Wander

I missed the train,
I missed the the buses
I missed my early morning paper
Reading with a cup of coffee by my side.

I missed the Saviour,
I missed the love
I mistook it in my self righteousness
"I don't need Him, I'm good".

But even the capital H
Shows He hadn't given up on me yet
For the mindset,
It was still there

A Christian once,
A Christian forever?
Read the scriptures and your eyes will open
Hold on to those words like water in a desert.

Never dismiss them from your mind
So that when the oppurtunity arises
You can find the sayings in your head
And recite them as they're meant to be said

Full of passion and desire.

I missed the trains,
Out in the pouring rain
A broken soul was on the floor
With chest flung wide open.

Don't let this be you
Do as you should do
And the The Lord will lead
Till paths end and Heaven approaches.

What to Feel?

I don't know what to feel,

Cause I'm a little bit sad,

A little bit happy

And even kinda discouraged.

Emotions just walk all over

My heart and trample it.

Confused feelings

Whiz and whir all around.

This isn't about a young love,

Though so sweet and childish it may be.

No, this is just life.

I have a happy experience

But I'm not joyous?

I'm afraid I don't understand...

But one thing I do understand,

Is that I don't really need to worry.

It could all wither away

As flowers in the winter,

Such a brown dead thing

But yet elegant and precious all the same.

These feelings can whip me around

In the winds of the Lost

Or I could not let them.

It probably sounds really petty and simple

And kinda foolish.

It's not though, and it's so comforting.

As worries fall off me like my dad's suit jacket

{or was that when I was young?}

I turn to the Saviour.

I guess all the emotion has caught me

Empty handed, vulnerable and fragile.

Now that I bring God in,

You'll leave.

You liked the words about things

You can relate to,

But God doesn't relate to you right?

Just keep on scrolling I guess,

And what I do will be for naught.

It makes you uncomfortable

When I talk about He who loves me,

But why?

Just right now,

Here in my words with me

Could you try to see

This experience the way I do?

You don't have to believe,

Or even think much about it

But won't a moment be spared

To show you cared

Enough to read this for me?

Not even for me.

For you;

Meaning that God could touch you.

{woah, there He is again}

Don't run away

Please.

Now.

As the disarray of my thoughts rises,

I drop it

And pray to God that He would save me.

That He would save me from everything.

From the little things too

Helping me through

Each test, conversation with a friend,

Bike ride to the store

And so much more.

He'll answer if I wait for Him.

So won't you wait for Him too?

Can't the voices inside our heads

Be governed by something other

Than sinful lust and naked emotions?

God can cleanse you

If you really want Him to.

I Could be A Little Bit Warmer

Winter's here
And I could be a little bit warmer.
Could you nuke that Hot Chocolate,
It's gotten cold.
Oh, the thermostat if you would.

I could cut myself down
But would that fix the problem?
Honestly, does my writing do anything for you?
Regardless here I sit
Complaining about my privileges.

I was going to write about the merry holidays,
So that I shall.
Christ the child
Came down that night
Amidst the fight

Between humans
To be the best
To pass their tests.
In mediocre surroundings;
He was born in poverty.

But the son of God
Loved all
Even when we fell
And in such blindness
Hung Him high,

Feeling justified in the shadow of the cross
On which He took the loss
Of life for children He loved so dearly.
He loves you.
He knows you,

He knows your struggles,
Each shortcoming
But also each lovely thing about you.
I hope through His unyielding compassion
I can live right

So each person I greet,
Will be impacted with that meet
And know also that God still lives.
In the snow and storm
His love is borne.

I want you to know,
All of you
That this comes very sincerely from me.
Each line is another beat of my heart,
Another lifeline from me to the world.

All of this is what it is
So for now I will leave it as it is
And write another time,
In another place
Maybe better describing this season of love.

Bright Lights

I'm tired, I'm worn
But I'm not here to say I'm unhappy,
The opposite really
But it wouldn't be bad
If time would take a second
For me to collect my thoughts
Before the morn.

Each sunrise
Greets me with lights,
Bright lights
Hurting my blurry vision
Making the sheets so inviting
That I might fall back asleep
And dream dreams so deep

Of cars and trains
Merry breezes and saddened rains.
Poetry is enjoyable
Poetry is fun
It's a kind of outlet
That in no other way can be met.
I'm tired, I'm worn

But I cannot act forlorn.
I reminisce nothing,
For my world was made anew
I see through new eyes
Something revolutionary on the rise.

Angular Expansion

So. This is way different than the pictures I usually take. It was pretty fun to make as angles are really cool! I guess I'm becoming a bit of a Photoshop Nerd. :D

HoME Assigment

A compilation of 5 different pictures, at home, that make me who I am.

1: Computer! This thing is my favorite. I've created pictures here, and maybe some gaming. Maybe a lot of gaming...

2: Rabbit; his name is Elmer! Pets are the best! (I'm not sure he enjoyed the camera in his face...)

3: Volleyball. This sport is my passion, and I'd love to go to a college through it! Picture titled, "Go Time".

4: Poetry - Poetry is a really big thing for me. As a Christian, I believe I'm called to speak of God. What better way then through the smooth pencil strokes of unending stanzas?

5: Family! They've shaped me; molded me, and I can't be more thankful for the adoption of an orphan 13 years ago (who was me). It's been fun so far, and there's so much more to come.

Boosting Contrast & Color Assignment

Fun how different filters and such, that seem so complicated, can be so simple and effective! This was done with the Luminosity Mask!

Aperture Assignment

Here is a comparison, between different apertures. This display is meant to show how aperture settings can affect a picture's Depth of Field!

(Click to enlarge!)

Fake Snow Assignment

Can you tell, can you tell? It's pretty tricky, I know.

Tea Time

The water is boiling,
I'll get a teabag
It's been so long,
Since we had a good chat.
What's a connection,
What's a relationship

When it's not tended to?
I used to feel like you should be here
All the time, late till eve's dawn.
Maybe I won't rush you off this time,
We could just sit and talk,
Or play a game; maybe a story,

Would you grace me with your tales?
I know what you've done,
I mean I've read about you;
All your love for me and that.
But sometimes it's hard to believe
Like I'm supposed to.

Want to sit with me
And bring me into your arms?
Is it supposed to be like a worldly relationship,
Where I feel love for you based on actions?
Should I buy you a sacrifice,
And do to as they did

Back in the days when you seemed so real?
What will I do with a sweet lamb,
Surely not slaughter it on stone.
I couldn't, and it would be foolish of me to.
Maybe there's another way for me to atone my sins.

The tea's almost ready, I guess you should leave,
Wait no!
Oh. You're already gone,
But I pushed you away.
You bored me,
Or did I choose not to listen?

While I write this poem,
Slightly sick in the stomach,
Because cars aren't friendly,
I could open my heart a little bit wider
And call your name,

So we could chat again.

Infrared B&W Assignment

Not my favorite style, but it's still fun! This is my attempt at "Infrared Black and White"!

Selective Colour Assignment

This is a simple assignment, but the concept is actually quite difficult to make look attractive. I find it's easiest to apply this effect to landscape shots with unique objects outstanding. Here's my entry.

Forced Perspective Assignment

Gotta looove tilt-shift!

Shutter Speed Assignemnt

 This was shot with a quicker shutter speed and flash.

This wasn't shot with my camera's flash. Instead I used my iPod's camera flash as a light source to illuminate the water.

To Look in a Mirror

What do you think this will be about?

What could this picture represent,

Being so cold and reflecting.

Maybe it symbolizes

The brokenness we see

In ourselves as we look

At ourselves in the mirror,

Or maybe we observe the complexity

Of such delicate composition.

We miss,

The truth of our own lives,

In desperate search for improvement.

We aren't perfect,

Not like God,

But we are loved by Him,

And that says a lot about the future,

And how I look in that mirror.

Instead of hating,

I need to see past stuck-up human mentality

And look deep into my soul,

To see if He is there, just waiting

For me to fling wide my doors

To grandly welcome Him,

The Saviour.

But does He ask that of us?

Or is His wish that we would feed the starving,

Cloth the naked,

And love the lost?

See, He wants our all,

And that means not our pride

And our hypocrasy,

But our humbled devotion,

Day to day,

Feeding on the love He blessed us with,

Like children,

Parents don't look for your best,

But your heart.

As long as you long to do your part,

And give until you've nothing left,

They can ask for nothing more

{Will ask for nothing more}.

ISO Assignment

 The first! I really noticed the grain in the photo with increased light sensitivity. Lower ISO creates a smoother photo.

 Here also, I say the smoothness. The colors are better melding and less "Filtery" with a lower ISO.

 Colors and definition are both lacking with ISO 1600. There's enough light outside for a ISO 100, and it definitely makes a better picture.

Lastly a macro to show the detailing in a lower ISO shot. The high ISO picture is very grainy and the light is overpowering in the wrong way.

Day 1: Words

Looking for words representing me, what's a better way than shooting the school I attend?! Bellerose Pride!

Magazine Mockup Assignment

Magazine Mockup: "Kids & School"

Photo Credits:

Lunch Kit

Girl Painting

(All other images are taken or made by me.)

At His Throne

Today,

I felt guilty

To know that I am so privileged

And spoiled.

It eats at my soul

And I cannot tell you how much

I want to rid myself of this feeling.

A yearning has been born

To make better

This life

For others besides me.

Those less fortunate.

But where does the courage

Originate from,

That allows me to move mountains?

Where is the Faith that has led

Me in this life?

The want I have

Is to lead them all to Him.

I want to live so lowly

That they do not see

A Pompous man blabbering

Of his blessed life,

But a survivor;

A believer.

I want to be living proof

Of my Living God

Who in three days time

Rose from the dead to

Forever change the world.

At His throne

I seek to kneel,

But how do I go about living righteously?

Such perfection is immeasurable

And unattainable through myself

But not through He who gives me rest.

This writing is a question.

It's a want

It's a need.

To be more than I am.

I want to be the faithful Christian

Loved by few,

But led by my God so fully

That a glance would tell you as much,

Or even a sentence uttered from my lips.

To have Him flow through me

Is my goal.

I just pray I do not fall short.

Food Photography Assignment

Banananaanana.

Onion!

The skeleton of a peanut.

Composition Techniques Assignment

 Keep your subject bright and well lit.

 Use strong Depth of Field to emphasize texture or colors.

 Use Point of View to change the perspective of your picture.

 Keep your subject in sharp, clear focus.

Use the Rule of Thirds to give your picture context as well as an interesting layout.

This Morning

This morning

I walked and saw

The glory of a rising sun,

And the elegance held by

Dancing shadows.

Soft breezes

Bent each bough

But not to break,

As all of nature seems to coordinate itself

Or more correctly,

God keeps things running.

He operates with heavenly efficency.

This morning

I walked and saw

The paved roads,

Made by toiling souls

Who are underpaid and overworked,

And then realized the trouble with that.

It's difficult to know

That each of us have shortcomings

That cannot be put to rest.

The system does not forgive,

Not like God

Who washes away our sins through Jesus Christ.

This morning

I walked then stopped

At my front door,

And was thankful

That I am provided for.

Food-in-a-Bowl Assignment

 Given Bowl

Googled Bowl

Transparent Text Assigment

Run free

I'll run beside you

And you beside me.

Painted Border Assignment

Switzerland! (Not my picture)

Typography Assignment

Woof

Graffiti Assignment

NANANANANANANANABATMAN

Wallpaper Assignment

Awkward Angles

Awkard angles,

It can be so hard sometimes,

To convey your emotions into words;

Your passions into actions.

It just swirls around in your brain

Until you can't see straight,

And the thought is lost.

But don't give up hope,

Because you've failed once,

For there is always another chance,

And if you choose to take this,

You could change the world.

The Tower

Profound glory surrounds

My quickening heart

And these firey hues

Ignite my soul,

The very core of my

Being.

The corners of my lips

Tug upward until

Laughter breaks forth

Composing a song of innocence

So sweet a melody that is uttered.

The power of the Lord surrounds me,

And there is no reason to be of contrite heart,

For what is there to reminisce,

When this wonder before my eyes

Melts my heart

Until tears of joy

Flow like a river.

Just look around yourself

And you'll know too

Of His presence

Underneath,

Over top,

Behind,

And inside you.

We can't even fully understand

But that's alright

Because that would take away

From discovering

Magnificence.

Just follow me

Let's go to cross,

As the children we were meant to be,

Mindless of our old lives,

And in this storm {this beautiful storm}

Sins will be lifted

As a butterfly lifts

Her wings to fly freely

To places only God can tell.

Uncontrollable happiness

Is what we will bathe in.

And when we are freshly cleansed,

Then we will awake.

There again is the house I grew up in.

And there's the school

That shaped my childhood,

Oh! And my parents

Adoringly watching

Their son grow up.

You see, it never goes away;

The world around us

Is still here for a while,

But the thing that has changed,

I've found,

Is inside us.

He took the nails

So we can be free.

My soul is changed,

And this is the starting to a new story.

Fall's Here

Crashing waves,
No,
Falling leaves

Are my emotions
Dancing and swaying in the wind
Taken by the smallest breeze

And floating till eternity's end.
Until then,
I'll spend

My time in deep thought
For the battle's
Been fought

So why am I still scared
Of the shadows in the night?
I need to let go.

I want to show
My trust, so ernest,
But how can I if it is not true?

Falling leaves,
The beauty of Fall
Will beckon me

He whispers a call
To take my burden
From the ground

And walk until I've found
His love
Hidden in the smallest cave.

But maybe I don't quite understand,
Because I don't have to search for His love
When it's the winds lifting my emotions

Out of the dirt,
To be softly caressed
Among the clouds.

Walking

Please stay,

No don't shudder to hear me say

That my God saved me from the night;

Freeing me from the fight.

Time gives way to thought

And thinking do I realize,

That nothing would be the same without Him.