I was covering Founders Week at Moody Church in Chicago this week, and one of the keynote speakers was Wess Stafford, the President of Compassion International. Before he began his message, he introduced 5 Moody Bible Institute students, all of them were former Compassion “sponsored” children from developing countries. Each of these students is doing exceptionally well, and they are an amazing tribute to the success of what sponsorship can do for a young child from a needy place. For information about sponsoring a child, visit Compassion International.
There’s a quiet and peaceful energy on the Pacific Ocean coast in Western California. We seem to find a photo op almost everywhere we turn. We’ve enjoyed some spectacular weather here the past week and a half – and it’s given us the chance to appreciate and photograph the scenery around us.
We had the chance to play the role of part-time paparazzi this evening at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. There was a large gathering of Hollywood fans there, but we did what we could to grab our angles and views. Among the stars in attendance are the ones we have in our photo collage, and they include: Mariah Carey, Quentin Tarantino, Clint Eastwood, Mary Hart, Eva LaRue, Helen Mirren and Anna Kendrick. We’re certainly glad that this kind of photo work isn’t our “day job.”
What a great time to escape the bitter, brutal cold in the Midwest. We’re enjoying warm temperatures, blue skies, and a fun-filled community in Palm Desert, CA. One of the most popular weekend events in this area is the College of the Desert Street Fair. Over 300 merchants hawk their wares which includes just about everything you can imagine, and then some with palm trees and snow-capped mountains providing the backdrop. The sites, scenes and sounds make for a wonderful op.
We have had a long-term relationship with Zolan Fine Art, and one of America’s leading and most admired children’s artists, Donald Zolan. Along with his wife Jennifer, they would give us the subject matter they wanted to paint, and then we would do the photography for reference in the painting development. At this Christmas time, we want to share with you one of those assignments. You can see his extraordinary talent in bringing to life our still imagery. We hope you will visit the web site for Zolan Fine Art to see more of his work. Sadly, we lost Donald earlier this year, and we feel the impact of his death with his wife and family.
As a Viet Nam veteran, there’s always an extra appreciation and value when you see and experience authentic honor and patriotism. That happened for Mary and me today while visiting the “Healing Field of Honor” in Naperville, IL. I only have three words: powerful, powerful, powerful.
Today is the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Berlin Wall, the world-famous structure that divided East and West Berlin. And I had the privilege of being at that wall a few weeks later on an assignment. The photos in this collage include the Brandenburg Gate and Check-Point Charlie, one of the most well know military check points in history. It was a unique opportunity for me to be precisely at the place that history will talk about into the future.
The most popular “tourist souvenirs” became pieces of the wall – and even though there were vendors hawking the physical remnants of the wall, I was able to grab my own personal “memories.” This photo shows a couple chunks I picked up on my own.
Book cover photography has been a major category in our photo work since the beginning. But this newest cover photo and design we did has a bit more impact for us since we know the author personally. Bill and Jill Harbeck have been close friends of our for a long time, but it was only recently that Bill was able to share his personal story about how his life was “shattered” early in his life from sexual abuse. We highly recommend this book to you. Read some of the back cover copy below the photo.
From the back cover: “There is no crime more devastating than childhood sexual abuse. It steals the innocence and soul of its victims and leaves them in a world of silence and shame. Attempting to live in safety, survivors create a world of false security praying no one will every discover the ugly secret and no one will hurt them again.”
Bill has a new ministry and we encourage you to visit their web site: HOLDING ON TO HOPE
“Shattered” is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or the ministry web site.
One of our favorite destinations for scenic and nature photography is the Colorado Rocky Mountains, and that’s where we currently are. The golden glow of the aspen trees is such a beautiful subject for us. Each new turn in the road or path presents another splash of color and visual interest for a photo perspective.
Possibly the most extraordinary prison in America today is the State Prison at Angola, about an hour from Baton Rouge, LA. Warden Burl Cain (author of Cain’s Redemption) hosted Ruth Graham and friends this past weekend, and I was doing the photo work to document the teaching ministry to the inmates. We walked among, talked to, and had fellowship with with life-sentenced murderers, rapists, and other violent criminals. They were like brothers to everyone on the team.
This was my third visit to Angola, and come away each time very moved by the depth of spiritual understanding and true spiritual freedom that these guys have.
For information about sponsoring a child, visit Compassion International.
