I saw this still on Dirk Topp's page and it just hit me that I hadn't thought of this before, especially since I have an old Bible and some spectacles from my Army days. So I went about setting this up with my limited studio supply. And it wasn't as easy as I had thought, not easy at all. First problem was that I could not isolate the Bible from the surface or background. Anything I tried for background was too bright, too reflective or uneven. So I ended up suspending the book with another tripod and shooting it in a dark room in the evening, trying various light sources, LED flashlight, iPad and iPod with Flashlight Apps. Many were just too bright. The best result came with the iPod with an App called Moods. This App is fantastic as one can adjust hue, saturation and brightness of the default white screen. I used a medium bright, light grey tone to paint the light.
Overall I like the outcome and am satisfied that the full-spectrum GX1 does a very decent job without any filters when there is no infrared light source.
If I would do this over, I would place the spectacles better, so that the title letters are not obstructed.
Thank you Dirk, for the inspiration and if you sue me for plagiarizing [seems to be trendy nowadays] I'll counter-sue for some of your new toys. ;-)
Tags: light painting reading bible still spectacles iPod LUMIX G VARIO 14-45/F3.5-5.6 mikofox
This classic of the great master Feininger was given to me by Joseph Pendanam, a friend of my aunt when I was 15 and had my first 'serious' camera, a Rollei B35. I don't know where he is today, but I'm thankful for the inspiration.
Partly outdated in the digital age, but still an educational read.
Tags: book photographic LUMIX G VARIO 14-45/F3.5-5.6 mikofox
What We Celebrate at Christmas
by Henry Morris III, D.Min.
"And he |Joseph| knew her |Mary| not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS." (Matthew 1:25)
The actual birthday of Jesus was sometime in the fall (September or October), rather than in December. The date is of lesser consequence, however, than the reason for the celebration (Isaiah 1:18). Heaven itself celebrated the birth (Luke 2:8-14). And after the shepherds got over their fear, they couldn’t stop telling the news.
Then there were the wise men from the east who came to worship the one "born king of the Jews" (Matthew 2:1-2). They got there well after the birth, having put their lives on hold, and willingly gave of their time and treasures to honor this great King while they rejoiced with "exceeding great joy" (Matthew 2:10). Surely all Christians should worship and rejoice as well as open our treasuries when we celebrate Christ’s birth.
But if we just focus on the birth, we may miss the greatest reason for the commemoration. After all, there was nothing uncommon about the physical process. But the conception, now that was miraculous (Luke 1:35)! The eternal "Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). The great Creator and Son of God, "foreordained before the foundation of the world" (1 Peter 1:20), submitted to the will of the Father and "made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men" (Philippians 2:7). That was why heaven celebrated.
Counting back nine months from around September puts us pretty close to the end of the previous December. Perhaps our sovereign God has orchestrated events so that we would celebrate the real miracle of the conception: "God with us" (Matthew 1:23). HMM III
Tags: baby jesus christmas manger mikofox
Isaiah 9:2: The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
Tags: incandescent lightbulb edison glühbirne greatinventions light bulb infrared mikofox
Got got this one for Valentine's Day from my daughter. The background blur comes from light shining through a group of spruce trees. The added texture smoothed it out a bit more, but was necessary to get rid of some window streaks. Also brushed the belly of the moose to get rid of some production markings, and he enjoyed it.
Tiffen Dfx Filters:
Dual Grad Blue-Orange
Texture 57
Rays from upper right corner
Tags: moose schleich yukon winter art d7000 tiffendfx bokeh mikofox