A time to celebrate

My wife and my mother are both cancer survivors.  My Mom is still going strong 25 years after her diagnosis and my wife is so new to the role of survivor that she sometimes has a hard time referring to herself with that designation.  When exactly does one pass through the "gates" of the various stages of this dreaded disease?  From oblivious, to newly diagnosed, to patient, to fighter, to survivor?  They are all different walks, depending on whose shoes you are wearing.  I hate to say it now, but I had no idea what my Mother went through.  25 years ago, I was a young know-it-all with small children and the thought of somebody I loved having cancer never really bored its way into my cro-magnon brainpan.  She was younger then than I am now, and she fought it with everything she had.  She whipped it and has continued to whip it every day for over 25 years.  When my wife was diagnosed less than a year ago, we both had, by this point in our lives, amassed enough experience to realize that things would never be the same, and boy were we right.  Newly jobless with no health insurance, we did the only thing we could think of -- we put our faith in God and each other.  Twelve months, 5 hospital stays, two outpatient procedures, 8 weeks of radiation, several rounds of chemo, and 4 trips to the emergency room later, we have learned a few things. 

     Our God is an awesome God.  My wife's mantra is "I am the child that Jesus loves"

     The Levine Cancer institute specifically and the entire Carolinas Healthcare System work tirelessly to make every single patient feel better every single day with no exceptions as far as I can see.

     The Levine Cancer Institute hires angels.  Every person we ever met at the LCI, from those that greet you at the front door to the doctors and all the staff in between, always exhibited the utmost in positive attitude and healing energy.  And believe me, that makes a huge difference.

     If you don't have a best friend to lean on you can still survive, but it will be harder.  Luckily I am married to mine.

     Celebrate life, celebrate something.  Eat breakfast at 9:00 and lunch at 10:30 if it pleases you.  Watch bad TV and read the National Enquirer if you want to.  Stay in bed all day or stay out all night if you feel like it.  Life is a gift, unwrap it and play with it.

Today my wife and I celebrated by attending the annual Survivorfest at Carolinas Medical Center.  She had looked forward to it for months and even bought new shoes (flashy gold flats) for the occasion.  We call the Levine Cancer Institute "Machu Picchu" because of the great energy we always find there.  Hopefully everybody at the event today found lots of energy to continue their "walk" for many decades to come.    

Here are a few pictures that I took at the Survivorfest:

click on any picture for a larger image.

 The men and women that work at the Levine Children's Hospital, Carolinas Medical Center and the Levine Cancer Institute are part of a rare group today. They never have to go through life wondering if they made a difference.

My wife with Sir Purr, the Panther's mascot

                        
 Lug Nut kept things lively

Lots of hugs for friends

Fun for the kids and adults too

The food tent was a popular place

Lots of pink everywhere, even the fire truck

 Windi the therapy dog was a big hit

 











 Face painting,   bounce house,    and slide...OH MY!

I have always been amazed at the large number of people that have cancer or are cancer survivors that tell me what a blessing the cancer turned out to be.  I know it sounds wrong or backwards but I have heard it time and time again.  I can't say for sure since I haven't walked the path of a cancer patient.  But I do know this -- my wife has walked that path, and she tells me daily how blessed she is.  "It allows your perspective to get a reboot" she says...and she's a pretty smart woman...and a survivor.

E-mail with questions, comments, thoughts or rants:

 keith@keithlewisphoto.com
 

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Main Street USA

 I was shooting a job for a client this week in Davidson, NC. and needed a few "general" pictures of downtown to add to the final package.  Except for the crazy busy traffic, downtown Davidson is a quintessential small American town.  I was there right about 5:00 PM on a weekday so, understandably, there was quite a bit of traffic.  It was, however, heavier than I expected.  This little area of North Carolina's Mecklenburg County is obviously a very popular place to live and work.

  Anchored since 1837 by Davidson College, Davidson, NC has, until recently, always been a very small, very quiet southern town mostly inhabited by college kids, professors, lifelong, mostly agrarian, residents, and lots of cows.  In the last 20 or so years, this region has become a favorite place to live with thousands upon thousands of houses and apartments built on hundreds of acres of former farm land.  Isn't it funny how success can often change a place?  I would imagine that the business owners on main street would be happy, but when I spoke to a couple, the opposite seemed to be the case.  One owner told me that business is OK but not great.  She said that all the traffic makes it hard for people that want to come and the usually full, on-street parking drives a lot of people away.  She said that all of the new residents have caused a building boom bringing stores of all types with lots of convenient parking just a few minutes away.  

 The double edged sword of progress cuts in many directions.  I suggest that you take the time to explore small-town America before it's too late.  Wherever you live, seek out the closest main street and take a stroll.

Here are some of the pictures from my walk in Davidson, NC

click on any picture for a larger image

e-mail me with comments or suggestions:   keith@keithlewisphoto.com
 

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"In the Bag"

Today we are going to look at what's in your bag.  Or more precisely, what's in my bag.  Or maybe even more precisely, what should be in my bag.  Of course, I'm talking about my camera bag.  I know what should be in my bag.  It's that one thing that I really need, or at least have convinced myself that I need and is not there.  Just last night I set up my photo booth at an arts market and forgot to bring the mounts for my speedlights.  I ended up using wire and tying them to the uprights of the booth and I guarantee that nobody but me noticed.  So would I list speedlight mounts as one of the essential pieces of equipment that should be in everybody's camera bag?  No, but I sure felt like a dope when I didn't have them.  On to more actual essential pieces of gear.  The things that you may be able to live without but will make things a lot easier if you have them.  I'm not going to list a camera body, lenses, filters, or speedlights.  While some of these are, of course, essential, it is also a very specialized thing, depending on what you are shooting.  Sometimes I leave the house with 3 bodies and 9 lenses, and four speedlights and use them all, so lets assume you know what camera/lens combos you will be carrying with you.  

These 9 items are kind of the cool little gear things that can make shooting easier.  So... Without further ado, I give you:

The top 9 things you really really need in your camera bag:

1. A Camera Bag.  Duh.  you need a camera bag.  I know plenty of women that carry a DSLR in their purse and I guess it works fine, but... really?  You need a real camera bag.  one with pockets and padding and a very comfortable shoulder strap and lots of room but not too much room.  I love the bags with the customizable innards.  The partitions that stay put with velcro that you can configure any way your heart desires.  I find myself changing the config almost every time I go out depending on what body/lens combo I am taking. 
   
    

Look for a good bag from Tamrac, Lowepro, Caselogic, Tenbra, Thinktank and many many more including all the major camera manufacturers.  Remember, don't go too cheap or too small. You may live to regret it.                                                                                                              

2. Cleaning cloths, or disposable wipes, cleaning solution, and one of those puffer things.  Even if you never leave your home your camera will need to be wiped off every once in a while.  Get a good quality lens cleaner in a spray or squirt bottle.  Spray a little on the cloth (not directly on the lens) and wipe the glass lightly to remove smudges, dust etc.  Now give the outside of the camera and lens a good wipe down as well. 

The little bulb blower thing is great for blowing dust out of crevices on the outside and if you are in a calm, not too bright preferably indoor environment, learn how to take the lens off of the body of your camera and raise the mirror to use the bulb blower to dislodge any specks of dust inside your camera.  Your camera and your pictures will thank you.

3. A good strap.  Whether you use the one that came with your camera or not is your call, but I wouldn't recommend it for extended shooting. See my blog post on the subject Camera Straps, the good the bad and the ugly    

4. Extra batteries for everything.  Camera, speedlights, remote controls, you name it.  If it takes batteries, take a spare.      

                                                                                           

5. A tripod.  If you can't manage to take a tripod, at least consider a monopod.  I always take a tripod with me and it can make a huge difference in your finished products.  I own a monopod but don't use it much.  I need to learn more about it. That will be one of my Autumn resolutions. I will learn how to use a monopod and will write a blog post about it.

6. Index cards and rubber bands.  A few index cards, some left whole and some cut into smaller triangles and squares make fantastic reflectors and diffusers for your built in flash or speedlight.  Use the rubber bands to hold them in place.  Experiment with them sometime, you may be amazed at the results.

7. Extra memory.  This one should have have been higher on the list but I am writing these as they come to me and I just thought of this but you need to carry way more memory than you think you need.  Keep in mind that shooting in RAW +JPEG fine you can only fit 156 shots on an 8gb card. For a several hour outing an extra card or two may be fine, but for a big overnight shoot or major vacation, take a dozen 32 gig cards or consider a transportable hard drive or even a laptop.  In the "old days" this would have been extra film but now that film is about a common as buggy whips, pack all the SD cards you can afford.

8. A flashlight.  I carry this small flashlight with a cord that I can hang around my neck and I can't tell how how many times it has saved me. 

The obvious use would be outside after dark, but think about being in a dark back corner of a church or in a cabin with no power, or a warehouse and you can probably see many uses.  I use mine when I need to change camera settings, or find something in my bag, or just to find the car keys that I dropped on the ground near my car after a shoot at 11:00 at night.

9. A pad and pen.  You will need to take notes, or write something down, or jot down directions, or take a lunch order. A pad of paper and a pen can often mean the difference between being able to find that great waterfall again and zipping right past on I-77. 

A smartphone is fine, but sometimes a scribbled note stuffed in your camera bag is all you need.






So is this everything you will need or want?  Not by a long shot, but it is a pretty good start E-Mail me with any tips, comments, or to yell at me about a crucial piece of equipment that I forgot to include. keith@keithlewisphoto.com
 

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A year...really?

I started this blog a year ago this month and my goal was to write a couple of times a week about all manner of photography related minutia.  If you've ever tried to do anything a couple of times a week for a year, then you know how easy it is to get distracted.  Life intrudes, someone gets sick, the weather is bad, I have a hangnail, bad hair day, budding arthritis, a new episode of Masterchef, and couldn't possibly type.  Fill in the blank with your favorite malady or distraction and you know that the best laid plans of mice and men blah, blah, blah...  So in the past year, I managed 44 posts.  Not too shabby in my book (noble justifications are my forte)  I am going to replay...repost....um...review, my top three most popular blog posts.  Please forgive my indulgence in narcissism but I am proud of this small body of work and am pleased that anybody takes the time to look at what I have put together.  Even on a bad hair day.

Thanks for the support.  I look forward to an even bigger and better year and continued growth as an artist in the future.









Now without further ado, here are the top 3 posts of the last year based on readership numbers and feedback:





Number 3.....

"Get me to the Greek" Click here to see the original post

Originally posted on September 13, 2012.
This was a few shots of the fantastic Greek festival that Charlotte holds yearly near uptown.  What a great event for photographers, lots of great colors, food, people, events, costumes.  It can make your head spin.  If you get a chance to attend any type of ethnic festival, grab your camera, lots of extra memory, and a comfortable pair of shoes.



Number 2.....

"Tokina 11-16 Review" Click here to see the original post

Originally posted on November 24, 2012
Equipment reviews always get very large numbers and lots of feedback.  Most photographers are "gearheads" and we really love the stuff.  I will sit for hours looking at websites with reviews, first-looks, and rumors about new cameras, gear, widgets, knick-knacks and....well you get the idea.  This was my most viewed gear review by far.  The Tokina 11-16 is such a fantastic piece of glass, I liked it then and I love it even more now.  I use it way more than I thought I would and if I lost it, I would be ordering a new one the next day.  If you are thinking about an ultra wide angle lens, and don't want to take the full plunge, consider renting one.  It takes a little getting used to but the learning curve is not too steep and you will soon be amazed at how versatile this lens really is. 





Number 1.....
"The Bride Wore Cowboy Boots" Click here to see the original post

Originally posted on September 4, 2012
This post contained a few pictures along with some of my thoughts about my Niece's wedding.  Lots of emotions about starting a life together and compatibility of personalities. This post had double the views and way more feedback than any other I've done in the last year.  I chalk it up to the love of being in love.  



Thanks for taking the time to stroll with me through some of the past year.  And thanks for all your support in the past and most definitely in the future.


e-mail me at:    keith@keithlewisphoto.com

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Nikon D-3100 Review

I know that Nikon's D-3100 has recently been replaced by the new, improved and upgraded D-3200 which is an awesome camera for the price.  I recently acquired a D-3100 and since they are still on the market and actually still the second best selling DSLR or, digital single lens reflex camera, on the market (Canon's EOS Rebel T3i is number one) I thought I would do a review of this entry level gem.  There are tons of these cameras still available, sold as new, "new, old stock" or used.  Prices range from a couple hundred dollars to over $450.  Check Craig's list,  Ebay, and your local classifieds.  Another good place is the used department at your local camera store, as a lot of people upgrade to a better camera and trade in the old one.  

There is a lot to like about the D-3100.  

Click Here to see all the specs on Nikon's website

       Click on any picture for a larger image

The biggest thing I noticed, and the thing my wife loves, is the size and weight.  Much smaller and lighter than  higher level offerings from Nikon, the D-3100 fits a smaller hand much better than the D-5100 or D-7100.  To me it feels a little unsubstantial and a bit like a toy, but, if I was on vacation and wanted to carry around a DSLR for fun family snapshots, I would most likely go for this one.

All images from this point were taken with the Nikon D-3100.

The sensor on this baby is a huge upgrade from the D-3000.  The D-3100 is sporting a 14.2 megapixel CMOS sensor.  The CMOS upgrade puts this camera on the level of all their more expensive DX format cameras.  It is a DX format with a crop factor of about 1.5 for all you "spec heavy" people.  All this means is that a 50mm lens on this camera will look and perform the same as a 75mm lens on a FX or full frame digital or film camera.  Important to keep in mind when choosing lenses.  The usually included kit lens of 18-55 will actually be more like 27-78, which is a range I happen to like.  

 
If you are used to the two control wheel style that Nikon has used for years, be warned that this camera only has one control wheel but it is very easy to learn and actually quite intuitive.  The only pause I had was setting the shutter and aperture on manual mode using the same wheel (hint, there is a small button in from of the trigger to press to control the aperture using the wheel)













Menus are set up pretty much the same as all Nikon's DSLR Cameras.  I suggest a read of the owner's manual for the finer points, but you will be taking good pictures very soon after opening the box.

The standard ISO range is really good at 100 to 3200.  An equivalent of 12,800 ISO makes it a fantastic choice for low light photography.  Standard SD slot supports all SD card formats, a large buffer,and, a 3 frame per second continuous shooting mode all add up to a great camera for shooting action, sports, dogs, or crazy kids. 

 Colors really pop using the vivid setting with in-camera saturation and sharpening settings.

Most of the features that you have come to expect from Nikon are available.  Active D-lighting, scene modes, Eye-Fi support, quiet mode, etc... are all present on the D-3100.  This one will not support Nikon's Creative Lighting System on its own, but it will if you add a SU-800 unit.  The built-in flash, as expected, is woefully underpowered, but the D-3100 works with all available Nikon Speedlight units. 



Not many drawbacks to this camera, but, there is one if you have some existing Nikon glass.  Not all lenses will autofocus on this camera.  It must be an AF-I or AF-S lens to autofocus.  The very popular G and D lenses that work fine on a D-5000 and higher will shoot fine but won't autofocus on the D-3100.  Check with the camera store before you buy any aftermarket lens for this camera.

If you are looking for a great little DSLR, check out the Nikon D-3100.

If you want to hear more from me about this camera, 
or have specific questions please:

e-mail me at:    keith@keithlewisphoto.com

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Manfrotto Befree Tripod Review

I've been in the market for a while now for a smaller, lighter weight but decent tripod to carry with me when I travel with my camera.  I have a very nice but very large and heavy Manfrotto tripod but what I was looking for was something I could fit in a standard camera bag or backpack.  

I was pleasantly surprised to stumble across the brand new befree from Manfrotto.

Check it out online at: Manfrotto.com






**click on any picture for a larger image**

A small lightweight, but sturdy tripod is one of those "holy Grail" items that has eluded photographers for years.  Recently with the advent of Carbon fiber, companies like Gitzo have entered the lightweight tripod market with a vengeance.  As long as you are willing to cough up over $1000 you too can enjoy one of the absolute best made, rugged yet lightweight tripods on the face of the earth.  If you would rather not spend that kind of money at this point in your photographic life, then you will no doubt, be looking towards an aluminum tripod.  The Manfrotto befree is one of the most recent entries into this market and while not all things to all people, it does a good job on most things and an OK job on the most important thing you want a tripod to do. (or in this case, not do)

The befree weighs in at around 3 lbs and is just a little over 15 inches long, folded for travel. It comes with a very smooth working ball head and a nice padded carrying case. 

It's shown here folded, laying beside the carrying case and a standard sized Tamrac camera case for perspective.







Since I already have some of their products, I appreciate the fact that the befree accepts the standard Manfrotto base plates.

I love the way the legs are fully adjustable at any angle and they fold up completely backwards, to cover the center beam and the ball head which is one of the ways they are able to get it to fold up so small.

Here is the befree beside its big brother,  the Manfrotto standard 055 model.  Both have the legs fully extended and the center beam all the way down.

The ball head works smoothly and is very intuitive and easy to use, even if you are not used to a ball head.  I mounted several camera and lens combinations, including some pretty heavy glass and it was secure, smooth, and steady on all of them.  The ratchet on the adjuster is a nice touch so you can rotate it to any angle that is comfortable without releasing the ball.






The befree is a very good traveling companion, but it's not perfect.  I had a few issues that I will discuss here:

• As far as I can tell, the ball head is not replaceable.  Normally the head would screw off and could be replaced with a different one. This would be important if yours broke or you wanted to invest in a Gitzo or Really Right Stuff head, or if you just wanted a different one to match your base plates.  I have an e-mail in to Manfrotto about this and it could be that the threads are tight, but I am scared to force it.  I will update this blog, if I find out different.

• It doesn't come with a tension adjustment wrench.  Not a big deal, they tell you to use a #25 Torx but not everybody has one of those.  How expensive can a little wrench be to throw in the case?

• Fully extended, it is still below my natural eye level.  Not a big surprise for a travel tripod, just a minor annoyance. 

• It is a little "wobbly" when fully extended.  This is a pretty big deal but not a deal breaker for me.  I know that with small thin legs extended all the way out you are not going to get a rock-solid platform.  It is nowhere near as steady as a standard tripod or a very high dollar carbon fiber travel tripod, but, and this is a big but, it is not bad.  Better than any other aluminum tripod anywhere near its price, and much better than most travel tripods I have tried.

Final thoughts - If you need a tripod that you can easily take with you, and you know you do, the Manfrotto befree is not a home run but it is a solid double or triple that does most things well and some things very well.  I suggest you find one and give it a try.

If you would like to know more about my opinions, or discuss it more in depth, or talk about where to get one, please e-mail me








e-mail me at:    keith@keithlewisphoto.com

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What's in the Background?

I was out today taking pictures of backgrounds.  Well, technically that's not correct.  Actually I was out taking pictures for backgrounds.  Pictures that may become backgrounds later in some of my work.  Most photographers have files of things that we shoot that we think are cool but are not really sure what  to do with them.  I have a file marked backgrounds that I keep full of fun things like clouds, snowy fields, tree lines, crowds, etc.  So...you may ask, what do you do with all those cool cloud shots?  With any photo editing program, there is almost no end to the things you can do, either just for fun, or, if you are a professional, to make the client remember you and seek you out for the next shoot.

Pictures speak louder than words, so how about a few examples?  I work in Adobe Photoshop so that will be my frame of reference, however there are similar adjustments to be made in nearly all photo editing software, from iPhoto that came on your Mac, or an app you downloaded for your phone, to Elements, ACDsee,Corel Paintshop, XARA, Serif, the list goes on and on.  

Here is a link to a list of the top ten free photo editing software: free photo editing software

The point is that changing backgrounds on a photo can be cool, necessary, or both.  

Here is my example, This is Christopher Liles owner and massage therapist at "Knead to Relax" in Belmont, NC.  I recently shot some pictures of Chris for his website and other advertising.

click on any photo for a larger image

This photo was purposely taken with negative space on the left side for placement of the logo and contact information.  That's great for getting the information to the potential customer, but what if you want to have some fun with this image? 

The first thing you have to do is get rid of the background.  In Photoshop, use the selection tool to isolate the background from the subject and hit delete on the keyboard.  You will end up with something that looks like this.  Now you need to import a new background.  In Photoshop you drag the new background up to the image you are working on and it automatically creates a new layer for the new background.

All you have to do is select the background you want to use.  See... now you know why I have a file full of cool backgrounds that I have saved.  This one was actually taken in my back yard.

All that's left to do is put them together using your software.  Now Chris looks like he is out in nature ready to give a massage under the blue sky and white fluffy clouds.

If you like things a little colder, here is the same shot with a "winter wonderland" background I shot the last time it snowed here.

The fourth of July is coming up soon, show your patriotism by inserting the "Stars and Stripes"

Or if none of the above are your cup of tea, then make your own textured background on almost any graphics design software and insert it the same way.

The point is simple, you can make it look like that photo of your dogs and kids that you actually took on your front porch was taken on the big island of Hawaii or in front of Niagra Falls.  All it takes is some photo editing software, and your imagination.

e-mail me at:    keith@keithlewisphoto.com

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