Happy 2015!

How time flies when you are having fun! 2014 has come and gone without any activity on the Manual DSLR site. Even so, people are still reading the articles. For that, I am appreciative.

My resolution for this year is to revive The Manual DSLR site by posting at least one photography article per month. I've been quite busy with writing projects of late, and haven't taken the time to post anything about photography projects.

At the very least I should have posted some photos from trips taken in 2014, which included:

• St. Pete Beach, Florida
• Dallas, Texas
• Nashville, Tennessee
• Lubbock, Texas
• Chincoteague Island, Virginia
• Baltimore, Maryland
• Rehoboth Beach, Maryland
• Portland, Maine
• Saint Theophile, Canada
• and others

See if you can match the iPhone snapshots below with the locations listed above. Some locations are not represented by photos. Answers will follow in a few days. 

This was the view from our hotel window. In what city will you find this iconic tower?

This was taken just after we took off from a dusty, windy city. Guess which one.

Which beach is this one?

This was taken during the golden hour at one of our destinations. Which one?

Where will you find this section of the Berlin wall?

Harvey's anyone? In what city was this taken?

This is the most exciting view I had on this business trip. I also came home with the flu.

So make your guesses in the comments section and watch this site to see if you are correct. Until later, then...

Book Cover Photo

I recently had an opportunity to make a photo for the cover of an upcoming book that I revised for Jones & Barlett Publishing. The customer needed a photo that would fit within a set cover template for the series, but the photos they had showed poor technique. With the help of my wife and son, who served as hand models for the shoot, I was able to quickly grab the shot and license it to the publisher for this book.

Here is the final cover image.

This image, and others, are available for licensing at our website. I hope to add many others to these in the coming months. 

The book may be ordered for advanced purchase here. 

Lake Superior Lighthouses

Split Rock Lighthouse, Minnesota

During a recent trip to the Minneapolis area, I had an opportunity to travel to Duluth to see Lake Superior. The first photo is of Split Rock Lighthouse and the second is of the Duluth Harbor South Breakwater Light.

Look for more images to be posted later. 

Duluth (MN) Harbor South Breakwater Light

Change in Twitter Name

As regular readers of this blog know, I began the Manual DSLR Project in 2010 to chronicle my journey of learning to use my Nikon D300 in manual mode. I also started a Twitter account using the name, manualdslr, through which I shared my post and other photos.

It is now mid-2013 and manualdslr does not clearly describe all that I do. Therefore, after receiving advice from Joe and Trevor at Digital Photography Cafe, I have changed my Twitter, Instagram, and tadaa name to...(drum roll please)...MikeKennamer. Oh well, that wasn't really all that exciting, was it?

My hope is that this new user name will help me to continue to connect with photographers, but also with writers and others that I know through my business, Kennamer Media Group, Inc.

Interested in hearing more about my decision to change user name? Are you considering a similar change? Then check out the Digital Photography Cafe show that addresses my question.

Shooting Big - Finished Product

In the last post I talked about some photos I shot for a graphic wrap for a 20' cargo trailer. The design was done by Rejas Business Solutions, using photos that I shot with my 12 megapixel Nikon D300. I am very pleased with the quality and clarity of the photos, especially since they are quite large. Rejas did a great job translating my ideas into the wrap.

The theme is "Industrial Strength" which plays off the industrial training programs at Northeast Alabama Community College.

The photos of the finished trailer were shot with my iPhone. I plan to shoot some better quality shots soon.

The largest print I had ever made before was a 30 inch canvas. It was fun to have a chance to shoot big. It just goes to prove that for most projects, more megapixels are not necessarily needed.

Now it's time to figure out to design the inside of the trailer...

All the best... Mike