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| Capitol Lighting Keith Hemmelman |
Keith
first became interested in photography as a teenager, an interest that came
from his mother who was always taking photos of his family. Keith remembers
getting a booklet many years ago published by Kodak that went over the basics
of photography and had a variety of examples showing the results of various
techniques. The final product that a camera is able to capture was amazing to
him.
The
book led him into photography. Keith has no formal training or experience with
photography, most of what he knows has been self-taught. His participation in
photography has varied greatly at different levels for many years, never really
taking it seriously until the introduction to digital cameras approximately 10
years ago. The fact that he worked in the computer field helped speed up his
transition to digital photography. Keith bought his first digital camera, and
never looked back to film. Photography has become his hobby and he hopes to
always keep it as a hobby and source of enjoyment.
Keith
currently shoots with a Canon EOS 5D Mark III camera and his most used lens is
a 24mm-70mm f/2.8 lens. He does have other lenses that he uses quite often
depending on whether he is shooting landscapes, wildlife, events, or portraits
of the family. Keith is an active member of the Central South Dakota
Photography Club and also actively participates in the South Dakota Photography
Facebook group. His main goal is to capture landscapes or moments in time and
present it such that it catches the viewer’s attention.
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| Collage of Four Images: Traveling Vietnam Wall, American Flag, Fireworks, Vietnam Memorial Statue Keith Hemmelman |
Keith
has advice to other interested in photography:
1. Start small! That doesn’t necessarily
mean to buy the cheapest or smallest camera, but rather curtail your desire to
go out and over purchase camera equipment. You can learn the basics of
photography with almost any camera.
2. Consider joining a local photography club
if there is one available. If not, look to the internet, such as Facebook, to
find a photography group to join.
3. For someone who is completely new to
photography and doesn’t know where to start, Keith highly recommends a book by
Bryan Peterson titled “Understanding Exposure, 3rd
Edition”. It will help explain the basics of photography, including the most
important item being the “photographic triangle”.
4. Just get out and shoot. Look at your
results, ask questions, and learn from it!
You
can visit his personal photo website to view many of his photos. The web
address is: http://hemmelman.zenfolio.com
.
Photography is what you want it to be
regardless of the quality or content of your images or what someone else might
think. So if you’re happy, then you are doing something right!