Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Sonshine 2009



Monday, September 28, 2009

On secularisation of marriage in the church.

i recall when i was younger reading demographics stating that the average marriage age was 27 and 25 years old for men and women respectively*. In the years since, these values have incremented to 28 and 27. These values follow our current culture view on how we should go about our lives. Ideally, one will attend college for a 4 year degree before settling down and then dating around.

This view, however, conflicts with a Christian world view. i make an argument in regards to sex. Those that wait until their late twenties to marry obviously don't wait until then to become sexually active. Most will be active in their teen years, if not by their first years in college. Moreso, this secular stance gives little reason to marry. Why would one marry into responsibility when all that is good is available without?

As Christians, why would we deny our sexual needs by waiting until the cultural norm that doesn't agree with us, to marry? We set ourself up for failure in fidelity while holding ourselves back from what we were meant for. There is no good reason to wait until such an age to marry. One will always have bills to pay, whether for school or mortgage. One will always be busy, whether with studies or their career. Maturity does come with time, but what is mature enough for marriage? One mustn't forget that marriage is a pursuit of Christ, and with that a great deal of maturity will be had in a more rapid manner than otherwise, provided that it is Biblical.

Our bodies are ready for a marriage relationship at a relatively young age, in our young teens. i wouldn't think that a good time to marry, but late teens to very early twenties would, when maturity is set in place. Again, why wait until fifteen years after one's body is mature for sexual relations when we obviously don't want to. The society around us is drinking deep of premarital sex, we are exposed to it's lies day in and day out. We are fools to allow this to tempt us, to wait without reason.

There is also the aspect of child bearing. A woman's body is most able to birth when young, the older the more prone her children will be to disease. Conception will be easier at a young age, as will be parenting. Imagine having children at age 30+.
That leaves one with a 10 year old child at 40+. 10 yearolds are still able to cause a good deal of trouble, as are teens. It would be ideal to be able to keep up with your children, not panting trying to climb the stairs.

i find it very frustrating that leaders in the church push for couples to wait to marry. There is no good reason. There are all kinds of silly walls one can build for oneself, but that doesn't mean they are valid objects stopping them. If there is a will, there is a way - it may not be easy, but it will be good. And would marriage be any easier at age 30 over age 20? No.

Thursday, September 17, 2009



(late night shoot with Flann in early August)


Went for a drive tonight at twilight and into dusk. Saw a buck and a doe in a field, and stopped and listened while gradually day-light passed.

Monday, September 14, 2009





can't say that i'm happy with either of these images, the first was was something, but i wanted something more refined. The second is just to dark, but i can't help that the sun was setting and that they were faced away.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

know your rights



i helped with a youth event this evening, a concert at a local public park. i had already planned on doing so, but our youth pastor asked me to take photos of the event (a friend before this call asked if i could do a commission for him ;). i went about taking photos, and towards the end of the night i went at this shot, seeing that the lights were interesting down the path and the concrete walkway with two young woman sitting and chatting. A moment to capture, with lines that help draw the eye. i took several shots, trying to get it right. After a few shots, a woman approached me, asking "what are you talking photos of?". i found it a little odd that she was asking me, but didn't care a great deal "those girls," i responded. she asked again, "did you ask for their permission?," to which i responded frankly, "no."


She went over to the girls and spoke with them, and i was a little flustered that this stranger was ruining my shot - taking away the honesty and alerting them to the presence of someone watching, effectively ruining the shot. Any photographer will tell you that taking shots without people aware is best, so that you can get a "real" shot, if people know that they are being watched,they become actors, pose, and alter their behaviour; making for uninteresting, and rather boring shots.

She came back to me and accused me of taking innapropriate photos, and asked me what right i had taking these shots. i explained that i have every right to take photos of whom i please, without permission. She was maybe a foot away from my face, and she wasn't just pointing out, but trying to pick some sort of fight. She went on, threatening to call the police. i told her to do so, and she started saying i was threatening her - that i was bigger than her, and that i was in her face ",STEP BACK, STEP BACK!," she yelled in my face several times. i was defensive now, and completely out of my comfort zone. Having a random woman tell me, in a nutshell, that i'm a paedophile, that i'm threatening her when she's yelling at me, and that i need to step back when she walked up to me. i wish i was more calm and collect, but i fired back "You walked up to me! you are in my face, and you are telling me that i'm taking upskirt images - which i am not, everything i am doing i have the complete right to be doing, i have the right to take these photos, infact i was invited to take these photos." She told me that she was warning me and that i wasn't wise. she asked me for my name, which i gave to her, and gave me hers "pleased to meet you," and she shook my hand.

Talk about odd.

i know the one girl in this shot, and i doubt that she would have minded this shot in the least. Even if she had minded, i do have the right to take these photos. That is not to say that i wouldn't comply with some ones wishes - i don't mean to cause strife. However, this woman has no connections to the two photographed that i know of, and she didn't assert herself as anything of the sort. She was simply stepping into a matter that had nothing to do with her, and trying to cause some sort of incident. i wish that i wasn't so defensive, but i know that i didn't do anything wrong, and do not regret this shot (or any of my shots, for that matter).

She went off to talk to Jim B., the youth pastor - and that was the last i heard from her. Jim had no issue with me, and i didn't think he would.

So, i would like to say to you that take photographs, and esp. to you, like myself, that are photographers - Know your rights! Know that you can take photos of anyone you please, whether police or stranger or friend. That you do not have to delete your photos, that you do not have to hand over your equipment, and that you cannot be detained by a person for taking photos. If you are on public property, the law protects you. Don't be a pain and take advantage of people to make them mad - but know that if you so choose to, you can. It is not terroristic to take photos (i read recently that photographers are accused of being terrorists for taking photos that could be "intelligence" - you have the right to these shots!)

you might want to consider bringing this around in your camera bag The Photographer’s Right

do a search on Google for "photographers right" and read up!

Friday, September 11, 2009


Julie L. at Theo's


Heather L. at Andy's

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Fall Retreat 2008 (3/3)

1 2 3 4

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Fall Retreat 2008 (2/3)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Tuesday, September 1, 2009


And the days pass.






(Hammock - The house we grew up in)