Rowan Gillson | Christian Photography

I Tricked iTunes

2011-10-18T17:48:00.000-07:00

I Tricked iTunes

There is a nerd living inside me, and sometimes I'm not afraid to admit it. Today I tricked iTunes into doing what I really wanted, and I'm pretty proud of myself.

Here's the problem, Apple doesn't give you an option as to where to backup your iPhone. I don't want it on my C: drive... I want it elsewhere.

So... I used a nifty little app from Microsoft called Junction to create a secret link from the default location to where I wanted it on my D drive. And it works.

Junction works from the command line, so you'll have to type in a command something like this: [junction "C:\Users\User Name\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup" "D:\Apple\Backup"] Before you run this command you'll have to DELETE the original backup folder and CREATE the targeted backup folder.

Happy redirecting! Oh... and this is my 100th blog post. :-)

R

I Love This Man

2011-09-14T16:01:00.000-07:00

I Love This Man

On Friday I had the opportunity to photograph the graduation ceremony for Summit Ministries' Student Session 8 in Manitou Springs, CO. This was a very special occasion because it was found Dr. David Noebel's last graduation ceremony. This man has changed my world, the little personal one I live in, and the big one in which we all live. I am privileged to know him, and very honored to have been asked to create these images.

R

Highest Honors

2011-09-09T10:45:00.000-07:00

Highest Honors

Yesterday I received the greatest honor of my photographic career--I was asked to photograph the final Summit graduation presided over by Dr. David Noebel. This man has changed the face of Christianity in the United States by persuading us that Ideas Have Consequences.

Tonight he completes his 50-year career, and I will be the teary eyed photographer in the back trying to see through my lens.

R

More Light at Weddings

2011-08-26T10:28:00.000-07:00

More Light at Weddings

A friend emailed me this question and I thought it was worth posting, with my answer, here on the blog:

I recently did a wedding photo shoot. My camera is a NIKON D80 AF-S Nikkor 18-135mm 1:3.5-5.6 G ED. The church lighting was very very dim that day. It was more like a catholic church, and candles were the only illumination.

The biggest f/stop I could get was f 3.5, and when I zoomed in for close ups, the f/stop lowered, making my pictures darker. I couldn't get the shutter speed lower than 100, because the motions would blur. So I was kind of trapped and didn't know what to do. I couldn't raise my ISO any higher than 800 because of noise. And my EV was already like +5.0.

Um, So, what do you usually do if you have so little illumination at a wedding? Do you think I should have bought a wider angle lens to enhance my f/stops? Tripods? (but I don't know how I can use a tripod and still move around at a wedding.) Flash? But I also remember you didn't use a flash at Faith's wedding. Did you just use lens that had bigger f/stops? Like f1.8???????

I also remember that at Faith's reception the lights were pretty low, too. So, I'm just curious how you managed there? Was it because of the reflector that Jocelyn was holding? Or was it also a wide angle lens??????

I’m sorry to hear about the trouble you’re having, but you are asking the right questions and dealing with the right issues. There are three ways to improve the situation you’re dealing with:
• Use a flash – no one likes this.
• Get brighter lenses – I don’t shoot with anything darker than f/2.8 and have a 50mm f/1.4 if needed. Having brighter lenses lets you open up wider and create good imagery even in dark situations. These lenses are often really expensive to own but can be rented for pretty cheap. See if it would be possible to rent a lens in the future…
• Use higher ISOs – Yes. ISO noise is evil. Dark, blurry photos are MORE evil. I will shoot weddings at ISO 1600, 3200 or even higher if that’s what is needed to create a good image. I would much rather have a sharp picture with adequate light and a bunch of noise than a nice smooth image that’s way too dark. Shoot in RAW. Do your own processing. The newer the camera the better the noise levels will be.

During a wedding there are some events that you don’t have any control of, but there are a lot of photo ops where you can move the bride and groom into better lighting. Take the initiative to find good light and use it.

This bride didn't just happen to be standing in the only window light in a dark hallway. I asked her to stand there. [ISO 3200, 15mm, f/2.8, 1/40s]

Hope this helps!

R

Portraits, Best of...

2011-04-30T15:55:00.000-07:00

Portraits, Best of...

I've been going through lots of photos from 2007 in the past few weeks to get some collections ready for sale as stock. Here are some of my all time favorite street portraits, photographed in a single afternoon in Bangladesh.

Images of Bangladesh

2011-03-31T16:48:00.000-07:00

Images of Bangladesh

A woman standing in front of her home in the slums of Sylhet, Bangladesh

I've been working hard this week to get a collection of my Bangladesh images ready for sale as stock. Since they are all pretty and ready to go, I thought I'd share them with you all too...

R

This little boy is crying in the street in the slum where lives in Sylhet, Bangladesh.

These Bangladeshi people are unloading a barge of sand, basketload by basketload. Every time they dump their basket on top of the growing sandpile they receive a coin from the paymaster. The ambitious ones run back to the barge for their next load. This photo was taken during Ramadan, when Muslims fast from food and water during the day, only eating at night.

This is what it looks like when you open the door of your car in Bangladesh. Everywhere you go it seems that everyone is watching you. In Bangladesh it's true.

A woman in the slums of Sylhet, Bangladesh.

A river boatman on the Surma River, near Sylhet, Bangladesh

This man is begging inside a hospital

Photography Workshop Atlanta

2011-03-31T11:13:00.000-07:00

Photography Workshop Atlanta

Just wanted to remind everyone that the early registration deadline is coming up soon for our Prizewinning Photography workshop in Atlanta, GA in May. Don't miss out on your chance to save $100!

Register now at: http://prizewinningphotography.com/workshops/prizewinning-photography/atlanta-ga

R

A Little Rojo has a New Logo!

2011-03-14T14:22:00.000-07:00

A Little Rojo has a New Logo!

It's true. It's new. It's awesome. Check out the new logo for A Little Rojo!!

Realizations

2011-03-03T22:15:00.000-08:00

Realizations

The gym Pulse will occupy tomorrow.

Today I realized two things that are ironically related. The first is that I haven't written a blog post since January 20th, when I posted about photographing the Pulse Movement event in Osh Kosh, Wisconsin.

The second is that I have arrived. I'm here in Osh Kosh, Wisconsin, photographing the largest student-led movement on an American university campus this year. But more than that, I set out many years ago, trippingly, falteringly, often blindly, to change the shape of Christian media.

Tonight I realize that I have arrived. Not in the sense of completion, or of complacency, but as I look around me tonight, I realize that I am on that leading edge, changing the way Christian ministries handle media.

In the van today I talked with the logistics coordinator for the US branch of the Lausanne Movement, who told me his media dreams for the upcoming conference in Orlando with the statement, "I don't even know if we can do this..." And we are doing it for him.

Tomorrow I will call the Rebelution Tour again to continue working out the details of the media presence for their upcoming tour this summer.

The task is massive. The tools are ever changing. I'm not rich. I'm not even famous. Tonight I am where I want to be, and I am doing what I want to be doing.

Check out what's going on. Follow the event at Pulse tomorrow by tracking the Twitter hash tag #pulseuwo. Look for images of the event on Facebook late tomorrow night or early Sunday morning. Then go do something yourself. The body of Christ isn't all hands and feet, some of us need to be the eyes and ears as well.

R

Photographing Pulse, Superchick and Skillet

2011-01-20T15:40:00.001-08:00

Photographing Pulse, Superchick and Skillet

So, Jocelyn and I just confirmed a day photographing for Pulse Movement in Oshkosh, WI on March 4. Pulse is a pretty sweet organization, hosting student-led evangelistic concerts at college campuses all over the upper midwest. This event features evangelist Nick Hall and the bands Superchick and Skillet. It's going to be a crazy day, made even more awesome by the fact that we get to work with the illustrious Carl Larsen of Telescope Media Group.

We're looking for two photographers to come intern with us at the event. It means you'll get to work with us, and shoot on your own, get an all-access pass to the concerts, photograph student leaders as they work to spread the gospel on their campus, and study with me and Jocelyn for an awesome day!

Learn more about this sweet opportunity at: http://prizewinningphotography.com/pulse

Learn more about Pulse here: http://www.pulsemovement.com/events/oshkosh-pulse/

R

The Flight Home

2011-01-19T15:06:00.000-08:00

The Flight Home

Today I flew home, Phoenix to Portland, and had some pretty cool views. These were all shot out the window with my Canon PowerShot G11 on aperture priority mode and ISO 80. Enjoy!

R

Photo Tour of Italy

2011-01-13T11:26:00.000-08:00

Photo Tour of Italy

I know... I haven't posted here for, well, about a month, but I have good reason for it! Christmas is busy, of course, and well... New Years is all about figuring out what's going to happen this next year. That's what I did, and I'm going to Italy. And you're invited!! :-)

Today we're announcing PhotoEx:Italy, a 12-day photo tour of the best sights of Italy with Yours Truly as your tour guide! Click on the photo to check out the info and sign up soon... there's only 14 spots left!!

Photo Booth Craziness!

2010-12-18T16:26:00.000-08:00

Photo Booth Craziness!

Last night was crazy. alittlerojo was hired to photograph a corporate Christmas party for NorPac doing portraits of key people, general event coverage, video interviews, and a photo booth. The ensuing three hours of non-stop creative madness was pretty sweet, helped along of course by an absolutely fabulous spread of food and the amazing execs and managers of NorPac.

The photo booth was definitely the highlight for us, and probably for anyone who didn't make a Christmas bonus this year. We grabbed a white backdrop, put up a couple of flashes in soft boxes, and fired away with a 20mm lens for an hour of craziness. The best part though, was when 15 minutes later we showed off all the photos on a giant 65" TV while the party was still going on!

Everything else went along well too... Shooting rocking images of a great party, recording video interviews of people's dreams and goals for 2011, grabbing portraits of key individuals for upcoming publications went smoothly. We left the part around 11pm and had images done and online at 2pm. Everything was offloaded to a thumb-drive and left for NorPac before we left for the airport at 8am this morning. All in a night's work for these photographers...

Our fabulous party hosts, Isaac and Angie Tolpin!

Learn more about what alittlerojo can do for you at http://alittlerojo.com

Ro

On Location Portraits: Franz Josef Glacier

2010-12-09T16:30:00.000-08:00

On Location Portraits: Franz Josef Glacier

I had an idea I wanted to try out... I wanted to combine a whole bunch of extremes and see what sort of a portrait I could pull out of a day on the West Coast of New Zealand.

After driving a couple hundred kilometers in our camper vans in November, 2010, we arrived at the trail head for Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand. I pulled out the gear I needed, Canon EOS-1D MkIV, Canon TS-E 45mm lens, and 2 Canon 580EX2 speedlights, and tossed these in my sling pack with a couple of granola bars and a water bottle. We headed up a trail along a huge riverbed that in days gone by had been carved out by the massive glacier. A mile into our hike we arrived at the end of the trail, a view point just a couple hundred yards from the face of the glacier.

I pulled out my gear, setting the on camera flash to master mode and to not fire, just trigger the second, off-camera flash that was positioned about 45 degrees off to my right. Exposure was set manually for both the camera and the flash as the tilt-shift lens messes up all auto exposure modes. The flash was set to be about a stop more powerful than ambient light to create the darker effect on the background scenery and to show off the dimension in the face created by the shadows from the flash. The lens itself was set to allow my subject and the glacier in the background to be sharp, while blurring the background immediately behind my subject.

I had never tried a combination like this... off camera lighting, tilt-shift focusing, hard core glacier, and rather variable weather.

Once I was set, I waited for the sun to duck behind clouds before I took each shot. I eyeballed the ambient light and adjusted the aperture on the fly as each cloud blocked a different amount of sunlight. Some were a bit darker than others. As I changed the aperture, I had to keep moving my second flash closer or farther away because it was in manual mode as well. It helped to have a human light stand! I didn't modify the flash with a reflector or soft-box because I wanted to keep the harsher shadows to match the harsh conditions in the background.

I liked the results quite a bit, and so did my models. Hopefully you will too!

View the rest of the collection on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rowangillson/sets/72157625565895112/with/5247293895/

R

Christmas Book-list 2010

2010-11-30T17:08:00.000-08:00

Christmas Book-list 2010

This year's Christmas Book List for Photographers features the works of two master image makers: Michael Freeman and Scott Kelby.

Michael Freeman is a photographer extraordinaire. His approach to composition and exposure is masterful, and these books give you the inside track into how a top-notch photographer thinks about the world he is photographing.

Photographer's Eye

Photographer's Mind

Perfect Exposure

Photographer's Eye Field Guide

Scott Kelby has been a leader in the world of image post-processing for years, and his latest books on Lightroom 3 and Photoshop CS5 show you why. In these titles he takes the approach of addressing specific tasks a photographer is likely to perform and showing you the step-by-step approach to accomplishing it with excellence.

Lightroom 3 by Kelby

Photoshop CS5 by Kelby

Lightroom 2 by Kelby

Last Days in New Zealand

2010-11-16T10:38:00.000-08:00

Last Days in New Zealand

Photographing the Gates of Haast

Alas, they have come. We're sitting in the Christchurch airport awaiting our flight to Auckland and then on to Fiji. New Zealand has been good to us. The weather has been incredible. The scenery is always gorgeous. The team has gotten along well. Everyone has met with God. Could you really ask for more?

We now prepare to embark on our third leg of this adventure that has already proved to be life-changing: Fiji. Most Americans visit Fiji for vacation, but we won't see that side of the islands. Instead we'll be in the prisons, the slums, the schools, and the trenches with those who faithfully minister the love of Jesus to the people of Fiji every day. We only have 5 days to work, but our cameras will click away and our souls will love and encourage for all we're worth.

It won't be easy. The culture shock is intense. The heat and humidity will be oppressive. The food will be strange. The hours will be long. It will be good.

Please pray for us as we finish strong!

R

NZ2010 Lifeway College

2010-11-05T21:38:00.000-07:00

NZ2010 Lifeway College

As part of the 2010 New Zealand Experience, IPS students put together a still photo media package for Lifeway College in Snells Beach, New Zealand.

Lifeway provides the best 3D animation training in New Zealand. Visit them at http://www.lifeway.ac.nz/.

NZ2010 The Beginning

2010-10-31T02:47:00.000-07:00

NZ2010 The Beginning

The 2010 New Zealand Experience has begun in typical "God loves photography" fashion. The leadership team arrived in Auckland a couple days early to prepare for the rest of the teams arrival. One of the challenges we faced was that our housing for the first 2 days of the trip still had not come together. Our primary contact still had not gotten back to us and our secondary housing had just fallen through! We weren't sure what to do and were beginning to beat the bushes for other options when Neil Hamilton from Beachlands Baptist Church shot me an email that they would love to host our team again.

IPS has a good and long history with Beachlands Baptist, so I was quite excited to return once again to camp on the floor of their facility. As we chatted with Neil he gave us some ideas for the next few days…

We picked up the students at around 2:45pm on Saturday. By 6pm that night, three of them were already on assignment at the Beachlands Fire Brigade Annual Awards ceremony. Through their cameras we were able to come alongside Neil to support and encourage his fellow fire brigade members and the community.

Krissy Pucek runs a game at the Light Party

This morning (Sunday), Michelle and Krissy spoke in church. They both gave powerful testimonies of standing strong in the midst of adversity and the faithfulness of God. There were many tears in the eyes of those who heard, and many people who came up to them and to me afterward thanking us for the encouragement. One woman even came back and presented Michelle with a photo book of New Zealand in appreciation for her word this morning!

One Tree Hill

This afternoon we went to one of my favorite places on earth simply to hang out and meet with God. We each had the chance to pause and think about the weeks ahead and what we're asking God to do in us and through us. Oh, and One Tree Hill offers some pretty cool photo opportunities as well…

Tonight was the Light Party. Beachlands Baptist Church hosts a fun alternative to Halloween for the local community with over 500 kids and parents in attendance. We joined in the fun by running games, taking pictures, and hosting a photo booth. The family portraits that we took at our booth will be printed and given back to the church so they can share them with the people from their community. Two years ago we did this with Hastings Baptist Church and they had 7 new families join their church!

Matt Derrit runs a game at the Light Party

In the 36 hours they have been here, these students have changed New Zealand. They have demonstrated the love of Christ to a diverse audience of Christians and the general public. They have come along side a church and furthered their ministry within their community. They have encouraged a local body of Christ by joining in their ministry wholeheartedly. They have already seen the mighty hand of God at work in them and on their behalf.

This is going to be a great trip.

R

Courtney Martin photographs at the Light Party

Madi Conrad runs a game at the Light Party

Lausanne Final Day

2010-10-28T15:45:00.001-07:00

Lausanne Final Day

Out of Africa

2010-10-28T02:11:00.001-07:00

Out of Africa

If you follow me on Twitter (http://twitter.com/rowangillson) you've already figured out that Jocelyn and I are safely out of Africa and embedded in New Zealand for the next few weeks. I apologize that I haven't been able to get my final Lausanne video posted... we haven't had sufficient bandwidth to get a video up yet!

Cheers!
R

Lausanne Day 5

2010-10-23T01:50:00.000-07:00

Lausanne Day 5

Rowan Gillson shares his thoughts on day 5 of the Third Global Congress on World Evangelization in Cape Town, South Africa. Today Rowan met a man from South Africa who inspired a novel idea for taking IPS global...

R

Lausanne Day 3

2010-10-22T03:46:00.000-07:00

Lausanne Day 3

Rowan talks about the third day of the Lausanne Congress on World Evangelism and introduces a German friend who is doing unique things in his community with a video camera and a taxi van.

R

Lausanne Day 3

2010-10-20T07:10:00.001-07:00

Lausanne Day 3

Today was another amazing day. I'm really encouraged by the spirit of collaboration and unity expressed here at the conference. There are more than 4000 delegates from 198 countries and untold numbers of ministries and businesses represented, yet I have encountered no one who is stuck on their own ministry, church, or denomination. Instead, there seems to be a genuine desire to learn from others and to form long-lasting ministry partnerships with people from diverse backgrounds and experiences.

Perhaps this is because Lausanne is a movement, not an organization. By its very nature, this gathering is about the effective collaboration of diverse organizations around the centrality of Jesus Christ and the need to share the good news of the Gospel with those who haven't heard.

Today I was able to meet up with a bunch of people, some who I've been trying to connect with for a while, others who I didn't even know I needed to meet. Today I also met people that I knew from outside of Lausanne for the first time. Yes… after being involved for over 6 months and seeing thousands of people I finally met up with pastor Charlie Koh from Malaysia who is an IPS graduate and the pastor from New York (whose name I have lost) who married Faith and Joel in July.

God continues to move in my heart and confirm that this is where I am meant to be. I'm not sure what to DO yet, but perhaps that is OK for now. I feel like a kid looking at a hundreds of presents under a Christmas Tree, I don't know which to open first!

R

Lausanne Day 2

2010-10-18T14:27:00.000-07:00

Lausanne Day 2

Rowan talks about the unique challenges and opportunities facing IPS at the Third Congress for World Evangelism in Cape Town, South Africa hosted by Lausanne.

R

Lausanne Opening Night

2010-10-18T13:54:00.000-07:00

Lausanne Opening Night

R

Opening Night at Lausanne

2010-10-17T15:03:00.000-07:00

Wow. The opening session of Lausanne was amazing! Its hard to describe or imagine being in a room with 5000 Christian leaders from 198 countries and eagerly expecting God to do something great together. That's what I did tonight...

Rowan Gillson

Institute of Photographic Studies
rowan@prizewinningphotography.com
www.prizewinningphotography.com
www.rowangillson.com

The View from my Window

2010-10-16T13:12:00.000-07:00

The View from my Window

Here's what South Africa looks like from our balcony in Cape Town.

RoJo Pack for Africa

2010-10-11T23:58:00.000-07:00

RoJo Pack for Africa

Road to Lausanne

2010-10-04T12:55:00.000-07:00

Road to Lausanne

A week and a day from today Jocelyn and I leave for the third Global Lausanne Congress in Cape Town, South Africa. I’m super excited and totally stressed! This 10-day event runs back-to-back with IPS’s 7th New Zealand Experience, meaning that Jocelyn and I will fly straight from the congress to New Zealand to meet up with staff and students and embark on a month-long adventure exploring cross-cultural and missions photography. This, of course, means that almost everything for New Zealand has to be completed before we leave for South Africa… ouch. Hence the stress!

I’m super excited about Lausanne! I’ve been able to attend two pre-Lausanne events and have connected with other Christian leaders from across the United States. So far, I have been the youngest person I have seen connected with the Congress. I feel honored to be invited to attend, and extremely blessed to be networking with some of the leading Christian businessmen, ministry leaders, and thinkers of our day. I cannot wait to join those from around the WORLD in doing the same. Worshipping with 4000+ Christians from 191 countries in a huge auditorium will probably be the closest thing to heaven I experience on this earth!!

Our “road” to Lausanne is crazy. We leave on October 12 but don’t arrive until the 15th after traveling through Portland, Los Angeles, Nadi (Fiji), Auckland, Sydney, Johannesburg, and finally Cape Town. Please pray for safety and endurance as we traverse 5 countries, 5 airlines, 7 cities, and, uh, a lot of miles!

We are still raising support to help cover the expense of this trip. Use the PayPal button below if you feel led to contribute.

Blessings!
RoJo

More Photos

2010-09-27T19:33:00.000-07:00

IPS Rocks!

2010-09-16T21:17:00.000-07:00

From the Archive: Christchurch Cathedral

2010-09-07T08:41:00.000-07:00

From the Archive: Christchurch Cathedral

Canon EOS 1D-MkIIn | 2s | f/8 | 20mm | ISO100

Since 2004, I have been leading Cross Cultural/Missions Photography workshops in New Zealand. One of the highlights of this trip for me was always exploring the city of Christchurch at night. My students and I would bundle up, sling camera bags over one shoulder, perch our tripods on the other, and head out the door into the night. In the heart of Christchurch sits the cathedral, a stone masterpiece rising out of the central square with its spire piercing the night sky. I have many photographs of the cathedral, but this is one of my favorites.

Today I heard that my beloved cathedral will most likely be demolished. As you may know, last weekend Christchurch was struck by the largest earthquake to hit New Zealand since 1931. Over 100,000 homes were damaged and as I write, the central business district remains shut down. Schools are closed, utility companies are struggling to restore water and electricity, and the domestic airport remains inoperable. My prayers go out to the people of New Zealand as they struggle through a crisis that will test the mettle of their nation.

R

Check up on the latest NZ news at: http://www.stuff.co.nz

Read up on the Cathedral on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ChristChurch_Cathedral,_Christchurch

Like this image? Order a print at: http://rowangillson.zenfolio.com/archive/e358ab54b

A Tribute to Will Thornton

2010-08-31T13:50:00.001-07:00

A Tribute to Will Thornton

Summit Wisconsin

2010-08-23T12:02:00.000-07:00

Summit Wisconsin

Jocelyn and I just returned home from a fabulous 2 weeks working with Summit Ministries at their first ever worldview camp in Wisconsin. I've worked with Summit since 2005, but this was Jocelyn's first experience, and my first time to work as the Assistant Director.

Challenging?
Yes.

Rewarding?
Most definitely.

Oh... and I got to speak too! I gave two talks... one on understanding art and beauty and the other on our identity in Christ. I'll have to listen to the recordings, but if they're decent, I may post them here.

For now... here's a short clip from Summit. If you aren't familiar with them, you totally need to check them out! Find them on facebook: http://facebook.com/summitministries

R

Soundtrack by Nate Lenz: http://www.facebook.com/natelenz

Craig and Liz are Married!

2010-07-05T18:00:00.000-07:00

Craig and Liz are Married!

Congratulations guys! Thanks for being the first wedding that Jocelyn and I got to shoot as a married couple!

You can see the rest of Craig and Liz's pictures at: http://craigandliz.rowangillson.com

Don't forget to rate this post below...

R

Delegate to Lausanne

2010-06-28T16:41:00.000-07:00

Delegate to Lausanne

What’s up.
In September of 2009 I received an email inviting me to travel to South Africa in October 2010 as a delegate representing the United States at the Third Global Congress on World Evangelization. I was so excited that I jumped out of my chair and danced around the room!

I couldn’t believe that I had been selected as one of 4000 leaders of the global protestant Church! You don’t have to know me well or long before you figure out that I have a heart for the future of the Church that doesn’t fit within national borders. The opportunity to take part in the largest and most diverse gathering of Church leaders in history is something that continues to thrill my soul to the core.

Lausanne.
In 1974 a committee led by Billy Graham called for 2300 Christian leaders from 150 nations to converge upon Lausanne, Switzerland in an unprecedented gathering. The result of their 9 day experience was the Lausanne Covenant, a declaration "intended to define the necessity, responsibilities, and goals of spreading the Gospel.” Today the Lausanne Covenant provides the theological framework for a discussion of 6 key issues facing the Church:

• Truth: Bearing Witness to the Truth of Christ in our time
How do we make the case for Truth and the uniqueness of Christ in a postmodern, pluralistic world?
• Reconciliation: Building the Peace of Christ in our Divided and Broken World
How do we articulate and demonstrate the power of the Gospel in the midst of suffering and strife?
• World Faiths: Living the Love of Christ with Neighbors of Other Faiths
How do we respond redemptively to religious fundamentalism – Islam and Hinduism in particular?
• Priorities: Discerning the Will of Christ in our Ongoing Evangelism
What should our priorities be with respect to the unfinished task of world evangelization?
• Integrity: Returning to the Way of Christ in Repentance and Humility
What are obstacles to world evangelization within the church and how can those be addressed?
• Partnership: Partnering in the Body of Christ Toward a New Global Equilibrium
How should the church in the US partner with the church in the rest of the world?

Why I’m excited.
I have a heart for the Church of tomorrow, and a calling to take an active role in shaping it. Today’s youth have a greater need for Reality than any previous generation in the history of the planet, and God is going to meet it. I want to be there. I want to stand in any gap God gives me to bring about the restoration of God’s people to Himself.

Lausanne is my next step. I do not know all that God is going to do in and through me in Cape Town, but I know I’m called to be there. I will be perhaps the youngest and least qualified attendee, but I cannot wait to encourage and be encouraged. I will challenge and be challenged. I will ask new questions and encounter key answers as I experience the meeting of the leaders of the Church from every corner of the globe. And I will walk away as a changed man, with a greater passion for Jesus, a greater love for His Church, and another step further in my quest to change the world.

Why I need help.
In July of 2007 I lost my camera/laptop bag with nearly all of my equipment; nearly $9000 worth of gear was gone. Less than a month later I was in China on a month-long photographic expedition followed by another 6 weeks in Southeast Asia documenting the lives of missionaries. Before I left for China and the Far East I had received over $1500 in gifts from friends enabling me to replace some of the key gear I had lost. This made for the first photographic trips for which I had ever received financial support. To this day I consider the images I created in Asia in 2007 to be some of my best, and I attribute that to the love, support, encouragement, and prayers of those who stood with me.

I do not want to attend Lausanne alone. I know that God could provide for me in many ways, but I believe that I go to South Africa as a member of the Church, representing the Church, and that you, my brothers and sisters in Christ, are the Church.

So I humbly ask, will you join with me in this endeavor, supporting the work of God in my life and in the global Church, furthering the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the hearts and minds of His people? I need your love. I need your prayer. I need your encouragement. I need your financial support.

My estimate is that the 2-week trip to Cape Town will cost between $6000 and $8000 for me and Jocelyn to go. This money will go towards our plane tickets, hotels, transportation, food, and conference fees.
Thank you for supporting for me as a minister of the Gospel. Click the button below to place a secure donation, or tax-deductible gifts can be given through Worldchangers Summit | Box 643, Waite Park, MN 56387. Any gifts in excess of what is needed to attend Lausanne will be used for the 2011 World Changers Summit.

Learn more:
Third Global Congress on World Evangelization
Lausanne
Lausanne Covenant
World Changers Summit

Portland Photography Workshops

2010-06-23T12:20:00.000-07:00

Portland Photography Workshops

It's true. I'm hosting photography workshops here in Portland, OR the whole month of July. I've got a great group of friends coming out to help me with different parts too... Carl Larsen and I will be teaching a DSLR Video Workshop July 5-9. Check out our video post too: DSLR Video Workshop Katie Bollinger and Christina Dickson will be teaching a workshop on Portraiture & Lighting that same week.

If you're not sure you're quite up for the advanced stuff, check out Prizewinning Photography the week of July 12th. Joining me for that one will be Will Thornton and Hannah Brandau. I've been teaching versions of this workshop for 10 years, and I'm persuaded that it's the BEST week-long jump start to successful SLR photography anywhere in the world. The big goal for the week is to give students a firm foundation on which they can build the rest of their life-long photographic experience in an environment that's safe and fun. More than 2000 past students agree that this is just what happens! You can learn more about this workshop and sign up at: http://prizewinningphotography.com/

The next week (July 26-30) Hannah and I will be teaching Prizewinning Photography 2. It's all the stuff we wish we could fit into week one but just can't...

These are great workshops and Portland is an awesome place to study photography. I think you'll love our camp-style photography experience and love your dedicated Christian instructors.

Email me if you've got any questions! rowan@tibungla.com

R

From the Archive: The Open Window

2010-06-21T14:30:00.000-07:00

From the Archive: The Open Window

Canon EOS 1D-MkIIn | 20mm | f/4.0 | 1/250s | ISO 400

The Open Window was shot in the West End of Dallas, TX during an IPS workshop I was leading. The students were shooting black and white for the day, so I was too. Here I happened to catch a waiter's hand on the edge of a window he had just opened. I love the feel that we are just catching a glimpse of the action in this photo, yet something that no one else is seeing.

R

Portraits in San Diego

2010-04-27T18:36:00.000-07:00

Portraits in San Deigo

Yahoo! I'm headed back to one of my favorite cities in the world and for the next few days would love to do portraits... seniors, families, bridal, engagement... it's all fair game!

Here's the deal: $250 gets you two hours on location with my and my fabulous fiancee. We'll give you a CD with all the images, select ones edited, and releases to use them electronically however you like (think Facebook, Twitter, your blog, etc...) and to make your own 4x6 prints. Want larger prints? No problem... we'll have them online within the week and you can order whatever you like!

Don't wait! Time's limited and I'm on a plane back home on Sunday, May 2nd! Email me now!

R

PS Don't forget to check out the latest from the IPS workshop in San Antonio this week! http://www.prizewinningphotography.com

Good Morning Oxford

2010-04-21T04:05:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Oxford

Yes! It's the first vapor trail over Oxford!!

Alas... I am still stuck here, but what a place to be stuck. I'm hanging out with my Fiancee, her sister, my favorite brother at my friend Judson's place. It's been quite the party. This morning I went exploring in the early morning light with my camera, and this is what I discovered. Enjoy!

R

Ireland Photos: The Beginning

2010-04-08T00:57:00.000-07:00

Ireland Photos: The Beginning

A jaunt stroll down the road.

A Trinity College parking lot.

A Trinity College building.

What else would an Irishman do with a spent bottle of wine...

The now lost sun glasses...

Bridge on the Liffy

River front buildings

Dublin street musician

My favorite

R

Natalie and Jimmy are Married!

2010-03-27T12:19:00.001-07:00

Natalie and Jimmy are Married!

I always enjoy shooting weddings, but this one was epic. Today I got to shoot with my own Bride-to-be in the first of our many wedding adventures together. Yes, my fiancee, Jocelyn Edlin, is a pretty fabulous photographer in her own rite, and together, well... check it out!

Natalie and Jimmy, thanks for letting us be a part of your wedding day! We weren't expecting the rain and cold, but I'd like to think we got some amazing pictures anyway. I'm excited to see where God takes you (quite literally!) and what your lenses capture.

People often ask how I know the bride and/or groom at the weddings I shoot. This one has been one of my favorite stories to tell as Natalie and I met in Prague a year ago. Yeah, Prague... how cool is that?!?

Perhaps we shall meet again on the far side of the world! :-)

Check out the rest of the collection at http://natandjim.rowangillson.com

R

From the Archive: Ethiopian Pals

2010-03-24T13:51:00.000-07:00

From the Archive: Ethiopian Pals

In the not so distant past I had the chance to travel to Ethiopia with my friends Carl and Angel to pick up their two boys. (Check out Angel's blog: http://lovedbeyondallmeasure.blogspot.com/ for the fabulous ongoing story of their adoption!) Check out my previous post on the topic: http://blog.rowangillson.com/2009/12/faces-of-ethiopia.html

Now I'm really excited to be planning a DSLR Video Workshop in Portland with Carl. It's going to be an awesome week to hang out with a great friend and share the wonders of outstanding video production. Wanna join us? Please do: http://prizewinningphotography.com/workshops/video

Oh yeah... the photo above? I was loosely hanging on to my camera while another Ethiopian adoptee snapped away! :-)

R

Wedding Preview: Jimmy and Natalie

2010-03-19T20:13:00.000-07:00

Wedding Preview: Jimmy and Natalie

Family and friends praying over Natalie and Jimmy at their rehearsal dinner.

R

Sunrise on Mount Hood

2010-03-18T08:10:00.001-07:00

Sunrise on Mount Hood

I woke up this morning, looked out my window and saw that. Pretty cool...

R

Photo Shoot: Golden Pull

2010-03-17T16:26:00.000-07:00

Photo Shoot: Golden Pull

Last weekend I got to do a shoot for Golden Pull, a Saint Cloud band led by Johnny Weaver (far left below). We had a blast shooting in the cold wind of downtown Saint Cloud and got some sweet stuff for their upcoming album release!

R

DSLR Video Workshop

2010-03-12T09:01:00.000-08:00

DSLR Video Workshop

No... I'm not the master, but I know who is! For years I've wanted to teach video workshops with IPS, but the pieces just weren't quite in place to make it happen. Then I met Carl Larsen. Carl loves Jesus Christ, his family, and is a fabulous video producer. He's worked with Desiring God ministries, Life Light, PULSE, and hosted a podcast at Creative Cow among other things. Now we have a video workshop.

Well... perhaps I should say July 5-9, 2010, we'll have a video workshop in Portland, OR. Want to do video? You want to be there... Tuition is $600, food and housing $300. All the details can be found at http://prizewinningphotography.com/workshops/video

Hope to see you there!

R

Dear World

2010-03-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

Dear World

Suppose I gave you the opportunity to write a letter to the world. What would you say? Would you talk about yourself? Would you talk about your work? Would you talk about your God?

My friends at RevMedia gave the homeless youth population of Portland, OR the chance to talk, and now they have given us the ability to listen. Dear World, a collaboration of these letters is now available for digital download at http://dearworld.squarespace.com/. Don't miss the chance to hear from those we walk by each day.

Kudos to Christina, Laura, Jocelyn, Aaron, Whitney, Taylor, Caleb, Caitlin and Jake for giving us a glimpse into the reality of homelessness!

R

The Great Epic Blackberry Shootout of Awesomeness

2010-02-26T11:52:00.000-08:00

The Great Epic Blackberry Shootout of Awesomeness

This is Benjamin Derkin, friend, comrade, IPS Instructor, and photographer extraordinaire. It just so happened that one day last fall we both found ourselves on location without "real" cameras. Fortunately, we weren't the ones on assignment that day. To stave of the inevitable boredom that must come when you're in a beautiful location without your SLR, we embarked on The Great Epic Blackberry Shootout of Awesomeness to create the most Epic Blackberry Portraits of Awesomeness with, yes... our Blackberries.

Benjamin, of course, took pictures of me with his Blackberry Tour while I photographed him with the Blackberry Storm. You'll find Benjamin's shots on his blog at: http://derksworks.com/photoblog/2010/blackberry-shootout/

I think we're pretty awesome, but then again, I'm rather biased. Regardless, I'm a fan of photographers creating awesome images with the tools they have, be it a pro-SLR or the cell phone in their pocket. Today's not coming back... shoot it while you can!

Someday, I think I just might see Benjamin without an apple in his hand...

Today's View from Sandy, OR

2010-02-24T11:24:00.000-08:00

Today's View from Sandy, OR

Three-shot, hand held HDR image of the Sandy River valley looking towards Mt. Hood.

I'm still getting used to the fact that I live in Sandy, OR. At least once each day I kind of wake up from a daze, shake my head, and think, "I live here!" It's weird. A really good kind of weird, don't get me wrong, but still weird.

So, today I looked out my window and saw some amazing light and clouds playing on the hills over the river. I grabbed my camera, met the neighbor across the street, climbed out on his deck over looking the valley, and snapped a few shots.

I live here.

R

My new view

2010-02-15T14:54:00.001-08:00

My new view

Here's the view on a clear day from the deck on my new apartment! Not too shabby!! :-)

R

I have a car!!

2010-02-02T21:00:00.001-08:00

I have a car!!

After holding out for 28 and a half years I have finally earned the title of "Car Owner." Today I finalized the purchase and registration of my red 1988 Honda Prelude! Nope... it doesn't have a name yet, but I'm sure I'll think of something!

Cheers!
R

Lausanne

2010-01-26T05:53:00.000-08:00

Lausanne.

Today I feel very small.

I'm at a conference with over 200 people. As I look over the guest list most of them have words like "CEO" or "President" or "Vice-President" following their names. In front of their names are organizations like "Compassion International," "Food for the Hungry," and "Desiring God Ministries." Yeah. I feel small.

Lausanne has a dream: The WHOLE CHURCH taking the WHOLE GOSPEL to the WHOLE WORLD. I am kind of excited about that and I don't need a PHD to do it.

I'm here at the US Lausanne meeting because I was nominated and accepted a position as a delegate from the United States to the Third Global Congress for World Evangelization in Cape Town, South Africa in October. This is one of those things in life that I look at and shake my head because it is so much bigger than I am. It is one of those things that I couldn't make happen if I wanted to, and yet God opened the door and let me walk through it.

Thrilled doesn't begin to describe how I feel. I have a passion for seeing the young people of the Church love Jesus Christ so much that it changes their lives. I long to see the Church of tomorrow stronger, deeper, richer, and fuller than the church of today. I think Lausanne might help that.

R

Check out more on Lausanne at: http://www.lausanne.org/

From the Archive: Pearl of Asia

2010-01-13T09:46:00.000-08:00

From the Archive: Pearl of Asia

Canon EOS 1D-MkIIn | 1/1600s | f/11 | 200mm | ISO 100

At the beginning of the twentieth century, Phnom Pehn, Cambodia was known as the Pearl of Asia for its culture, business, and the classical French architecture that dominated the city. One hundred years later it is hard to imagine that this was ever the case. The destruction of World War II and the terror of the socialist agenda of the Khmer Rouge have turned a once beautiful city and nation into mere shadows of their former glory.

In September of 2007 I spent 4 days working with a Christian ministry that runs orphanages, seminaries, and training workshops to keep girls out of prostitution. My friend Caleb and I captured hundreds of images and trained the local man who handled their media and publications.

Sunrise comes early in Phnom Pehn. I think we were up before 5am to head into the center of town for this image. I was shocked at the number of people around at that early hour. Cleaning crews, yoga parties, badminton and soccer games, and people taking their morning bath in the polluted river were everywhere. That morning was also the only time I've ever been physically assaulted while on a shoot as a high bum took a swing at me while walking down the street. I suspect my lens hurt his hand more than he hurt me...

Don't forget to rate this post below!

R

Learn more about Phnom Penh at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phnom_Penh

Order a print of this image: http://rowangillson.zenfolio.com/archive

See more of my Cambodia collection: http://rowangillson.com (Click on Portfolio and then Galleries)

Kristi and Nik are Married!!

2010-01-08T08:24:00.000-08:00

Kristi and Nik are Married!!

Augh! (As Kristi would say...)

This was a fun wedding. Kristi, Nik, and I go way back... Actually, I took Nik on his first international missions trip, oh, say 6 years ago. My sister Kirsten, Kristi, and I along with several others used to do children's ministry trips all over the United States and abroad.

Despite the history, this was the first time I'd seen Kristi and Nik together with my own eyes. The last time I'd seen Kristi, she was rather single. The last time I'd seen Nik, well... we were snowed in at the Chicago airport after the weekend he and Kristi had started dating. It was beautiful. I loved watching (and photographing!) the action between my two friends. I also loved watching them interact with their friends and family.

The wedding was decidedly "them," from the John Deere tractor "ring pillow" to Boba's rendition of C.O.R.N. to the Kissing Can and Nikki's flowers. It's my hope that these pictures are "them" too! :-)

R

Oh, and Random Fact of the Wedding: there were 3 other couples in attendance whose weddings I've shot recently! How cool is that! :-)

View the rest of Kristi and Nik's photos at: http://kristiandnik.rowangillson.com

Photo by Michelle Neu

View the rest of Kristi and Nik's photos at: http://kristiandnik.rowangillson.com

From the Archive: Redwoods

2010-01-06T12:38:00.000-08:00

From the Archive: Redwoods

Canon EOS 30D | 1/15s | f/4 | 10mm | ISO 200

Gorgeous gravel roads cut through the heart of the Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park in Northwestern California giving visitors the chance to experience the wonder of one of nature's largest living things: the Sequoia tree. Many of these spectacular trees are thousands of years old and stand more than 300 feet high. It is truly an awe inspiring experience to wander through the midst of these living giants.

In the summer of 2007 I took a road trip through Northern California and Southern Oregon with my friends Will and Tanya. The few days we had were not enough to appreciate the intense beauty of the region. This image was first offered for sale in a collection of four prints to help my brother pay for school. I'm excited to publish it once again for your viewing pleasure.

R

Learn more about Sequoias: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coast_Redwood

Order a print of this image: http://rowangillson.zenfolio.com/archive/ef780a76

From the Archive: Tibetan Worship

2009-12-30T06:00:00.000-08:00

From the Archive: Tibetan Worship

Canon EOS 1D-MkIIn | 1/60s | f/4 | 70mm | ISO1600

The heart of a Tibetan Buddhist temple is filled with incense, smoke, candles, worshippers, and a darkness that oppresses the spirit. As an American I feel I have been fed a glamourized view of Buddhism, imagining a religion of deep thought, calming practice, and inner peace. What I found instead was a system of belief oppressive in physical, emotional, and spiritual realms.

Physically, Buddhist monasteries contribute little to the surrounding community, instead exacting enormous religious “tax” upon an already poor populace. Emotionally, I have never encountered a people so dedicated to their religion or striving so mightily to obtain their Nirvana. There is no peace here. Spiritually, Tantric Buddhism is very dark, having ties to the Occult. It leads its followers from darkness into greater darkness in the name of enlightenment.

If you walked with me into the soul of this Buddhist temple you would find it very difficult to breathe. The incense and smoke are so thick that your eyes burn as they strain to see through the murky light. Everywhere you look, you see people like this man, offering up yak butter from containers into the myriad of candles. Others spin prayer wheels, deposit money, or recite their prayers before countless images of ancestors, sages, and deities. You may not even notice, but you would also find it difficult to think. Even as the incense muddles the air, so the spirit world is filled with forces that cloud the mind, making clear deliberate thought a chore, and the entertainment of any opposing religious thought well nigh impossible.

R

Don't forget to rate this post!

Learn more about Tantric Buddhism: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vajrayana

Like this image? Order a print here: http://rowangillson.zenfolio.com/archive/e2764201c

From the Journal

2009-12-24T12:57:00.000-08:00

From the Journal

"Right now my favorite song is "Before the Throne of God Above." I especially love verse 2:

'When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within
Upwards I look and see Him there
Who made an end to all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free
For God the Just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.'

"I pick up my guitar and sing that several times a day, just to remember that no matter how overwhelmed or behind I feel I am RIGHTEOUS, LOVED, and ACCEPTED by my GOD! Nothing can touch that. Nothing. Ever. Those words are so full of hope and light! There can be no diminishing of the glory and brilliance of the love that the Father has for me; and the complete fullness of the price has already been paid."

R

From the Archive: Christmas Tree

2009-12-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

From the Archive: Christmas Tree

Canon EOS 1D-MkIIn | 2.5s | f/5.6 | 15mm | ISO100

Last Christmas we had an awesome tree; one of those trees that you love to find and decorate, one of those trees that inspires living room camp-outs. My dad loved the tree, and wanted me to take a picture. Somehow I never really got around to it until one morning I was up early to catch a flight to somewhere, and realized that the tree wouldn’t be around when I got back. I grabbed my camera, tripod, and shot two frames on my way out the door.

I’m glad I did.

R

Don’t forget to rate this post below!

Like this image? Order a print here: http://rowangillson.zenfolio.com/archive/e2e750c7a

Cassie and Erik are Married!

2009-12-17T15:34:00.000-08:00

Cassie and Erik are Married!

Favorite shot... right here!!

Congratulations guys on a fabulous start to your marriage. Cassie, you joked about it turning into a do-it-yourself wedding, but it was great! And it was yours... A wedding should be a celebration of your relationship and what God has done in your lives, and that's what December 12th was for you and Erik. Thanks for letting me be a part! I had a great time snapping photos! May God continue to bless you both!!

R

View the rest of the images at: http://cassieanderik.rowangillson.com

Don't forget to rate this post! :-)

From the Archive: Bridge to Nowhere

2009-12-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

From the Archive: Bridge to Nowhere

Canon EOS 1D-MkIIn | 1/60s | f/4 | 70mm | ISO160

Sometimes as photographers it is easy to think that good pictures come from exotic locations. “Sure,” we think, “I’d take awesome pictures if I were in Africa.” The Bridge to Nowhere may be exotic to you, but for me it was just my own hometown on a fabulously foggy day in late March.

I love this image visually and conceptually. Rarely do we know the end from the beginning, and the times we think we do, somehow we don’t seem to end up there anyway. This bridge does lead to somewhere, but to those who would embark upon its path, that end is a mystery.

R

Don’t forget to rate this post below!

Read up on Yosemite at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yosemite_National_Park

Like this image? Order a print at: http://rowangillson.zenfolio.com/archive/e233cbf34

2010 Calendar Images

2009-12-10T11:40:00.000-08:00

2010 Calendar Images

The images from my 2010 calendar are now available for sale through my Zenfolio account. Check them out at: http://2010calendar.rowangillson.com Of course, calendars are available for sale as well. Just use the PayPal link at top right to make your purchase. Looking for more than 5 calendars? Just email me...

January—Cathedral of Saint Andrew

February—The Pantheon

March—Saint Mark's Square

April—Saint Peter's Basilica

May—The Lennon Wall

June—Saint Vitus' Cathedral

Centerfold Poster—Saint Salvator's Chapel

July—Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família

August—Venice Alleyway

September—Central Memorial of the Federal Republic of Germany

October—Holy Trinity Church of Saint Andrews

November—The Roman Forum

December—Westminster Abbey

These images are complemented with a fabulous design by Mandy Novotny and can hang on your wall all year! View the full PDF of the calendar at: http://rowangillson.com/downloads/2010calendar.pdf

Don't forget to rate this post below!

R

From the Archive: January Moon Ring

2009-12-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

From the Archive: January Moon Ring

Canon EOS 1D-MkIIn | 30s | f/8 | 20mm

In late January 2007, I attended a spiritual retreat in Northern Michigan. Winter storms had dumped over a foot of snow in the region and then cleared out, leaving behind bitter cold and crystal clear skies. On this night temperatures were between 10 and 20 degrees below zero, but the perfect ring around a full moon was enough to lure me out onto the lake for a few photographs.

R

Don’t forget to rate this post below!

Like this image? Order a print at: http://rowangillson.zenfolio.com/archive/e3e58eb87

The Car Story

2009-12-08T10:31:00.000-08:00

The Car Story

So, there I was... sitting at Bi-Partisan Coffee with my friend Liz, just chatting away, minding my own business. I have no idea how this came up, and just between you and me, I blame Liz... All of a sudden there she was saying, "You should post on your Facebook status that you're praying for a car and see if anyone offers to give you one!"

"What?" says I, "I'm NOT really praying or stressing about a car, and I don't really feel like trying to manipulate people into giving me one!"

We were still arguing about this when the lady at the table next to us interrupted. "Excuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt," she quipped. "I've never paid money for a TV until just this year when I bought one for $20. I think it's OK to not buy a car." Then she went on, "Actually... we have this old '86 Volvo you can have when we're done with it! I'd give it to you right now, but my husband won't let me quite yet..."

With that we disengaged and I sat there glaring at a very triumphant Liz who had entirely proved her point.

No. I didn't take the car.

Faces of Ethiopia

2009-12-03T08:53:00.000-08:00

Faces of Ethiopia

Photo by Carl Larsen

Photo by Carl Larsen

Success in Ethiopia

2009-11-22T14:18:00.000-08:00

Success in Ethiopia

A crippled man begs on the side of a dirt road leading to the orthodox church in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

I'm Home, and struggling with how to summarize the past few days in a blog post. OK... here goes.

Thursday was our Embassy Day. As I understand it, the adoption was already finalized on the Ethiopian side, but they had to appear, with the kids, at the U.S. Embassy to get U.S. Visas for Silas and Titus. Despite dozens of international trips, this was the first time I'd ever been inside a U.S. Embassy. (It actually wasn't all that great...) We had good fellowship with a number of other adopting families in the waiting room. Everything went smoothly for Carl and Angel, but friends of theirs had the heart wrenching experience of not receiving their visas. (I will write up this story another day... it's incredible!)

As we walked out of the Embassy I was sobered to see the hundreds of people sitting patiently awaiting their turn to apply for a Visa to the United States. As a natural-born, Citizen of the United States I am not sure I will ever completely understand what that truly means and how fortunate I am. Every once in a while I encounter a situation that reminds me of the blessing that was mine at birth and the great lengths to which others will go in an attempt to secure what was given to me. It reminds me too of my relationship with God and my own complete inability to obtain Righteousness. I see the pure gift of God, received by faith, that makes me a Citizen of Heaven being worked for by people of all faiths around the world. Unlike U.S. Citizenship, it's not hard to enter the Kingdom of Heaven... the price has already been paid, the process completed for all.

Friday was our last day in Africa, but to be honest, I stopped counting things in days and now count in hours. I've done way too many short trips this summer/fall, and "days" just no longer cut it! We were hoping to hit the market first thing in the morning, but our driver didn't show up. We would have called him, but no, the agency hadn't bothered to pay their phone bill at the guest house, oh, and the people with us didn't have any credit on their phones either. Welcome to Africa. It was OK... I know how to do this... Carl and I headed out and found a phone recharge for our cooks' phone. This didn't get us to the market, as the driver was busy, but we did get to call and tell friends we were supposed to meet that we weren't coming.

Instead, I caught a taxi over to the Care Center to look for some stuff I had left there. On the way I realized that it really wasn't that far and decided to walk back, shooting along the way. Ethiopians are not very camera friendly. They have this nasty little habit of being really friendly and waving and then freaking out when they realize that you really are going to use your camera on them. Amazing. It's a good thing I'm really fast! I do get gun-shy after being yelled at by the 10th person though...

Later in the afternoon Carl, Kelly, and I headed over to the market with Carl's friend Daniel. Historically I haven't been a huge fan of haggling over prices. I just figure that no matter how it goes, someone loses! If the shopkeeper is happy, that means I got ripped off, but if I'm happy, her kids don't eat that night. Lose-lose situation. Today I had fun. Actually... I kinda felt like Kristi Cook! :-) I guess I decided I didn't really care about getting the BEST price, I just wanted something I could live with and the cool stuff that I wanted. I even learned some new tricks. The best one is to give them less cash than the last price they gave you... One lady wanted to sell me a couple necklaces for 160 Birr. I told her 100. She came down to 120, but I just handed her a 100BR bill and she was happy. It helps to have exact change...

Souvenirs and gifts purchased, we headed back to the guest house to pack, eat, and zip off to the airport. It was hard for me to watch the agency workers say goodbye to Silas and Titus and Kelly's daughter. It was just really obvious that they genuinely love these kids. I KNOW that Silas and Titus will be loved, cared for, and have a better life with Carl and Angel than they had the potential for in Ethiopia, but they were still about to be taken far from their homeland and everything they had ever known. I guess few good things in life that come without sacrifice...

Our trip back was long... actually, it was the longest I've ever been on an airplane! The five-hour flight from Addis Ababa to Rome was followed by two hours of sitting on the plane in Rome while we refueled, etc., and 11 more hours to Washington Dulles. 18 hours in the back of a 767. Titus and Silas did amazing... I really can't imagine a better travel experience with two 2-year olds! What's even more amazing is that they speak no English... none! We couldn't even tell them what was going on. Customs and Immigration at IAD were no problem, our bags arrived, we connected to other flights, and were soon winging our way to Minneapolis. I was on different flights, but landed at MSP about the same time as Carl and Angel and met up with them at baggage claim. Some friends had come to meet them, as did the head of their adoption agency. One woman drove all the way from Omaha, NE to welcome them home! Both Carl and Angel were totally spent, so I drove us up to Saint Cloud and said goodbye as I dropped myself off at my parents' house.

Carl, Angel, I love you, and will travel with you anywhere, anytime! Thank you for the honor of being your photographer, travel companion, and friend on this HUGE adventure!

R

Be sure to check out Angel's blog at: http://lovedbeyondallmeasure.blogspot.com/

Yes... we really had coffee, freshly roasted over a charcoal brazier... :-)

Carl, Angel, Silas, and Titus

Ethiopia at Last

2009-11-19T00:34:00.001-08:00

Ethiopia at Last

I'm here, on the ground, in the country, VISA and entrance stamps to prove it... this is Ethiopia. It took me 64 hours of travel to get here, too many of which were spent arguing with airline personnel. I ended up flying through Kuwait and having to purchase a one-way ticket from Kuwait to Addis Ababa through Dubai. It was crazy, but I don't have much time right now...

Yesterday was great. I woke up with a fever, diarrhea, and nausea, but I've always contended that the difference between a professional and an amateur photographer is that a professional can shoot no matter how he/she feels. Yesterday I had to prove it. As I lay back in bed after not eating breakfast I pondered how hard it had been to get here and how less than 24 hours of being in the country I was pretty sick (which NEVER happens to me...). I prayed, "Lord, I don't know what you have for me here, but I will give it everything. I won't give up... I'm all in!"

It was a LONG day... but we all felt that way. We got to visit three different orphanage facilities and shoot hundreds of photos for adoptive parents all over the United States. It was awesome. The kids were so cute, and to realize the joy what we were doing would bring to so many people made for a pretty awesome experience.

Here are a few pics from yesterday. Pray for us if you think of it... we've got about 36 more hours here in Ethiopia before beginning the trip home.

Carl and Angel are doing awesome! Titus and Silas are amazing... Such cute kids! It's truly an honor to be with them here in Africa as their lives change forever!

R

From the Archive: Antwerp, Belgium

2009-11-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

From the Archive: Antwerp, Belgium

Canon 30D | 1/6400s | f/1.4 | 50mm

On April 25, 2009, my siblings and I took the train from Bodegraven, The Netherlands, to Baueax, France. It was a holiday, which meant that the trains were full and running late. That combination wasn't an excellent one for us as we soon found that we had missed a connection. My brother Kennan was fabulous, and talked the powers that be into a reroute that still got us where we needed to go without extra fees.

The delays and rerouting gave us a bit of time at the main station in Antwerp, Belgium. We discovered that Belgian truffles really are excellent, as are their french fries. As we wandered around, passing the time before our next train, I happened to see this man sitting quietly by himself in front of some awesome windows. I made this exposure, and was grateful for our missed train!

R

Don't forget to rate this post below!

Learn more about the Antwerp station: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antwerpen-Centraal_railway_station

Like this image? Order a print at: http://rowangillson.zenfolio.com/archive/e150857ec

Rowan's going to Africa!

2009-11-15T14:46:00.000-08:00

Rowan's going to Africa!

So... I'm not there yet... I'm in Kuwait. Yeah. Kuwait... I wasn't really supposed to be here, but this is what I've got for a story:

R

Learn more about Kuwait: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuwait

Subscribe to my YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/tibungla

Don't forget to rate this post!

Benj & Gabi's Wedding

2009-11-13T19:24:00.000-08:00

Benj & Gabi's Wedding

Congratulations Benj and Gabi! It was such a pleasure to be able to photograph your wedding. Gabi, I count myself privileged to have known you for years and see your love the for the Lord. It was awesome to see that matched perfectly in Benj. Benj, I was amazed to see the love and respect in which your family and friends hold you. I pray God blesses your marriage and continues to pour our His blessing upon you together!

R

View the rest at: http://gabiandben.rowangillson.com

From the Archive: Cambodia

2009-11-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

From the Archive: Cambodia

Canon EOS 1D-MkIIn | 1/1250s | f/4.0 | 70-200mm @ 121mm

In September 2007 I had the opportunity to travel to Cambodia for the first time. It was a short trip, just a couple days, but a totally life changing experience. Despite being pretty well traveled, Cambodia was my first Third-World experience. It opened my eyes to first-hand encounters with social issues that before I had only heard about.

This image is symbolic of Cambodia for me. I think of it as a beautiful country full of beautiful people that is struggling to overcome a bitter 20th century filled with hate, death, and destruction.

R

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Learn more about Cambodia at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodia

Like this image? Order a print at: http://rowangillson.zenfolio.com/archive/e28eb4337

2010 Calendar

2009-11-09T15:04:00.001-08:00

2010 Calendar

Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, my 2010 Rowan Gillson calendar is now available for your ordering pleasure! The 2010 calendar features 13 religious and historical images from across Europe. These images was captured during a 5-week backpacking trip I took with three of my siblings in April/May 2009. Each one has been hand picked for both its image quality and the historical significance it represents. The fabulous design is by Mandy Novotny. I think you'll agree that it's a step up from my previous calendars.

Order early, order often... they make great Christmas gifts! Feel free to spread the word too!

Thanks for your support!

R

View the calendar images and order prints online at: http://rowangillson.zenfolio.com/2010calendar

Read more about our European trip on the 4 Bohemians blog: http://4bohemians.blogspot.com/

What's your V?

2009-11-06T17:11:00.000-08:00

What's your V?

In the year 1942 the United States of America joined in a worldwide campaign for peace and unity. In a time of little hope for the future we as a nation rallied together to promote the cause of freedom. V for Victory with the morse code V (dot, dot, dot, dash ) became a national symbol of hope that unified past generations and promised a brighter future. V for Victory became part of everyday life for our grandparents and every loyal American. Shop windows, postage stamps, and posters displayed the timeless spirit of American patriotism using the symbol V for Victory.

Nearly seventy years later we once again find ourselves in challenging times. Although we live in different circumstances, each of us has the opportunity to make a difference. Just as past generations embraced this symbol of victory, today we too can hold fast victory and hope for the present, as well as the future.

Make a difference for your community by joining our effort to rebuild a spirit of victory and unity. Your support can help create a new future.

It's simple - get your V sticker and stick it in your world. In the U.S. there are three hundred million people, give or take a few. That's three hundred million individual lives with unique personalities and amazing stories. Each one of us makes up the nation we call home. Together we can inspire the courage and hope that every American possesses.

You’re the first wave. V for US doesn’t go public until January, but they’re looking for support. Help launch a movement by using your gift—the camera—to create images that will inspire a spirit of Victory in your world.

Starting today, you can register for the “What’s your V” photo contest. We’ll send your V sticker free of charge and you start shooting. The sky’s the limit. We’re looking for images that show Americans or America; images that inspire courage, honesty, personal growth, and strong community. Use your sticker, use your fingers, shoot whatever V motivates you, and send it our way.

It’s a contest, so of course there are winners: first prize gets $50; two runner-ups claim $25 each. Oh, and don’t forget, you’re launching a movement! You can submit up to 10 images, and there’s no entry fee! Everything needs to be in by December 4th.

Ready to go? Read the Official Rules and register here: http://prizewinningphotography.com/events/contest/V

R

Struggling for creatiVity? Try some of these Victorious words on for size:
actiVe
adVenturous
imaginatiVe
creatiVe
liVe
motiVated
positiVe
Versatile
inventiVe
resolVed
ViVid
Vital
Voice
loVe

Official site: http://vforus.com

From the Archive: High Road to Yu Shu

2009-11-04T19:11:00.000-08:00

From the Archive: High Road to Yu Shu

Canon EOS 1D-MkIIn | 1/800s | f/4.0 | 70-200mm lens @ 121mm

In August of 2007 I found myself with 8 other photographers on a bus from the city of Xining to the village of Yu Shu in Southwestern China. Unlike public buses I have traveled in countless other locales, this was a sleeper bus, containing micro-beds instead of seats. They probably work great for 5'4" Chinese people, but were slightly less than ideal for this 6'3" American. 15 hours of smoke-infested, body odored, gravel roads and car sickness were rewarded with spectacular views of one of the remotest areas on earth. I would not trade that bus ride for a first class airline ticket.

I rode up front with the bus driver for much of the time. He chain smoked and chatted to me most amiably. Too bad I didn't speak Tibetan. Smiles and nods were all he needed as he was just pleased that this insane American was so taken by the beauty of his countryside. I soon realized that I was not the insane one as I watched this man careen in-control up and down the sides of mountains on "roads" fit for pack-mules. Perhaps it was the nicotine (or something stronger!) or his magical driving gloves that gave him courage. Whatever it was, we arrived safe and sound and even much earlier than I expected.

Thanks to my insane driver, a myriad of road crews, and an awesome God for this photo of a high plateau in the Tibetan mountains. I don't rightly know where it is, but the plain is approximately 12,000 feet above sea level and the mountains in the 16k to 18k range.

Anyone up for another trip to China?

R

Learn more about Yu Shu, China: http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/qinghai/yushu/

Check out more of my landscape pictures: http://rowangillson.zenfolio.com/landscapes

Like this image? You can order a print from: http://rowangillson.zenfolio.com/archive/e366c13e9

Don't forget to rate this post below!

Congratulations Nicole and Aaron!

2009-10-29T10:57:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Nicole and Aaron!

...on a beautiful wedding! Your whole day was relaxed, fun, a tribute to you, and honoring to each of your guests. It was a privilege to be able to photograph your wedding! Thank you for trusting me with such a special day in your lives. May God richly bless and keep you as you continue to love each other more every day.

R

View full resolution images at: http://nicoleandaaron.rowangillson.com

Ethiopia, later...

2009-10-29T10:44:00.000-07:00

Ethiopia, later...

I woke up this morning, hopped in the shower, wandered back to my room and had a new text message from Carl:

"Hold. Bad news today. Tyo [sic] more weeks"

"Serious?"

"Yeah."

"What happened?"

And we talked... It sounds like the paper work just can't happen quite fast enough for the Embassy Date of November 5 that we were hoping for.

Hard, hard, hard... 48 hours from H-Hour and we're on hold again. In some ways I think this delay is the hardest one yet for Carl and Angel. Please pray for them! They're changing tickets, babysitter, life, so that we can leave on the 14th of November.

The good news is, I won't have to shoot a wedding right after we get back, thus I can spend the entire time with them.

R

Check out Angel's thoughts at: http://lovedbeyondallmeasure.blogspot.com/

Ethiopia, Here I Come!

2009-10-28T11:57:00.000-07:00

Ethiopia, Here I Come!

I found out on Monday that I'm headed to Ethiopia. On Saturday. This week. The 31st. Yes. I'm so excited! This trip has been in the works for a while, but the planning has been rather complicated.

My friends Carl (@telemg on twitter) and Angel (Loved Beyond All Measure here on blogger) have been working towards adopting two boys for quite some time. This summer they contacted me about going with them as a photographer/friend when they went to pick up Titus and Silas. Their Ethiopian court date was set for October 15th with our tickets on hold for October 31, but things did not go smoothly. Titus passed. Silas did not.

More court dates were scheduled, but our tickets couldn't be held any longer. Last Saturday I got a tweet from Carl saying they had bought the tickets by faith. (He's crazy.) After much prayer and another court date, they got the full go ahead for both Titus and Silas on Monday.

This is going to be a fast trip! I leave Saturday morning, flying from COS to DEN to IAD where I meet up with Carl and Angel. Then we're off to Rome for a 45 minute layover (how lame!) and on to Addis Abbaba, arriving late Sunday. Monday through Wednesday will be packed with new kids, sights, sounds, smells, ethnicity, foods, cultures, and friends. Thursday I'm back on a plane headed home. I should get back about 5:30 pm on Friday, in time to photograph Gabi's wedding on Saturday afternoon! :-) Yup... first trip to Africa is for 3 days! Only God could squeeze such cool things into a crazy life!

I'm pretty excited about this trip and would love your prayers. I'm going to shoot my heart out, but I want to create the right images. I want to see Africa as God does, not as a photographer looking for starving children. I want to support Carl and Angel and document their trip in an amazing way. Carl is a FABULOUS video producer, so the quality pressure is on! I want to see new aspects of humanity, and thus the God that created it as well. A new culture offers a whole new opportunity to catch a glimpse of the character and nature of God that transcends all culture and civilization.

Africa here I come!
R

More on Ethiopia: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/et.html

Stolen computers

2009-10-20T07:47:00.000-07:00

Stolen computers

I was planning to spend most of my day editing wedding pictures as I fly from San Diego to Washington DC and on to Atlanta. That's not going to happen today...

Last night I was staying with my friends Jeff and Gabrielle in San Diego. Jeff had a bad headache and headed to bed early; Gab and I chatted until about 11 when I headed outside to make a phone call and she went to bed. I like to walk and talk, so I wandered around the neighborhood for a while. When I walked back into their small house I immediately noticed my computer was gone off the table. I think my first thought was 'Oh God, please no...' I looked around for a bit and noticed that Jeff's laptop was also missing, but that my wallet was still there!

I woke up Jeff and Gab to see if hope against hope they had somehow moved our computers. Nope. So, we called the police to report a burglary, they sent two officers who took statements and info, etc, etc... It was a late night... Oh, and they took my iPod and digicam too.

I feel bad for Jeff and Gab. They lost all the pics from their recent trip to Italy. Not cool! They also have had the rather violating experience of having their house entered, while they were sleeping, and their stuff stolen! I can't really imagine! May God grant them peace and the ability to stay safe in their own home again!

Its a weird and unsettling feeling to lose a computer and no easier the second time. My mind races through all the stuff on it. Software is easy to replace: I could have a new system identical to my own in an hour at home. Data is a bit harder to replace... The worst is the personal info that's everywhere. I wonder if someone is going to find my credit card number or my address or if they are going through my email even as I write this. Oh, here's the best part though: I shot a wedding on Friday, and I still have all the pictures! I had literally just backed up my E drive not 30 minutes before! In fact, the thief disconnected my hard drive and left it sitting on the table for me!! I am so grateful to God for that! Oh, and my camera gear? Untouched.

Most of my work and ministry is conducted via computer, thus its loss creates a minor identity crisis. It is good to be reminded that I am more than a Facebook profile, an email address or an online photo gallery. Today I get to be human again.

R

Rowan Gillson

Institute of Photographic Studies
rowan@prizewinningphotography.com
www.prizewinningphotography.com
www.rowangillson.com

Katie and Chris Adams' Wedding

2009-10-12T15:07:00.001-07:00

Katie and Chris Adams' Wedding

Congratulations to Katie and Chris on their recent marriage! Katie worked for me in Chicago several years ago as a photographer and art editor, so I counted this a double privilege to be able to photograph her wedding.

I played around with some new Lightroom presets to go a little artsier on my post processing... let me know what you think!

Photo by Kelsey Schweickert. Thanks for doing a great job as second shooter!!

View the rest of Katie and Chris' images at http://katieandchris.rowangillson.com.
Check out other stuff I've shot at http://rowangillson.com.

Cheers!
R

Derek and Rachel's Wedding

2009-10-01T12:12:00.000-07:00

Derek and Rachel's Wedding

Congratulations to Derek and Rachel Tiemann! You guys had a beautiful wedding, and it was an honor to photograph it for you. I pray your marriage is always as beautiful as the day you began it.

Check out these images in a gallery at: http://derekandrachel.rowangillson.com

R

IPS Photography Workshops

2009-09-25T13:27:00.000-07:00

IPS Photography Workshops

Check out the latest promo video from the Institute of Photographic Studies!

Many thanks to Laura Clawson, David Talbot, and many others who contributed to this project!

IPS has just launched a new website at: http://prizewinningphotography.com

How to Photograph a Wedding | Group Portraits

2009-09-09T14:25:00.000-07:00

How to Photograph a Wedding | Group Portraits

Let’s talk about the group portraits. You know, those shots that probably no one likes, but we all have to take anyway: his family, her family, all the family, none of the family, the preacher, the flower children, etc., etc… The goal here is to improve your speed without sacrificing quality. A little planning makes all the difference.

Build your shots in such a way that most of the people you photograph don’t have to leave and come back. Here’s an example of how this might work… (For these examples I’m going to use a stage as the area where I’m shooting.) Start with the bride and groom and add the grooms parents; shot. Then add his siblings; shot. Have the parents step just off to the side; shot. Parents come back in and add siblings’ spouses; shot. Siblings kids join too; shot. Groom’s extended family joins; shot. Move the groom’s family all to one side, add the brides whole extended family; shot. The groom’s family could now be done… dismiss them unless they are part of the bridal party.

Now we play the subtraction game… balance out the bride’s extended family; shot. Cut it down to parents, siblings, spouses, and kids; shot. Cut out the kids; shot. Cut out the spouses; shot. You’re now down to just the bride’s parents and siblings; shot. Lose the sibs; shot. You are done.

Every wedding that I have shot is different, and requires a different set of group shots, but this is a sample of what you want to do for efficiency and simplicity’s sake.

Set yourself up for success… take a sample shot or two before they really count and set your camera on manual. You don’t want your exposure to change from image to image. Remember that spacing illustrates relationship. Keep the parents next to the bride and groom, let the aunts and uncles be further away. It’s OK to keep shuffling your group as new people join and the overall relationship dynamic changes.

Practice makes perfect, they say. Group portraits are like a big puzzle and the faster you can do it, the more happy and relaxed your bride and groom will stay.

R

A group shot from Caryn and Cody's wedding. Check out the rest of the collection at http://carynandcody.rowangillson.com.

How to Photograph a Wedding | Part 1

2009-09-02T20:32:00.000-07:00

How to Photograph a Wedding | Part 1

It seems as though most of my photography students find themselves asked to photograph a wedding. If you’ve never shot one, and often, even if you have, this can be a rather intimidating venture. After all, you are only dealing with the day the bride has dreamed about her entire life. No big deal. If you find yourself in this position, do not freak out, here’s the best advice I can give you as a wedding photographer: Have fun!

“What? Have fun? That’s not what I was expecting?” Yeah, I know… but here is the simple truth of the matter. Everyone loves pictures. The bride hired you because she wants good pictures. If you are stressed, she knows the pictures are bad. (Simple fact… you could be stressed because you have a hang nail… doesn’t matter. Pictures are still bad.) If she feels that the pictures are bad, she starts to stress out. When the bride stresses out, everyone stresses out. When everyone stresses out, there are no more good pictures. Thus, a stressful photographer is the first step towards wedding disaster.

Have fun! Do not stress about apertures and shutter speeds. Shoot in RAW. Set your white balance to Auto. Let your camera make decisions for you. Focus on the people, and yeah… have fun! If you have the capacity, sure, take control of the f/stop, shutter speed, and ISO. Tweak away, making each image a visual masterpiece, but if you find yourself spending more time on your camera than on your people, you may have already started down the slippery slope.

This is not scientific, or independently verified, but in my personal experience, more people have told me that their wedding photographer was the worst part of their wedding than all other things combined! Not the pictures… the person. Stressful, arrogant, domineering photographers are no one’s friend, and apparently, have tainted far too many weddings. Do yourself, and your bride, and your groom, and everyone else a huge favor by simply deciding to be yourself, to focus on the things you know, and to enjoy photographing that wedding as much as possible! We’ll all be glad you did…

R

Yup! That's me, stalking the bride and her father from down the aisle at a gorgeous wedding. Many thanks to Joy (Jensen) Phillips for the image!

Check back next week for How to Photograph a Wedding | Group Portraits!

Need more? Check out this post by Digital Photography School: http://digital-photography-school.com/wedding-photography-21-tips-for-for-amateur-wedding-photographers

Canon EOS 7D arrives!

2009-09-01T11:24:00.000-07:00

Canon EOS 7D arrives!

Just about a week after bemoaning the fact that it's a bad time to buy a camera Canon comes through an announces the new Canon EOS 7D. This is an unexpected name, but appears to be a brilliant camera! Here's a few key specs:

18MP APS-C sized CMOS sensor
19 point AF system
Built in Speedlight transmitter (About time!!)
New Focus Color Luminance metering system
100% 1.0x magnification viewfinder with changeable overlay (who'd have thought?)
8 frames per second
Full HD video with adjustable frame rate

It'll be a while before I get my hands one one of these, but the initial specs look pretty impressive. I may have to pick one up as a backup camera.

For more info check out the review at dpreview.com: http://www.dpreview.com/news/0909/09090105canoneos7d.asp

R

Congratulations Grace and Tom!

2009-08-27T14:36:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to Grace and Tom Wang on their recent marriage! I had the honor of photographing their wedding in Taipei, Taiwan on August 22, 2009. Their wedding was a beautiful blend of Asian and American cultures and traditions that felt very Asian to us Americans, and very American to the Taiwanese. I guess that's how you know you got the blend right!

Check out the high-res images or order prints from http://graceandtom.rowangillson.com.

For more information on my wedding photography visit the Portfolio section of http://rowangillson.com.

Cheers!
R

Cameras: Rough Time to Buy

2009-08-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

Cameras: Rough Time to Buy

I am constantly getting asked what camera people should buy. The simple answer is… “I don’t know!” And really, I never tell anyone what camera they should get—I just point things out and ask questions.

That said, unless you want to get a Canon 5D MarkII or a Nikon D90, it is a bad time to get a new camera. We have finally reached a tipping point in DSLR technology development that futurists have been predicting for years—the merging of video and still photography. Without looking up dates, I think the D90 was the first DSLR to offer HD video, but it was really the Canon 5D MkII that made the big splash with it’s full frame sensor, outstanding noise levels, and full 1080 HD video. I’ve shot it. It’s awesome…

Here are two key points in this discussion that you should know about…
1. Depth of Field. This is where DSLRs rock. There are no consumer digital video cameras that do a good job of controlling the depth of field. However, start shooting video on a DSLR and you get the exact same control over the focus range as you have with your still images. There are tons of tricks and gadgets to do this in the video camera world, but now the DSLR does it out of the box.
2. Multi-media. We see it most clearly in the world of photojournalism, but the realms of photography and videography are merging. The photojournalist of today must be able to shoot both. Even newspaper photographers are doing stories with stills for the printed paper and in video for the website. Who wants to carry two cameras? Today a few, and tomorrow all, DSLRs will give you the ability to shoot video.

Right now my camera purchasing advice is usually to wait… unless you’re getting the 5D MkII or the D90, or now the Rebel T1i. Even if you don’t think you want/need video… trust me, you do. The potential to capture a video clip or two in a portrait session, a special moment between bride and groom at a wedding, or record an interview with a missionary on the field is so appealing to out ability as photographers to step beyond the traditional bounds of the profession and engage culture with new tools and new potential.

Me? I’m waiting for the Canon EOS 1D-MkIV. Waiting and saving…

This quick interview was shot on a 5D MkII with a 17-40mm f/4.0 lens using the camera’s built in microphone.

If you’re interested in doing more with multi-media you should check out the folks at Revolutionary Media at: http://therevmediaproject.blogspot.com/

Check out dpreview’s in depth review of the Canon EOS 5D MkII: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos5dmarkii/

Ready to buy? Bhphotovideo is the best: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/category/989/Digital_Photography.html/BI/4052/KBID/4431

R

To Build a Better Vignette

2009-08-16T23:03:00.000-07:00

To Build a Better Vignette.

The vignette is a fabulous post-processing effect in today’s image style library. When done well, it draws attention to the key parts of an image composition by subtly darkening less important areas. When done poorly, you just look like you’re trying too hard… :-P
If you’re using Adobe Lightroom for your image cataloging/processing solution you have a vignetting option built right in. It works, but really, it’s not my favorite. Today I want to show you a little bit more complicated way that gives far better results. I still use Photoshop CS3 Extended, so if you are using Photoshop Elements or PS CS4 you may need to do some translation…
-Open a portrait in Photoshop and grab a selection tool. (You will see as we move on that with this method you can create vignettes of any shape or size.) For now let’s use the Rectangular Marquee tool (M).
-Create a selection about 25% bigger than the face/upper body of your portrait.
-Feather the selection. (CTRL+ALT+D or CMD+OPT+D) For high-resolution images use a setting of 250 pixels. For low resolution images you will have to play around to find a good blend.
-Invert the selection. (CTRL+SHIFT+I or CMD+SHIFT+I)
-Duplicate your layer. (CTRL+J or CMD+J) Note: this doesn’t work if you go up to Layer>Duplicate Layer. Use the shortcut and we will all be happier!
-Go to your Layers Palette and change the blending mode from Normal to Multiply. Use the Opacity slider to dial back the intensity if the vignette is too strong. Want it stronger? Duplicate your layer again!
You can think of the Multiply blending mode as doing the same thing as running an image through an inkjet printer more than once. Unlike the vignette option in Lightroom, which just adds a black overlay, the Multiply vignette takes the actual tones and colors and intensifies them. Areas of your image that are bright will not be affected by this mode very much at all, while dark areas will become quite intense.

My friend Judson. This image was color corrected in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and has no vignetting applied.

Image 2 has the same color correction and a vignette from Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. This isn't bad, and I would even go so far as to say that the Lightroom vignette makes the image look decidedly better.

Image 3 has the same color correction from Adobe Photoshop Lightroom but has been vignetted with the technique described above. Note the subtle drawing of your attention to his face by darkening the edges without the noticeable black overlay in Image 2.

Cheers!

R

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Charity and Caleb

2009-08-15T07:52:00.001-07:00

And, at long last... Charity and Caleb's wedding photos are fully uploaded! Congratulations on a beautiful wedding. It was a pleasure to spend the day with you both. Thanks for taking the risk of having a photographer who was attempting to shoot three weddings in the same weekend! I think it worked out. :-)

The gallery can be viewed at: http://charityandcaleb.rowangillson.com.

R

Mary and Andrew's Pictures

2009-08-12T06:47:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Mary and Andrew Eisner on a beautiful wedding Saturday! I pray God richly blesses you and the new union you have formed!

Here's a slideshow from the wedding. Larger images and print orders can be found at http://maryandandrew.rowangillson.com.

R

Caryn & Cody's Pictures

2009-08-11T08:09:00.000-07:00

Yahoo! Caryn and Cody's pictures a live! Check out http://carynandcody.rowangillson.com for the complete album, larger images, or to order prints.

R

Weekend Wedding Extravaganza Pt. 2

2009-08-09T04:36:00.000-07:00

I have a new least favorite airport. It could be the $4.50/gal gas station, or maybe its the massive lines at 7am on a Sunday morning, or maybe I'm just tired, but Orlando International Airport is topping my list right now...

This weekend has been awesome... I think all told I've gotten more sleep than I expected, but last night was still a pretty short and interrupted 3 hours. Brian and I shared a hotel room, and between the two of us we kept our computers humming with still downloads and DV video capturing. Michelle and I shot 1500 images for about 12GB. Brian and his team shot 50-some gigs of video... I'm glad I didn't have to download that much.

We did kind of a weird swapperoo for today's travel. Brian gets into San Antonio first, so he's going to grab the car. I had extra weight available in my bags so we traded... I got a MacBook Pro, 2 big video batteries, and a ton of metal washers... yeah, metal washers. They go on a steady cam for video shooting. Brian got my drivers' license and credit card. Not a fair trade. The car was prepaid in my name, so I have to pick it up, BUT, the company has kiosks where you just swipe your cards. If all goes well, Brian will have a car waiting for me when I walk out of the terminal and we'll be on our way. If not... uh... at least I have my passport! :-)

So, Mary and Andrew's wedding went really well. They were both in fine form and seemed to be quite with it and enjoying the day. (I always feel bad for the couples who are so out of it that they don't even remember what happened!) I thought pictures went well... we were a bit rushed because the florist forgot the corsages, but I think we made it work anyway. Should be fun to look through the pictures tomorrow... :-)

Here's a couple favorites until then.

Mary's dress

Andrew and Mary

Mr. Fear bringing Mary down the aisle

Mary and Andrew

The bridal party

Mary and Andrew

More pictures will be up at http://maryandandrew.rowangillson.com in a few days.

Cheers!
R

Wedding Weekend Extravaganza pt. 1

2009-08-08T08:43:00.000-07:00

It's Saturday morning. I'm in Lakeland, Florida. Yesterday I photographed Caryn and Cody's wedding in Albuquerque, NM. Tonight I photograph Mary and Andrew's wedding here in Lakeland. Tomorrow I photograph Charity and Caleb's wedding in San Antonio. I'm crazy... but I'm not the only one!

This morning I got to hang out with my long-time friend Andrew Fear and the videographer, who I've known in absetia, Brian Denton. We went around looking at the church, shoot locations, etc. So, the good part is that Brian is doing video for three weddings, in three different states this weekend, and just happens to be doing Charity and Caleb's wedding with me tomorrow. Weird. Amazing. It's kind of nice to not be the only one!

The other really awesome part about doing this with Brian is that we've been trying to cross paths for quite a while to work on some ways to connect amateur videographers and photographers with important missions projects around the world. It was great to finally get to sit down and talk. Oh, and we might be going to Egypt soon... who knows. My God is pretty big. (Check out Mission Focus by Brian and his team...)

Back to weddings. Caryn and Cody's wedding was fabulous. Short. Sweet. To the point. An gorgeous. The lighting was both atrocious, and the kind of stuff that I absolutely love to work with because it's super dramatic. Let's just say there's a reason I shoot a pro camera and f/2.8 lenses... Here's a couple shots from yesterday.

Thanks to those of you who are praying! I'm rested, travel has gone well, and I'm super excited about another amazing wedding tonight! :-)

R

Caryn's Dress

Caryn & Cody

Don't they have amazing eyes?

The party... Chuck Taylor's and all!

Caryn

Image Resizing

2009-08-04T22:07:00.000-07:00

Image resizing. Have you ever gotten one of those emails that contains 5 FULL SIZE pictures from someone’s brand new DSLR? You know, the ones that are 50MBs in file size and would probably be fine if you’d received it at home, but it just so happens that you’re not, and so instead of waiting 3 minutes for it to download it actually crashes your phone for a week. Yeah. One of those emails. This post is about how to NOT be one of those people…

Good image resizing is critical if you want to display your images well across a broad range of venues. This post is going to look at resizing things for the web/email.

There are two key issues… quantity and quality. Let’s discuss quantity first. It’s fairly safe to generalize that every digital camera takes pictures that have more pixels than your monitor can display at any one time. That’s OK… our computers are smart, and they automatically scale images so we can see the whole thing at once. For most web use, we can save a significant amount of time (upload & download) and space if we simply cut out the excess quantity.
The largest images I put up on the web are 1024 pixels wide. That’s the extreme. Most stuff is significantly smaller than that. Don’t ever post images that are 1024 pixels high. Most people’s screens don’t have that many pixels and it just takes longer to download. So… here’s my rules of thumb:
Facebook: 640 pixels wide or high
Flickr: Up to 1024 pixels wide; 800 pixels high
Email: 800 pixels wide or high

I don’t really use any other social networking sites, but note this: they take whatever you upload and resize it to what you actually see on the site. Don’t send them huge files. It takes forever to upload, and the final size is the same. The closer you can get to what they do, the less reprocessing is going to happen.

OK, let’s talk quality. Everything we’re dealing with here is a JPG image. (We can talk about GIF and PNG somewhere else.) Shoot in RAW? Great. Me too. The internet doesn’t understand RAW. It like JPG. Compression is the big (or small) reason why JPG is such a popular file size. We can compress images without losing tons of quality. (Think MP3 files for audio… much smaller than CD quality and not a whole lot different, right?) This is where the magic comes in; if you apply the right amount of compression to your resized JPG image you can reduce the number of pixels and get the file size to a minimum, thus saving the world. Here’s the skinny:
Photoshop/Photoshop Elements: do a “Save As” and select JPG level 8
Photoshop/Photoshop Elements: use the “Optimize for web” and use 75-85
Picasa: Export as a JPG, set your pixel dimensions, use custom quality 75-85
iPhoto: it’s evil… Mac users tell me this too… if you have to use it, look for something in the 75-80% quality range
Photoshop Lightroom: Export your image, set your pixel dimensions, use JPG quality 75-85

Note: This really does diminish the quality of your image! If you take your original, high-resolution image resize it, save it as a new file, and use a compression of 75 you probably won’t see ANY artifacting or “fuzzies.” If you save that new file and compress it to 75 again, you will…

DON’T SAVE OVER YOUR ORIGINALS. DON’T COMPRESS YOUR IMAGES MORE THAN ONCE.

Cheers!
R

Image cropped and resized using my Facebook defaults.

Three Days at VOICE

2009-08-03T09:20:00.000-07:00

Three Days at VOICE. This weekend gave me the opportunity to spend some time with the staff and students of the VOICE program in Oklahoma City, OK. VOICE (Visualizing Opportunities in Character and English) was started by Karen Kallberg (Chen) in 2004 as a summer study program for Asian high school and college students. Participants travel to the United States for month of Bible studies, English classes, American culture, fun, fellowship, and coaching by a dedicated Christian staff. Most students who attend this program profess faith in Jesus Christ before attending, but many have come to know Him as their personal savior through VOICE.

I was really blessed this weekend to make some great new friends, and to reconnect with some lifelong soul mates. It was a blessing, and it was hard. VOICE has been a significant part of my life since 2004, but this summer I could only be there three days. They were good days. I was honored to speak to the leadership track students; encouraged to see new students loving Jesus more because of VOICE; challenged by the incredible musical Tim Chen wrote and the VOICE students produced; strengthened in my desire to see others step forward and play an active role in ministry for the Kingdom of God. What a great weekend!

There’s no way to mention everyone in a brief note, but here goes…
Karen and Luke—Are there words? I count myself privileged to be your friend and value every collaboration between us.
Team Leaders—Your love for Jesus and for each one of your students was so evident! Long hours and hard work did nothing to diminish your enthusiasm for investing the Gospel of Jesus Christ into your students!
V2 Students—I am so proud of you guys! Long may you continue to grow as People of Influence.
Tim—I stand amazed at the gifts God has given you. The musical was a masterpiece. I want to love Jesus more because I saw it. Truly…
Elise—The musical would not have happened without you. Thanks for playing your heart out on the piano!

Be sure to check VOICE out online:
http://thevoicejournal.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/the-VOICE-conference/61867118732?ref=ts

Canon 70-200 Lens Comparison

2009-07-27T09:31:00.000-07:00

One of the great workhorse lenses of the pro- and semi-pro photographer is the 70-200mm zoom. With its internal zoom and focus, wide maximum aperture, and great range most people quickly find that this lens is a must. Oh… and who doesn’t like a sweet lens hood on front?

I think Canon is winning the 70-200 competition by offering four versions of the lens with slight variation and covering a price range from $599 to $1699. Lately, a lot of people have been asking me about the difference between the 70-200 f/4.0L IS and the 70-200 f/2.8L (no IS). “They’re about the same price… which one is right for me?”

Here are my thoughts…

Shooters who are meticulous about avoiding marginal shutter speeds should look at the f/2.8 version. Camera shake is the great enemy of low-light, telephoto shooting. The rule of thumb for avoiding camera shake is to keep your shutter speed faster than the focal length of your lens… Thus, if you’re shooting at 200mm your shutter speed should be 1/200s or faster. Personally I try to avoid this line when at all possible—I’d much rather shoot a high ISO with a bit more noise than lose half my shots to the camera shake monster. If you’re the kind of shooter who notices how far you’re zoomed in, compares that to your shutter speed, and says, ‘Man… I don’t even want to risk it!’ Get the f/2.8. You’ll love the shallower depth of field, and a full stop more light to play with.

Now… shooters who don’t pay as close of attention, or who find themselves pushing those marginal shutter speeds a lot (e.g. 1/125s @ 200mm), you should probably consider the f/4 IS. Canon’s IS is excellent, and will save a lot of shots for you when you’re not really paying attention. The extra stop of light the f/2.8 gives you won’t help, because you’re going to keep shooting those marginal shutter speeds anyway, so I’d say to go for the stabilization.

One more factor is weight… the f/2.8 weighs almost twice as much as the f/4 version. If you’re of slighter build or find that shooting 9 hour weddings with a nearly 3lb lens to be a bit much, go for the f/4.

What do I have? Why, the 70-200 f/2.8L IS of course!

Me... hard at work with my 70-200mm f/2.8L IS in Colorado. Photo courtesy of Kelsey Schweickert.

Canon 70-200 lenses at BHPhotovideo.com

Photography workshops from the Institute of Photographic Studies

Let's print more money!

2009-07-09T09:44:00.001-07:00

Washington DC

2009-07-06T17:25:00.001-07:00

I was in Washington DC not long ago, teaching two IPS workshops. Here's a gallery of my favorite shots from my time in the capital of the United States.

Guatemala!

2009-04-04T21:01:00.000-07:00

Here's my latest project from my week-long trip to Guatemala. You'll get to meet a few of my friends from the seminary and hear a bit of what God's doing in their hearts.

R

The Thousand Hour Challenge

2009-03-25T20:41:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to get back to the blogging world instead of posting notes on Facebook for a while, and the Thousand Hour Challenge seemed like a great first post! The idea first came a week or two ago to just hang out in an intersection all day and shoot whatever I happened to see. When I got to Guatemala it morphed into this insane challenge to go to the center square and shoot 1000 images in one hour... just to see if I could do it!

There are a few rules... No chimping. No editing. No cropping. Everything shot, goes in the show. And no laying down on the shutter just for shot count.

Yesterday I tried it. Unfortunately, I failed. 1000 images is a lot... like one every 3.6 seconds for a whole hour! I only got off 743 shots in before my hour was up. That, however, is still 1 image every 4.8 seconds for 3600 seconds! I shot 4GB of jpegs, downloaded them to my computer, mixed three Guatemalan marimba songs in Audigy, and used Picasa to throw it all together into a roughly 10 minute video. The result is, well... different.

It was interesting for me to switch shooting styles... I found myself taking pictures of things that I wouldn't normally shoot... not because they don't catch my eye, but because I can't fill the frame perfectly, or otherwise turn it into something phenomenal. This is a much rougher cut of the real world, and perhaps in that way, more interesting. I feel as though I've captured more of normal, everyday life, instead of just the things that look really cool. If you have the patience to watch, I hope you enjoy it!

R