I am grateful. Grateful for the provisions of this day and for those of the past. At least, the provisions that I can remember! I rarely forget faces, but I am not that great when it comes to remembering things and places. Fortunately, I have a camera to record the events and can relive it later. When I look at the images, I can recall what I was feeling, what the weather was like, and the picture brings back memories. One Thanksgiving (about 15 years ago), we had the opportunity to visit some friends who had moved to Wales. Once I looked on a map and saw how close we were to Ireland, we left our friends after a short visit, then took a ferry over to Ireland.

We did not have that much time, but headed over to the western coast near Galway. As we got close to the Cliffs of Moher, this rock structure was in the middle of a field. I had never seen a dolman before and found this “mini Stonehenge” fascinating. As I began to set up the tripod and the panoramic view camera, a storm began to blow in. The skies grew dark and took on a dramatic appearance. That moment was such a gift and I will never forget it. The adrenaline was really pumping!

I love the writings of John Ortberg and read this selection earlier today after a friend emailed it to me. “Gratitude is the ability to experience life as a gift. It opens us up to wonder, delight and humility. It makes our hearts generous. It liberates us from the prison of self-preoccupation. Gratitude is not something we give to God so we make sure He knows, that we know, how much trouble He went to over us. Gratitude is more than that. It's the gift God gives us that enables us to be blessed by all His other gifts, the way our taste buds enable us to enjoy the gift of food. Without gratitude, our lives degenerate into envy, dissatisfaction, and complaints, taking what we have for granted and always wanting more."

May God richly bless you this Thanksgiving.

This image of Portal Dolman was created with a tripod mounted 6x17 panoramic view camera and medium format color transparency film.

One of those days...

It had been one of those days. Nothing particularly exciting or noteworthy, but just being able to spend time together was such a treat. We were in the panhandle of Florida, celebrating our wedding anniversary where we had exchanged vows just one year earlier. The day was spent enjoying the simplest of things; hot cups of tea in the morning and just easing into the day, taking a long walk on the beach and being able to read with the beautiful white noise of the ocean’s waves in the background.

Daylight savings time had just kicked in so the sunset would be at 4:45pm EST. We arrived with little time to spare and pulled off the road overlooking a popular area called Grayton Beach State Park. There were a few clouds in the sky, which reinforced our hopes that it would be a pretty sunset.

Most people go home or turn their attention away the moment the sun drops below the horizon. But, seasoned photographers know that the real show is still a few minutes away. So, we waited. The air was still and we just soaked up the quiet, giving us time to reflect on the gifts of a day void of busyness. As you can see, our efforts were rewarded with a beautiful display of the Creator’s palette across the sky.

“Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.”

Psalms 36:5

Do you prefer sunrises or sunsets? Why? Tell me about it!

This image was created with a tripod mounted, Nikon D300 camera and a 18-200VR lens.

144 mph at 50!

Do you have a "bucket list"? I don't even remember mentioning to Missy that I would love to drive a race car but she arranged for me to drive one at the KY Speedway in Sparta, KY. It was the gift for my 50th birthday. Missy and I drove up there to meet my cousin Rodney, who also got to drive too. There were a lot of other "drivers" there and registered for the Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure.

After receiving instruction for about an hour we headed out to the track. They had 5 retired stock cars and one pickup truck that had been used in actual races. Rodney and I were outfitted in firesuits then assigned to the pickup truck. Seems that the larger guys were put in the truck and everyone else in the stock cars. At a little over 6 feet tall and little overweight (204 #), that was enough to secure me a spot in a truck not a car. Bummer, at least until a training instructor in the truck informed me that they were a lot more fun to drive than the cars. As I was heading toward the truck, a twentysomething, grabbed me by the arm and said, "Are you ready for a fun ride, old guy?". Thanks, Junior.

I hopped in the truck, barely got the helmet on and then they attached the neck support. After being strapped in I could hardly move my head. Fortunately, we learned hand signals so as to know when to shift, accelerate of change lanes. So, I never really saw the face of my co-pilot but for a second. There were a lot of gauges in the truck but no speedometer. It was easy to shift and drive, but needless to say, quite intimidating. Later, I learned that my first lap had a top speed of 115mph. My average speed for my 18 laps was 124mph and top speed was 144mph.

What a rush it was! I was glad we had the 18 lap package instead of the 3 or 8 laps. It took at least that long to get the hang of it and find a good "line" on the track. The only extra nervous moment I had was when my co-pilot grabbed the wheel and tried to keep me near the white wall on the outside through the straight stretch. Normally, I might be a little uncomfortable when a stranger in a firesuit continues to push my knee (which attaches to my lower leg and foot) to floor the gas pedal. This guy wanted me to have the ride of my life and he was risking his by making me go as fast as possible.

I will never forget it and thank God for life in the fast lane with such a wonderful woman to share it with.

Upward Gaze

Two years ago, a huge celebration was held and the church was literally filled. Filled with folks who had been touched by the life, love and dignity of suffering portrayed by the life of Sally. We had been married 20 years and three days. She passed from this life to eternity, with her sister, Karen, holding one hand and me holding the other. It is hard to describe the holiness that was present in the living room those four days. I did not know how I would honor this day until I got a phone call from my friend Sheri and she relayed a wonderful story that parallels this one.

Her neighbor and dear friend, MaryAnn, was about to pass away after a long bout with cancer. Sheri had received a call from the husband and he was concerned that MaryAnn would not be able to pass on from their home. Sometime later that day or night, Sheri had a vision but she did what many of us do, dismiss it because, "I must be crazy" or "God does not work that way anymore". Sheri told another neighbor friend about it and then the other neighbor got on the phone. That evening Sheri and the others gathered began to recreate the vision Sheri had "seen" previously. About 20-30 neighbors gathered around MaryAnn's house at dusk, making a circle around it and holding candles. They stayed for about 30 minutes and did the only other thing they could do - they prayed. Prayed for MaryAnn and her family. Prayed that the Lord would bring peace and stability to her body so she would not have to go to the hospital to die. MaryAnn's husband later shared that at the moment they had gathered around their home, peace began to fill her body. Her breathing was no longer labored and it stabilized. I bet he sensed the peace and holiness that was there too. MaryAnn did not need any more pain meds that night and was received into the arms of Christ from that house the next morning.

As a kid growing up in the funeral home, I remember once asking my grandmother, while my brother Tim and I were in the room where the bodies were viewed during the layout, "How do people get to heaven?". Without missing a beat, Mimi said that "Jesus comes down to get them and He takes them there." It made perfect sense to this 7 year old with a burr haircut. One of Sally's favorite TV shows was a little too sappy for me but we rarely missed it. "Touched by an Angel" was all about what Mimi had told me as a kid, portraying how the "angels" would come and take people to their eternal home.

I am a pretty good photographer, but I am a terrible photo editor! I had narrowed it down to three photos of Sally and was going to do a collage until I noticed something about the image above I had never noticed before. Sally is not looking at me, but her gaze is upward. There are too many ways to describe her and the way she loved everyone she met, as well the deep love she had for the Lord. I am not sure I have ever met anyone who was more eager to be at "home" with Jesus. This was even before cancer and it was not escapism. She really longed to get to her heavenly home. May we all grow into the love of Christ that she had and let it be expressed in our love and care for others, balanced with an upward gaze. To my dear Sally, enjoy the dance!!

"I will sustain you"

Two Sundays ago, during a time of communion and mediation at a worship service, my thoughts were interrupted with the words, "I will sustain you". While I am familiar with this still, small voice and it is usually a pleasant surprise, but sometimes I don't understand the meaning. I was really unaware of the context until I woke the next morning. Normally, I am pretty much at peace and feel the Lord's presence all the time, however, this morning my heart was filled with fear before I even had a chance to think.

Today was moving day. The home that was shared with my former wife, Sally, still housed much of her grandmother's antiques and it was my desire that all of that went to our nieces. The house had been for sale and I thought it would be best for it to be furnished. It had been almost a year and yet no sale. In contrast, we listed Missy's house for sale in Andover Hills and we had a contract within ten days! We loaded up the cats and moved back to my house at Boone's Trace. (It is so renewing to be back out at the KY River.) I enlisted the help of an old friend so we could spend the day moving the antiques to Maysville.

So, I got out of bed and went into the other room to pray, thanking God for His promise and asking for the delivery of it. I shared with Missy what was going on and she prayed for me too. The depth of her unselfish love and understanding continues to amaze me, respecting my past yet enjoying this time as newlywed. We have tried to learn how to process grief, yet fulling embracing the present is still complicated some days. Grief is weird. She explained it a while back that just because we have lost a best friend, and gained another does not mean that we don't ever miss the old friend. Is she amazing or what?!! Maybe this is a way that we honor those who are no longer with us by simply remembering them. We all say that we will not forget but do we?

Anyway, one would not think that "stuff" and household items would mean so much but the thought of giving up what I had lived with for over 20+ years was painful. However, it ended up being a great day reconnecting with an old friend and the familiar drive up to Maysville is always an enjoyable one. Thanks be to God that He is such a Comforter and friend.

The image above was created on a 10th wedding anniversary at St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, after enjoying a meal overlooking the ocean.

not "Nekked"

This was one of several images created in the studio for a large insurance company's annual report. We hired some beautiful and young ballet dancers to use as models. Although the final use of the images were in color, I wanted to show one in b/w and added a little tinting for the warmer effect. Black and White photography was my first love. With the absence of color, the viewer has the opportunity to see the image without the distraction of color, thereby taking note of the composition, lines, tonality and contrast. This image was shot with one large light source to the right and a reflector for fill on the left.

Yes, all the models were clothed for this shoot of body parts including knees, feet, elbows and backs. My wife, Missy, is an ER physician who has probably seen most everything imaginable, yet prefers not to see "Nekked" people. ;) While working on my art degree at Transy, in classes I regularly sketched the human form with unclothed models. While I appreciate the beauty of the human form, I agree with one of my former professors, Joe Petro II, who regularly said that humans always look better with their clothes on!

Reflections with water

Fortunately, I sell a lot of artwork but it is always rewarding when a friend wants to buy something to decorate their home with one, or in this case, two of my pieces. In addition, I would not want my Epson 9800 wide format Giclee printer to get too dusty! Both of these images were created while I was shooting panoramics for the upcoming "Kentucky Wide II" book, although these were shot in the traditional format with my Nikon.

The top image is from Swift Camp Creek at the Red River Gorge on an overcast day. The bottom image is from Greenbo Lake, early one morning. Both were printed as 20"x30" on photo paper.

Consider the Lillies of the field...

While on assignment last week for a banking client, we did the usual bank employee type shots but also went out to a horse farm in Woodford County. It was my first time on this farm and I was taken with the beauty of the day lillies in full bloom. What a wonderful day to be in KY and enjoying the beauty of creation!

And They're Off!

Last weekend I had the incredible honor of performing the ceremony of a couple that is now referred to as Matt & Ashley Anderson. It has been a lot of fun watching the both of them mature as young adults and as their love for each other has continued to grow. Jeff Hancock introduced me to Matt a few years ago and we all have enjoyed a lot of good times as we take turns whipping Matt into shape as a young man. Ashley is a beautiful young lady (inside & out) and one night after presenting and defending her Master's thesis from UK, she met Matt at church. It was pretty much love at first sight. They are both incredibly mature, each possessing beautiful character and a love for the Lord with hands to match.

Another thing that is so amazing about this story is the relationship between Matt and parents, but particularly between he and his father. Unfortunately, I meet so many men that have never had a role model or had someone to teach them what it means to be a real man. His dad has consistently been a father and role model for every stage of life. I have never met a young man that is so financially responsible. So really, he did not require much "whipping him into shape". by the time we met him while graduating from UK.

Ashley is employed at Bluegrass Area Development District and Matt is employed at Keeneland Race Track. He is an excellent photographer (even though he shoots with a Canon) and has done some pretty amazing graphic design and TV production. The wedding took place on a very hot afternoon at Keeneland, just outside of the Clubhouse on the lawn. Even though I was officiating the ceremony, they asked me to take a photo from my viewpoint. Above they are shown signing the marriage certificate and then Matt giving his dad a "High 5" upon their exit. Darryl Kincer was the official wedding photographer and my photos were shot with a Nikon D300 & a 10-20mm zoom lens. Oh, I almost forgot...when I starting shooting a few frames, people starting laughing. I thought it was just because I was the minister with a camera, but actually, every time I shot a frame the sound was picked up by my microphone and ampliphied through the sound system. Good thing I didn't have to burp. ;)

Bourbon barrel warehouse

Did I mention that I have been working on a follow up to the successful, "Kentucky Wide"? For the last three years I have been shooting intently and just shipped it off to the printer. I had already done two different bourbon barrel scenes but had the opportunity to shoot at the Wild Turkey Distillery. Missy and I went over there one recent morning and had a great time. Jimmy, the master distiller, accompanied us and he is quite the character! He has been there for over 50 years and come to find out, he and my Dad probably played against each other in a tournament of fast-pitch softball at my hometown of Corinth about 50+ years ago. As you walk in these warehouses the aroma of the "angel's share" is quite evident.

A "wider" view of this scene is in the upcoming book, "Kentucky Wide II", and is due this October.

Waterfalls in the Smokey Mtn National Park

Fortunately, I married someone (pretty wonderful I might add) who likes to travel. She works in the health care industry, so the work schedule and twelve hour shifts are challenging for both of us. So, whenever she gets a block of days off, we try to get away together. We searched online and found a chalet with a beautiful view just outside of Gatlinburg for two nights. It was a very relaxing trip and we did get out twice to photograph some waterfalls. Both of these were accessible and right beside the road. It was such an incredible contrast being in Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge beside all the airbrush T-shirt shops and funnel cakes, then driving ten minutes out of town to view such incredible scenery. Meigs Falls is shown at the top while Place of a Thousand Drips is on the bottom. The key to successful waterfall photography is to shoot them when there is no direct sun on them. We lucked out at both of these. Although the bottom photo was created after the sun had set and it was kind of hard to see because it was dark. The exposure was for about 20 seconds. Naturally, a sturdy trip and cable release is required. And, yes, we did eat at least one pancake house while cruising through town!

Locks and Narrowboats

The only thing more nerve-wracking on our Narrowboat trip than passing oncoming boats, going through small tunnels, and of course, aquaducts hundreds of feet above the ground, was going through the locks. These canals were constructed in the 1800s and they put locks in place that you had to navigate through. You have to get out of the boat, use a ratchet kind of tool that every boat has on board and hand crank them. Sounds easy but it is a little tense as you approach them. Fortunately, I got to handle the boat and Missy became a pro at how these things work, getting out and putting some muscle to it. Yeah for women's rights! The photo above shows a boat entering an 8' (deep) lock. Once you pull in, you pull the paddles to enclose you in. Then crank the mechanism to either raise you up or lower you to the level of the direction you are heading. The whole thing works pretty fast but it is a little tricky. You have to keep the nose of the boat almost up against the gate so the boat does not go back and get caught on the cill. So you keep the boat in gear at idle speed part of the time. On the other hand, you don't want to push too hard so as to damage the lock. We were there before school was out so there were not that many boats, but in the summer you could wait quite a while for your turn to get in a lock. All in a day's work, I mean fun!

Wales and England on a narrowboat

We just returned from our official honeymoon and it was an awesome experience. The photo above is in the front cabin of our "narrowboat", which measured 6'10" wide by 62' long. I don't even remember exactly how and where, but I saw something about these boats and how you can rent and take one on "holiday". Since Missy has always wanted a houseboat I knew it would not take much to convince her to go for it. We found out what little info we could and booked our holiday through a travel agency in England. We flew to Liverpool, England (home of the Beatles), caught a train to Chester, and then on to a town called Ruabon. A taxi then delivered us to the marina in Trevor, England.

Well, they took us out to our iron maiden and spent about one hour going over the all the nuances of the diesel powered boat, the heating, cooling electrical systems, kitchen appliances, etc. The engineer rode upstream about 100 yards with us, wished us the best and then hopped off on the tow path. (Kind of reminds me the time I went out to rent a plane (prior to 9/11) at the airport for some aerial photography. They welcomed me, tossed me a clipboard with some keys and said good luck!) Anyway, taking a narrowboat on holiday over in England and France is a very common and very affordable vacation. We drove/piloted, ate and slept on the boat for 4 nights and 5 days. 

It is not for the weak of heart or anyone looking for a lazy vacation. Even though the diesel motor propels you at 4-5 mph, the canals are only about 20-3o feet wide and even at that slow rate of speed, if you take your eyes off the front of the boat for more than a moment, you can get off course easily. Sometimes, the canal narrows down to less than 8' wide as you go under a bridge, over an aquaduct or through a tunnel! Or let me put it like this....it is kind of like trying to drive a telephone pole down a creek. It really makes you nervous to encounter another boat coming at you or moored on the side, especially with wind present. There was a pretty good number of boats on the canal, but we understand nothing like it is during the summer season. We spent about half of the time in Wales and the other half in England.

Have I mentioned yet about bridges that you need to raise up by a hand-crank or locks you must go through? Missy became an expert on the locks, though the first one we encountered was quite nerve wracking. Come to think of it, the mechanics of this deserve another topic and blog.

I probably spent more time working on a video rather than stills, but here are some photos that I just posted. Just copy and paste this into your internet browser http://gallery.me.com/jeffreydrogers#100049  

I will post a link to the video after I get it completed.

Everyone we encountered was so nice and friendly. One lady even asked if it was our ship as we passed by, after being impressed that we slid between other boats go gently.

Anyway, it was a trip we will never forget. I thank God that we got to go and that I got to spend it with such an incredible woman. We had a blast in spite of the rainy weather each day. The whole experience was priceless.

Just a coincidence?

One year ago (plus a couple of days), I went to Crossroads Christian Church to videotape a friend who was giving a "green" message there. Matthew Sleeth, MD has traveled throughout the US since his hit book, "Serve God Save the Planet" hit the stands. He and his wife Nancy had become dear friends of mine so it was not a job to meet them there and shoot some "B" roll footage. By the way, in the last couple of years, he has spoken to over 400 universities and churches.

After an entertaining and thought provoking message, I was introduced to Melissa Cheeseman, who also happened to be an MD. We were talking in the lobby and somehow the topic of suffering came up and I shared that I had been enrolled in the school of suffering since I had lost, Sally, my wife of 20 years. "Missy" mentioned they had done a series recently on Heaven and I told her I would like to hear it since most people want to go there but we don't know much about it. The idea of floating on a cloud playing a harp is not that appealing to many, myself included. She disappeared and then returned after raiding the bookstore giving me an album of CDs.

The next morning, I popped the CD in as I was getting on I-75 to go to work. Yes, even as a photographer, there are some days that qualify as work. Much to my surprise, it was the voice of Missy speaking. She failed to tell me that she was unpaid staff at the church and that she is part of the teaching team in addition to the outward focus which is missions and any kind of service activities beyond the walls.

So, I found her on the web site and popped off an email. We exchanged a few notes and then saw each other most every day. Got married 6 months later. Talk about eating your words! Before meeting her, I had been telling the Lord that I was not interested in dating or being with anybody and that I would be content just to work myself to death, thank you very much. Fortunately, He is God and knows much better about what I need than I do. We celebrated this weekend our one year dating anniversary, after Missy spoke at all three services and treated the Sleeths to dinner at Giuseppe's. Just a little Thank You for bringing us together. It was the least we could do on behalf of our "coincidental" meeting. We are so happy we don't quite know what to do with ourselves! God is faithful.

This image was shot in the Spring of 2007 one morning while heading out Bryan Station Road in Lexington. I still remember the moment. What a delight.

Spring blossoms

The Lexington Cemetery has to be one of the prettiest places anywhere, in the spring. After attending worship on Easter 2008, I went to the cemetery to shoot these pink weeping cherries at their peak. Many times, I will visit a place and make a note when would be the best or most optimum time to create a beautiful photograph. Since the cemetery is near my studio, I checked on it a few times to gauge the perfect day to shoot a photograph for my upcoming book, "Kentucky Wide II". 

I have always been a big fan of cemeteries and spent many, many hours mowing the cemetery at my family's cemetery that was owned by the funeral home. A long time ago, I did an exhibit of cemetery art and created Polaroid transfers on 100% silk.

Take a break and stop by Lexington Cemetery most any day for a little respite and retreat.

The empty tomb

A few years ago, a friend and I were discussing the resurrection and he brought up something that he thought would surprise or upset me. Actually, I laughed. A few years earlier I had read a great book by Josh McDowell called, "The Resurrection Factor". It explains the attempts of skeptics to discount or explain away the bodily resurrection of Jesus with the Swoon (or resuscitation) Theory, the Hallucination Theory, the Conspiracy Theory, etc. What makes each of these theories so silly is that the Roman executioners were very efficient killers. 

Not even Jack Bauer of my beloved 24 TV show, could escape the reality of consequences from the horrendous act of crucifixion. As I told my friend, these theories require much, much more faith than does the Scriptural teaching of the bodily resurrection of our Lord. The apostle Paul (a former persecutor of Christians who wrote much of the New Testament) records that "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born."    I Corinthians 15:2-8. 

So, an empty tomb? I'd bet my life on it.

The image above was shot in Orlando at the Holy Land Experience, processed in Photoshop and de-saturating most of the colors except red.

Easter sunrise

7:07 am at Crossroads Christian Church.

I love Easter sunrise services. Jump out of bed, throw on some jeans and celebrate with friends you would normally never see that early in the morning. It is usually pretty chilly but it is an awesome moment when the sun rises over the trees, typically accompanied with with a shot of adrenaline. When I was attending St Andrews UMC, every year we would have a sunrise service and a huge breakfast afterwards. Since the church was on a 30 acre horse farm, the setting was particularly peaceful and most every year a flock of geese would fly over and serenade us as an extra benefit. "He will fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy". Job 8:21.

"Good" Friday?

About 700 years before the birth of Jesus, the Old Testament prophet Isaiah wrote these words:

"He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground.

He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." Isaiah 53:2-7

These words came true at about 3pm when the Christ gave up his life, on what we celebrate as Good Friday, almost 2000 years ago. The world, as well as my own life, has never been the same. Saying "thanks" seems so impotent.

This image was shot last week, while in Orlando at the Holy Land Experience.

Not Billy Donovan!

Did you ever watch "Flipper"? In case you were born after 1960 or so, there used to be a cool show about a dolphin named Flipper (kind of an "aquatic Lassie") and also on the show was something every boy could only dream about. To drive or ride on an airboat! Last week Missy and I attended a medical conference in Orlando. It was a fun gig that a friend was hosting. She was moderating a panel discussion and I shot some photos of the event and golf outing. After the conference, we hung around a few days to play, eating at some great restaurants, going to Downtown Disney and seeing a performance of Cirque de Soleil. Our last day, we hired a private airboat at Boggy Creek Airboat Rides. Those puppies can run even on dry land. It had a V8 - 502 motor and one very large propeller with speeds capable of up to 45mph. We saw lots of birds, a few water moccasin snakes and several alligators. It was a blast. 

For a trip down Memory Lane, maybe you would like to sing the theme song?!

They call him Flipper, Flipper, faster than lightning,

No-one you see, is smarter than he,

And we know Flipper lives in the world of wonder,

Lying there under, under the sea!

Everyone loves the king of the sea!

Ever so kind and gentle is he,

Tricks he will do when children appear,

And how they laugh when he's near!

They call him Flipper, Flipper, faster than lightning,

No-one you see, is smarter than he,

And we know Flipper lives in a world full of wonder,

Lying there under, under the sea!

Very good singing boys and girls. See, I knew you could sing! Now wipe the tears of joy from your eyes and go back to work. You have credit card payments to make!!

Max in the dryer

Did I mention that marrying Missy was a package deal? Yes, not one, not two, but three cats! Part of the "deal" was that she would not replace any of them before we both agreed but two of them are only about one year old.  Makes we want to recite, "How long o Lord?" from Psalm 13:1.

Anyway, Max is one big furball. A beautiful Himalayan cat that leaves a part of his bad self everywhere he goes. However, I must admit, he is full of personality and a lot of fun. He was rescue cat from a good friend's sister who died of cancer. This photo from my iPhone is homage to Gary Larson, creator of the "Far Side". Remember the classic illustration of the cat in walking into the dryer and the dog outside holding the door saying, "Please, oh please"?

iPhone to the rescue!

Thinking about all the food and entertainment in Boston, I failed to mention one of the most enriching things I did. There was a special and wonderful exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts called, "Rivals in Renaissance Venice", featuring the work of Titian, Tintoreto and Veronese. It was a visual feast. The brilliance and genius of all three of these guys had in their early twenties is beyond comprehension. The three artists were influenced greatly by one another. Some of Titian's work has had a special X-Ray process done to them so you can see what was actually under the paint. He even "converted" a crucifixion scene from a previous painting into a Adoration of the Magi kind of piece by stitching the canvases together to make a completely new one. Amazing. I bought the exhibit catalog. Since no photos were allowed, I used my iPhone to shoot the Degas above. Amazing quality. I remembered from art history classes at Transy that Boston had some lovely Degas (ballerina) and Renoir (in the background) pieces as well. The special exhibit is on until August 16th. Highly recommended! Get out of town!

Chilly tea party

Last week we went up to Boston for a few days. Missy is on the management team of a new church plant called Reunion Christian Church, and it has been very successful in downtown Boston. While she was in meetings, I hit the streets from our downtown hotel to check out the city and try to limit the times I got lost. I have flown into Boston a few times before, but that was just to be able to rent a car and head up to wonderful places like Martha's Vineyard, Acadia National Park, etc. So it was a real different experience actually being downtown. There are old structures (beautifully restored) right next to contemporary, tall and glass buildings. The contrast is apparent and interesting. Not only did we eat our way through Boston (quote by Missy) but we took in a "Dirty Dancing" show at the Opera House one night and got to see the "Blue Man Group" the next. People were very nice and cordial. There was a Dunkin' Doughnuts on almost every corner! Mike's Pastries on the north end is an experience all to itself. You need to go up and walk the Freedom Trail and don't miss the cemeteries scattered throughout the city with graves from the late 1600's. The photo was from our hotel window at sunset. As always, it is good to be home though, even if it is shared with three cats. One is old, but the other two are very, very young. Anybody know what I mean?

Painted Ostrich Eggs

Just when you think you have seen it all! Hand painted Ostrich eggs by Iranian born artist, Haydar Hatemi, who now lives here in Lexington, KY. I photographed several of these masterpieces to help advertise this new exhibit at the Headley-Whitney Museum, titled, "Istanbul-Instanbul". These eggs are about 7 inches tall and the portraits painted on them are amazing. Kings around the world collect and commission them.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

This is one of my favorite photos of all time. This place is called "Portal Dolman" and is located in the western portion of Ireland, near the Cliffs of Moher. One of my clients, (now very dear friends), Greg and De Selby, had moved to Wales (UK) and invited Sally and I over to visit them. Realizing we were so close to Ireland, we rented a car and took a ferry over to this beautiful country. The water ride took a few hours and we watched "Braveheart" on the way. We landed at the southeast portion of the country and made our way directly to the western coast. Along the way, we came upon this scene. It was so breathtaking and the adrenaline was really pumping. I set up my panoramic view camera, loaded it with color transparency film and then a storm began to move in, hence the dramatic sky. This Dolman probably houses the graves of a family and the large rocks are probably about four feet high. It is estimated that this Dolman has stood for at least 6000 years, making it older than the pyramids! It is situated in the Burren County Clare. I can't wait to return to the Emerald Isle.

Witch's hat

Due to some interest I wanted to share one of the lighting setups for shooting the shiny pieces. I started out with shooting a shiny flat surface, thinking it would be the easiest. Shown here is a lighting tent that had been purchased several years ago. It has translucent material with a velcroed slit up and down for the camera lens to poke through. Shooting highly reflective surfaces is difficult and requires wrap around lighting. Wherever there is not light on the shiny surface, it goes black. The lighting worked out pretty well but all the wrinkles in the lighting tent showed up! I did not want to iron it so I changed to another setup. I took white studio background paper and placed it directly above the shiny flat surface so the reflection on the surface was that of white paper, not fabric. I was not able to shoot directly overhead (figuring they did not want a self portrait of me) but had to angle my position a little. Then, using Photoshop, I corrected the keystone distortion and made the game board look perfectly square again. You never see an image printed somewhere that has not been corrected or enhanced in some way. It is estimated that now photographers spend 20% of their time shooting and 80% of their time performing retouching on a computer. We live in a world of illusions.

Vine and branches

These two images are from Lover's Leap Winery in Lawrenceburg, KY. My friends, Logan and Pam Leet purchased the winery a couple of years ago and are having a lot of success with it. it is a huge operation! On Feb 14th, they had a big party and chose to decorate the gift shop and reception hall with images I had created on site, as well as a few from my Kentucky Wide series. I would suggest a drive over when you want to get out of town. It is in a beautiful setting.

Some big birds

Sharing the images from the Headley-Whitney Museum got me thinking about some of the shoots I have done at my alma mater, Transylvania University and their rare book collection. Pictured here are images from the amazing John James Audubon art collection. I was not prepared for how large they are! Audubon studied and painted some birds right here in Ky from 1810-1819. Take a drive to the other half of KY and visit the state park, named in his honor.

You won't find this mask at Halloween Warehouse

This "Mask of Bacchus" is a 17th century Italian coral mask of the mythological god of wine, his eyes set with emeralds, is mounted with coral branched on a base of gold and onyx. The god's characteristic motif is seen in the gold grape vine set in the back of his mask and in the clusters of gold grapes and leaves which adorn the base. Approximate height of 4 1/2 inches. Shown is the final image and the fancy setup with lighting.

Change of seasons

At my new home, the hardwood floors had been laid and the painter had just finished the last stroke. It was time to move from my house that is for sale at Boone's Trace, back to Missy's home at Andover Hills. We had rented a U-Haul truck and two dear friends, Jeff and Glen, were going to help us move some things. I woke up early that morning, thinking about how moving things from my house to our house brings an additional layer of reality to the closing of a season, while fully embracing a new and exciting one. Still, I was concerned how it would go and asked the Lord for help, then I shared with Missy what I was thinking about. It ended up being a great day! I enjoyed the sense of accomplishment so much and yet felt so relieved, I could hardly believe it or settle down until late that night.

The next day I attended worship at Crossroads, then headed over to Centenary UMC to hear my dear friend, Matthew Sleeth, M.D., speak about creation care. If you have any concern for the environment and what role you play in it, get a copy of his book, "Serve God, Save the Planet". Anyway, I sat by his wife Nancy, who has heard the cries of my mourning and prayed with me many times before introducing me to Missy months later.

At the end of Matthew's talk, he asked us to be quiet for sixty seconds and ask the Holy Spirit what He would like to tell us. Immediately, in my mind's eye, I was at Acadia National Park (Bar Harbor, Maine) viewing the Otter Cliffs on a very foggy morning. But, instead of seeing the photo I had created at this place almost twenty years earlier with Sally, it was a "live" scene and the waves were crashing against the rocks just like it had been on that October day. I was very surprised by this. I "see" scenes often during worship services but this one I was not real excited about. It hurt. I asked the Lord, "Why do you want to take me there?" Then, a familiar praise song began to play in my head called, "Blessed be the name of the Lord". I had always liked this contemporary praise song and never took it that seriously until I tried to sing it after the thief called cancer came into my life and attacked the body of my former wife, Sally. "Blessed be the name of the Lord, for the road marked with suffering, there is pain in the offering, blessed be the name". Somehow, in that moment, I was reminded again that the suffering had been lifted up to Him as an offering. It was not wasted and He was pleased with my offering. It is my personal belief that God does not cause suffering but everything that occurs in my life has to pass through His hand first. It may not be His perfect will, He also has a permissive will. As hard as it is to say, my life is much richer and has greater depth because of it.

II Corinthians 4:16 "So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There's far more here than meets the eye. The thins we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever." (the Message version).

What about you? Has suffering affected you in a positive way? What do you think?

Grayton Beach

Missy and I spent a week with friends from church down at the Watercolor Resort in the panhandle of Florida. We also enjoyed the Telluride Film Festival that travels and makes an annual stop there. In addition, we took the time to research and plan our wedding. This image from Grayton Beach is a visual representation of how special this week was and how many other places we hope to visit together.

It really is Grand!

Each year Missy takes her parents on a nice trip somewhere. Well before I came into the picture, they had decided to visit the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Lake Powell and Zion National Park. There is no way that a photograph can adequately convey just how grand the Grand Canyon really is. Therefore, I won't even try! In case you are wondering, it really is possible to create interesting images while traveling with 40 senior citizens on a chartered bus.

Western KY

Many of us in the Bluegrass area of the state think of Louisville or Owensboro as being in western KY. No way! You have to go to Paducah and even further to really experience it. The Land Between the Lakes itself is enough of a reason to visit. Missy and I went there for a few days and had a great time. This image is from Reelfoot Lake which has bald Cypress trees and eagles. The almost bayou and swamp like place is a real contrast to the rolling hills in horse country.

Rodin sculpture garden in Paris

Before I even think about doing something for 2009, I have to hit a few highlights from the previous year. Back in May, I went on an art history tour with a group of Asbury College students. We had a great time visiting so many sites in Paris and then on to the Loire River Valley.  One of the highlights for me was the Rodin sculpture garden in Paris. We had a chance to wander for a few hours around the grounds and museum. It made me want to see the movie, "Camille Claudet" all over again!