As of tonight, I’ve decided this blog is defunct. It’s been a great place to write and reflect, but life’s changing. I no longer need two blogs, both neglected.
Starting now, my photography blog here will be my only site. It will cover photography, ministry reflections, and lots of London stuff as we get ready for our move and future life and ministry. It’ll even have posts from Liz!
So, thanks, and see y’all at the other site!
A few more photos from the new film camera posted on the photography blog. Check ’em out: www.fiercelyalive.com/blog
A sample:
A good article here by Francis Chan, via The Rebulution.
Am I more concerned about being a good Christian, or about being Christ? We can get way too caught up in acting right, living a good life, and being good people in society. But do we stop and think about how we’re doing at living as Christ did?
As people of God, we are not called to be good followers; we’re called to be Christ himself to the people we meet. When people see us, they’re supposed to see Jesus… how are we doing at that?
In the past, I’ve been directly copying my photography posts from my photo blog to this blog. Because I’m lazy and that sounds like a lot of work, I’ll now just be posting one or two images as a teaser, and then send you to the other site to check it out!
In addition to the photo blog, know that Anderson Photography’s Facebook page is usually updated the quickest and most often, so check that is the fastest way to see new pics.
With that in mind – new photos are posted on my photo blog!
You can check out a few awesome shots that Liz took at our Trash the Dress shoot last fall:
And take a look at some sunrise images I did on my brand new (to me), yet fifty-year-old, Yashica Mat LM film camera:
It’s been so long since I’ve written here that some of you, if anyone still checks this, might not have heard the news!
A couple months ago, Liz and I decided to join InnerCHANGE, a missional order among the poor with whom we have been friends for several years. In September we will be moving to London, England to begin working and living with the youth in a tight-knit, heavily Bangladeshi, predominantly Muslim area. We don’t really know a lot about the specifics – this is a fairly new team for InnerCHANGE, so a big part of what we’ll be doing is figuring out where the opportunities to minister exist.
To learn more about the organization we are going with, visit them at www.innerchange.org. You’ll undoubtedly be hearing more about IC and our transition over the next few months as well.
And speaking of transition, the plan is for my photography blog to become our main blog for the transition and for our new ministry, as I will no longer be running mu photography business after we move. This site will stay active until the fall, but if you don’t already subscribe to the photo blog, now would be a good time to do that!
It’s been awhile since I’ve written anything here. Not that there hasn’t been anything to write about; life is just busy these day. I suppose Easter is as good a time as any to start anew.
This week, I’ve been reminded of the importance of downtime.
Normally, I’m a pretty big advocate of having a relaxed schedule and lots of healthy time to breathe. I don’t always succeed at it as well as I’d like, but I certainly understand the importance of it.
I’ve realized, however, that it is key for ministry as well. Youth workers like myself can spend lots and lots of time planning lessons, discussions, events, trips, and more, exerting lots of work just to foster a time and place for those special, life-changing conversations that we’re blessed enough to have every now and then. This all has it’s place -what sort of ministers would we be if we weren’t looking for opportuniies to minister?
But equally important, if not more so, is just being available and having the free time to be present in people’s lives. The most critical events usually aren’t planned. Having good lessons and discussions is all fine and good, but the greatest opportunities for real impact come from giving yourself the space to stop working and walk around the neighborhood to chat with whoever is out; to visit with a student who just left home after a fight; to spend six hours in the hospital with a teen who needed someone present until his mother could be found.
In my head, it seems common-sense to me that I’d drop everything when a crisis comes up; but I also realize how easy it would be for me to say, “I’m busy, but I’ll check in when I’m done”.
Christ’s most life-changing moments weren’t through his big semons – those did little for people in real need. It was when he stopped in the middle of his journeys and ministry to address people in their crises and troubles that people really understood how much he cared.
Rivers is my next door neighbor. His parents are good friends of mine. He is named after the leader singer for Weezer. He is also now 18 months old. Sounds like the perfect time for some portraits!
It’s always great doing a laid-back shoot with people you know (and like). We took Rivers to the park, and basically let him run around and do his thing while my wife and I photographed it. It works SO much better than trying to set them up in a studio for a formal portrait – especially with a kid that young. At the park, he’s having fun, enjoying himself, hanging out with his parents, and having a grand ole time. Even better, we had fun, too!
Also, I need to give props where they are due. The first 7 photos were taken by my wife, who is a fine photographer in her own right. While she was rocking out our normal camera, I was using a Nikon EM, a sweet film camera from 1979. Using film is a great way to get the creative juices flowing, and those photos turned out well, too! The last 3 here were on the film camera. This is a toy I’ll have to play with more…
So, on Saturday we were supposed to have a Trash the Dress session at a forest preserve north of Chicago. Three other photographers and I were up early, doing some scouting, getting our gear ready, and then headed to the restaurant where we were supposed to meet our model. Then we waited for her.
And waited.
And waited… for about an hour and a half.
Turns out that while driving down from Wisconsin, she got into an accident with an SUV, spent the day in the ER, and lost her phone in the process. Yes, she’s fine, thank God.
However, we didn’t know about any of this until she was finally able to get a hold of me that evening.
So, what do 4 photographers do with no model? Improvise! We headed back to the forest preserve, got out our gear, and just took turns modeling for each other. All things considered, I think we got some fun shots. Here are a few of mine:
It never ceases to amaze me how big of a difference between having a conversation with a group of guys, and talking with just one or two of them.
On Monday, during my normal hang-out with the guys, there was a lot of fighting going on outside after school. The police had been VERY active the week before, and on Monday they were just pushing high schoolers from one block to the next. I had talked to the guys earlier, but when I went to meet them, I could neither find them, or get them to answer their phone. I wasn’t sure if I should keep looking, or just give up and call it off.
As I was weighing my options, I noticed an army of police with flashing lights just a few blocks up the street. Somehow I figured that, where there was trouble and a crowd, I might find my guys.
I was right. I ran into two of them a block later, looking for the brother of one of them. I grabbed them and took them away from the action, both to get food and just to get them off the street until things cooled down. Between eating and joking around, we were able to have some real conversations about the fighting, how they and others deal with it, and thoughts on how the police address it.
Tonight, after I was kicked out of the house because of our senior high girls’ group, I went to McDonald’s for some dinner. Yes, I apparently have a long-term death wish. While I was waiting for my food, one of my guys came in, and we got to talk for few minutes about his week, a field trip, Thanksgiving, a guys’ group, and life at his house. All within 5 minutes.
There’s not really a point to this, or a grand moment to tell you about. I just want to say that my guys are pretty smart. They think, they have things to say, they want connection. They don’t always do right, but most of them sure to try. Sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of all that when I’m frustrated with loud and inattentive groups, or my guys getting caught up in stupid things like stolen eggs.
It’s nice to have a reminder occasionally. I kinda need it.
A few weeks ago we grabbed some Josh and Cindy, some good friends of ours, and took them down to Lincoln Park for a couple hours of portraits. When Josh got a new job and they had to leave our church, we offered them this chance to get pictures of them looking cute and in love. Thankfully for me, they are so in love that it’s pretty easy to get pictures like that for them. Anyway, enjoy!
And, just a heads-up, I’m shooting my first-ever Trash the Dress shoot this weekend… keep watching for them to show up!
Picture the Pastor 