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,
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!
I just got word this morning that there is a chance I can add another Bears, Bears and Bears, Oh My! trip this summer to Silver Salmon Lodge in Alaska. The dates would be July 23-28 and the cost will be $3995 for double occupancy. This does not include travel to Anchorage and two nights stay in Anchorage (prior and post the bear photography). It does include everything once we leave Anchorage and return to Anchorage, so all charter flights, meals, lodging and tips from the 24th -27th are covered. I can only take 6-8 people so I need to know in a hurry if you are interested.
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.
images. For more info go to: 
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: 
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!
We are the luckiest photographers of all time! We have cameras that can make images that were impossible to photograph just a few short years ago. I can’t even imagine what it will be like in another 5 years! 
