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March 9, 2005
A ten minute detour to my day job in Johnson City leads me by a vista of Unaka Mountain in Unicoi County, Tennessee. This morning, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to capture Unaka at first light, the morning after a fitful day of snow and flurries. Unaka tops out at 5,190 feet and is Tennessee's 29th highest summit. You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness, O God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas, who formed the mountains by your power, having armed yourself with strength, who stilled the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the nations. Those living far away fear your wonders; where morning dawns and evening fades you call forth songs of joy. You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it. You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops. (Psalm 65:5-10 NIV) March 6, 2005
The new D70 snaps the photograph the instant I press the shutter. I lost countless shots with the A40 because pressing its shutter is not a command to take a photograph. Instead, it's a suggestion, and the A40 will ponder the focus for awhile, and if satisfied, will trigger its shutter two to five seconds later. The snowball Erika was throwing would have impacted the gorge below before the A40 would have fired. I'm not ungrateful for having the A40; we bought it for snapshots; it's not in the same class as the D70. Happily, I'm now able to photograph in the instant. I love the detail available in the D70 image, fully unleashed by shooting in Nikon's NEF file format and processed with Nikon Capture 4.2. By default, images roll out of this camera in the JPG format, and I was thrilled with those initial images late last week. But what I can do with NEF (known also as RAW)! The picture here of Erika is ridiculously downsized, but you can still ascertain fine detail in tree branches and snowsuit striping. Please note that software like Photoshop can improve the D70 JPG. However, I was not successful, using any sharpening method in Photoshop, to emulate the detail I found in the NEF file. Is this better than Kodachrome and my old F90x? In most regards, yes. With digital, I have instant feedback. I can shoot up to 95 NEF files on a one gigabyte compact flash card (no more anxiety about improperly loaded film and lost shots). My images are immediately digital (no waiting for film processing; no scanning; no dust particles to fix in Photoshop, etc.) What can't I do with this camera? Well, very long time exposures (more than several minutes) are still challenging for most of today's digital cameras. And the D70, with six megapixels, doesn't have the resolution of 35mm film according to most analysts. Nevertheless, there are creative ways to beat these constraints, so I may never shoot with film again. Further, higher-end cameras like Canon's 1Ds series and Nikon's new D2x are rapidly nullifying even these concerns. Finally, I'm glad to be back in the saddle again. I'd done about all I could do with the meager A40 and often missed and regretted selling the F90x. Watch our web site for new work in the photographic realm! March 2, 2005
David is both a fine art photographer and an astrophotographer. Nationally known for his work, many of his photographs have been featured in NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day online gallery. From the mid 1980's to the mid 1990's, David and I were part of a dynamic team of five systems programmers at East Tennessee State University (Preston Wolfe, our fearless leader, Bill Hyers, the VAX guru, and Bill Williams, the master of the IBM mainframe and Unix, rounded out the bunch). While we have all since dispersed into other vocations or retirements, we continue to meet for lunch bimonthly. If you cannot visit the gallery, you can still view the photographs at www.davidcortner.com/wilkes. I also encourage you to visit his main site at www.davidcortner.com and check his Portfolios, Recent Projects, and Recent Updates. (David is pictured here in the Wilkes gallery standing next to Transit of Venus, a gorgeous shot of Venus passing between Earth and the sun.)
I have joined this year's Mexico Mission Trip as its information center. For those looking for the latest about the trip, click on the link at the top of each page that says Mexico Mission Trip. Back in 2001, I had the opportunity to join the team on location, doing computer work for the Bethshean Mexico Mission and taking promotional photographs for Dr. Martin. He is usually joined by dentists Dr. Mark Webb and Dr. Dean Stacy, a team of nurses, a band of volunteers, and a group that focuses on construction and logistics. They base their operations in Estancia de Animas in central Mexico. In a week and a half period each year, the medical team sees hundreds of patients, and the construction team builds buildings, cabinets, podiums, pews and other things for budding Mexican congregations. I believe one of the most important lessons anyone can learn from this mission is to follow the dreams that God gives you. Review their progress for the next two weeks at www.jobfamily.org/mexico.shtml. February 6, 2005
Pictured at left, web developer Anna records Photoshop
actions to prepare today's photos for posting on JobFamily.org.
January 30, 2005 After a moderately cold and moist winter storm, Round Bald appears plastered, dark and obscure. My hike from Carver's Gap up to the summit was in solitude, and as I trekked beyond the footprints of four other explorers near the top, I felt that joy when you know you're unique in your experience of a place and time.
January 16-19, 2005
January 11, 2005 Happy Second Birthday, Anna!
God made each and every human being special. January 16-23 is Sanctity of Human Life Week. If you're pro-choice, believe that euthanasia and suicide are options, and think that cloning people in body parts farms is cutting edge science, I encourage you rethink your values of human life. From the tiniest little soul safely developing inside her mother to the feeblest, elderly man, each person is valuable to God, has his or her own story, and has the same rights endowed to all by our Creator. January 10, 2005
In the winter, you can see the contour of a mountain ridge under the trees, the structure of the deep woods, the crunchy details of freshly fallen leaves, and the strategic presence of the evergreens. By June, the forest will be shrouded in a canopy of leaves and blanketed in undergrowth; the brown leaves will be composted, matted, and damp; and the evergreens will fade from prominence.
Visit Archive for Fall 2004
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With daffodil and
crocus sightings in the Tennessee Valley, the natural signs that winter is
winding down in east Tennessee are manifest. Yet waves of Canadian cold
are forecast this week, one clipper to pass after another.
Thus, opportunities for the high county to garner a little more snow continue,
perhaps for another week, perhaps longer.
The picture on the
right celebrates a new day in photography for us. It's a snapshot of Erika
tossing a snowball from the Lynn Cove Viaduct on the Blue Ridge Parkway, taken
with our new
Today I traveled over the mountains to see photographer David Cortner's work,
currently featured in the 
Erika found a different way home this weekend from Kassi's
hometown, catching a ride on Paw Paw's car carrier. This was her first
ride ever in a tractor trailer, and she really enjoyed helping Paw Paw load cars
on the carrier and watching him operate the hydraulic lifts. She also said
she finally saw a truck that was dirtier than her Daddy's, but Paw Paw said he
needed to give it a big bath. Paw Paw is
Rick Bradley, who owns and operates
Tarheel Motor Sales, located in Spindale, North Carolina.
Ever
notice how trees and plants reach for the light? Without light, a plant
turns pale and eventually withers and dies. Light alone provides the energy for
This
is one interesting kid. If I had to characterize Anna with one word, I'd say she is
passionate; she expresses her feelings, whether they are silly, happy, hurt or
angry, with gusto. Last night, on the eve of her birthday, she was reading
with me when her Mommy asked her if she wanted to paint. That was the end
of reading, as she slid off my lap and began a happy I-get-to-paint dance.
That's Anna.
We've had exceptionally warm weather for over two weeks in southern Appalachia.
While I enjoy the dry, powdery snows of winter (within reasonable limits), one of the less redeeming aspects
of winter (for me) is the palette of drab browns and grays that dominate the
landscape. Today on my walk, I set out to change my thinking about winter
colors. As I hiked around Roan Mountain State Park, I noted that the grays
and browns were offset by the evergreens (hemlocks, holly, rhododendron,
and fir) and the distant blues of the mountains, clouds and sky.
