From where I stand

From where I stand

There is so much beauty in the world. Much of it goes unseen or at least unappreciated. There are places where it may be difficult or at least take time to find the beauty in a place. There are places that are so saturated with beauty that much of it may go unseen, or at least unappreciated.

I think of a trip to Point Lobos often called “The greatest meeting of land and sea.” There are many scenic vistas, around every corner something new to see and something new to marvel. In the midst of such grandeur some things may get lost, if you let them. They exist as a brushstroke of a greater masterpiece. Yet, when one takes time to examine these brushstrokes a whole new world emerges. When the focus is shifted from wide angle to macro, whole new beauties begin to emerge. As I sat there on that beautiful peninsula with the Pacific Ocean rolling before me with a small field of wildflowers as a foreground I began to look through a narrower lens and was enchanted by what I encountered.

Amongst this field of gold, illuminated and made even more golden by the descending sun, sat a purple flower. An alien in this yellow world: a perfect complement to this golden backdrop. This “ugly duckling” sat a bit taller and a bit bolder in her brilliant field of gold swaying in the cool evening breeze in homage to their resplendent visitor.

Sunrise in the Valley

Sunday morning I got inspired at a quarter to five in the morning to go take some pictures. I had heard that it was going to be warm during the day and that often means that there is not very much fog in the morning. So when I woke up, awaken by nothing other than perhaps inspiration, I got out of bed to take a look at the sky. It was clear and a few stars were still visible. It seemed as though it would be a good day.


I threw on some clothes grabbed my cap packed up my camera gear(I think for future reference I should keep that packed just in case) snatched an apple and some water from the fridge and headed out in the wee hours of the morning to see if I could capture some light.


I headed out to Creekside Terrace to a point that I knew has a pretty good view of Salinas and the Valley and tried to find an ideal spot to capture the sun as it came out from over the hills. I waited around for a while and tried not to be worried about the rustling coming from the bushes around me.


And then it happened. The sun started to appear and the magical sky started to take the stage. Not a cloud in the sky and only a little fog in the valley. I captured the first few moments of the visible daylight and then hopped around trying to get as many different angles of the show as I could.


I think that I love sunrises a little bit more than I sunsets. Sunsets are beautiful, don't get me wrong, but there is just something inspiring in a sunrise. Maybe it the extra effort that it takes for me to get out of bed and experience it or maybe it's just a reminder of the hope that we all have. That even when the world seems dark that the sun comes each and every morning. I felt like church had started a little bit earlier that morning.


It was another reminder when I went to 'church', as we are in a summer study in Psalms. The first verse was from Psalm 19:1"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the works of His hands."


You can check out the video here

Photobooth Fun

We had a lot of fun at Jordan and Kristy's wedding with the Photobooth. The wedding and reception were beautiful and we wish the happy couple all the best in their new step in life. There was a great group of guests ready to have some fun and we had the opportunity to capture it. You can check out the pics from the event at www.danvans.com/moore

If you would like to add a some more fun to your next event with a Photobooth let us know.

A Sunday Hike

This past Sunday, we went for a Sunny Sunday afternoon hike with some friends out at Fort Ord Public Lands. It was a beautiful day for a hike and we had a good time. Just because you come to a dead end doesn't mean you are lost, it just means you wanted to see part of an area a second time.

FBC 30hr Famine

I spent this past weekend with the senior high students from First Baptist and Salinas Valley Community Church starving for a good cause. We participated in the 30 Hour Famine to help raise awareness and money for children in Malawi. We also collected food from our community and delivered it Victory Mission to be distributed to those in need in Salinas.
We had great times of service, worship and little bit of fun as well.
Here is a slideshow of some of the events that took place.
Enjoy.

Simple Truth

Thanks to a great group of volunteers and workers we were able to present Streets of Bethlehem to the community of Salinas. People come from far and wide each year to experience this wonderful presentation of the birth of Jesus. This year went pretty well and we were able to share the Gospel with all who passed through the gates.

This year we made a few changes and one of those was to have Jesus the grown adult come out at the end of the presentation and talk to the crowd about the rest of His story. It was a great addition to the story and we wondered why it took us so long to add such an integral part to the story.

I was working on putting together a recap video to show in church on Sunday and when I came across this picture it really struck me in a powerful way.

It got me to thinking about what it would have been like to listen to Jesus talk in person. People came from far and wide just to be near him and hear his voice. He wasn't flashy but simply spoke the truth in authority and love. There was nothing special about his appearance but people were still drawn to him. I wonder what it would have been like.

Simple Truth. That seems like an interesting concept in our culture and time. I think sometimes we get lost in everything the world has to offer. Even as Christians we get lost in all the church has to offer. Often we get lost in doing church and lose sight of what drew us there at the core. So many people have an undying love for things of this world: Sports teams, musical groups and even other people. Jeus offers us a dying love that reaches through the years to come straight to our hearts. I hope that we (I) can remember to keep that in focus and appreciate what a splendid gift we have been given. The great thing is that we are called to be "regifters" of this amazing love. Who are you going to share it with?

Here is the recap video.

Procrastinators Special: Family Portraits

Hey all you procrastinators out there. If you have you been thinking about having a family portrait and Christmas card sent out this year there is still time, but it is running short. As a recovering member of the NAPPA (National Association of Professional Procrastinators of America) I want to extend an invitation to all those out there who have been thinking of having their family portrait done before the year is over.

I am offering a special package to help you spend the happy smiles of your family to all your friends and family who are curious what you have been up to and see how much you have grown over the past year.



The Procrastinator's Special includes:

~One hour family photo session.
~Custom editing and retouching of your images.
~A CD of images available for you to print or share as you see fit.
~A custom Christmas Card Website that you can share with all of your friends and family digitally.

*Additional prints and specialty items can be ordered but I cannot guarantee delivery prior to Christmas.



Here is a sample "Christmas Card Website":





All this for the Special price of $150. This is a very limited time offer and you need to make schedule a photo session by December 17th in order to guarantee delivery by Christmas.

If you have any questions feel free to give me a call or email.