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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She's a Grand Old Flag

June 14th is flag day.  It is celebrated in this country every June 14.  

Here's a little history of Flag Day:

On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress proposed that the United States have a national flag instead of the British Union Jack.  The 13 stars of the flag represented the 13 new states.  There weren't many public ceremonies honoring the Stars and Stripes until 1877, when on, June 14, it was flown from every government building in honor of the centennial of the adoption of a national flag.  It wasn't "official" until 1949 when President Harry Truman designated June 14th as Flag day.

For all the controversy, it is interesting to point out that the United States did not even have a standardized flag until 1912.  Called the "Stars and Stripes," or "Old Glory," the flag is one of the most complicated in the world. No other flag needs 64 pieces of fabric to make.  The current flag has 13 red and white alternating stripes (representing the original 13 states) and 50 stars (each star represents one of the states of the Union) on a blue background.

In honor of our country's symbol, recognized around the world, here are a few pictures of flags that I took.

click on an picture for a larger image:

Hand over your heart for the pledge of allegiance. 

The Pledge was written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy.  

The words "under God" were added in 1954

This is the old Coca-Cola bottling Company building on Morehead St. In Charlotte,NC, all decked out in red, white, and blue bunting and flags.

I took this "neon" flag shot in NYC near Times Square.

Veterans at a rally in Charlotte, NC.

"Old Glory" waving in the sun

The "Stars and Stripes"among the flags of many nations 

in front of a Catholic Church.

A little selective color highlights the red, white, and blue in this shot.

A flag this size sure makes an impression.  This was taken at a political rally I covered in the fall of 2012.

Remember to fly your flag proudly 

Thanks for looking and "Happy Flag Day"

e-mail me at:    keith@keithlewisphoto.com

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We all cry for Eye-Fi

If the only pictures you ever take are with your iPhone, iPad, or whatever iteration of smartphone or tablet the cool kids are using these days, you may be able to skip this blog post and get back to that hotly contested game of Angry Birds you've been playing since Memorial day.  If however, you still take pictures with an actual camera (how Paleolithic of you), then you may want to read on. 

Before we move on to the description and review of today's product, let me set the stage a little bit.  I have been a photography nut for over 40 years.  Obviously, I started with a film camera and I loved shooting film.  I loved everything about it.  The smell, the feel, the ritual of opening the box, then the foil pack or plastic cup and pulling the leader out and threading it into the camera.  The slight feeling of dread that maybe you didn't get it hooked in quite right and the film wouldn't advance.  Then of course, you never knew if the picture was going to be any good until it came back from the lab.  Nothing like that feeling of opening the package of prints or the developing canister to see if the pictures or negatives were worth keeping.

I left the film world kicking and screaming, I still have a film camera and 4 or 5 rolls of film.  I resisted going digital for way longer than I should have.  When I finally took the megapixel plunge I fell hard and now I love everything about digital photography.  I think the average person does too, based on the fact that every day over 30 billion pieces of content are uploaded to Facebook.  Of course easily half of those are either cat photos or hand-held smartphone self portraits of teenaged girls.

Now we get to the fun stuff.  If you take actual pictures of actual things with an actual camera you want to do something with the photos.  I mean other than carrying your camera to the family reunion to show Maw-maw 436 pictures of little Henry from the past year on a 2 1/2 inch screen (Maw-maw doesn't see as well as she used to), OK, sorry, I've digressed again.  If you actually want to do something with those photos you have a few choices, none of them are bad.  You can hook up a wire from your computer to your camera, you can pop out the memory card and put it in a card reader on your computer, or you can take the memory card to Wal-Mart and put it in a reader there.  All these options are fine, but when you take as many pictures as I do it can get a little tedious.

Enter the little orange technological  marvel known as the Eye-Fi card.  Plug this little card into the SD card slot in your camera and when you take a picture, it automatically shows up wherever you want it to.  You can decide during set-up.  The photos can go to your lap-top, desktop, website, tablet, the cloud, your Flickr, or Facebook accounts just to name a few.  The Eye-Fi also geotags the photo with exact time date and location of the photograph.

 

I was given a couple of these babies to try a year or so ago and didn't have a lot of luck with them.  They wouldn't connect and the photos wouldn't upload properly if at all, so I sent them back and did things the old fashioned way.  Well recently I got one of the "new and improved" generation 2 cards.  I didn't hold out much hope and didn't rush into trying it. It comes with the card and a little cheap looking plastic USB card reader. See below.

 

   This time things worked.  I plugged it in to my laptop and things went very smoothly.  It connected immediately to my home wireless network and started guiding me through the setup process.  The whole thing took 15 minutes and I was taking test shots in no time.  This thing works really well and the payoff is that if you set it up right, you can take pictures at the reunion and when you get home they are already on your computer waiting to be edited.  Or, if Maw-maw has wireless internet and you have your tablet, you can show her the shots you just took, on a format a little easier for senior eyes to see.

There are a few drawbacks.  It would be great if you could feed directly into Lightroom or some other workflow product and avoid the tether for studio work, but it won't work like that yet.  Also if you set it up to feed directly to Facebook or some other social media site, be aware that every picture you take will be beamed immediately to the page you choose.  On the other hand, your pictures of the reunion will be on Facebook hours before the rest of the cousins even get home.  It can be slow, so don't get into a hurry but it has never failed me in thousands of shots.  The capacity  is small.  I have the 8 GB version and that only holds 250 or so pictures if you shoot in RAW like I do.  If you shoot RAW + JPG then the total will be significantly less.  You can set it up for "endless memory" which means it erases the file after it has been uploaded to make room for new files and you can shoot continuously, but I don't trust that feature yet. 

The cards are not cheap, street price about $60 for the 8 GB and $85 for the 16 GB but they have dropped in price quite a bit recently and should continue to get less expensive.

To sum it up, is this the only SD card I would carry?  No, or course not, but this card is always in the number 1 slot on my camera.  I haven't seen any loss of picture quality.  I love the automatic uploading and geotagging.  Even an inexpensive digital camera paired with a properly set-up Eye-Fi card is sure to be the hit of your next reunion.

keith@keithlewisphoto.com

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My Home Town

I am from Charlotte, NC and compared to a lot of my friends, I am an anomaly.  I am a native Charlottean.  While not all that uncommon for a person to still live in the city in which they were born, Charlotte seems to have more than its share of imports, and often when I tell someone that I was born here, I get a response like "wow, you're the first native I have met" Often this makes me feel like a fossil or at least a subject of some rare curiosity like Piltdown man or Bigfoot.  Then when I tell them the next line, they assume I have lived in a cave for 50 years.  You see, I have never lived or worked anywhere more than 3 miles from where I live right now.  I am a throwback to the days when people were born, lived, worked and died all within a few miles radius.  But before we start making funeral arrangements (Forest Lawn Cemetery is literally 3 miles from my house) take a look at a few pictures of my hometown, Charlotte, NC.

If you are from Charlotte you may recognize some of the places.  Some are shots of places that were established long before I was born.  If you have moved away, some of the pictures may be unfamiliar to you as things have changed quite a bit over the years.

Click on any picture for a larger image

Above and below are some of the art pieces at "the square" the corner of Trade and Tryon.

 Above is the old Coca-Cola Bottling Co. on Morehead St.  all decked out for Memorial Day.

Below is the entrance of the old Wachovia Building.  This was quite an impressive building back when it was built.  It was a landmark of the night skyline for years, bathed in bright white light on all four sides.  Wachovia was recently acquired by Wells Fargo.

 Above is the sign from Ratcliffe's Flowers, a now closed uptown Charlotte institution. 

 The sign now hangs outside of a restaurant.

Below is Fuel Pizza.  It resides in an old Pure Oil service station on Central Ave.

 Above is Herrin Brothers Coal and Ice Co. on 36th Street

Below is the statue of Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg that greets all travelers at the Charlotte airport

 Above is a shot of the outside of the NASCAR Hall of fame 

Below is a shot from inside the Hall of Fame

I am working on a calendar of iconic places in Charlotte. 
Maybe one or two of these pictures will make the cut.

E-mail me if you have a suggestion for a must-have shot for the Calendar

keith@keithlewisphoto.com

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