Dunbar Wine Cellars

I recently had the opportunity to finally visit a location on my "Want to go there and photograph that" list, the Dunbar Wine Cellars. "Wine cellars, why wine cellars" you ask? Because these particular wine cellars were originally built in the 1850s. That's right, these babies are over 150 years old and so definitely make it onto the above mentioned list.

They were a bit difficult to find at first because the direction signage was a bit obscure, but once we were on the right track it was easy going from there. It's always exciting, for me, to wonder and anticipate how a location is going to look like in real life and it's a thrill to visit new locations first hand and the Cellars were no exception. Being able to see them with my own eyes, feel the aged stone, smell the dampness of centuries of water leakage and feel the cool 52 degree F temps of the inside compared to the 70 degree F temps of the outside for myself was a thrill. Adding icing to this cake was being able to photographic it so I too can preserve it's memory and also be able to share it with others so they too can know of these simple yet wonderful wine cellars.

Below are a few of the photos taken at the Dunbar, WV Wine Cellars.

Dunbar Wine Cellars

Central Cellar Entrance

Central Cellar Keystone

Central Cellar Interior

Family Cabin @ Dunbar Wine Cellars

Explaining G+

So often I see people say that this site just "isn't doing it for them" or "I'm just not getting it" that I figured I'd offer a short simile to help people understand what G+ is all about.

Say there is a social event at a local hotel which is open to anyone. Now, say you hear about this event and decide you want to go check it out. Maybe you see a hand full of people you know or maybe you don't know anyone, either way you find a place and chill. Say there are hundreds if not thousands of people at this event but you're pretty much staying in one place and not saying/doing much. Let's even say you brought a photo of your work to show off and you're holding it up. If you're not being very social at a social event, chances are you're just not going to enjoy the event that much or really get much out of it. So what do you do? Mingle! Go join conversations elsewhere, approach people and start up a conversation, go up to another person that's holding up one of their photos and say something about it, go to another conversation and mention the great photo you just saw "over there".

The Facebook mentality is not going to get you very far here. FB is primarily for re-connecting with people from your past whereas G+ is for connecting with people for your future. It's a different beast altogether and as soon as you realize this the sooner you'll reap the benefits of the site.

My Smoke Photos Set-up

A few people had expressed interest in how I did my smoke photos so I decided I'd do a short write up on it.

Quick Gear Breakdown:
Nikon D5000
NIKKOR 50mm 1:1.8 lens
Tripod
1 Headlamp
2 Handheld flashlights
1 Black backdrop
1 Incense holder
1 Incense stick
1 Remote shutter release

As you can see from the list it was a pretty simple and basic setup. One thing I'll mention right off the bat is that you don't necessarily need a 50mm 1.8 lens, any lens with a wide aperture ability is fine (around 2.0 or larger). Also any lens that either isn't auto-focus or you can turn the auto-focus off is a really, really good idea...pretty much a necessary actually.

First things first:
Set up your black background, incense holder and stick.

Second:
Set up your camera and tripod. When doing this try to keep in mind where the smoke will be rising and how much of the "smoke trail" you want to capture. I had my camera positioned so I could capture about 8 - 10 inches of the "smoke trail". Also set your view up to exclude the burning end of the incense stick and try to keep the camera level.

Third:
Before lighting the incense stick, with the light on, put something directly over where the smoke will be rising and lock in your focus on that. I had my wife use her had so I could get the right focus. Also, if your camera has a live view feature I highly recommend using it and the magnify option if you have that as well. The reason for this is that you'll be able to get a crisper focus by using them.

Fourth:
Shut all windows and doors, turn off all fans and vents and limit movement and talking to a minimum. This will help maintain a photograph-able "smoke trail". Light your incense and wait a minute or two for the "smoke trail" to become regular and steady. Position the light/s so that it/they illuminate the "smoke trial" how you like. A really good standard position for at least one light is behind the smoke or back-lit. However, when you do that make sure it is not shining into your lens as this will effect your exposure.

Fifth:
Using a remote shutter start taking photos of your smoke. You may need to adjust your aperture and light sources a few times but in no time you'll be capturing awesome "smoke trails" your self. I do also need to mention that you'll have to learn the timing of your camera vs what you want to capture. This also takes very little time and is quite easy to get used to.

OK, there you have it. My quick, easy and simple set-up for shooting smoke. I hope this helps and if you have any questions or need any help please feel free to contact me and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

The Past Year vs The Next Year

As I sit here literally on the brink of a new year I find myself looking back so that I can plan for my future. For me this past year can be broken down into two very large categories, the good and the bad. Sure, I could list every single occurrence in those two groups but that's not how I see them.

How I see them is like this; I grew and improved my personal relationships, I spent way too much time forced to sit on my ass.

2011 was a really bad year for me physically. I spent about 80 - 85% of the entire year unable to walk and so, chair ridden. I went through a lot of pain, dealt with a lot of frustration and missed out on a lot of events. So ya, it really wasn't a good year in that respect.

However, it was a really good year for me relationship wise. I've become much closer to both my wife and my daughter this year and I do believe that's related to my physical problems. You see, I've had to do a lot of...work...on myself because of my "handicap" or run the risk of going insane or worse, striking out at someone in anger. So the changes I've made with myself have helped me to deal with other aspects of my personal life, namely the acceptance of other's...unique personality traits. I've also been able to translate this to my online relationships as well, allowing me to form strong and meaningful bonds with many people, namely, on G+.

In looking back at the year, what have I learned that I can apply to the next year?
1. I need to work at finding out what the hell is wrong with me.
2. Though I've done well with my personal relationships, I know I can do better still.

Aren't "Resolutions" Really Just Photography Goals?

So there seems to be two major camps about New Year's resolutions: Those who make them and those who think making them is just stupid. Well to each there own of course but let me just interject something, if I may. That "resolutions" can really be used as photography goals.

One of the most repeated practices for success in just about every industry is; Set Goals For Yourself! From corporate leaders to sports celebrities to the successful pro photographer, they all seem to have that best practice in common. So instead of thinking about them as "things you'd like to maybe, hopefully, possibly getting around to doing sometime next year, why not make them goals for your photography.

Start by thinking of five things you'd like to accomplish in/with your photography in 2011.
Next ,write them down so that it's official. (As an EMT we had a saying; "If it's not written down, it didn't happen")
Next, set "due dates" for your goals, date's you think are feasible and fair but not too restricting.
Lastly, write out the things you need to do/get to accomplish your goals by your "due dates" and work to follow   them.

So you see, gone are the day's of New Year's resolutions. In their place are photographic goals.

Ciao for Now

~Levi

On Having Ideas

With so many people on G+ right now it seems that an idea presented into the stream can quickly get lost. Maybe because of this you get discouraged or even just give up. Well let me say from experience DON'T! Don't give up and don't start second guessing yourself and your idea. With the fact that there are millions of people on G+ the law of numbers tells us that you're not going to be the only one who likes the idea. You just have to work at finding those people and be persistent about getting it seen by others.

 

Now, I know there are others out there that have ideas but are too... apprehensive to even mention them and to you I say put it out there! You will never know how it's going to be received until you present it. Maybe start out with telling it to a close friend or someone you respect. Maybe even someone who's done something similar to what you're thinking. Whoever it is, the idea still needs to move from concept to possibility and to do that you're going to have to voice (type/write) it before that will even happen.

 

I've had plenty of ideas for G+ that after talking to others about them realized they just weren't that good. But has that stopped me from presenting more? Heck no and it's not going to. Not everything that pops into our head is going to be a winner but all it takes is that one and you've got yourself something special.

 

So, just take that step, take a chance and see what happens. If the first one doesn't work the next one may, or the next, but you won't know until you try.

 

Ciao for Now

 

~Levi

 

A True Photographic Legend

Rufus E. ‘‘Red’’ Ribble

 

Now I'd be surprised if you've ever heard of him and I'll admit that I hadn't until just last year. The fact that he's so unknown is quite unfortunate because that restricts people's knowledge of this amazing photographer as well as his work in preserving a very important time not only for this country but for this state as well. In addition to that, what is also interesting is the equipment he used and the photos he made while preserving history.

Rufus E. ‘‘Red’’ Ribble was born May 14th, 1878 in Blacksburg, Virginia. As a young man Mr, Ribble began his work in the southern part of West Virginia by photographing coal miners, coal towns, family reunions, club events, church congregations and school groups. Between 1919 and 1957 Mr. Ribble traveled the roadways and train tracks of Fayette, Raleigh, Kanawha, Wyoming, Boone and Nicholas counties producing a staggering 600 panoramic Cirkut photographs. In 1957 Mr. Ribble retired from the hustle and bustle of being a traveling photographer and on December 27th, 1967 Mr. Ribble retired from this life for good.

In addition to what Mr. Ribble photographed, it is also important to note what he used and what he produced. Rufus used a Cirkut Camera, circa 1907, which was most likely produced by the Eastman Kodak Co. after it's acquisition of the Century Camera Co. of Rochester N.Y. These cameras were able to produce negatives from 5" X 24" all the way up to 16" X 20 feet. However, Rufus produced a finished product of 8" by 4 feet. It is also important to note that these camera were also capable of producing a 360 degree view because of their spring wound clockwork rotation construction.

As you can see, Mr. Ribble isn't just another photographer he's a pioneer and a legend and should be remembered as such.

I hope you've enjoyed my little history lesson for today.

Here is a link to some of the the photos produced by Red