FIELD NOTES

Insights from working in more than 85 countries. I’ll help you live, work, and take better pictures, from anywhere in the world.

Oral Roberts – his last television interview

I’ve had the privilage of working with many great men and women in the Christian world – Pat Robertson, Luis Palau, Kay Arthur, Rod Parsley, Leighton Ford, Joyce Meyer, Benny Hinn, Thomas Zimmerman… really, it’s a long list.   But I put Billy Graham and Oral Roberts in a completely different category, and I’m humbled to…

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Inspiration at Waffle House

Sometimes, maybe once a week, I find myself at Waffle House enjoying their steak and eggs (medium, over medium, wheat, scattered and well done).  I admit, this is not where you go for a great steak, and the atmosphere is passable at best – but sometimes, good enough is well, good enough. That’s why I…

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Writing at Gunpoint

You know the routine… meet someone new, and one of the first questions is: “So, what do you do?”  My answer, “I’m a television producer” is usually followed by their quissical response, “And what does a television producer do?”  It’s a good question!  On any given day I could be doing any one of a…

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Another birthday on the road

I’m no stranger to travel. After having spent the majority of my career covering stories in more than 65 nations of the world, travel is second nature. I know the layout of the major airports of the world like many people know their neighborhoods.  But no matter how much time I spend on the road,…

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Cup o’ Joe

Panera is great. Free wi-fi, free coffee refills, superb music, and those amazing cinnamon crunch bagels.  But tonight (as the incredible Concerto for Two Violins by J.S. Bach is playing) I’m having the Greek salad, with no hot peppers, no olives, no onions and dressing on the side. (Some would argue: “so how’s that a Greek…

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Shoot out in St. Louis

I recently had the great privilage of being the director of photography and assistant director on a major video production. I wish I could tell you all about it, but it’s forbidden. You know, strict secrecy… very hush-hush.  But I can tell you about the technical stuff (and half the fun is playing with the…

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dang… the tv needs fixin’

I have no idea how the redneck title on this post came about.  Yeah, we lived in Tennessee for a spell, but never in a trailer… but I digress. Kat (my marvelous, talented and beautiful bride) tells me that it’s a natural law – when I’m out of town, something breaks, and the further away…

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the downside of conventions

I was honored to lead two workshops at the recent National Religious Broadcasters convention. Thanks to my fine friends Jenni Catron, Matthew Paul Turner and Michael Buckingham, the workshop UnChurched was both intellectual fun and tremendous motivation.  And my fabulously talented and beautiful wife Kat shared the teaching and motivation responsibilities with me for our Digital…

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I’ll take the small camera, please.

My right shoulder has been proud to hold a wide array of cameras — first were the CP-16, Eclair ACL2 and Arri-BL film cameras, then the RCA TK-76 and Ike HL-79. Finally came the death of 3/4″ and a long series of better and better Sony Betacams. Then digibeta cameras and various DVCPro configurations. Now…

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Baby, It’s Cold Outside!

You’d think, growing up in New England, that I’d be used to the cold. I actually used to love winter… spending hours cross country skiing on the old logging roads in the forests surrounding our 200-year old farmhouse. Since then I’ve lived in mostly warm and temperate areas, and have gotten used to it. But…

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