Aww…some Monday’s

Above is an image of parents and grandparents forming a lane for the kids to run through before their soccer match. Our grand daughter and her husband are adopting a boy, so that will make us great-grandparents, but that’s another story. Last week I promised one of the commenters a tip for better sports photos. Below is the original image.

You will notice that the horizon (defined by the food truck) is crooked, there is negative space to the left and way too much empty space above the people. Go to your editing software and straighten the horizon. Next crop the image to eliminate boring space or distractions. Finally, sharpen the image and adjust the exposure if necessary. All three things have been done to the top image. Here is another example.

This is the image straight out of the camera. Again, there is too much boring space, too many distractions, and maybe a little too much blue. So let’s make some magic.

I cropped the image, sharpened the image and converted it to black & white for a little drama. Now all attention is on the subject. It’s really not that hard. Just spend a few minutes enhancing the photo before you post it. Have a blessed week.

Monday’s Music Moves Me

The challenge at 4M this week is to build a playlist of single word song titles, single name bands, or single name artists. Here ya go.

First up, with a one word song title, is Sir Elton John with one of his early hits, Levon.

Next on the list is the legendary band with only one member still living. Cream members Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker are gone and only Eric Clapton remains. The song, White Room.

Finally an artist that is identified by a single name is Jewel, the song is “You Were Meant For Me.”

Aww…some Monday

Monday’s Music Moves Me

Here it is once again Monday and this week’s music theme is whatever music moves you! Well a variety of music moves me. This past week-end my wife and I decided to purchase each other’s birthday presents. My birthday is in late November and my wife celebrates her birth date in early December and we are getting older and harder to buy for, so we went on line and purchased tickets to a Joe Bonamassa concert that will be here in early November. Here is a sample of what we are looking forward to experiencing. Have a blessed week.

More High School Boys Soccer

Aww…some Monday

I got a chance to photograph the local high school boys soccer match last week. Usually the girls play at 5:00 pm and the boys follow at 7:00 pm. On a chilly spring evening the late game can be not-so-much fun and darkness will impact the lighting. This week the boys got the early match. One thing you will notice about the boys match is they spend more time in the air. You will see the girls use a “header” on a scoring attempt near the goal. The boys will use the header to change the direction of play and control of the ball. Anyway, It was a great match but the good guys lost 3-1.

Monday’s Music Moves Me

The theme this week at 4M, “Music is Medicine for the soul.” Build a playlist with songs that is emotional soothing or pick song titles or bands relating to medicine.  Music is indeed medicine for the soul and it can soothe the soul, inspire the soul, even torture the soul. Music that comes from a spiritual, inspirational, or gospel background can draw the soul closer to the Creator. God can use music to show us how much He loves us, teach us about Scripture, and prepare us to spend eternity with Him. I love many genres of music, but the music that can truly make a difference in my life is the music that causes me to praise, honor, and worship the God of all Creation. Here we go.

Regardless of our opinion about the existence of God, His love, and whether or not we will spend eternity in Heaven, Scripture makes one thing very clear, “Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him “the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philipians 2:9-11) The soul is eternal and will spend eternity somewhere. There are only two options and God has allowed us to choose our final home. I would encourage you to choose wisely.

It has been said that there is a God size hole in the heart and nothing can fill it but Jesus. We spend our entire lives looking for joy, peace, and contentment. The truth is, we were probably looking for Jesus.

High School Girls Soccer

Last week my wife and fourteen other members of our church went on a mission trip to Alaska. The mission was to support and encourage the full-time pastors and their families that pastor churches in Alaska. In many ways Alaska is the last frontier. The winters are long, the summers are short and Alaska’s larger towns suffer from some of the same issues as the larger cities in the lower 48. Homelessness and alcohol abuse are major issues facing these communities. 90% of the pastors are bi-vocational because the churches are too small to pay a full-time pastor. Alaska is a mission field in the true sense of the word.

Still, one cannot visit our largest state without being overwhelmed by the natural beauty. I don’t think anyone can honestly look at the majesty of the mountains and not confess the existence of a divine design.

These images were captured by my wife during a little down time. I think she’s a photographer and doesn’t know it.

Monday’s Music Moves Me

This week is a free choice of music. I think I am going to continue the theme of the majesty of creation and Creator of this world. I pray that everyone will one day see the light. Have a blessed week.

Troubadour

Aww…some Monday

One sure sign of the arrival of spring in our town is the opening of the local Farmer’s Market. Every Saturday morning between April and September the square is filled with vendors and shoppers. There is a feeling of a new beginning each year. I grabbed the camera and went for a stroll Easter week-end.

Proud parents were having photos of their kids taken with the Easter Bunny. Yes, pets are family.

It was a great day to take the family out for a morning stroll. Yes, pets are family.

Yes, our local Farmer’s Market is the place to be on Saturday mornings. See ya there!

Monday’s Music Moves Me

The theme this week at 4M is to build a playlist that defines what makes life magical to us. Let me start by simply saying, “Life is magical!” Life is a miracle. Life is precious and priceless. Life is a gift from a Divine Creator who loves us more than we will ever know.

Life for mankind began on the sixth day of creation. Genesis 1:27 tells us, “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God he created him; male and female He created them.” God has always known everything about everyone of us and He has a plan for us. He told Jeremiah, “Before you were born, I knew you. Before you were born, I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” God had a plan for Jeremiah to be a prophet before He placed the prophet in the womb. Matthew tells us that our Creator knows the exact number of hairs on our head. The human body is the most complex organism on the planet and to believe that mankind has arrived at his current state through a billion years of random acts of atomic collisions would seem to be sheer fantasy. Each of us is a divine creation, uniquely crafted by a loving Creator who has a plan for us, if we will only seek and obey His will.

I suppose this is why I love gospel music and music that gives honor and glory to the One worthy of our praise and worship. I love all sorts of music, rock, jazz, blues, big band, country and folk. Still, the music that moves my soul and makes me understand just how magical life really is comes from the church and those who give honor and glory to the Creator. Have a blessed week.

Blooms