May 2012
5 posts
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April 2012
7 posts
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Just keep moving...nothing to see here.
You can ignore this. If you do it’ll just scroll on down your RSS feed and you can go on about your day.
Or, if you care or have ever cared about an abused child—you know, the one on the news who has been locked up for 10 years—or the child living a few doors down who you didn’t even know was abused, read on.
Approximately one in three girls and one in four boys is beat, whipped,...
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You Aren't entitled to it.
Guess what? You really, really, aren’t ENTITLED to it.
You aren’t entitled to a perfect job.
You aren’t entitled to a perfect marriage.
You aren’t entitled to great pay.
You aren’t entitled to great kids.
You aren’t entitled to a good car.
You aren’t entitled to a big house.
You aren’t entitled to a white picket fence (and besides their kind...
March 2012
5 posts
9 tags
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Insurance Companies...
God love ‘em…because I sure don’t.
So here we are trying to get new homeowners coverage. We’ve never filed a claim in the past 15 years or so that we’ve owned a home—just paid and paid and paid. We’ve never needed to. Ever. I’ve owned homes that were 80 years old and newer and it’s fascinating what hoops I’m having to jump through to find...
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Dear Rodney;
Here’s why we can’t all just get along. Buckle up—we’re going on a ride! Weeeee! (Little pig visual not necessary.)
The majority of people are reasonable. I honestly believe it (though I do forget from time to time due to my own unreasonableness but I’ll get to that later.)
Even people I strongly disagree with or even dislike.
Most people have intentions that they...
February 2012
3 posts
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Church Greeters...
So what’s the deal with church greeters? It’s actually a job. Like at Wal-mart. The following is a fictitious conversation that summarizes the idea.
Pastor: ”Hey, we need someone for the ‘frontlines’ of Sunday church services. Would you be willing to greet people at the door?”
You: “Umm. Sure! I like people and I’m willing to stand there and say...
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Cool Means Cold!
When you’re talking to someone, do the words you use matter—or the meaning of the words you use? Is it form or function? The point of words is to communicate, whether in written or spoken form. They do not exist to simply exist. God did not choose to speak to us through another way, but through words, because words communicate.
Unfortunately, with the tower of Babel simplicity, and to some...
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The Church of Silat Ryu Kai Jitsu Do Fu
Or how everything seems the same….
I’m involved in martial arts. I’m involved in church. Here are similarities between the two and the way people interact with them. (MA stands for Martial Arts.) I’m sure with more thought this could be written more eloquently but it’s not intended to be eloquent or condemning as much as just fun to consider. Hopefully you can excuse...
January 2012
1 post
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Hmmm... Giving?!
Dear Pastor;
I’m confused… You just used 2 Cor 9:6 as a basis for your teaching today…
“My point is this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each one of you should give just as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, because God loves a cheerful giver.”
...
December 2011
2 posts
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Everything is a mission (if it's sexy)
Having spent some time in the Christian Church (and I still am btw) this is only meant as a critique or something to think about. It is not meant as an indictment. What happens AFTER people consider this is on them…
If you’ve been part of the church for any length of time, and particularly evangelical churches, you know that once a year there is going to be a missions month or...
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Substance Abuse
Substance abuse is defined as “A maladaptive pattern of substance use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, as manifested by one (or more) of the following, occurring within a 12-month period:
Recurrent substance use resulting in a failure to fulfill major role obligations at work, school, or home…” *1
It can be a horrible thing that can tear apart families,...
October 2011
1 post
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WatchRoad Dog Memorial 3 on Flickr. I think it would be foolish of me to try and say more about this man than he says about himself. You have left a legacy of helping children.
Goodbye friend.
September 2011
5 posts
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Reblog: Number One!
This is a reblog from my photography journal at: http://mumblingmonkeys.blogspot.com
Why? Because you guys deserve it! Go over and start following my photo blog…it’s very very lonely…..
****
Here again, this is me speaking from a Candid Portraiture and Journalistic Photographer’s perspective. The number one thing you can do to improve your photography: When you put your eye...
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More Than Photos
As I’ve had the opportunity to take photographs around the world I’ve learned a lot. For me though, the photography portion is just one part of what I experience when I travel. Sure my photography has grown quite a lot over the years (and imagine what would happen if I were consistently able to do that…). But sometimes, no matter how much my craft—dare I say my art—has grown,...
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FYI...
Just because I value you, I thought it might be good to let you in on a secret.
I’m an INTP…..
No. Seriously. Like so much so that it’s freaky… well that…and a little bit freeing to know that it’s just how I am.
If you know me at all you won’t be surprised by any of this but it still may give you some insight. When I read it in detail, not just the...
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Buy American!
No. Like my politics I’ll buy whatever I think is going to give me the best return for my decision. (BTW, cars are NOT an investment but a resource drain.)
I’m soured. Actually I’m well beyond soured almost to a point of complete resignation. However, I thought in absence of anything that I seem to able to do about my situation, that I would at least post a warning of all the...
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Over the hills and through Cameroon Post...
What can be said in words can be shown in images better for this post. Our travels have taken us through Savannah, Jungle (maybe—probably not what they consider but to me), Mountains, and forests.
Cameroon is a rich country with even more landscape than one month really allows you to see (unless you can afford airplane or helicopter). Everything from beaches, to jungles, mountains and even desert...
August 2011
9 posts
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WatchFILE0002 on Flickr. Via Flickr:
Everyday driving and traffic in Cameroon. Actually this isn’t bad at all.
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Dingo’s, Chickens, and Cockroaches—Oh My! Cameroon...
So in this blog post I am going to share with you some of the unique critters we’ve seen while traveling…. Wait a minute! Hold On! As I think about it I can’t really talk about the critters without talking about the roads, since it seems that every animal, bird, snake, etc. that is able, at one time or another can be found in the road. Soo… this journey will talk about the roads of Cameroon.
Did...
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WatchFILE0003 on Flickr. A roadside market.
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WatchFILE0010 on Flickr. ….and the overloaded truck I was telling you about…This is only one of the MANY we saw in this predicament.
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WatchFILE0020 on Flickr. This is a good road in Cameroon and probably most of Africa. We did have better but generally we also had much worse.
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WatchFILE0024 on Flickr. some more traffic fun in Cameroon.
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WatchFILE0027 on Flickr. A typical moment on the road in Cameroon.
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Cameroon Post #1—Weather
I’m going to be doing a series of blog posts on my travels to Cameroon, as much as for a journal of sorts, as to share the adventure. They will be on various aspects of Cameroon. Some of these posts have been started at another time and are just being put out because of the lack of internet, time, priority, etc.
*Just to be clear, I have not seen all of Cameroon or probably even half, but...
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Photography Post #3 or so...
Not sure if it’s my third but it’s probably around that….
Anyway, as I’m preparing to shoot in the field for the next month straight I am taking some time pre-mortem v. Post to consider some things. Hindsight, as useful as it is, doesn’t help the photos you’re about to take—unless of course you can keep the things you’ve learned and carry them forward or...
July 2011
3 posts
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It is what it is—Post #240 Designers
I started in Graphic Design and Web Design around 93 or so as an intern. At the time, graphics programs were taking hold but were not completely robust. During my time in school graphics software and computers sort of took the scene. It was a transitional period in many of the graphics programs found in colleges. I had training in Ruby Lithe, Blue lines, letraset, tech pens, etc. Very hands on...
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...and Justice For All
Most of the time it doesn’t seem like the judicial system gets much notice. It sort of goes on and on pretty much without notice until something remarkable happens. That happening can be remarkably good or bad or stupid or whatever. It’s not always bad despite what we may think right now, though I tend to notice the stupid stuff only. For example a judge who overthrows the vote of the...
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Formula much?
So… when you’re talking about successful anything—photography, martial arts, graphic design, etc.—whatever it is. Why is that we ultimately end up taking our successes and working them over and over, making formulas from them? As if replication will always yield success. Magic solutions.
For example, A photo of a model in front of a demolished or dilapidated building. I get the...
June 2011
9 posts
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Story!
The more interesting photographs to me, especially from a photojournalistic angle, tell a story. They aren’t portraits per se, they aren’t product shots, they aren’t locations, they aren’t landscapes, they aren’t art. They are stories captured in a 2 dimensional format, the script of which is only partially written, often without the beginning or the end—leaving the...
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Get Closer... Much Closer
One of the primary lessons I’ve had to learn is to not be afraid to be in the action. Too many shots I took early on just didn’t work because I was too far away. They simply were wasted shots. Get comfortable being close and in the action.
When in doubt…get closer.
No—seriously. Get closer. Stop using a zoom, go to a prime lense 30mm or 50mm and take several steps closer. ...
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.asp for Photographers
http://mumblingmonkeys.blogspot.com/
A simple, fun, .asp styled pointer for developing as a photographer. Just for fun people! :)
Getting the right gear—Lenses
Here is a blogpost on getting the right gear.
http://mumblingmonkeys.blogspot.com/
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Do The Research.
My first overseas trip to do photograhy was complicated. I’d mostly shot studio photos (product shots) and fine art black and white photos up until that moment and even some low key portraiture.
My assignment was to do some photojournalism while on location in Indonesia. This was my first venture to south east Asia, let alone the first time I had worked in the role of photojournalist....
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The Light
My fine art photography teacher used to say that photography was all about the light. Without it, you can’t take a photograph-at least not a good one.
Ray Spicer was his name and he was responsible for shaping my viewpoint on photography, specifically black and white photography. He always said that without beautiful light you cannot have a beautiful photo. Over the course of the past...
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Interpretors??
I don’t usually dream much that I remember (yes, I know I dream Every night all you literalists, however, I remember maybe one or two a year) and because of that it’s somewhat remarkable. I enjoy them typically, even the ones that make me wake up in a sweat. There are even times that I can control the outcome of the dream and that’s a lot of fun.
I also don’t worry much about...
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Old Friend
Hi there! It’s been awhile.
You’re always there of course, I’m reminded regularly as I see you around in the lives of other friends and other happenings. In fact, not a day goes by that you aren’t there. In the morning, during the day, in the evening, and even while I sleep, but I still manage to forget you—my oldest of friends.
You are the one that brings me joy,...
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Was it a Skunk Ape?
Different parts of the U.S. have very distinct personalities as demonstrated by its inhabitants. New Yorkers are known for their unfriendly directness. Californians are known for their liberal, easy going attitudes. Texans are known for their fierce pride in their beloved state. In every case, some very distinct images come to mind. Images of Mafia, surfers, and cowboys. However, unlike the...