Snow Campers

No, its not Snow Camp again already. However I have been in contact with one of my snow-campers from this past year as a Unit Leader. Through Facebook I am able to talk to him once in a while to see what is going on. One I first met them, I was collecting contraband. They gave me a very hard time trying to get their cell phones. But after that was taking care of, we became good friends with the campers having a good time hanging out with them.

Eddie is from New Jersey, he has gone through a lot in his life. This past summer one of his friends was killed and now more recently his brother is going to prison on the charges of murder. I also met his brother as a snow camper. He was a really fun guy, if I remember right he gave me a piece of pizza that he bought for pizza night. They were at a party, when something happened, I am not sure all of the details, but people began shooting. Eddie's brother according to the police shot and killed another person. Eddie tells me that his brother didn't shoot the kid that died but shot someone else once in the leg.

I love both these guys very much, it is sad to see that he is going to prison for a crime he may have not done. If Eddie is right in the matter please pray that the evidence will be found out, so his charges will be less then murder. I would also like to ask for you to pray for Eddie and the rest of the family, that they see God's love and He will protect them. I don't know what kind of influence I had, or that Snowcamp had on them, I hope it was positive.

You never know the situations of the people that you meet and what will happen to them, make the most of every opportunity.

Photoshop: Before and After (Apple Orchard)

The photos below are to show the alterations I made in photoshop. The first photos are completely un-altered files. The second photo displayed is what it looks like after the altercations were made. (for better viewing click on the photo to enlarge it).

Before

After

I actually didn't make to many changes to this photo. I brightened the image up, making greens more green and reds more red, with very minor changes to the actual apples.

Before

After

In this group I did a lot more. The most obvious thing I did was brightened up the photo a little bit. Then I made the greens more green, and the reds more red. If you look at the first photo you can see some rotten apples and a couple on the tree branch with bruises, I took out the bruises and made them ready to eat apples. A lesser noticeable change I made was adding grass. There is more grass and less brown patches in the 2nd photo.

Before

After

This set I made the reds very rich. You might notice a few bruises that I changed. I also added a lot of greens. To give the photo more color contrast with the red apples up against the green grass (clovers), instead of the dirt.

Before

After

Before

After

This was a little more difficult process, for this photo. I brightened it, gave it more contrast. However all the work was trying to get the apples to work out right. I fixed up the apple the dog was chewing on. But when I adjusted the color for the dogs apple the other apples became a very fake red. So I have to create two images with separate altercations. The dog on the right is actually a whole in the duplicate photo. You are looking at a photo behind a photo. I had to do this, so I could apply specific things to the bottom image, and then the other altercations was just applied to both images, which was just fine. I am still trying to learn the best way to do things. 

It's easy messing with my photos doing simple color/brightness changes, but once I get into doing all this editing it gets more difficult. It's almost easy to just use iphoto to change the photos colors, etc. However I want to learn how to use photoshop better, because then in the long run, I can do a lot more.

I actually prefer my photos as natural as possible, however photoshop is used for many different things, and I need to use my photos to learn how to do all that other crazy stuff.

At the Orchard (Picking Apples)

Today we went apple picking, for my first time I believe or at least in a long time. I really only wanted to go to take photos, I could care less about the apples. Mom, Dad, Kim, and Sfen (aka Kelly, aka Kim's boyfriend, aka Mr. Smith) also went.

Kelly up in the Tree

 Kelly was very picky about his apples, every "perfect" apple seemed to be in the hardest to reach places.

This one was a little to hard for him to climb so he just pushed it over, well not really.

Trevor Heyd Testimony

My skateboarding friend Trevor Heyd speaks about his life growing up and the impact God had on him. Check out what he has to say and watch some good skateboarding!



Trevor has also influenced me in ways. There has been times that we both have been able to use skateboarding while together to have awesome conversations with people about God.

"Gossip"

The video is finally up online. Mark Wallenwine and Nick L. both directed the video, filmed, and wrote the script, well really they did everything. I have a little part in the video, so check it out. (The video was filmed in HD, it has been down graded by Sermon Spice for the streaming purposes. You will be able to download it in full HD)

Gossip

Sermonspice.com

See Details Buy Now

For the price of $10 you can buy it off of Sermon Spice or if you would like to support the video ministry buy it to help finance more and better videos.

If you would like to review the process it took to shoot the film click here.

Secret Project

I am currently working on a secret project, hopefully it will air in month or 2. I will let you know when the project has aired online.

Weekdays at the Tanners

I spent 4 days up in Grand Rapids with David and Jon Tanner. They both have work and school. So while they were away in the morning I would work on my homework and play Xbox (Halo: Reach and Assassins Creed II).  They would normally come home around 2-4ish, however one day we planned on skating a lot, but it rained. After waiting, it began to dry up thankfully. (This is all illustrated in the beginning of the video).

Trying to edit this video was irritating. I edit it all in iMovie, however the files from Jon's camera films in a TOD format, so you have to convert it, but it was causing the program to keep shutting down on me.

The idea of this video, and most of the videos isn't to play amazing skateboarding tricks, but to show skateboarding for what it is, fun and hard work. You don't alway end up landing the tricks you tried for hours but you had fun doing it.

My friend Kenny Hopkins sent an email to a skateboard company that streams new videos all the time, requesting that they show skateboarding for how it really is, were you try a hundred times to land one trick. Well, I would like to illustrate when you try a hundred times and don't land it. (It's not as easy illustrating the fun part because most of that happens off camera). Enjoy the Video:

Editing Video

I am currently in the process of editing a video of my 4 day/week with David and Jon Tanner. It is a slow process, of finding music, searching through all the bad clips, and just figuring out how the whole thing should be put together. But its fun...

Potential Skateboard Ministry

I have recently received an email from Christian Skaters Ministry. They are putting together a database for skateboard ministries around the world. They plan on making an iphone/ipod app. that will tell you where skate ministries are located, skate shops in the area, and other things related to skateboarding. They sent me an email requesting my information for my skate ministry. They had part of the form already filled out for me, with my name, my blog, my email, my facebook group, and my location (Taichung, Taiwan), with a little box checked that said, "potential ministry". Apparently someone over at Christian Skaters has found my blog, seen the different skate ministries I have been involved with, and noticed that I was going to Taiwan, and assumed that I have a potential skateboard ministry over there or me as a person has a potential skateboard ministry in general where ever I go.

GR all Week

I am at David Tanner's for the week, skateboarding, playing Halo Reach, doing homework and partying!

The Hunt

While out shooting a video and photos, I spotted a deer. I began tracking it, quietly as I could. It keep it's eye on me, but I watched in long enough to find it's baby taking a rest.

Resting young deer

The funny thing about this photo is the deer sticking his tongue at me.

First Photoshop Project Complete

I have completed my first photoshop project, making prayer cards and also using it for a Taiwan display board. Here are the designs below:

Front, also used for display board

Backside

CS5

If you are a photographer or do graphic design, adobe's photoshop is essential. However it cost around $1,300 for the Standard Design package! I have been wanting to purchase this item for quite some time now but I just don't have the money. However if you are a student in college, you can order CS5 Design Standard package for only $300, thats about an 80% discount! Follow the this link to receive the discount Adobe Creative Suite 5 Design Standard Student & Teacher Edition [Mac]. The package includes Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Acrobat 9 Pro and other components (Bridge and Device Central). The Student/Teacher edition is the full program, it isn't any less of CS5 then if you spent the $1,300 on it. After you receive the package you have to send Adobe proof of enrollment at your University to receive a code for your new software to work for more then 30 days.

This is my first time working with photoshop in 3 years. I had a very terrible class on it in high school, that didn't do me much good. I am pretty much teaching myself as I go.

Here is a sample of a project I am working on for Taiwan:

ooVoo

Today I had a video chat with Owen, Jess, and Kyle using ooVoo. With Owen and Jess in Alaska, and Kyle in New York, and myself in Michigan, we were all able to have a conference video chat. Unlike Skype that only lets you chat with one person at a time, ooVoo alows you have video calls with up to 6 people at one time! It doesn't cost anything to do video calls, but it does to call land lines, and so does skype. (however it does cost some money to do video calls more then 2-way, but you start out with a 30 Day trial.)

It was nice having most of my core friends together, being able to get updates on their lives, and discuss wedding things going on with Owen and Jess.

Skate Video in Progress

I am planning on putting together a skate video. Depending on how much footage I end up getting before the end of the year depends on how this is going to be done. Possibly a bunch of short ones like the 2 min. one below, or hopefully a longer one, up to 15-20min. The whole video being filmed with my Nikon D5000. Don't expect anything crazy, it's all just for fun. For now enjoy the video below (youtube downgrades the quality of the video a ton):

I Spy

Have you ever had the "I Spy" books, I remember countless times of staring at those books. Lets play an I Spy of my own...try to find the Nikon Lens Cap

Today while out shooting a video I left my lens cap behind, retracing all my steps, then returning back to the first place I looked, I barely saw it under some leaves. It would have only cost me $2-3 to replace it, but that is $2 I don't want to spend. I am trying out a new form of communication, be on the look out for a possible future video post, video blogs, or other personal video projects.

"Stealing from Your Own Pocket"

“Stealing from Your Own Pocket”

Your bread is what feeds him

Receiving his payment

His head rests the prize

Taught by self-desire’s slave

He stole from you

With the other hand in his pocket

He stole from himself

The life, the love, the security

Taken

To what has brought his survival has brought destruction

Taiwan Ministry

The past 2 years I have been going to the Word of Life Bible Institute, studying the Bible. Through that I have been given many opportunities to share the gospel, using different tools. (Summer Camp, Super Bowls [All-Night Events], Local Church Ministries, Snow Camp, leadership positions on campus, Sharing the gospel on the streets of NYC [and Boston for a few hours], Video ministry [Where Was God When...?], Ukraine, speaking, and using skateboarding.) Now have the opportunity to go to Taiwan to share the gospel, through teaching English.

Tuesday – Friday we have classes with the students. They are only allowed to speak English at these times. If they do speak Chinese they have to pay a $1 for every word they say. After classes are over, we spend time with them speaking English to help them learn further outside of a classroom setting. One of the ways we teach English is by using the Bible. That way we can teach them about God, while also teaching them more English. The Steiner’s have been developing the school over the past few years. They currently have about 20 students, 6 that didn’t know Christ, but 3 have accepted Christ since they started this term. (www.wolsyme.com). While I am in Taiwan, I will be studying the Chinese language while also taking courses online with Liberty University. (Funded by me/ not my support).

Taiwan is a mostly Buddhist country, located off the coast of China.

If you would like to help me with this ministry, I would like to ask you for your prayers and financial support. I will be leaving, January 13, 2010. The financial need will be $1,200/month (insurance, food, housing, ministry, stipend, language/culture training etc).  I also will need to raise set-up funds of $3,325 (airfare, visa, training cost, language etc)

If you would like to receive a support letter please send me a message, with your name and address. Or you can give online at www.wol.org/giving

Thank You.


Follow me on my facebook Group "Dale's Mission to Taiwan"

"Lie Your Way to the Truth"

“Lie Your Way to the Truth”

No body knows but you

Hidden beneath the dust

They believe it’s true

A secret unshared; effects a few

Scared of what’s real

You begin to believe it too

Un-existent life

Who are you?

I’m everything

I lie

Whatever needs to be true

Un-paralleled life

The thief of relationship

You’ve lied to yourself

More then anyone else

Smudged eyes

They’re watching you

Bickering dispute

All your lies have shown the truth

Flickr Upload

I have recently uploaded a new batch of photos to my flickr account. Some of them you have already seen, if you keep up on my blog, but there will be a few that I have not posted on my blog for you to view.