to convey much of this information, but text helped explain who each person is in the photo and their role?

When did I figure out all this?

Before I clicked the shutter! Very important to think through what is going on in front of the camera and then distill all this into a moment that will convey the point you want to make.

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Why did I make this photo?

This is pastor Martouka Anani’s son. Now he was very interested and intense. You can tell he is a thinker trying to figure out why these white people are doing with those cameras.

As I brought the camera up to take her photo, I could see this intensity in his face and body language. I decided I needed to capture this tension. I also decided I wanted to isolate him in the corn field and hint that his brother was in the background.

I felt this girl was fearless, unlike his brother, who was playing. Like his father, this little boy wants to know more than he sees on the surface of people’s faces. He is peering into your soul with his eyes.

Now contrast this to his older sister, who, while still engaging with her eyes, has more softness with her gaze than her younger brother.

Martouka Anani, their father, fell deathly sick after years of growing up in fetish worship and remembered the gospel he had heard as a child. Even though his parents disowned him from walking away from the fetish religion, he pursued Jesus and devoted his life to sharing the good news with others.

Their next-door neighbor is the Charlatan Witch Doctor in the first photo. Just imagine living next door to a faith your father gave up and lost his family and all their day-to-day interactions with that family. I am sure the kids play together but imagine they have to understand why their parents are so different.

Maybe the reason for these looks of the children is they are not sure what we believe and will also be their faith for themselves.

Why am I taking this photo?

I wanted to capture how important faith is to the community we came to cover. This photo by itself doesn’t capture the whole story. But paired with the images above in a larger story helps me convey the culture’s intricacies a little more and helps the reader understand what they are dealing with each day.

Had we just taken photos only in the church buildings, the images are not different than here in the United States. Yes, the building is a little different, but the expressions in prayer look similar. However, with the other photos showing this pastor living next door to a Witch Doctor and that this is the life he left for Jesus, we can see what maybe is something different that they pray about that we don’t have to deal with here.

Summary

I hope you can see that I must take the time to think about what is happening around me. I then have to consider what I want to share with someone through my photos.

If you take photos without knowing what you are trying to say, then your audience will have no clue as to what you are trying to say.

Here are some places to start thinking about the photo that you want to make.

1. What is my emotion right now? Are you happy, sad, melancholic, joyful, etc
2. What is the subject? What is the noun if I put this into a sentence?
3. What is the verb? Thinking again like a sentence, what is going on that I need to show? What would be the verb in the penalty if I were writing this all down? Your shutter speed may help communicate motion, for example, or freeze something.
4. What should I include or exclude? You may do this by composing by moving around and picking a particular lens to capture the content. You may also decide how much is in focus on the subject. You may even choose to not just go from a wide angle to telephoto, but super close with a macro lens.
5. Do I need to alter the light to help with capturing what I need? Do you need a flash? Do you need to wait till the subject moves into the light?

You can ask many more questions to help you determine what to capture with your camera. 

Great photographs are like great poems. The differences are in the nuances. Finding the perfect balance of grammar, simplicity, intricacy, feeling, imagery, and rhythm is one of the most difficult challenges a poet will face. In some cases, a poet’s work might never be done. For example, he might spend several years, or even his entire life, trying to perfect one single poem. He might often omit a word or two here or change some terms there.

The photographer is always looking for ways to improve. They work to understand the technology to help improve their images. They study the subjects to see those nuances to give more understanding.

My challenge to you is to be intentional. Know why you are clicking the shutter, or your audience will not know.

This year we are getting our PR for musical Oklahoma! Started much sooner than last year’s production of Into The Woods. About two months before the performance with the 12′ x 8′ banner.

Last year we were up just a little more than a month before the performance.

Last year the banner was 9′ x 6′. When I put the flag up the previous year, I can remember feeling it wasn’t big enough. I believe the 12′ x 8′ is plenty big for the space.

Every 2 feet, there is a grommet to help you tie the banner to posts like I am doing here. If you are putting this outside and not on a wall, you need to use every one of those grommets. When you do, and wind comes along, each grommet has less tension than if you used just the corners. Your banner will do better in the wind if you tie it well with all the grommets.

You can get an idea of how massive the banner is from the back with me on a 6-foot ladder.

HOW TO MAKE A BANNER

1) Select your source to make the banner. I use AllStateBanners.com. Here is a link to their specs to give you an idea of what you need to supply as file size. https://orders.allstatebanners.com/design-specs

2) Select your image. I recommend shooting in RAW and Lightroom or PhotoShop, resizing the image to the size of the banner. I did it here and exported the photo as a JPEG to 12 feet on the long side. You need to check with your banner source to see their specs. They said 150 dpi or more.

 3) Open the large JPEG photo in PhotoShop and then put text over the photo.

4) All State Banners can take most file types. The first time I sent them, the PhotoShop file was saved as PSD. The last two banners I just exported out of PhotoShop as JPEG. Again the size is the exact size of the banner at 150 dpi. As a PSD, the file is a 1225.1 MB file. As JPEG, it is 66.1 MB file size.

The total cost this year was $229.44. I only paid $206.50 because they were running a 10% discount.

Now, this is only part of our PR. Here are two Facebook Cover size photos for the people to post on their pages to help promote the musical.

Stay tuned to see other ways we use photography to help market the musical.

Nikon D5, Sigma 35mm ƒ/1.4 DG Art, ISO 100, ƒ/1.4, 1/800

I can relate to these boys in so many ways. What they are thinking I am not sure, but they do make me think of feeling alone even tho there are people around me.

The reasons these boys may feel isolated is quite different than my own isolation. They are living in one of the poorest nations on earth–Togo, West Africa. When you go into their homes they don’t have a closet with many outfits and shoes. This maybe the only thing they have to wear or maybe one more outfit.

When I would peek into their kitchens I saw no food.

So we might interpret their expressions as related to their poverty and hunger for food. However, I believe that people hunger for true friendships that are deep with roots that bind them to others.

 They are looking for nourishment that comes from deep within people.

When people have deep relationships with friends, they have wells within them that are overflowing and able to glow and give to others. Here you see these guys who are friends that exude happiness.

I continue to find those with wells complete in the houses of worship. These people search beyond what people can give to them for even a relationship that will sustain them even more.

What I love about my profession is capturing all of this and helping to direct people to know where to find that living water that refreshes the soul. It comes from being able to be open and honest with your friends. They know your flaws, and you know theirs. It comes from God, who forgives and seeks a relationship with you.

When people see me as a photographer, I feel isolated. When they see me for who I am and not what I do, I really connect.

I use many different skills from my studies of Social Work, Education, Theology, and many experiences to help people connect to the world in which they live. My ultimate goal is to connect people to deep relationships with others, and I also hope to God.

Who am I? I am looking for another person to go through this life together. I will need many people to make this journey exciting and new.