New Heights: The View Up There
It seems simple when looked at from a broad perspective You see a perfect sunset. Your laughing child. The dog napping in a late afternoon sunbeam. You take out your smartphone or camera and push the button. Maybe the picture gets posted on Instagram tagged #nofilter. Or maybe you select a filter to give the mood more depth. Or run the photo through your favorite photo editing software.
However, have you thought about a photo from a different angle? About using something you can manipulate from the beginning of the photo by using the manual settings? What about from a drone, flying upwards of 400 feet?
White light. F-Stops. Aperture. Shutter speed. Knowing combinations for the subject matter can take a great photo to extraordinary. Using those combinations while flying a drone becomes all manner of spectacular.
Meet Michael Kemp. By day, he is the Market Quality Manager for Safelite AutoGlass. Referred to as “The Picture Guy” by his co-workers, he took his new hobby of flying drones to a whole new level. When Michael saw the amazing art that can be achieved from a different, new vantage point, it was as if he finally found his true creative calling.
He jokes that he’s reluctant to call himself a photographer because “that seems so professional.” Given the sheer beauty of Nashville that Michael has already captured, he’s certainly a photographer.
Michael admits he never leaves home without all of his gear for fear of losing the perfect shot. “Sunrises, sunsets, and long exposures are what I enjoy the most but nothing beats those shots of the Nashville skyline at night!”
His passion shines through as he takes advantage of the digital age we live in: “All I try to do is share with the social media world something in a way they have never seen before. In a time where everyone is caught up in the negative opinions and views of others and filling their minds with hate, I find great joy in capturing, editing, and sharing photos that I create. My hope is that while the person viewing my photo temporarily escapes reality and are guided into the content of that I share.” His excitement is contagious.
Currently, Michael is learning how to move from automatic mode maximize manual mode on a DLSR, pursuing his FAA certification (part 107), and talking/ learning with other local photographers. One day he hopes to get active in commercial aerial photography as a hobby which would then translate into a new career.
“I don’t see myself getting away from it, only growing in it,” he says.
Michael Kemps is a devoted family man. He lives in Nashville with his wife of eight years, and their daughter and three boys. He loves dogs saying, “Chihuahuas are my life.”
Follow Micheal’s viewpoint on Instagram.
By: Heather Clift