Benji Mast's Photoblog

Eiffel Tower II

Benji Mast — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 01:56:35 +0000

Rolling Out the Carpet of Light

The Best Family in the Whole Wide World!

Eiffel Jr

Evening Light

Hint of Orange

The Eiffel Tower I

Benji Mast — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 01:45:30 +0000

How many unique pictures can you take of one landmark? I wondered, really wondered, if I could get an original photograph of the the tower. Seriously, how many pictures have been take of the Eiffel Tower over the years? Thousands? No doubt. Billions probably.

Nevertheless, like the millions of shutterbugs before me, I tried anyway. I got up very early and tried anyway. I got up very early with my cool bro, elbowed my way onto a very crowded subway card and tried anyway.

To call the subway cars that we rode, “very crowded” is probably the understatement of the year. We caught the first train, on the second stop from the end of the line, and the seats were all taken and the car was nearly full, or so I thought. People continued to pack themselves in as we made stop after stop. It grew from 360 degree elbow-brushing to 360 degree sardine packing. It was tight; tighter than I have ever been enclosed with a crowd of strangers.

Not Opened Yet

Surviving

These women caught my attention. Probably immigrants, barely holding down a poorly paying job in the city. Do they know each other? Do they know anyone else in Paris? Are they alcoholics? Do they have Christ?

Sad Young Lady

Happy Young Men

I never thought of the contrast between these two pictures till I started titling them.

The Underbelly

Tall, Slender, and Handsome

Blue and Green

“…the eye of the beholder.”

I really think the tower is elegant, timeless, and yes, beuatiful.

The above photo has been edited in photoshop. However, it is real. I really took this picture with the tower reflected in Hans’ eye, with Hans’ 60mm 2.8 macro.

KYC ‘08

Benji Mast — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 06:09:56 +0000

It’s 12:54am. I am in a hotel room and need to get to bed in a bad sort of way… but just have to tell ya’ll a little about the Kansas Youth Chorus that is now wrapping up a tour of the Southeast United States. We’re having a good time. I think that this has been good for me. A personal message from me to you is, “Be humble, you’re not as good as you think.” God is teaching me. Slowly. I’m a slow learner sometimes. I have some good stories, but it’s now 12:58am, and all my roommates are in bed, like the sane people they are sometimes, therefore, I do not have time to write. Much.

Some pictures.

There was one prison that the 18 yo kids couldn’t enter, so we bought ourselves a lovely lunch from Wal-Mart and had a partaay on the bus.

We stopped at some water. We accidentally got our clothes a little damp.

You have no idea how good this felt to have the water pounding my back like that. But let me give you a hint… It starts with ‘grea’.

An Afternoon Hike

Benji Mast — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 05:42:35 +0000

I really wish I had more time to blog.

I snapped this on a hike down into an Alpine Valley. I post-processed it quite a bit to bring out the richness and contrast that was there, but didn’t show straight out of the camera.

Roma I

Benji Mast — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:40:52 +0000

From the Plane

World Famous

A Bike Date

Reflection

Mediterranean Weather

SMART

Crucifix

Walking Date

The Forum

Crucifix II

Arena of Death; Flowering Life

Purple Graffiti

Movement

Movement II

A Close Conversation