R2Photographers.com

2010-02-12T19:31:00.001-08:00

Off to CANADA!

Seattle Photo Shoot

2010-01-27T18:15:00.001-08:00

Seattle Photo Shoot

2010-01-25T16:30:00.001-08:00

Stay Tuned for the Pictures!!

2009-12-29T17:11:00.001-08:00

Its SNOWING!!! WHOAAA

Prepare to Be Shocked!!!

2009-12-20T01:18:00.000-08:00

Oh dear youth of Sulamita... Tomorrow (or should I say later on today) at daybreak, your jaws will drop and your hearts will be filled with disbelief and shock... But, it will be to late! Unless God wills otherwise, the inevitable will happen! And when it does, please remember that I warned you.

~ Filipp C.

You know your photography crazy when...

2009-12-16T22:31:00.000-08:00

You know your photography crazy when... you're the only male looking through wedding magazines. Im guilty, but what can I do?

Portrait Posing

2009-12-15T13:56:00.000-08:00

Model from Aaron Nace on Vimeo.

I was just surfing the net, looking for new ideas about posing and came across this video, I couldn't stop laughing from this whole idea and all the poses... Check it out, and Laugh a bit...

~ Vlad M.

Groomsman Day

2009-12-13T09:58:00.000-08:00

So yesterday I was a groomsman for Michael Bondarchuk and it it turned out to be a total blast! Of course my gorgeous partner Julia played a key role in helping make the day as fun as it was ;-) As you may have realized, I was not the photographer at this wedding. Nevertheless, I did manage to sneak my camera in at the very end of the wedding and had some fun photographing Julia and the other members of the bridal party. Hope you enjoy these images.

Michael and Sveta, I'm really happy for you guys! I wish you the best and hope that God's blessings will be with you throughout your life together!

~ Filipp C.

Thanksgiving DVD Cover

2009-12-11T05:34:00.001-08:00

The "guys upstairs" used my photos from the Thanksgiving service to create the awesome DVD cover pictured above. Pretty cool huh?

~ Filipp C.

Last Letter Documentary

2009-12-10T18:24:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged in ages now. I'm improving and will be blogging more frequently from now on. I came across this video and would like to share it with everyone.

"The Last Letter Documentary is a narrative film that takes you around the world to explore the tradition of how Jesus' followers are becoming His hands and feet in places both far and near. From the streets of Nairobi, to a Memphis, TN ghetto, to the war-torn jungles of Burma, discover what three individuals are willing to die for, and what the Last Letter lifestyle is all about."

Last Letter Documentary from Last Letter on Vimeo.

~ Vlad M.

Mt. Hood Photo Shoot

2009-12-05T14:21:00.000-08:00

Here is a sample of a photo shoot that I did for my friends from Germany.

~ Ivan O.

Welcome to the Team!

2009-12-04T01:10:00.000-08:00

I would like to introduce Ivan Osintsev who will be working with us in future wedding shoots. Though he still considers himself an amateur, I believe he has great potential in photography. His passion for this art medium reflects in the images he captures. Credit for the image above goes to Ivan himself. Hope you will enjoy his future contributions to this team blog as well. Ivan, Im looking forward to working with you!

~ Filipp C.

Sam & Vera: Engagement Announcement

2009-12-01T09:38:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday was our Church's 20th anniversary. It so happened that I had my camera with me when Sam and Vera got announced that morning. Congratulations guys, may the Lord bless your marriage and future life together! The remainder of the photographs from last Sunday's service will be posted within the next couple of weeks.

~ Filipp C.

Thanksgiving Church Service

2009-11-29T00:46:00.000-08:00

This year, I had the best Thanksgiving ever! My parents left to Spokane to visit my uncle and I was invited to my friends' house for what turned out to be an awesome meal and an evening of fun. Not only did I get to hang out with some very special people but, I was also able to meet some cool guys from Seattle who were visiting our church. The best thing about this day was that we ended it with a Christ centered discussion and an awesome prayer! Enjoy the photographs.

~ Filipp C.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T01:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving my friends!

Remember that Thanksgiving is not just about family, friends, food, laughter, and fun. Some may say it's about counting our blessings and being thankful and they are absolutely correct. However, we must not forget the one we ought to be thankful to. May all our thanksgiving be ultimately directed to our Lord God who is eternally worthy of receiving all praise, worship, and thanks, in season and out of season.

Photograph is of Panther, my former kitten.

~ Filipp C.

Countdown to Thanksgiving: Day 5-4-3-2-1

2009-11-21T12:25:00.000-08:00

I'm loosing perspective

Life is spinning out of control

Disoriented and adrift

I can't find my anchor

A little insignificant twig

In the bellowing current of fate

Recklessly I hurtle forward

Unable to change the scene

My soul is screaming for help

But no one seems to hear

My life is in a frenzied tumult

But no one seems to notice

Overwhelming emotions

Like a raging flood

Drown me in despair

Suffocating all sense of security

And yet I choose to say

Put your hope in God, my soul

For I will yet praise him

My Savior and my God

~ Filipp C. / David: Psalm 42

Countdown to Thanksgiving: Day 6

2009-11-20T02:43:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for all the opportunities God gives me to share the gospel with those who are perishing. Throughout the past month I have been talking with a certain coworker about God and Christianity. Just an hour ago, while working with this same coworker, I opened an email from my friend Dima Pitsul. The email was entitled "I think my new favorite Christian artist" and had several links to songs with lyrics written by an artist called Lacrae. I opened the first link to a song called "Truth" and was immediately shocked by how the lyrics of the song addressed the exact questions that the coworker and I had been discussing earlier. I told the coworker to check out the song while I went on the deck of the ship we are guarding. Throughout the whole time that I was on board the ship, I was praying in the Spirit so that God would use this evangelization oriented rap song to plant a seed in the heart of this man.

My friend, if you are a believer, do not waste your opportunities to witness. Jesus said "If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” The Bible calls us to be Fanatics for Christ, people that lead a radically different life. If the world sees you as normal, if it sees you as one of it's own, than something is seriously wrong. Something needs to be changed!

There are songs with cool beats and melodies but all to often, they are full of empty words. Even though rap is by far not my favorite music genre, these songs are different, the words are full of truth, the words are alive! Check out the links: Don't Waste Your Life, Rebel, Fanatic, I'm praying for you, Truth. My favorite is posted above. Enjoy!

~ Filipp C.

Countdown to Thanksgiving: Day 7

2009-11-19T10:37:00.000-08:00

While listening to a presentation on genetic testing, I learned that currently there are 32 million more males in China than females under the age of 2o. This disproportion can be mainly attributed to China's one child per family policy and the fact that many families are resorting to abortion and infanticide in order to insure that their one child is a male. This made feel really sad for both the girls who are being discriminated against and the guys who are being forced to compete for the heart's of the few females that are surviving this gendercide. This made me all the more thankful to God for placing me in a land of less competition and more females. So all you single guys out there, if you think the competition is tough, be thankful that you aren't living in China :p

If you are interested in learning more about China's gendercide, click on this link. Enjoy the natural light portrait of my cousin Oleg from California.

~ Filipp C.

Countdown to Thanksgiving: Day 8

2009-11-17T21:32:00.000-08:00

As I was thinking about my life today, I was overwhelmed by a deep sense of gratitude. I am no better than any other sinful human being on this planet yet, God has blessed me so much! From my academic accomplishments to my current job, His hand has been evident in every aspect of my life. Just today I got an interview for a position on a progressive care unit. Immediately, I ask myself - how am I any better than the hundreds of other nurses seeking a similar position? I am not, but God in his loving kindness is so gracious to me that He just keeps pouring forth his blessings, one after another! Truly, he deserves to be glorified and praised not just on Thanksgiving but also on every day of the year. Regardless of whether we are receiving blessing upon blessing or finding ourselves in the place of Job, may God forever be praised!

~ Filipp C.

Crazy

2009-11-16T16:50:00.000-08:00

"Crazy" won't even begin to describe my current life. Between attending church, taking Sulamita Bible College portraits, driving an hour to work, working a 12 hour night shift in maritime security, driving an hour back, spending a 6 hour shift fulfilling the clinical portion of my nursing studies in a locked down psychiatric facility, and finally returning home, I had effectively been without sleep for over 33 hours. It wasn't surprising that I was starting to talk to American patient's in Russian. These poor people were probably thinking I am just as much in need of a mental evaluation as them. Now, after getting seven hours of sleep, I am back to working on finishing my assignments, at a time that most of you guys are soundly asleep in your cozy beds enjoying a pleasant dream or two.

I found the above photograph in my files from this summer. Although I cannot disclose much detail about my current security assignments due to the classified nature of the information, I don't have any restrictions on posting a personal photograph so this might give you a clue as to what I do. The M4 seen in the photograph is my partner's, I don't carry my own gun because I am against taking someone's life when I wasn't the one who gave it to him or her in the first place. However, having said this, I would not hesitate to implement any method or degree of non-lethal force that is necessary to prevent an individual from harming himself or others.

~ Filipp C.

You Are My Coffee

2009-11-14T14:52:00.001-08:00

You are my coffee

You keep me awake

Tossing and turning

Till three in the morning

A yawn after yawn

My sleep is quite gone

The sun is now rising

And it isn’t surprising

You stole my dreams

And kidnapped my heart

You are the coffee

With which I won’t part

~ Filipp C.

Modeling

2009-11-13T05:23:00.000-08:00

My Profoto studio lighting equipment has finally arrived! I decided to test it last evening and ended up spending almost the entire night snapping away with my camera. Now as morning approaches, I can confidently say that I do not regret even a penny of the money I invested in this set up. Each piece of the equipment is a pleasure to work with in terms of it's functionality, ease-of-use, quality, etc.

My brother Vadim volunteered to be a model and together we were able to create some interesting shots. Some of these photographs reminded me of my book cover for Anatomy and Physiology. Who knows, maybe one day they will also grace the cover of some textbook ;P

~ Filipp C.

Last Kiss

2009-11-11T16:42:00.000-08:00

Sitting at Starbucks, I just witnessed a touching scene. An elderly couple was sitting in front of me, drinking coffee. As they were getting ready to leave I heard the man say "You are still as pretty as the first time I saw you." The lady laughed shyly and looked down. As they stepped outside, they gave each other a warm hug and the man tenderly kissed her. I couldn't help but smile. The music and the smells that were drifting through the coffee shop seemed to match this moment perfectly. Silently I prayed that one day, I too would be able to say these same exact words to that special women - "You are still as pretty as the first time I saw you."

~ Filipp C.

Full Moon

2009-11-11T03:00:00.000-08:00

Last night I attended our youth choir practice and although I really enjoyed the two-and-a-half hours we spent singing, I was quite disappointed to see so many young people that could have cared less about being there and having the privilege of singing for the glory of God. Now three hours later, I am at work covering for a sick recruit trainee.

Enjoy this image of the moon captured with a 300 mm a while back. Throughout thousands of years, this little circle has found it's place in the tales of countless story tellers, paintings of many artists, and the viewfinders of numerous photographers. Yet, despite it's various phases, it never changes! Night after night, since the fourth day of creation, it continues to speak of the unchanging nature of it's amazing creator.

~ Filipp C.

The Dejected Mushroom

2009-11-09T06:07:00.000-08:00

Sitting on the kitchen counter, these mushrooms seemed to share my mood this morning. Lonely, dejected and dispirited they stood on the cutting board. Why is the world so cold and gloomy at 5:30 am? Why do people bother getting out of bed when they could be comfortably sleeping underneath a nice warm blanket? Why do they choose to wake up to the dreaded noise of an alarm clock rather than the gentle patter of autumn rain?

I find early mornings to be unbearably depressing. As I plead with God for strength, I often ask myself, why do I keep fighting? Why not just roll over and die? Yet, morning after morning, God renews my strength and gives me hope. He helps me to once again remember that there will come a day when all of this work and education will be rewarded with a privilege and responsibility of providing for a family.

While driving to the hospital, God spoke to my heart through a sermon and I realized that one must always focus on the truth rather than his or her own emotions. Jesus said “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” By shifting our focus to Jesus, our misery is swallowed up in the joy of praising the glorious truth of His existence. So the next time you are feeling like a dejected mushroom my friend, remember to focus on the truth. Focus on Christ!

~ Filipp C.

The Cup of Christ: C. J. Mahaney

2009-11-05T00:01:00.000-08:00

They say photography is an art but, it would be a waste of my life if I went around making art yet failed to honor the source of my inspiration! Wasted! Utterly wasted would be my life if I spent it diverting His glory to myself, if I failed to credit all my abilities to Him, the originator of everything that is beautiful. He is the creator of the universe, the artists of all artists. May all glory be to him alone!

Deeply ashamed, greatly broken, humbly inspired, and tearfully compelled was I as I spent the past two hours listening to a series of sermon jams from various messages delivered by John Piper, C.J. Mahaney, R. C. Sproul, John McArthur, Paul Washer, Mark Driscoll, Al Mohler, and Ravi Zacharias. The scripture speaks of remembering “those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.” These are the man that have been radically influencing my life through their uncompromising preaching of the God's word. Check out their websites which have many resources by clicking on their individual name. My prayer is that Got may use these man as a means to touch your heart as well so that you may also experience the ultimate joy that comes from the Lord himself!

~ Filipp C.

Youth Volunteer Work

2009-11-04T04:57:00.000-08:00

A while back, some of our youth volunteered to clean up the lot that our church recently bought for additional parking space. Afterwards, a group of us went to drink coffee, socialize, and watch the airplanes take off from the airport. It was an awesome evening, praise God!

~ Filipp C.

Dasha

2009-10-22T17:17:00.000-07:00

This year like never before have I started to love the autumn. Dasha is my far relative, and I had an amazing time with this sweet and funny girl.

Vlad M

Manual Medicine

2009-10-22T04:46:00.000-07:00

It’s almost 5 am and I am in the zone! The zone of perfect concentration on homework. It started somewhere around midnight with a pot of my brothers famous Turkish coffee and has carried me throughout the entire night. At this rate I will soon be caught up with all my assignments. Hooray!!!... Oh won’t that be great:-)

Within the next day or so I will upload one of my latest photo shoots of the staff from Manual Medicine, a chiropractor clinic located in Vancouver. The staff is very friendly, courteous, and professional and I would strongly recommend the clinic for anyone in need of chiropractic services.

~ Filipp C.

My Project

2009-10-15T12:50:00.000-07:00

I had allot of things on my mind last night as I was working on this little project. The gatekeeper from our church, Dyad Kolya, had asked me to paint this little clay figurine so he could give it to his nephews whose last name is translated as "Bear".

Now for all of my friends out there who are still waiting for the leader and/or cell group retreat pictures, have patience because they will come. It's just a matter of when ;-p Life has been really busy for me lately as I struggle to balance my university studies, full time job, and a social life.

Lately I have been getting allot of inquires in regards to senior, couple, newborn, and family portraits. If you are one of those people who has contacted me, make sure to schedule an appointment soon. With my current schedule, I will be forced to start turning down allot of the photography requests I have been getting. However, if your photography needs are not urgent and you are willing to wait a until about early December, than you will be happy to know that I will soon be ordering a professional studio lighting system! I used to work in a photo studio and so you can imagine just how impatient I am to lay my hands on this new equipment.

~ Filipp C.

Senior Session: Lizz & Ana

2009-09-07T12:06:00.001-07:00

My first senior portrait session of the new school year was a blast! I had a ton of fun taking pictures of Lizz and Ana all over Portland downtown and than in a small park near their neighborhood. Since this portrait session took place the day before Ana's birthday, I would like to use this opportunity to wish her a happy birthday! Ana, may all your dreams come true but, above all may the Lord, in his great providence, keep you faithful to the last day. Be blessed girl! ;-)

P.S. Book your senior photo session now because most schools require the senior portrait to be submitted early on in the school year. There is nothing worse than procrastinating and than frantically trying to find a photographer at the last minute.

~ Filipp C.

Disciple Conference

2009-09-02T16:53:00.001-07:00

I had a great opportunity to take pictures at Disciples Conference: I spent 3 days in Bothell Washington. Met lots of people, Learned alot more about God, Fellowship.

Visit Disciples Conference's website for more details about the conference, and stay tuned for the next conference

Vlad.

Kids Camp

2009-08-27T12:17:00.000-07:00

Wow... Even though I was circumstantially limited to helping at kids camp for less than one day, I have enough photographs to make it seem as if I was there for the entire camp... Now, I have to be honest and give some of the photography credit to Robert L. because at one point, while I was doing some activities with the kids, I had entrusted my camera to him. In the end, my settings on the camera with his skilled eye resulted in some great pictures... after some editing of course:-)

~ Filipp C.

Greg & Luba: One Year Anniversary

2009-08-25T11:52:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I had the privilege of photographing Greg and his wife Luba as they celebrated the anniversary of their first year in marriage. To make things more interesting, they decided to dress up in their wedding clothes. Several of Luba's friends accompanied us as we headed out to several spots along the shoreline of the Puget Sound area, not far from were I had just completed my Scuba diving open water certification. Overall I think everyone had a blast, and Luba's friends were still taking pictures of each other when I left. Greg and Luba, I wish you the best! May the Lord continue to bless you guys. Who knows, maybe Ill have the honor of taking baby portraits for you guys one of these days ;-)

~ Filipp C.

Scuba Diving

2009-08-24T00:32:00.000-07:00

Just to let you know, I am writing this post from my job site on 2.5 hours of sleep in the past 48 hours. For these past two days I have been diving in the the Puget Sound with my friend and boss, Greg and the rest of my PADI open water class. As of this post, I am officially a certified diver. Hurray! There was so much cool things to look at on our dives that I cannot even begin to describe everything. We saw all sorts of fish as well as starfish, jelly-fish, ugly wolf eels, sea cucumbers, crabs, anemones, etc. I cannot wait to get underwater housing for my DSLR. Than I will be able to share the sights of my underwater adventures with others.

~ Filipp C.

Max & Galina: Married

2009-08-17T22:40:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday Vlad and I had the honor of photographing the wedding of Max and Galina from Federal Way, WA. I met Max back when I went to Mexico on a mission trip. What's interesting is that after the trip me and several friends were joking about getting the two of them together. Perhaps our feeble efforts in the restaurant worked that night because here we are, over a year later with the two of them happily married. Whatever the case might be, we wish the two of you an abundance of God's blessings in your new life together! We are posting several of our favorite images and will post more as we continue to process them.

~ R2 Photographers

Mt. Rainier Hike

2009-08-07T01:24:00.000-07:00

After ending my night shift, my friend Vlad and I headed to Mt. Rainier National Park for a hike to Mystic Lake from Sunrise Visitors Center. This 21 mile hike starts at 6,400 ft. elevation, goes over Skyscraper Pass, down a 2,000 ft. descent, past Winthrop Glacier, and eventually emerges in the beautiful meadows that surround Mystic Lake. Interestingly, this mountain lake got it's name after two visiting professors reportedly saw a mysterious whirlpool near the lake's outlet.

As we began our hike, Vlad kept asking people about Mystic Lake and everyone kept telling us that it would be impossible to complete this hike in one day, especially since we started around 11 pm. However, I was determined to press on. Things were going well until we got about 8 miles into the hike and the lack of sleep began taking it's toll on my body. Exhausted, I pressed on. It was at this point that I began to regret having taken so much useless items such as my 70-200 mm lens. Not even once did I end up using this expensive 1.47 kilogram chunk of glass and metal!

Having arrived at Mystic Lake around 4:30 pm and on the brink of total collapse, we were greeted by a breathtaking view of the tranquil mountain lake as well as a swarm of fly's and mosquitos. After eating lunch, taking a quick dip in the lake, and loosing almost a pint of blood to the bloodthirsty insects, we started heading back. To make the long story short, I basically died on the way back when we hit the 2,000 ft. ascent. Vlad was kind enough to let me take a 20 min. nap and offered to carry my extra lens. It was only by God's mercy that we were able to make it back to the top of the ridge. There we were greeted by the most spectacular sunset ever and we rejoiced and praised the Lord! By the time we hiked the remaining 3.5 mi. back to the car, it was already almost 10 pm. Exhausted we sat down on the parking lot and began eating.

You would think this was a wonderful ending to a perfect day huh? Nope. As we started the car, we realized that the gas tank was empty. Rolling mostly in neutral, Vlad managed to stretch my car's remaining gas to the limit. We where at 410 mi. by the time we rolled out of the mountains and to the nearest gas station. Usually I get a maximum of 360 mi. on one tank and thats 30 mi. after the low gas indicator goes on. Relieved and tired we drove home, thanking God for yet another great day!

~ Filipp C.

Subaru Seaside Cruise: Aug 1 2009

2009-08-04T18:50:00.000-07:00

Vlad M

Happy Birthday

2009-08-03T16:35:00.001-07:00

The Saturday before last, I was invited to Eugene and Alla's birthday party. After spending the entire day at Lewisville Park, we headed over to their house for tea and fellowship. Happy Birthday my friends, may the Lord bless you!

Portraits: R2 Photographers

2009-07-30T22:31:00.001-07:00

We finally got a chance to go out and take some portraits of each other. Afterwards we each edited our own portraits with the exception of a couple. Overall the photographs turned out great. Hope you enjoy them!

~ R2 Photography

Doberman Pinscher

2009-07-27T15:37:00.000-07:00

I captured these images of the Doberman Pinscher back in May, when our youth went to Seaside. These dogs mean n' lean looks make them one of my favorite. Enjoy!

~ Filipp C.

Family In Perspective

2009-07-24T03:51:00.000-07:00

Throughout the past twenty-four hours I have been listening to a series by Arturio Azurdia called The Family In Perspective. Again and again I am humbled by God as he opens up new and glorious truths and I realize how imperfect I am in my thinking as a fallen human. Here is a couple of quotes from the first part of this four part series:

"Neither marriage nor family should have the priority but, rather Christ who is the goal of marriage and the ground of family" - Unknown

"I must always see my family for what it is, a means to a greater end, a vehicle of bringing glory to God. This my friends, is the family in perspective" - Arturio Azurdia

~ Filipp C.

Youth Camp 2009

2009-07-22T05:25:00.000-07:00

Wow, so many awesome photographs that I cannot even decide which ones to post. However, these photographs cannot even begin to describe this year's camp. In my opinion this was the greatest and most blessed camp that we have had in the past five years. For many people it turned out to be a life altering experience as they repented and/or committed their lives to Christ during the evening alter calls and prayers. Praise God, my brother was one of them! I just pray that his repentance was genuine and that he will preserver in the faith to the end.

~ Filipp C.

My New Baby

2009-07-21T00:05:00.000-07:00

My new Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM lens has recently arrived and I am already loving it! I used our church's youth camp as an opportunity to brake it in and oh the pictures turned out so nice! I will post some of them this upcoming week and you will get a chance to see for yourself.

~ Filipp C.

Resolved Part III

2009-07-20T13:01:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately everything good has an end while we live here on earth and so it was with the conference. After getting autographs from one of my favorite preachers and authors, John Piper, we headed back to our hotel for the last time. Early next morning we left for another grueling nineteen hour drive home.

~ Filipp C.

Resolved Part II

2009-07-19T16:14:00.001-07:00

The four day conference brought together thousands of young people and older adults. It was a big blessing for all of us. In between sessions we swam in a huge pool and explored downtown Palm Springs.

~ Filipp C.

Resolved Part I

2009-07-17T02:13:00.000-07:00

Eight guys left with one purpose: to learn more about God through the preaching of Godly man. After a nineteen hour road trip most of us arrived at a new resolution to take a plane next time. Fortunately, we arrived safe however and had a little time to relax and explore the city which is situated right in the middle of a desert.

~ Filipp C.

Happy B-day Marina

2009-07-14T00:26:00.000-07:00

Just got back from an amazing youth camp. This year's theme was "Examine Yourself" and we had guest speakers Sergey Poonka from San Diego and Mike Khochay from Seattle. Everyone loved it and I was just real happy that God's blessing was upon the entire event. Under the influence of the camps success I am now inspired to organize another cell group retreat and pray that God's anointing will be on this event as well. The camp pictures are still being edited but, in the mean time enjoy these shots from my friend Marina's recent birthday. She is a very intelligent young women that loves the Lord and has been faithfully attending our cell group almost since it's beginning. Happy Birthday, may God bless you Marina! Keep shining:-)

~ Filipp C.

The Seaside Story

2009-07-07T01:35:00.001-07:00

For those of you who did not get a chance to read the original story, to bad :p. I revised this post because I believe it conveyed a message that is not much different from that of this lustful world. It is my sincere desire to reflect Christ in every aspect of my life including my blogs and I apologize if that was not the case. Hope you enjoy the images that where captured on this beautiful, God given day when our youth was able to spend some time at Seaside relaxing and playing volleyball. My friends Lana and Julie confiscated my camera for a while and had a serious photo shoot. Later I was able to also take several photographs of these girls together.

~ Filipp C.

Independence Day

2009-07-06T18:29:00.000-07:00

Happy Fourth of July everyone! The night of July 3^rd my brother convinced me to go camping at Seaside. Packing our sleeping bags, we left in the middle of the night and were on the beach by sunrise. After sleeping in, we woke up hungry and went on a quest for food. We were surprised to stumble on Seaside’s annual 4^th of July parade. Luckily I was armed with my camera and was able to snap a few shots. By midday, most of the youth from our church had already arrived on the beach and we ended up spending some time with them before returning back to Portland in time to catch the Waterfront firework show. I got a great spot on a bridge with a breathtaking view of the river below. The day couldn’t have ended better as we hung out in downtown and than took a stroll along Columbia River.

~ Filipp C.

Everett Choir Trip 09

2009-07-03T23:00:00.001-07:00

Here are the long promised pictures from the Sulamita Youth Choir trip to the Everett church Sulamita. Their youth was very warm in receiving us and made us feel right at home. I got an opportunity to see some of my old friends from a Mexico mission trip as well as make some new ones including Vita L. and her friends. As usual, I ended up in a van full of girl and so the trip there and back was surprisingly short. I apologize for the long wait and will try to redeem myself by posting over fifty of my favorite photos versus the usual twenty. Enjoy!

~ Filipp C.

Choir Party

2009-06-30T22:34:00.000-07:00

I am back! Enjoy these pictures from last month's choir party. It was a ton of fun with many games and heaps of delicious food.

~ Filipp C.

Palm Springs, CA

2009-06-15T00:43:00.000-07:00

I have not had much time to post things lately however, I will try to post pictures from several events within the next several weeks as soon as I return from the Resolved Conference in Palm Springs, CA. The Lord has been blessing us greatly here through the preaching of godly man: John Piper, John McArthur, C.J. Mahaney, Rick Holland, and Steve Lawson. Tomorrow should be absolutely amazing with four messages including my favorite preachers Piper, McArthur, and C.J. You can view this conference live at resolved.org.

~ Filipp C.

Weekend In Cali

2009-05-04T22:35:00.001-07:00

This past weekend two of my friends and I drove up to Sacramento, CA to visit some friends and make some new ones. I also got a chance to hang out with my little cousins Oleg and Oliviya... helping me remember how much fun little kids can be. The drizzly weather did not stop us from enjoying our short stay there and I would have loved to stay longer if not for my obligations back home. I was given an opportunity to meet some awesome youth from the local Missionary Gospel Church and am very thankful to Olviya K. for making this possible! God bless you girl!

On the way back, as we were driving in the mountains, we came across what at first looked like a crooked road sign. With some closer scrutiny, I realized that this was the back of a semi truck's trailer. Pulling over, I hurried over to the truck. Completely torn apart, its engine spilling out, wheels ripped off, cabin squished, windows shattered, the truck was a mess! Seeing a light inside the cabin served to stimulate my trauma nurse endorphins. Thinking that this accident was very recent, I began to search for the driver... or the body. Having come somewhat prepared with flares, flashlight, custom first aid kit, and even a lifeguard tube that's always in my trunk, I felt excited about fact that I might actually be able to help someone. However, this excitement was short lived. My friend, whom I had sent to call 911 and get my first-aid kit, came back and told me that there were cones on the road, indicating that this had happened a while back. You can imagine how dumb I felt when the only thing I ended up treating with my first aid kit was a self-inflicted gash in my leg from the wreckage.

~ Filipp C.