KEH Stories: Scott Lewis

Here’s your insiders look into KEH Camera and the KEH team. Check out #KEHSpotlight each month where we’ll showcase team members. This month we interviewed Quality Assurance Inspector, Scott Lewis.

Hey Scott! Thanks for agreeing to share your background with our customers. To begin, please tell us a little about yourself.

Thanks for having me! I’m a Georgia native and a graduate of the University of Georgia. When I was in my teens, I had aspirations of being an automotive photographer, but by the time I got out of college I had turned into a fine art photographer, music photographer, as well as a musician myself. Going to school in Athens, GA can do that to you. After doing those things for a while, I found myself looking for more a stable vocation, which I found at KEH.

How long have you been a KEH employee? What is your role (s) here at KEH and what does it entail?

I just passed my 23^rd anniversary with KEH, so you could say I’m one of the old timers around here. My experience is vital in my role here as a quality assurance inspector, meaning I spend my day double checking the equipment and doing my best to make sure everything is up to our standards of excellence. The photography industry is pretty vast, so it can be a challenge keeping up with all the minutiae of decades of equipment!

Photography by Christina Hodgen

What is your favorite thing about your role here? How does your role support our vision/mission?

I’m a bit pedantic by nature, so my job is well suited to it. Also, it’s fun to go from early 20^th century equipment to the latest and greatest in the space of a day. Having a meticulous outlook helps me keep KEH’s quality standards as high as possible and lets us continue to be the benchmark for the used camera industry.

What excites you most about working at KEH? Why is KEH a great place to work?

I feel lucky to be involved in an industry, such as photography. It’s fulfilling to help people express themselves and have fun with an art form. Speaking of people, although it may be a cliché, KEH really does have a fantastic group of people working for it, and that’s what makes it special.

Photography by Christina Hodgen

Photography by Christina Hodgen

Are you a photographer? What cameras do you currently own and which are you currently coveting?

I’d call myself a semi-retired photographer. I still do it, but it’s mostly just for my own satisfaction now. I have a few ongoing projects I like to work on when the opportunity presents itself. A few years back, I made a monumental jump from Nikon to Canon equipment, mostly because of Nikon’s ever stricter repair policies. That said, I’m a firm believer in the philosophy of,  “The best camera is the one you have with you.” Cameras I find interesting these days are ones like the Blackmagic Design cameras and the Sony mirrorless cameras. Sony’s been hitting it out of the park lately. 

Here’s a fun question, if you could BE any camera what would you be and why?

I’d like to be a Nikon F3HP, I think. It’s a classic design by Giorgetto Guigiaro, my all time favorite Italian designer. It was the world standard for quite a while, and who doesn’t look good dressed in black with red pinstripes?

Do you have other special talents or hobbies?

I consider myself the official KEH “Car Guy”, meaning people come to me when they have questions about their automobiles. Besides cars, I enjoy cycling and playing music when I can. Obscure trivia about me — I once won a fencing match against a former member of the Portuguese Olympic Fencing team.

A quote/saying you live by?

Lately, my motto for getting through the 21^st century has been ,“All I ask is that you pay attention.”

Photography by Christina Hodgen