So, when I mentioned that I’d always wanted to go to the Everglades for a portrait session, Brenda and the family were interested!

Back in 2006 I went on an air boat ride with Everglades Island Boat Tours, got some great photos, and have recommended them to friends who always come back saying they had a great time. So I arranged with them to utilize an air boat for photos along with an alligator.

We drove from Naples to Everglades City and found everything in order – we had a great time and got some great shots.

Then we headed for our second stop, something distinctly “Everglades”. We found the perfect spots along the Big Cypress Boardwalk including some massive cypress trees. All in all, a great afternoon. Here are a few of my favorite shots.

I headed out to Picayune Strand State Forest to enjoy some of the wonders of southwest Florida.

While I enjoyed the grasses, palm trees, puffy white clouds, blue skies and a sunset that was intensified by smoke from a forest fire, I missed seeing wildlife – the animals were just not out. I caught a glimpse of a hawk and saw some black vultures, but that was it.

I have always wanted to see a Florida panther in the wild; unfortunately the closest I’ve been is seeing one dead on Hwy 29 south of Immokalee. That’s another story all together, but it was amazing how many emergency response vehicles were on-scene to deal with the radio-collared road kill. It was sad to see such a magnificent animal tragically killed.

Anyway, no panthers, bears, snakes, alligators . . . I’ll be doing a little research to see what time of day and year is best to see the wildlife of Picayune Strand.

For the past 10+ years these passions have smoldered, but within the past several months they have been stoked into a fire – a burning, beautiful blaze that yearns to be set free to grow and move not with the whim of the wind, but with the breath of God Himself. This fiery passion has given birth to Rare Earth International.

ADVENTURE AWAITS!!!

Far too many modern travelers are spoon-fed the world on immaculately planned and generic outings all of which pack about as much originality as a trip to the closest Taco Bell. But it is clear that in this age of endless options our world is still a wild and beautiful place to explore. Rare Earth International knows that the harder you push and the further you stray from the well-worn path of conventional vacations, the more gratifying is the experience.

So join with us as we launch Rare Earth International – it’s an adventure and you know you want it!

Michael J. Barnes Photography LLC and Lord Byron Photography have partnered to deliver the most comprehensive and most memorable photo tours available. Together, we are Rare Earth International ~ join us on one of our next adventures!

Congratulations Drew & Sara!!

I was able to be at the beach before they arrived and while Drew knew I was there, Sara did not. Needless to say I captured some precious memories of this sweet occasion. Here are a few of my favorites.

The nails are/were from a project I still have not completed: building out my photo studio/home office. One of these days, perhaps I’ll get it done, but . . . we’ll see.

Anyway, I had the idea that I wanted to practice with my studio lights on a still image and I also wanted to create an image that was both simple and compelling.

The Set Up

Background: I used a piece of black felt attached to the wall and spilling down onto a card table for my seemless, black background.

Lighting: I used two Bowens 500Ws studio strobes and a Nikon SB-800 SpeedLight. One 500Ws strobe was set camera left against the cross – just out of the frame. This light was modified with a soft box. The second 500Ws strobe was camera right: high up and modified with an umbrella. The third light, the SB-800, was positioned directly over the cross. I modified it with a home-made snoot – I used a black folder (office supplies) that I rolled into the shape of a snoot and taped to the speedlight. I used Paul C. Buff radio trippers to fire the speedlight. The speedlight fired the strobes through their photo cells.

I used my Nikon D2Xs and Nikkor 17-55mm, f/2.8 lens. Exposure was 1/400 at f/2.8. ISO 100 and focal length 55mm.

Post processing included converting to black and white, making other slight adjustments, and cropping to a square format with Adobe Bridge’s RAW converter. Minor corrections were made in Photoshop CS3 using the cloning tool.

Please tell me what you think!

The Cross

That’s about all I can say. It’s been a whirlwind of a year. It’s been nearly a year since I posted here.

Hopefully that will change. Things are looking up and the future has never been brighter. All I can say for now is: stay tuned, there is something new and exciting on the horizon.

So, check back in about ten days and we’ll see where we are at that time.

In the mean time, check out this image from May 2010 ~ The Beach, Naples, FL.

Dear Friends and Family,

I have the opportunity to participate in a Missions Trip to Baja California, Sur, Mexico and would like to offer you the opportunity to participate with me.

I and the team I am leading for Awestruck Ministries, Inc., have been preparing ourselves physically and spiritually for this trip. A team of five (5) men will travel to San Isidro to meet and further our relationship with our “Man of Peace”, Cucu (Luke 10:6). We will show La Esperanza (The Hope) and perhaps The Jesus Film. We are prayerful that the community will show up for the movie and that Cucu’s offer of the Gospel will be well received.

From San Isidro we will travel to San Bruno to meet with our “Man of Peace”, Fredy Alvarez and work toward the same end as with Cucu.

We will also travel to Mulege, Santa Rosalia, San Ignacio, Loreto, and La Paz to show the films and provide the local people an opportunity to hear the Gospel.

Awestruck Ministries, Inc. is a ministry partner with First Baptist Church Naples (FBCN) and each of the team members is also a member, or former member, of FBCN. The team is made up of R. Eliseo Chao, Peter Meili, Jim Nichols, Byron Cobb, and me.

Awestruck has worked in Haiti, Cuba, North Africa, and Mexico. Our current focus is the Dorado Project which is a church planting movement on the Baja peninsula. We have worked in the mid-drift where God has used us to plant a few churches. As importantly, He has raised up leaders for those churches from the Mexican Nationals who are much better equipped to reach their people than we are. We provide a spring board, mentoring, and materials.

It is the responsibility of each volunteer to raise their own support for the cost of the mission trip. God has called me to lead this team and I am confident that He will supply the resources needed. The amount I need to raise is $1,200. Your help with the expenses of this mission trip would be greatly appreciated. If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation, please make checks payable to Awestruck Ministries, Inc. and hand deliver to me or mail to:

Awestruck Ministries, Inc.

PO BOX 112404

NAPLES, FL 34108

If you would like to contribute to the purchase of a Study Bible for one or both of our “Men of Peace” and/or a basic Bible for the people we will minister to, the cost is $50 and $5 respectively.

Thank you in advance for partnering with me in this mission endeavor. If you are unable to contribute financially, I ask for your prayers as I prepare for this mission trip to Baja California, Mexico. Your prayers are vitally important for this mission and myself. I look forward to sharing with everyone all the great things God is doing upon my return.