"And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall Consume with the Spirit of His Mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His Coming:"

2 Thessalonians 2:8

For this next topic I wanted to share some experiences I had encountered on a photo-hike I did up at Oak Creek Canyon, regarding some things perhaps a few photographers who like to take outdoor pictures may have or will come across. What makes this rather unique is that it kind of goes against conventional camera fundamentals (i.e. plenty of light to expose your subject, adequate ISO to noise levels, and enough aperture to balance it together) as in this case, you may want to put the shades on as if you have too much light it can derail your image.

Not long ago, I did a little rundown on Deep Sky or Astrophotography, where the goal is to ensure you get as much light in as possible to get even the dimmest objects vibrant and visible. Now what if I were to tell you there are some unique cases where the opposite is better? Here's the deal...

As mentioned, I was at this place called Oak Creek Canyon, and as the name implies there I found a quiet, pristine creek running through the forest; trickling and gurgling and swirling along as it made it's way down the canyon. Really great place for pictures. So I'm thinking I would like to find a nice area maybe where I could find some waterfalls or at the very least some flows of water down the rocks. I had in my mind wanting to get that really cool effect where instead of a quick shutter snap of the water shot really still (with individual water drops hanging frozen in the air) I wanted to have that image where the water looks like it's flowing sugar and has a misty trail as it flows down the rocks - you've likely seen this used in many waterfall and ocean wave captures, especially those wanting to convey a certain mood...

So this is not hard at all to do. You need two things. A tripod and an open shutter for several seconds. Here's what you may end up with below:

Ok wait, that didn't work out the way I wanted - way too bright... Now I even made sure my ISO was as low as it would go, and on top of that I closed my aperture as much as possible; everything I could do to not let the image get overexposed... Bu it still wasn't enough...

If you've been out on a bright day, like, a really bright day... You know what works for that. Yep, sunglasses! Interestingly enough, cameras also have their own version of that. It's called a Neutral Density (ND) Filter, and they cover the lens and darken your exposure so that you can keep the shutter open much longer and not blow out your image with a bleached look. The results below show the difference:

As you can see, these filters make a huge difference! They are easy to place on the lens - not to mention they also protect the glass on your lens, much like other filters. Definitely something to consider if you are in to long-exposure photography, and you find yourself dealing with a lot of overexposed images.

So as I typically do, I look back at the Scripture Passage at the start of this article, and reflect on any lessons I can learn from or relate to the photography experience.

Now no doubt, that verse from 2 Thessalonians 2:8 is a very strong one, but an extremely important one nonetheless... I am still amazed how many situations I can get involved in with my camera where I am somehow reminded of a particular verse from the Bible. If you've read my other articles in this series, not to mention our Focal Points in general, you know how my wife Alea and I roll, and this topic is no different - Scripture reminds us that sin is very combustable. When the Lord Jesus Christ Returns, His Brightness will literally be the brightest thing we've ever seen. We need something, or should I say, someOne to protect us...

Thankfully, Jesus Equips us with a filter that protects us from that burning Brightness; a filter that forever takes away that combustibility of sin - and that is His Atoning Blood Shed on the cross at Calvary, for all who believe on His Promisee of Salvation through faith in Him. He Himself shields us from the wrath to come! He alone can do that. With our own eyes He will allow us to see things we never dreamed we could. And we won't need any cameras for that; we'll be able to experience His Glory and all His Creation firsthand - for all eternity!

That is the most incredible happy thought... So that concludes this article; be sure to send us your comments and prayer requests, as we are always delighted to hear from you!

Until next time...