Object Lessons on a Laceration

On Sabbath morning, I slipped crawling out of bed (it's a longer story than this).

It only hurt initially, but as I look on the scar every day, watching it get better, I thought of a few object lessons...

1) Examine the wound - Take a look at what was hurt, cut, or broken. This requires an honest assessment. If there are multiple layers, you have to at the least, admit it.
Sometimes this is the most difficult, because the wound still hurts while the examination is occurring. But it is the most necessary first step. God requires this, we should, too. Jer 3:13, 2 Cor 13:5

2) Clean the wound - Remove anything, such as debris, that will prevent healing. Is there extra blood, dirt, or chunks of tissue? These have to be cleaned out. Sometimes you have to remove things out of your life that just keep you from healing. Eph 4:31

3) Approximate the skin - in other words, bring the separated portions of skin back together as close as you can. This is difficult, despite the puzzle piece shapes of my wound, but care in this point of the process will speed the healing and maintain the appearance more than any other reconstruction afterwards. To restore as close to the original is a difficult but terribly necessary part of healing, especially prior to throwing the first stitch or placing the bandage. Often you have to do your best to reconcile things that have been separated, even before you lay down that thing that will keep things together. 2 Cor 5: 19

4) Apply structured and consistent restraint - Two characteristics: they have to be somewhat maintain restraints, such as a stitch or a bandage. For healing, a consistent structured restraint has to be there to provide support while the body heals itself. These two qualities must be there for any other kind of healing as well. With out consistency, the body will not be able to lay down the proteins appropriately to close the wound. Without traction (restraint), the would will be too open for scar tissue to form rapidly enough. You just can't heal without consistent structure and restraint. 2 Peter 3:11

5) Duration - I'm giving it about 7 to 10 days. That's about how long we keep stitches on. Exodus 7:25, Jeremiah 42:7, Ezra 10:13

It's Biblical, look at the way God healed the human race...

Oh, and by the way, I'm fine, I'm thinking straight, the wound is painless (now).

I'll let you know how it goes ...

I'm sorry Japan, it was my fault, too.

I'm sorry, Japan. I'm sorry Haiti. I'm sorry, New Zealand. It was my fault. Mine and my brother's.

I just finished reviewing some stories from the Boston Globe's The Big Picture, with all the devestation and destruction going on around the world.

After the initial response of horror, and sympathy for their pain, and then the subsequent response at the question of how many of them had met and known Jesus as their Saviour, the reflection went further.

It struck home to the heart.

As Seventh-day Adventists, we believe that we live in a time of judgment, and because we believe that by a deeper surrender to the Holy Spirt, by His development of character in us, we may participate in hastening Christ's return. It is because of this fact that we hold some significant responsibility of the pain and suffering of our fellow human beings as well as the pain in the heart of God in the suffering of His people.

We don't like to think so, but our lack of surrender, our prideful rebellion as He daily speaks to us of those defects in our character and lack of strength in obedience, and more importantly of the remedy for each, it is these things that are delaying His return, and by correlation, prolonging the destruction that is so devestating to us and our brethren. Though we do not directly cause the tsunami or the natural destruction, we directly prevent Christ's fulfillment of His character in each of our lives. Though we cannot choose the weather patterns around the world, we can choose our response to His Spirit's promptings.

Though He might not have shown us all that needs to be surrendered in our lives, he has shown us things that need to be surrendered today. Now. Our neglect in Bible Study, our prideful self-righteousness, our laziness in prayer, our lack of faithfulness in duty, our disbelief in the words inspired by His Holy Spirit, our own self-justification that those words are not binding to us today, and further, our progress in deepening the initial surrender of self. Those things we can choose to surrender today.

In an indirect way, we are at fault for Sendai, Christchurch, Port-au-Prince's pain. We didn't have to let this all get this far. And since we participate in the trouble, in our remorse, doesn't it behoove us to be part of its resolution?

Digital Darkroom

In response to my previous post, I got a question about how to get the glow in the last (fourth) photo. Here is my response:

For the last picture of the young lady, Alison, part of the softness came from the effect of a direct backlight, which was the sun coming through the studio window.

For the post-production.
I used Layers in PS5.
1) Load the picture.
2) Duplicate the picture in a new layer.
3) Blur the picture with the Gaussian Blur filter.
For a 800x533, use a strength of 4
For a 1200x1800 pic, use a strength of 20

4) Then go to the composite menu on your Layers palette (I've included a photo of it, and put a pink ellipse around it)

And you'll see a list of choices. The default is NORMAL.
What you want to look for and choose is SOFT LIGHT, this will severely increase the contrast by calculating an algorithm using the highlighted layer (which in your case is the duplicate) and the layer immediately below it (which is likely the Background or the Layer 0)

The glow come from the Gaussian Blur in step 3.

That was the end of the email. In fact, I did that same technique with some modifications specific to the photo on the following, which was 800x533, Sharpen settings were Amoun 125%, Radius 0.3 pixels, Threshold 1 Level, dropped the mids on the Blue Channel curve, but that's all standard anyway (oh, and I cropped and resized the picture):

West Coast Friends!

Original Photo

Hope that helps someone, have fun!!

In Maine shooting people...

 

Just for fun!

Commercial

So behind me is the shooting crew for a commercial. We're filming digitally for a local bank. They were looking for climbers, but we're in the middle of January. The people are fun. It's interesting to see the whole process of shooting. I'm definitely learning something.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

The Rainbow and the Barbarian

They say that with the analysis of the light defraction of a rainbow, it loses the mystery of its beauty that gives it an awe inspiring magical appearance. Too much analysis takes away from its beauty. I disagree. The colors of a rainbow seem more rich and complex because I know how the different wavelengths of light bend in relation to the density of the defracting object, in this case the water droplets.

But that is simply a long introduction to what I am about to talk about today.

Without knowing it, the Lombards and Nebbletts effortlessly display a good example of a group photo. Most every photographer's nightmare is a group photo where everyone stands as if they were in a police line-up. But not this case. For whatever reason these guys were a dream. The only direction I gave them was: Stand right there. Anyone to Chantée's right will be out of the picture, or to Josh's left.

That was it. I metered off Sean's shirt and dropped the exposure a touch. Counted to three and this is what I got. Cropped minor with about 5 curve adjustments and voilà! The kids did the magic really:

The Lombards and Nebbletts (l-r): Adriana Lombard, Chantée Nebblett, Elissa Lombard, Peter Michael Lombard, Sean Nebblett, Natasha Nebblett, Josh Nebblett.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. There are several things that these guys did without being directed. We're going to deconstruct it so if you ever want to shoot a group shot, use this example.

The rules in group photos ares several: Everyone should be relaxed and standing anyway but straight on. Pay attention to Natasha's slight drop in her right shoulder, and Sean's left shoulder pushed back inadvertently pushing his left leg forward and putting his weight on it, as well as Josh's left-ward lean, and Elissa's lean into her brother and Pete's arm which has to wrap around his sister, and consequently shifts his weight to his left leg, turn his torso slightly to give him a nature bend. And Adri's gentle touch of her hand on Chantée's shoulder. Chantée is the only one who comes close to squaring to the camera, but even with her relaxed stance, she is slightly rotating her left shoulder back more than her right, and her position is further relaxed with the Lombard girls behind her.

But that's not it: What makes a good group photo appear like friends, not a corporate board of director's shot, is the closeness of each of the individuals. The trick is to get every one to relax individually but combine them so that they each appear close knit to the viewer. This is done by forming groups of two or three. Adri's hand on Chantée make them a group. Elissa and Pete with their arms around each other, and with Sean in such close proximity to them, that makes a group of three. The separation of Sean and Natasha make her and Josh as one group. But each group also fits in relatively close proximity to each other group.

A lot of analysis? well, these guys didn't even think about it. I just told them to relax and act like friends and they did. And for we the viewers,  it just felt right. Like looking at rainbow and not worrying about color wavelength or light defraction. It just looks right.

[click on photo for a larger image]

Courage

The distinction is subtle but the difference is so pertinent it bears examination.

Bravery is the ability to confront pain and difficulty without feelings of fear.

Courage is the ability to confront pain and difficulty DESPITE the fear that is eminent.

"The essence of courage is not the feeling of being certainly capable of overcoming what’s one is faced with, but rather is the willful choice to fight regardless of the consequences."


There is no Biblical promise that fear will not be present, courage can be obtained as our biddings from God are enablings from Him as well.

This sheds new light on the promise:

"Be strong and courageous" - Joshua 1:9