General

April Travels and Lectures

 

If you live in Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia or West Virginia, then there is a good chance I will be speaking somewhere near you in April! If so I would love to see you!
 
I’ll be in West Chester, OH , Maysville, KY, Charleston, WV, Cleveland, OH and Richmond, VA in early April and then Austin , TX and Berkeley, CA then end of April. To check out the specifics click here and find your location!
 
If you know of any good photo ops between Dayton area and Charleston (along the river or nearby) please let me know, I have some time for photography! Send info to lewis@lewiskemper.com.  Last year when I was in Ohio I spent time at Hocking Hills (pictured here). I hope I find somewhere as nice!
 
Take care,
 
 


 

Great time at NANPA and more!

I had a great weekend in Jacksonville, FL for the North America Nature Photography Association summit. It was great to see some old friends and to make some new ones. Both my presentations, “Light. Color, and Composition” and “Lightroom Essentials: Mastering the Library and Develop Modules”, went very well and I got great feedback! Thanks to all those who attended and to Canon for sponsoring me at the event!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Susan Milestone, Corey Hilz, me, Deb Sandidge, Tony Sweet
 
There were great presentations by Art Wolfe, Dan Cox and James Balog, as well as George Lepp, Greg Downing, Mike Moats and several others. A good time was had by all. If you didn’t make it, I hope you check out NANPA and join us next year!
 
 
 
 
I have been reworking some older HDR images using the new PhotomatixPro/Lightroom
technique for putting them together. If you missed the tutorial you can find it here.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
We have just posted info for next year’s India trip! If you want to have a great photographic experience and visit an amazing country, join me! I am only taking eight lucky photographers on a photographic adventure of a lifetime!

 

Take care,

 

Upcoming winter presentations

 

Greetings Everyone,
 
 I hope your New Year is off to a good start! I am busy, giving my third Digital House Call lesson of the year today and getting ready for all my upcoming speaking engagements. I want to highlight some of the upcoming speaking engagements and classes in this newsletter.
 
January
 
Off to sunny Florida for Fotofusion , “The 18th Annual International Festival of Photography and Digital Imaging Where Creativity and Technology Fuse.” There will be over 50 presenters speaking on topics from Conservation photography, portraiture, Photoshop, Lightroom, making ebooks, sport photography, iPhone photography and much, much more! Some of the speakers in Joyce Tennison, Vincent Versace, Jack Davis, John Reuter, Craig Blacklock, Dan Burkholder, Jimmy Colton, Robert Farber, Carlton Ward, Jr, and Rob Sheppard, plus many, many more! There are lectures, field trips, portrait sessions and more.
 
I have spoken at 16 of the past 17 Fotofusion events and I am really looking forward to going this year! This year I am giving two computer labs, one on Raw processing and one an introduction to Lightroom 4. I am also giving a talk on “Taking Advantage of Digital” highlighting all the wonderful techniques we can do with digital such as High ISO, Custom White Balance, HDR, Pano Stitching, Focus Stacking, Black and White Conversions, Tone Mapping, Time Lapse and more. I am also doing portfolio reviews. For more info go to: http://www.fotofusion.org/
 
February
 
Starting off local on Feb 2nd with a day long workshop at Yolo Basin Wildlife Area - working on Light, Color and Composition, doing a field session in the wildlife area followed by a critique/review of the images. For more info go to: http://www.yolobasin.org/gag.cfm
 
Then I am off to Munster, Indiana on Feb 16th for the Calumet Region Photo Club 4th annual Photography Clinic. And then flying directly to sunny (and hopefully much warmer!) West Palm Beach, FL to teach my weeklong class, Digital Workflow for Nature Photographers: From capture to print, starting on the 18th. This is a great opportunity to spend a week with me taking pictures, editing images and creating prints from our endeavors. For more info go to: http://www.workshop.org/pages/lewis-kemper-digital-workflow-nature.php
 
From there I will be heading to northern Florida to Jacksonville for the North America Nature Photographer’s Summit and Trade Show. This is a must for any avid nature photographer! This year has a great line up of guest speakers including myself, George Lepp, Robert Glenn Ketchum, Mary Virginia Swanson, Tony Sweet, Clyde Butcher, Karine Aigner, James Balog, Daniel Cox, Greg Downing, Suzi Eszterhas, Art Wolfe, Guy Tal, Rob Sheppard Mike Moats, Piper McKay and more! The best line up ever! 
 
I will be giving a Break Out Session on Lightroom Essentials; Mastering the Library and Develop Modules and also giving a pre summit workshop, Advance Your Skills Boot Camp: Light, Color and Composition. I will also have a booth in the trade show selling my training DVDs “The Photographer’s Toolbox for Photoshop” and “The Photographer’s Toolbox for Lightroom” For more info: http://www.naturephotographysummit.com/
 
 
March
 
Next I travel to West Chester, OH on the 16th for a Digital Day for more info: http://westchesterphotoclub.org/Events/View/95025c9c-e3bd-4e20-a088-579d256e6530
And then back to Florida on the 18th for an Evening with Lewis Kemper at Boynton Beach, for more info: bbcc.photoclubservices.com
 
I will save April for another time!
 
Take care,
 
 
 
 
 
 


 

Looking back at 2012

As 2012 comes to an end I just wanted to share good wishes to all and the hopes of a wonderful, healthy, happy and prosperous New Year!


I took the time to look back on my favorite images that I took in 2012 and narrowed it down to my top 10!  So here they are in no real order!


 

 

 

Enjoy,

 

1Dx vs. 5DM3

 

The 1Dx vs. the 5DM3
 
As I mentioned in my last newsletter/blog I had ordered a Canon 1Dx camera since Canon updated the firmware to allow it to autofocus with lenses of f/8 as the largest aperture, thus allowing me to use my 100-400mm with my 1.4 extender and my 500mm with my 2x extender. I have not had time to use it in the field but I did put it through a barrage of tests in my yard and house. So this text will not be a review of the autofocus system but more a review of the quality. I was in a quandary as to which camera to take with me on an upcoming trip to India. I already knew I was taking a trusty 1DM4 for the tiger portion of the trip since I will only have my 100-400mm lens with extender and I want the extra reach the 1.3 crop factor would give me. My dilemma was which other body should I carry for my primary camera the 1Dx or the 5DM3? (nice dilemma to have!)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Canon 1Dx ISO 5000 at 1/500 sec f/5.6 500mm L lens with some noise reduction in LR
It was virtually dark out and I was able to shoot at 1/500 of a second and get great images!
 
In the past I always carried the 1DsM3 as my primary with the 1DM4 as my longer lens camera. But on trips such as this I find I take 80-90% of the images with my 24-105mm on my primary camera. So I was used to a 21 megapixel camera and I wondered if the 1Dx would be enough or if I needed the 5DM3. So I began testing the 2 cameras side by side at different ISOs and I found the 1Dx is 1- 1.5 stops better at high ISO than the 5DM3. This will be important because at the Pushkar camel fair, I plan to go out early and catch the traders setting up and lighting their fires for morning tea, etc and it will be fairly dark. So the 1Dx won that test. 
 
I also tried focusing in low light to see which was better.  I found that neither of them can focus in low light if you are in Servo Mode, but if you switch to Single Shot they can.  In this test the 1Dx was noticeably better. Another win for the 1Dx.
 
Next was printing large files, because most any camera looks good on the web, the real test is making big prints. I have a Canon ipf6300 24 inch printer and I typically print 16 x 20 prints but my largest common size that I can print is a 24 x 36 which actually I print at 22 x 33 so I have a border. I found that with the 5DM3 I can print a 25.6 x 38.4 with no interpolation (I print at 150PPI on my Canon printer but that is a whole other article!), with the 1Dx I can create a 23 x 34.56 print with no interpolation. That means I am downsizing either file to make the largest print I make on my printer. I was surprised that in a real world printing situation there was not much size difference between the two. I printed a 22 x 33 inch print from each camera and they were identical. So in this case it was a tie!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Canon 5DM3  at 100 ISO - It too takes great images!
 
 
I also wanted to compare image quality at 100 ISO because to be honest  I take 95% of my landscape images at 100 ISO. Here again it was a tie. If printed a section from each camera at its native file size with no interpolation I could not see a difference in the print.
 
So I found out they are both great cameras making beautiful prints but the fact that the 1Dx is 1- 1.5 stops better at high ISO, has twice the frame rate as the 5DM3 and a slightly better autofocus system, better low light focus ability, and is better weather and dust sealed (India is a dusty place!), stronger overall build, and the 1Dx has an amazing set of options for programming the camera and its buttons, I decided there was no benefit of owning the 5DM3 for me since I have the 1Dx. 
 
This doesn’t mean the 5DM3 is not a fine camera, it is! It just means that these two cameras are so close in quality that there is no need to have both. It comes down to needs, uses and of course money, which one is best suited for you. I hope this may help any of you that were considering either one as a purchase. Either way you can’t go wrong!
 
Take care,
 
 


 

Firmware update and update on 2013 Bear Tour

Hi there,

 
I am gearing up for my trip to India next month. Hopefully there will be some good images to share soon!
 
I just want to share some news and some links in this newsletter.
 
In case you have not heard, Canon has updated the firmware for the 1Dx camera to allow it autofocus with lenses that have a maximum aperture of f/8. Originally the camera could only autofocus if the lens had a maximum aperture of f5.6, this was a departure for 1 series cameras and left many wildlife photographers disappointed, myself included, because it stopped me from using my 100-400 f4.5-5.6 lens with my 1.4 tele extender and my 500mm f/4 with my 2 x tele extender. I was hearing so many great things about this camera but I held off buying one because of this shortfall. Well now that they have solved that problem I have one on order and I can’t wait. Everything I hear about the camera tells me it will help raise the level of my wildlife images. For more info on the firmware update click here. Once I have time to evaluate my new camera I’ll let you know my thoughts!
 
Here is an image I did take with one (thanks to my friend Miki who lent me hers!). I was really impressed with the autofocus system.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
And the second thing I want to share is that I now have dates and pricing for my Bears and Bears and Bears Oh My! tour for June 30- July 4 2013.
 
 
Once again this past summer's Bears, Bears and Bears Oh My! workshop was one of the most amazing experiences of my life! I was photographing wild brown bears just yards from where I was standing with no fear of the animals! I have photographed a lot of brown bears before, in Denali, Glacier, Yellowstone and other Alaska locations but I have never been this close to these magnificent creatures without fear. All the other parks have restrictions on how close you be to the wildlife, no such restrictions take place here. People and bears have co-existed for years. The bears go about their business of survival hardly paying attention to the people. At this time of year you will see mating behavior, grazing, nursing, clamming and going about their day-to-day existence without any restrictions! There will be bears on the beaches, bears in the meadows and lots of interactions between mothers and young! It is a once in a lifetime experience that you will never forget!
 
Price: $ 3995 for double occupancy (Single occupancy may be available but we will not know until it gets closer to departure date. Single supplement is $ 400)
 
 
Price includes:
 
Round trip airfare from Anchorage to the lodge, 4 nights lodging and meals, guides and ground transportation (quads pulling a trailer) while at the lodge, boat charter to an island to photograph seabirds, photographic instruction, and all tips to guides and lodge staff.
 
For more info click here.
 
Take care,
 
 


 

Back from Bears, Bears and Bears, Oh My!

 I just got back from 4 days photographing Coastal Brown Bears, in Lake Clark National Park, Alaska. It was a blast. We started out with 3 days of beautiful weather, a rarity for Alaska! Four tour participants accompanied me, and they all had a great time and got some amazing images! We got to see a variety of bear behavior including: gorging on grasses in the meadows, clamming at the beach, scratching backs on logs, playing in the ocean, play fighting among siblings, and a mother with 3 cubs! I took over 7,000 images in 4 days! Maybe you’ll be one of the lucky participants that go with me next year!

 
I photographed all the bear images with two Canon 1D Mark 4 cameras and two lenses, my 500mm f4 L lens using both the 1.4 and the 2x teleconvertors as well as my 100 – 400. I set the camera to 1/640 sec at f/11 and adjusted my ISO accordingly. If the light got really low I varied from this by opening up the f stop and/or slowing the shutter speed. ISO varied from 100 – 1250 depending on light. All the images with the 500mm were taken on my Feisol CT 3373 tripod with a Really Right Stuff BH-55 Ball Head and a Wimberley Sidekick. With the 100- 400, I either hand held or used my Cotton Carrier with the Steady Shot. I wore the camera with the 100-400 on the Cotton Carrier while I used the 500mm mounted on the tripod. I also got to try out my blazing fast new Lexar 1000x 32 GB CF card! It is fast!
 
Here are a few sample images, to see more go click here to go to my Mammals portfolio on my website. The bears are on pages 2-3 but while you are there check out the other images too!
 
                
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Take care,
 
 
 
 
 

Venus Transit

 

I photographed the transit of Venus yesterday as the planet passed before the sun. The next transit will not happen for another 115 years! While it was not as visually exciting as the annular eclipse, it was still exciting to witness!
 
Technical data: Canon Rebel T2i; Canon 500mm f/4 lens with a 2x converter, Feisol CT-3372 tripod, Baader Solar Filter, 1/500 sec, f/10 at ISO 200, Lexar 16GB SD card
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Annular Eclipse May 20, 2012

 

I had a great experience this weekend photographing the annular eclipse of the sun. For those of you who don’t know what that is, an annular eclipse occurs when the moon passes before the sun but is not close enough to earth to cover the full disc of the sun, so there is still a ring of sun the shines around the moon. I have been a bit of an eclipse chaser for 40 years. In 1972 I went with my best friend to the Gaspé Peninsula to meet our high school science teachers to see the total eclipse. Unfortunately we got clouded out and ended up watching the eclipse on television. I then went with a group of friends to the 1991 total eclipse in Baja, Mexico. That was great and we had over 7 minutes of totality! So when Sunday’s eclipse was passing just hours from my home I had to go.
 
I hooked up with a photographer friend, Dave Henry, who shoots for the local paper here, The Sacramento Bee. We originally planned to go to Mt. Lassen National Park to view, but the day before we heard some weather forecasts predicting clouds for that area, so we changed plans and headed for Fallon, Nevada. We scouted around for a few hours before the start of the eclipse and chose a site located on a hill at the edge of town that hosts some microwave towers. Dave was working 2 cameras and I had 3 going. I was shooting a wide angle shot (which I messed up!), one camera with a 100-400mm lens and one with a 500mm lens with a 2x teleconverter. I put my full frame 5DM3 on the 100-400, I used my 1DM4 with a 1.3 crop on my 24-105mm for the wide angle shot and I used my son’s Rebel T2i on the 500mm to give me a combined 1600mm with the crop factor and the converter. All the lenses had solar filters made from Baader Solar Film.
 
The image of the eclipse with the mountains is made up of 21 exposures taken with the 500mm lens of the eclipse and one exposure of the landscape made with the 5DM3, all composited in Photoshop. The image above is just the 21 exposures taken with the 500mm. (click on the images to see them bigger)
 
 
It was worth the trip, and now I look forward to 2017 when we have a total solar eclipse going right through the middle of the US! 
 
Maybe I'll see you there!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 

Fun at home!

 

I am as guilty as the next photographer; I too like to travel to various locations to take images, whether they are landscapes or wildlife. But sometimes you don’t have to stray very far.
 
The day after I received my Canon 5DM3 camera a once a year ritual took place in my backyard. I have a very large pyracantha bush just outside my office door and every year a flock of Cedar Waxwings comes and strips the bush of all its berries. Unfortunately they never announce when they are coming so it is hit or miss whether I get to witness the feeding frenzy! But fortunately I was here and more than willing to test out the new camera. I needed to shoot a fast shutter speed (1/640 sec) and I wanted to maintain some depth of field (f/11) so I needed to shoot at ISO 4000. It was a great test for the new camera! As you can see the camera preformed quite well!
 

 
 
Canon 5DM3, Canon 500mm f/4 L lens, Feisol CT-3372 tripod, Really Right Stuff BH-55 Ball Head, Wimberley Sidekick, Lexar CF cards
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sunday I awoke at 3 AM to drive with some friends to photograph the “super moon”. We picked an area near Birds Landing, CA to get the wind turbines in the background.
 
 
Well that wasn’t the most successful photo shoot I ever went on, but when I stumbled home at 9 AM I pulled in my driveway to see one of the newborn bluebirds poking it’s head out of my bluebird box and the parents were busy feeding. I parked at the end of the driveway and lined up my angle. I quickly ran in the house to get my Vacu-pod (www.Vacu-pod.com) and mounted the Canon 500mm f/4 L lens on my Canon 1DM4, on the Vacu-pod stuck to the driver’s side window, with the Really Right Stuff BH-55 Ball Head. I needed even faster shutter speeds (1/1000 – 1/2000) so I was shooting at ISO 400 (it was very sunny) at f/8- f/11. I took the best pictures of the day 30 feet from my front door. I could have slept in! And I even got to listen to the radio as I photographed!
 
 
To see more of both bird shoots click here to view my bird images on my website - the Cedar Waxwings are on the first page and the Western Bluebirds the second page
 
 
 
 

It just goes to show you, you don’t always have to travel far to make great pictures!


 

Have a great day,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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