Thursday, October 9, 2008

Safe Kids - FedEx Part II



When we arrived at the second school (Barrett Elementary in Homestead, PA) for the Safe Kids walk we were greeted with a light 'drizzle' that turned into a strong downpour. The first two images are from the second school and the third is from the first school. This young girl was so enthusiastic in helping us get cars to slow down, I could not pass up posting a shout out to her for her help! Cars would slow down immediately when they saw her standing by the rail waving to them.

Every time I participate in a Safe Kids day, it reminds me of the importance of watching for kids where ever we drive. Regardless if we are driving in a 'school zone', shopping mall's parking lot, or in a residential neighborhood, we must be alert for kids and their safety.


Safe Kids - FedEx Johnston Elementary School


"Safe Kids USA and FedEx Team Up to Focus on Children's Views of Road Safety around the World"

I had the privilege to participate in this event at two different Pittsburgh, PA schools. The first school on our stop was Johnston Elementary School in Wilkensburg, PA.

I took the first image across the street from the main entrance to the school. Unfortunately, there are no speed bumps to slow cars down in front of the school. Although the posted speed limit is 15 MPH, most cars 'flew' past the school with kids in full view at very fast speeds.

At one point one of the volunteers yelled out for a fast moving vehicle to slow down and he stopped and started yelling at her. [Good Grief, who do some people think they are when they go above the law or when they act without any regards to others.]

What I found amazing is that so many vehicles passed through this area but many had no regard for the safety of the kids.

The second image I took in a play area near the school. The colors and lines caught my attention and I had to capture its beauty.


The final image is a shout out to all the workers who participated in Safe Kids day around the world!

When you see a kid [anywhere] please slow down!

[I plan to have a few of the pictures from the second school posted later in the week.]

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Victory Family Church Everything performed




The 20 something group from Victory Family Church in Cranberry 'performed' the "Everything"Drama and as always, I cried like a baby. If you never saw the video, please check it out on GodTube.com. It is an amazing demonstration of the spiritual battle we all face on a day to day basis. The drama and truth is so powerful and when I watch it through the lens of a camera, it is even more intense. I cried almost the entire time. Below is the original video from GodTube.com.






These were shot with the Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 @ 1600 ISO 1/8 - 1/10th of a second. Hence, the motion blur and the intent to create drama in the image.

The 'skit' portrays the intense spiritual battle we face daily. The drama begins with our amazing walk of fellowship with the Lord and how Satan throws the cares of the world between us and God. However, though we decide to walk away from God, He is always there for us and if you look close you will see in the second image the spiritual wickedness behind the Lord who is protecting us.

The 'skit' takes the viewer through to the victory and daily walk and fellowship with God.

The images below were taken on Sunday with a 50mm lens, f/1.8 and various shutter speeds. For more images from the event, watch this page over the next few days.