Kevin Scott Banks

One of the main reasons I chose to travel to New Zealand was to photograph all of its majestic beauty. It truly is a photographer’s paradise, and I’ve been blown away at some of the images I’ve captured over the last couple of months. Before I left, I debated for months over which bag to bring my camera in. To some of you, that may seem like a trivial decision. But it was actually one of the most important decisions I had to make. I needed a bag that could hold my Nikon digital SLR camera and two interchangeable lenses. However, the only bags I had were a full-sized backpack and a small hand-held bag. Neither of these were going to work.

Thankfully, I stumbled across the Lowepro Slingshot bag at Wolf Camera a few weeks before I left. I knew right away that this was the right bag for me. The design crew at Lowepro are clearly all geniuses. This bag has been the perfect travel companion. The beauty of the Slingshot bag is that you can wear it on your back, then sling it around to change lenses or put the camera away, without having to take the bag off. BRILLIANT! So many times, I’ve found myself outside trying to take pictures, but frustrated that I had to stop, take my bag off and set it down on the ground every time I wanted to change lenses or put the camera away. But when I’m climbing up a steep hillside trying to get a photo like this:

I can’t stop and mess with the hassles of a normal bag. I’m so glad I found the Slingshot bag, because it’s helped me capture some amazing photos that I never would have been able to otherwise.

The other major perk of the Slingshot is that it’s very portable. When I used to keep my camera in huge backpack, I wasn’t very motivated to bring it with me anywhere. But now I bring my camera with me almost everywhere I go. As a photographer, I just never know when a priceless photo-op is going to surprise me, and I’d rather play it safe and have my camera ready. I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing my photographs from New Zealand. I owe them in part to the Lowepro Slingshot bag. I won’t travel without it ever again.

Do you have a favorite bag or piece of luggage that you wouldn’t be caught traveling without?

The bright side of waking up way too early in the morning is enjoying a beautiful sunrise.

Last week I volunteered at the World Christian Gathering on Indigenous People. One morning, my group had to wake up at 5:50 a.m. to drive to another meeting site. I was exhausted from spending the week before at a kids camp, and to be honest, I really didn’t feel like getting up that early. It took everything I had to drag myself out of my sleeping bag. However, as soon as I sat up, I was greeted by an absolutely stunning sunrise outside. While the rest of the group was slowly getting ready for our road trip, I grabbed my camera and ran outside, suddenly feeling wide awake! I captured two incredible images of the beautiful sky that morning.

I’m still not a fan of waking up early in the morning. But on this morning, I was thankful for the reward of a picture perfect sunrise.

One benefit of following my blog is that you’ll occasionally score free music as I come across it. This time, it’s a band called Avalanche City. Dave Baxter, a New Zealander, taught himself how to sing, then recorded all the instruments as well on his new album, called “Our New Life Above the Ground.” Says Baxter,

“For me the album was a real adventure and I was excited about trying new ideas and experimenting. I hope when you listen you can kind of hear that adventure in the songs.”

You can go to www.avalanchecity.com to download the album for free right now. Also, thanks to my buddy Jono for tipping me off to this band!

If you’re still not sold, check out the music video for the album’s first track, “Love Love Love”:

I’d love some feedback. What do you think of Avalanche City’s album?

I am blessed to have an incredible view from my room here in Tauranga. I could sit and watch all day as the weather constantly changes, the tide rolls in and out, and floods of people walk by. My friend Jono is a videographer by trait, and he taught me how to use a feature on my camera that I didn’t even know I had! I set my camera on a tripod on my balcony overlooking the Tauranga Harbour, and set it to take one picture every 7 seconds. Then I made this awesome time-lapse video. This will give you and idea of how ever-changing and awesome the view is from my room! I recommend watching it full screen.

It’s officially Christmas season and I am having the hardest time getting into the spirit here in New Zealand! Growing up in California and even living in Tennessee I’ve never really had a “White Christmas.” But Christmas has always been in the winter time, with the weather growing colder and the days getting shorter. Now, imagine the complete reverse. In the southern hemisphere, you know it’s Christmas when the weather prompts a visit to the beach!

Suffice it to say, I’m having to “force” the Christmas spirit through repeated listens to my favorite Christmas albums. My top two are the classic A Christmas Together by John Denver and the Muppets and the amazing Ring the Bells, produced by my home church Fellowship Bible Church back in Nashville. If you haven’t heard either, I suggest you click the links and have a listen yourself. They’re definitely helping me get into the Christmas spirit and reminding me of the real reason we celebrate Christmas.

I want to hear from you: What’s your FAVORITE Christmas album of all time?

Seeing U2 live in Auckland last weekend has to go down as my all time favorite concert experience. If you haven’t read about it yet, you can catch my blog on the concert here. While I was in Auckland for the show, I had the chance to attend a church there called Edge Kingsland. Many of the church’s members are talented musicians, and several have lived in Nashville before. After the service was over, I got to meet two members of a band called Ember Days. They’re a Christian band and they’re getting ready to move to Franklin, TN where I’ve just spent the last four years! They told me about a website where I could download their albums and several others for free. Of course I raced home, downloaded the music, and now I can’t stop listening!

So without further adieu, you’ll find a link below where you too can access the incredible tunes of Ember Days. I also highly recommend checking out the music of a band called Ascend the Hill. If you enjoy their music, consider making a donation to the website.

http://comeandlive.com/downloads

After you’ve listened to their music, come back and comment on this post and tell me how you liked or disliked it. Also, if you live in Nashville and want to meet up with the members of Ember Days, let me know. They’re keen to make some new friends in Nashville!

Oh what a privilege it was to experience U2 live in concert last Friday in Auckland, NZ! When I first found out they would be playing here I thought it would be a long shot for me to go. But my prayer was answered and I made the road trip to Auckland with my new buddy Jono. Here are 6 reasons why it was an unforgettable night(please excuse my iphone quality pictures):

1. It was a “Beautiful Day” – the weather was amazing! You could not have asked for a better night. The sunny day gave way to a cool, clear night and a nice breeze to cool off our sweat.

2. I had the privilege of sharing the experience with two great friends – I mentioned Jono, who let me drive his car while he slept on the last leg of trip to Auckland. We also picked up Amy Stephens from the airport on the way. It makes all the difference when you can share an incredible experience like that with people you know and love.

3. The “360 effect” – for those of you who aren’t familiar with the U2 360 tour, it’s insane! It has to be the biggest, baddest, most impressive concert experience ever(and I don’t say that lightly). The stage setup looks like a spaceship with a huge circular ring running all the way around it for the band to walk out and interact with the whole crowd.

4. The Inner Circle – as if the production wasn’t enough on it’s own, we somehow managed to get the best spot in the house, inside the stage and the circle, the area known as the “inner circle.” I had been told that you had to arrive 9 hours before the concert started to get a coveted spot inside. We showed up 3 hours before the show and walked right in! Words can’t explain how awesome it was to be so close, surrounded by thousands of screaming fans. A few times, Bono walked around the outer circle and faced away from us towards the rest of the crowd. From where we were, I found myself imaging what it must be like to be Bono and look out on 50,000 people singing along with him. Wow!

5. The sound – I actually saw U2 on this same tour last year in Atlanta, Georgia. We had seats behind and farther from the stage for that show. The sound in the Georgia Dome was OK, but not stellar. The Auckland show, however, had incredible sound. According to my friend Jared who was at the show, the sound rig was the biggest he’s ever seen. The speakers were mounted so high but faced right down toward those of us in the inner circle. Aside from being extremely loud, the sound was crisp and clear. We could hear every one of Bono’s words and every one of Edge’s guitar licks. So incredible!

6. It was a Spiritual experience  – I had trouble explaining how this was possible to other friends who hadn’t seen U2 before. But afterward I think they understood. To join tens of thousands of other people all packed in and all focused on the band and to sing along with hands raised is truly a spiritual experience. Many people may not have realized this, but a U2 concert is, in my opinion, a giant worship session – not to any man but to our Creator. I’ll never forget as Bono sang “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” As my friend Jono said, that song truly captures our longing for heaven, despite any earthly satisfactions we experience.

In a way, that feeling also captures the essence of a U2 concert. I can’t think of a more intense, emotional and intimate musical or entertainment experience. It was an absolutely unbelievable night, and I so, so thoroughly enjoyed it. Any yet still, as good as it was, it left me wanting more. I can hardly wait for that more.