Well, it seems as if that with any information application is the most important part of it and there are a few exercises that can help with mastering your photo-graphing. sometimes I like to limit myself to one picture per subject. That requires decision making on what would be the best. Using Digital cameras eliminates this decision making process to what ones to delete. look at your subject, Identify it and look at it's surroundings, look at it from multiple views and choose one. Remember to move outside of your comfort zone.

Another exercise I like to do is to devote one day to different Genres of photography. It will help you be more flexible and perhaps discover something you're amazing at that you otherwise wouldn't know. For example Buildings, People portraits, People Candid, Flowers, Animals, inanimate objects, landscapes, etc.

Take one picture in the same frame but keep changing settings and explore what your camera can do with different lighting settings and shutter speed.

My last post was on some very basic rules of thumb to improve your photography. Today I want to talk about the next step. Knowing more about photography will improve your photography. Over exposure, under exposure, aperture and shutter speed. These are the next few things that will help you understand how to control your shots, and make them your own. Most digital camera's take this away from you the user, however the more advanced and professional camera's give you the option to control these aspects of your camera.

There is something called the f-stop. the f-stop is the measurement of the size of the aperture. or how big the "iris" thingie is in the lens. Think of the human Eye, the more light it is exposed to the smaller the hole gets, or the higher the iris is dilated. in the same way the more light that your camera is exposed to the smaller the aperture needs to be and the lager the f-stop is. This is somewhat confusing for most people, because the larger the number on the f-stop the smaller the aperture.

over exposure is when the film, or image is overly exposed to light and you will get a white out effect. In Photoshop and in photo labs there is a way to control this exposure to over expose the exterior of the frame for a washed out effect. Under exposed frames will appear to be too dark. experimenting with these things may cause you to find something you can use artistically.

Shutter speed can also effect your exposure. the more light you let in through the lens the more exposed the shot will be. so the faster the shutter speed the less light allowed in. used in combination with the proper aperture, you will be able to find a good way to do more with your camera. You know those cool pictures of the person with the car lights in the background that are blurred across the picture. this can be done by a smaller aperture and a slower shutter speed. the longer the shutter is opened the more blurry a picture can get. Go to your favorite intersection at sunset and try this. By now you have already seen the results of all of this in the pictures you have taken, but now you will be able to do it more consistently and controlled.

These tips applied with those in the previous post can give you the edge you are looking for to get your pictures noticed. Remember Practice makes perfect. The most important thing you can do as a photographer is try new things, put yourself out of your comfort zone constantly. Try new aspects of photography, Portraits, stills, go downtown and take pictures of buildings, flowers, animals. every subject demands something new on your part. Buildings in the frame react different than flowers. By far Flowers demand more awareness of the photographer than almost anything else. in order to get what you want, you need to know what looks good in a frame, no overcrowding, good layout. hopefully this helps, if you have any specific questions about photography, maybe something you are trying to do etc. e-mail me.

Some things in photography go unsaid, such as f-stop and amount of exposure. there are plenty more things that don't have any meaning to those who are entering the world of photography. However I am writing this post for those who are interested, confused, and earnest about learning more. There is one basic rule that will take your pictures to the next level. Composition! Many film makers and professionals spend years in school learning about the perfect composition. Now you may ask what is composition. Well it is the layout of the subject in the area of your lens.

What draws you to the pictures you love? What captivates your heart in a perfect picture of you and your loved one? It is mostly always something you cannot see, but is still visible. Many great photographers have his impeded in their mind and they can see it before they snap the shutter. As a film photographer, I have learned what pictures will look good and those that wont, because I can't afford to waste an exposure. The other extreme is those who have gotten into photography digitally and can afford to amass a large number of photo's. I refer to it as the machine gun effect. I however have been trained in the sniper effect. One shot One Kill. Either way there are great, beautiful pictures to be had.

Many are frustrated with having to depend heavily on the amount of pictures they can take, composition will drastically reduce the number of pictures you need to take before getting the perfect one. There are about 4 principles that are key to composition. The easiest and most basic is the portrait composition. when taking portraits of people and/or things, weather it is a group shot or one single subject it is important to center them in the frame. keeping some head-room at the top but not so much that their face is in the center of the frame. This is the most basic composition that you'll see everywhere from your school pictures to magazine covers. most people I know who are into photography are not there to take portraits of their friends and family, however they are captivated by the artistic photos that they themselves try to emulate. That brings us to the rule of thirds. This is used in every aspect of motion pictures and in any, non-portrait, photo. In every frame you will have one subject of focus, by placing that subject in a certain part of the frame it will automatically become the focus of that picture. for example.


In this picture the area of focus is the lighthouse. By having it in the left third of the frame your eye is drawn to it. the reason is, is that by placing the light house in the left 3rd the pier and the decking are like visual arrows guiding your eye to the light house. Also notice how the horizon is in the bottom 3rd, this give the viewer a mental spacing so it doesn't feel confined or squished. I know I know you don't even know what the 3rd's mean that I'm talking about. so here you go. You split your frame into thirds vertically and horizontally. Most digital cameras have this already as a display option. It may feel weird to use at first but it'll be key to getting your eye trained to see this automatically. This is what the rule of thirds looks like and in application.

The Green Dots and red lines are what you want to line your subjects up with. The lady bug is lined up in such a way, and the natural lines in the branch draws your eyes to it. Do a google image search for "rule of thirds" and you'll see many more examples. when you watch a movie take note of where they put the subject in the frame.

The third composition guideline is your point of view. Any good photographer will move around, bend, stoop, climb and get a good feel of things to get a better composition. This effectively skews the subject to get a not so eye-level view on things that we are so use to.
Sometimes it even means having to lay down on your stomach to get a good shot.

The fourth and final guideline to good composition is the clutter factor. This is one of the hardest things one can do. Having to many things in the frame or in the wrong place inside of the frame can ruin the picture. When used inline with the rule of thirds you can be very successfully, but keep in mind where your eye automatically goes when looking at the frame. Tho painters paint artistic masterpieces they use these same concepts to get the looker to focus somewhere on the canvas.

To review we have the;
- Portrait Composition
- Rule of thirds
- Point of View
- Clutter factor

When all are used properly your pictures will become 10 times better. Remember that this is just the basics. One more rule of composition is space. When dealing with people or animals, keep some buffer space in the direction they are facing. For instance you do not want to take a picture of someone in a field looking into the distance with them facing left and have them on the left third of the frame, rather have them on the right third. You get the picture. When doing close up shots or face shots it is ok to skip the rule on head room. To get a feeling of coziness and confinement you can cut the top part of the head off, and it will give the viewer that same feeling. Done wrong it will make the viewer claustrophobic and un-easy, unless that is what you're going for, and is done in a lot of horror films.

That is all for this post if you have any questions e-mail me

Well, I hated it when I had, as it seemed, a million cords wrapping around each other and me, as I talked online on my messenger. doing internet video chats was annoying and a pain in the butt! I recently purchased a usb bluetooth adapter for my computer, thanx to a bluetooth keyboard and mouse set that was given to me. I wondered if it was possible to use the popular bluetooth headsets seen on everyone who talks to themselves a lot, to chat online. I asked all my friends who know everything, and no one ever heard of the idea. I searched online to find someones comment on it, and found only one, and it at best was vague. We came to the conclusion that in theory it would work, since both are bluetooth devices. So I picked a headset up at a store and played with it for a couple hours untill I figured out how to use it! here are the step by step insturctions that will make it easier for everyone else who wishes to do this.

1. After following the manufacturers instructions on downloading all the software, for your Bluetooth usb adaptor, follow these instructions. (note; make sure there is a desktop icon or one in your task bar for the blue “Bluetooth places” it is needed to acquire a connection when you turn your headset on.”

2. Open up the “control panel” located in the start bar.

3. Open up “Sounds and Audio Devices”.

4. View the “Audio” tab in the task window.

5. Underneath the “sound playback” and "sound Recorder" box select the Bluetooth audio. (note; do not select the high quality Bluetooth.)

6. Next go to the Voice tab and do the same thing with the voice play back box as you did in step 5. for the voice playback and recorder.

(note; if you wish to use your computer speakers to hear still, keep the playback settings to the default. also if you wish to just use it for chat and wish to use your computer speakers for all other programs, just change the Voice tab options. Also, Check your Instant Messenger settings for further set up. Windows Live Messenger will have to have you change your voice and speaker setting separately.)

7. Click apply and then double check that those boxes are still selected as Bluetooth audio, if not the make the corrections, then click ok.

8. Turn on your Bluetooth headset (see headset instructions to make sure your headset is turned on) and open up blue tooth places from your desktop.

9. Double click on the headset icon that appears, you computer will try to make a connection. When it does you will hear a ringer in your headset. Answer the call and you are connected to your computer. You are now able to hear all audio from your computer through your headset.

I wonder if God was nervous the first day of creation.... I say that because everything I've started in my life I was always nervous the first day. In less then 24 hrs I will start my first day at my new Job. I am indeed nervous, like the first day of school every year. I feel like packing a bookbag with everything but the kitchen sink, just in case. So please be praying for me! also, I have a interview Wednesday at 1:20pm for a photography place. So pray that it goes well.

that is all

Dear Fellow Laborers,

First I would like to that all of you for your prayers and support, and for letting God use you in these ways. We left Jackson, Early Saturday morning, at 5:30. It took over twelve hours on the road to make it to New York, while traveling in a caravan of four vehicles; three minivans and a truck. As we arrived at CitiVision Camp, it was already dark and the consensus of the mood was a need of sleep. So late Saturday night we all moved in and crashed. We woke up Sunday morning to head out to Manhattan Bible Church. There, we worshiped together with them in their morning service. Located in the Hispanic part of Manhattan, we could hear the mumble of a translator in the background. A truly universal church was represented by every ethnic background imaginable. From there we headed out to take a tour of Manhattan, and New York City.
Monday through Friday, we worked good nine-hour days, up on a roof, in one-hundred degree weather, taking a break after lunch to avoid the worst of it. With two nail guns, four roofing shovels, and six guys, it tool the whole week but we finished the roof. We had to rip off two layers of shingles with about a million nails per square inch, at least it seemed so. That took two days to finish, and one day on replacing rotten wood and boards on the roof and the last two days to shingle it. All the ladies spent there time inside cleaning the walls and repainting them. The other guys in the group did drywall, and electrical stuff. I had my share of roofing for a long time!
On Thursday night we went to the Transformation Life Center, where drug addicts come to detox and hear the word, and be transformed by the word. It was amazing to hear these men shouting their lungs out to the Lord during the worship service, a huge contrast to our subdued, almost inhibited, services. To hear and see the uninhibited hearts of these men praise the God who saved them, put me to shame when I barely raise my voice in song in our services. To hear them shout, instead of sing. To see them cry and lift up their hands. It was plain to see that the Lord was working in them, and through them.
Tom Maharis, the founder and visionary of Citivision Camp, spoke with us on several occasions, and one of those he mentioned, “you are not here to do God’s work, he could have used others, but you are here for God to do a work in you!” That was so true. As we studied the book of James together God put on my heart many things in my life that were out of place. Studying how our faith should be genuine, and how mine is often stuttering, God laid on my heart that week what I needed to hear. There are many more things that I could tell you about that week, but I’d almost have to write a novel. So I will let this suffice.

God bless,
Rob Jordon

well, God blessed me with a Job! I will be a custodian at Davenport University, so I can only go to one week of camp. But that's ok. I understand the need of help there, but I have a better understanding of my responsibilities. to Praise the Lord!

Life has been crazy hectic for me this last year. I've felt that this last her after graduation, I've been stumbling around like a fish out of water, trying to find which way is up. Since then, I've became a member at Michigan Center Bible Church, Fallen in Love with Lyndsey and her family, and have somehow managed to keep my head about, because during this last year, a lot of changes in my life and myself have come about. God has been showing me amazing truths about himself and not so amazing truths about me and my life. How lazy I've been, immature, and sometimes down right selfish. I landed a few Jobs, tho only for a couple months, until I moved back to Jenison.
These last few weeks, I have weighed whats important in my life and seen the things that I have responsibilities for. The greatest is my financial status. Tho to some it may seem a selfish thing to focus on money, I once too thought that. However, I have seen that it is important to be financially stable, especially if I want to start a family, and I do! So needless to say the thought of me and Lyndsey getting married has in every way gotten me more motivated to be more diligent in my Job search.
I cannot count how many places I've applied, it seems to be into the hundreds, without any exaggeration, but for some reason those doors seem closed. Even after countless call backs, interviews, and hopes being given up, those doors have still been shut. It's about now that I start to question God's reasoning behind all of this. I ask him why he's done this to me, put me in this situation, but he doesn't answer. So I keep looking!

So please be praying for me and with me through this hunt to find a needle in a jobless michigan!

Many of you who read this have heard of the trip to NYC. Well, unfortunately we were unable to be a part of the Next Level Training. This was due in part because of not that many teens were going. However we are able to join with rest of the church on their trip to Citivision Camp in New York. Just to clear things up, it's the same camp, we were just not going to be involved in the Next Level Training. This means that we will be working with the rest of those from Michigan Center Bible Church to fix up the camp. It's a lot like the work week for Ao-wa-kiya. It's so neat to see the whole church involved in this kind of ministry. Workers young and Old will be volunteering, actually raising support and Paying to work there, to fix it up. However, tho we may be spending most of the week working at the camp we will still get a chance to go into New York City. This will be an Awesome experience!
Because we are not going on the Next Level Training, our cost for the trip has gone down, however it is still a pretty penny. No longer $500, but $200. Still quite a sacrifice. God has been good to me though. Even though I had to quit my Job and move and am now facing quite a financial difficulty God has shown himself Faithful.
The last month has been difficult as hours at work dwindled, and the point of moving out was coming quick. For those that don't know, I was blessed to be able to stay with Lyndsey's(my girlfriend) Parents as she was staying at New Tribes Bible Institute. But as she got done, and was going to move back in, I needed to move. So between the Low hours at work and that whole moving thing, I moved back with my parents in good 'ol Jenison.
Like I said God has been good to me. I had given a $50 deposit for the trip and recieved $25 from a family towards the trip. I had contemplated on not going on the Trip as I needed another $125 that I didn't have. As the Deadline came closer, This Sunday the 3rd, I Prayed earnestly, and God proved himself Faithful through Jenison Bible Church. I received a letter from them with a check enclosed for the amount of, none other than, $125. God is Awesome!
Thank you for all of your prayers and support.
God bless,
Rob Jordon

Dear Friends and Family,

Lyndsey and I have been given a great missions opportunity this summer.
June 23 - 30 Michigan Center Bible Church is going to New York for a Missions project at the CitiVision Youth Camp. However the Youth Group has a great opportunity to be a part of CitiVision’s Next Level training. An intense week of training these young people to be pushed outside of their comfort level, and share the Gospel with those in New York City. The homeless, the unloved, the broken, the tired, the weak, the poor, and the abandoned, are the ones that Christ wants to join the family of God. Please be praying for them as MCBC Youth will have an opportunity to share with them, those who smell, those who are dying, those who are starving and thirsty. Pray that this summer they will revive the river of life and the bread of live. Please be praying, also, for me and Lyndsey as we interact with the teens and those on the streets of NYC. You can find more information about CitiVisoin Ministries at www.citivision.org/ministries/nextlevel . We believe God will move in the hearts of the teens and in our hearts as well.

Just as we need your prayers we ask you to prayerfully consider supporting us financially. It will cost $500 per person for this trip. Also please be praying for all individuals who are involved in this trip, including those who live in New York City.

We thank you for your prayers,
Rob Jordon & Lyndsey Matthews

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Well, it's about time I write something huh?

God is still working in my life, I'm struggling with some things in my life, but God has been showing himself in it all. I could use your prayers as far as my relationship with Him. Certain days bring certain struggles and it's hard sometimes to keep in a daily walk. So please pray with me that I'll be more consistent.
The Job I have right now is really good, I am enjoying it, plus it's a good workout lifting and carrying all of those salt bags. On a good day I carry and move about 1 ton of salt, this last Thursday I probably moved 2 tons... that made for a 9 hr day! Come pay day I'll be happy. Some more work is opening up to me there at the water store too, so that'll be nice.
Lyndsey and I are doing great. We're starting to prayerfully consider on what level we will serve the Lord this summer at Camp and possibly a small missions trip to NY with the YouthGroup here at MCBC.

Please continue to pray for us, for our purity before the Lord and for opportunities for him to use us.

God bless,
Rob & Lyndsey

Well, as it seems, life is so interesting, except when it keeps you up all night. Frustration and no willingness for communication on the other end, are just a few of the things that flood my mind tonight, well this morning... feels like I’m being blackmailed, forced into complacency, into a mindless submission to what should be a personal transaction. so far from what I imagined, my business is turning into a nightmare. Without a willingness to ask and to negotiate unless done so like a pirating threat. Maybe I’m just thinking about this too much, but maybe, just maybe, I’m right.. So What do I do? What is to come of this? I do not want to make this into a big deal for the customer, for fear that I would be alienated, considering, that they are a family friend. They aren’t saved, so what effect should that have on my actions… My thoughts…
Well, these same thoughts mill over and over in my head, what say ye?

Well, I know it's been a while since I've updated, and a lot has happened. I got hired in to sell vacuums, excuse me the Rainbow, and it was ok had a good chance to make lots of $ but I just didn't jive with it. so, Now I'm looking into 2 other things which seem to be even more promising at getting $ for my work than that vacuum, I mean, Rainbow place. Well God bless and have a good holiday season.

this one found here

Well, desperate times call for desperate measures. This blog is set up for you, the readers, to comment on my posts. Giving feed back to a writer is like voting on the day that you vote. A Civic duty. SO COMMENT....Please!

How can you pray for missionaries if you dont know many?

When we talk about missions, there is one thing we all must do. Now, now, if you know me, I’m not going to say you must be missions or die, but pray for it. After all it is the main goal of the church. God didn’t say for us to go into all of our comfort zones preaching the gospel and baptizing those who are saved. He said to go ye into ALL the world, making DISCIPLES of ALL NATIONS…

Hmmm.. don’t get me wrong but hey, we’re doing pretty bad if we aren’t even making disciples in our own churches and “comfort zones” let alone all nations…(that should convict you, if it don’t, then pray hard)

But, you say I’m not the missionary type… Neither was Moses by his own words,

Exo 4:10 But Moses said to the LORD, "Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue." 11 Then the LORD said to him, "Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak." 13 But he said, "Oh, my Lord, please send someone else."

May I also remind you in the later half of Chapter 3 and the beginning of Chapter 4 God performs mericles, not just giving words, but turning wood into a snake and back, and giving him leprosy and healing him just as quickly and Moses still has the gull to say this…

So if you insist as Moses did that you are not the type to be used by God in extraordinary ways, then here’s what Christ still demands of you…

When talking to his disciples Christ’s words were..
Mat 9:37 Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."

Who knows, Maybe God will send an “Aaron” into your life if you can’t handle what he has convicted you of. The Christian life is about service, not self… Christ, not self… Love, not self… hmmmm seems like a pattern…