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Power Hour Optometry
Through His Eyes: How Zeiss Lenses Helped Photographer Kenneth Hines Rediscover His Vision & Himself
00:47:14
This isn’t a clinical episode, it’s a human one. Kenneth Hines, known online as Professor Hines, is a celebrity photographer with a global portfolio. Despite depending on his eyes to make a living, he quietly lived with deteriorating...
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- [00:00]
Kenneth Hines
Foreign.
- [00:07]
Eugene Shotsman
Welcome to the Power Hour, Optometry's biggest and longest running show. And we're now in our 13th season. And I'm your host, Eugene Shotsman. And today's episode is going to be just a little bit different. So here we're live in Orlando Vision Expo East 2025 at the Zeiss booth. And I have a guest who is not a practice owner, but he might just change the way that you think about patients in your own chair. Kenneth Hines. He's also known to his thousands of followers as Professor Hines is a celebrity photographer. He's also a longtime Zeiss ambassador, and he's also someone who quite literally earns a living through optics. But here's the twist. Even though his vision got worse and worse over the years, even as he struggled to recognize faces from across the room, Kenneth avoided the eye doctor for over 15 years. And when you hear why and how he finally decided to get an eye exam, it might actually challenge some of your assumptions that you make about patient behavior and maybe even inspire a new approach to outreach. So we talk in this episode about his journey through the world of professional photography and also the moment that his work landed on the prized Adobe Lightroom splash screen. And also how a pair of Zeiss lenses changed not just how he sees, but also how he sees himself as a person. Full disclosure, the episode is actually sponsored by Zeiss, so you're going to hear from a practice owner using Zeiss during a short commercial in the middle of the episode. But for me, this interview with Professor Hines was very unique. It's a powerful conversation. We talk about technology, we talk about trust, and the stories that get people through your door. As always, don't forget to subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple podcasts or wherever you get your shows. And if you've got feedback or an idea for an episode, you can always reach me@eugene shotsman.com I look forward to your feedback. And let's go to the show.
- [01:58]
Unknown Host
Welcome to the Power Hour. We are live in Orlando in the Zeiss booth, and I have met a number of celebrities here in Orlando and at the show. And one really interesting and intriguing individual is this gentleman standing next to me, Professor Hines. Kenneth Hines. What do I call you? I mean, really, your work is some of the. Has some really interesting impact and some very interesting stories behind it. So welcome to the show.
- [02:30]
Kenneth Hines
First of all, thank you. Thank you.
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Unknown Host
And tell me, Kenneth or Professor.
- [02:35]
Kenneth Hines
I always go by Kenneth, but even though I tell people Kenneth, they'll still say Professor Hines, right?
- [02:40]
Unknown Host
You got A big following. And they all call you Professor Hines. But anyway, we're friends now. So, Kenneth, welcome to the show. Excited to have you on. And I think this is not a regular interview for the Power Hour because we're not necessarily talking to somebody who owns a medical practice. So I think it would be helpful for the audience to better understand your work. You're a photographer. I'll start there, tell people a little bit about your history and how you got into photography, and maybe we'll talk a little bit about some of the influence that your work's had.
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Kenneth Hines
So I got started in photography through a family trip that was come June, 25 years ago.
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Unknown Host
Wow.
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Kenneth Hines
In a road trip that my great aunt and uncle did. A 30 foot RV driving from Atlanta to Toronto, Canada, and then to Fairbanks, Alaska.
- [03:30]
Unknown Host
Wow.
- [03:31]
Kenneth Hines
And my aunt gave us kids those little Kodak funsaver cameras and said, fill them up. And I took that literally. And that's where my love for photography began. And it was just simply about memories of remembering the places that we had gone and never did. I think that this would be a career of mine that didn't come up until many years later. Another aunt of mine gave me my first digital camera in December 2007. And my senior high school economics teacher in 2008 is the one that told me, I think you should consider photography as a career.
- [04:11]
Unknown Host
An economics teacher told you this?
- [04:13]
Kenneth Hines
Yes, because she saw the images that I was taking around school and she thought they were really good images. And she said, put your images online and just see what people say about it. And she even helped me start an LLC business. And she said, well, here you go. Now it's your job to move forward with this and do something with it. And originally I thought, I can't do this. This wasn't on my radar. But I went off to college and I mean, it just took off from there to where I loved it and just fell in love with it. And now professionally, this is my 17th year.
- [04:52]
Unknown Host
Wow. As a professional photographer. And you have had quite an impact on the industry. I know there's a lot of people who follow you. There's a lot of people who follow you for tips and training. I know you lead digital training as well, but what's one of your favorite images or what's one of the ones? That is kind of a cool story.
- [05:13]
Kenneth Hines
So immediately I go to an image that I captured in 2018, and I was actually on a flight from Atlanta to Boston and there was a lady that was sitting right in front of me and we were preparing to land, and she's gazing out the window, like, in very deep thought, and looking out at this gorgeous sunset. And so I captured the image and I thought, it's an okay image. And I decided to send it to a cousin of mine and a couple of friends just to see what their thoughts were. And they were like, this is an incredible photo. Like, you should really show that woman that image. And I said, really? You think so? You know, even. Even now, you know, people look at my images and they just think, oh, that's an incredible photo. But I don't always see that initially. Like, I like it because that's why I took the image. But I just don't think it has that wow factor. But it was a time when I took that IM and when they sent a response back saying to show her she was getting off the plane. And I said, well, if I see her in baggage claim, I'll show her. I never saw that woman since. And that has become such a staple in my portfolio to where so many people have gone out and replicated that image on trains and planes, buses, and share them with me and saying, hey, I took a photo like yours. So it's one that has just stuck with me because many of my community have really loved it and gone out and replicated that for themselves. And I love when people share images with me.
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Unknown Host
Yeah. So you don't see that necessarily as, you know, copycat, whatever? I don't know.
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Kenneth Hines
Absolutely not.
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Unknown Host
Posers or whatever. This is truly for you to do something new in photography. It's something that you kind of get a compliment when somebody replicates it.
- [07:04]
Kenneth Hines
Yes, I love to see. Because here's the thing, When I see that, especially those that are really good, they'll send me something, and I'm like, my gosh, I wish I took that photo. It just makes me want to do better than the photo that they took. So I'm always improving my work, so I never stay stagnant. I'm always trying to figure out how can I improve on what I'm doing. So I definitely encourage people to do that, because what I do is I'm wanting to educate people and I'm wanting to influence people, really get them involved. And for a lot of people, especially during the pandemic, you know, that was something that they didn't know that was of interest to them. They found me online, they liked the content, and they got into photography themselves. So I love that.
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Unknown Host
Yeah, that's fantastic. Now I know that one of your images, at least, that I'VE seen has been used by software that my employees are using every single day. Adobe talk about that and how that came to be.
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Kenneth Hines
So I began working for Adobe back in 2019, and a great friend of mine who we were at a Sony retreat because I actually come from the Sony side as a former Sony ambassador, and I was at retreat with them, and there was a lady that was sitting next to me who on a bus ride, she was like, can I sit there? I was like, sure. Had a conversation. And, you know, well, and afterwards she got a job, the job of her dreams to work for Adobe for the Lightroom team. And one of her first projects, she called me for, and I sent in a number of images to do these tutorials that are within the Adobe Lightroom application.
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Unknown Host
Okay.
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Kenneth Hines
And from that, one of the images was noticed, and they wanted to use that as the splash screen for the app application itself. And I thought it was so unique because it was a worship image. Most people don't really know about my worship side of things and my involvement with churches and the work that I've done there as a director for video as well as photography. And so it was a very special moment because it was a moment taking during a church service, during prayer, and that's the image that they wanted.
- [09:23]
Unknown Host
What was the exact image?
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Kenneth Hines
It was the image of two congregants that were holding hands together during prayer as they. The pastor had asked everyone to join hands. And so they stretched hands across the church, and they were in the aisle, and I just got a nice tight shot of their hands. And, you know, everything else in the background was just thrown out of focus. And, you know, that was the image that they went with.
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Unknown Host
That's cool. And I love to see the passion in your face as you. And for those of you watching on YouTube, the passion in your eyes as you kind of described this work. And now anytime anyone opens the application, they see that image as the splash page, right?
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Kenneth Hines
Yes. So that image was used for the 2021 year. So I'm in a very small class of people who have had their images on the application.
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Unknown Host
That's really cool. So I can imagine from a technology standpoint, I know I have lots of friends, and of course, we have a video team in my office in my business. And I kind of get the sense that you can never spend enough money on technology that you're using on a daily basis. So talk a little bit about the kinds of technology that you look for and really also the evolution. You've been doing this professionally for 17 years. At what point did you start realizing that you got to get a better camera? And what does a better camera even mean?
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Kenneth Hines
So when I first started, of course I was using DSLRs. That was a technology that was all that we had at the time. Being a user of Sony cameras, was.
- [11:04]
Unknown Host
It analog or was it digital?
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Kenneth Hines
So it was digital and it was still using an optical viewfinder at the time. Sony had created technology in there which was kind of a mid range to what they're using now, which is mirrorless, which was called digital single lens, translucent. So it was like a reflex camera where the mirror flips up and light travels through, so that way it exposes for the image. This was a fixed mirror where light traveled through, but it also was reflecting to the viewfinder so you could see through the LCD monitor. So I've been through three different technologies and over that time, the improvements that I've seen is the overall image quality, how the performance does when it comes to low light, of how high ISO. Management has really been at the forefront for a lot of companies to, to maximize, you know, being out in dark situations and say you're somewhere and you don't have any lighting or anything like that, you still want to be able to take a quality photo. Same with lenses. The lenses that I was using back then, you know, once you buy a camera, a lot of them come with kit lenses in the box, which aren't always the greatest lenses. And so you want to obtain something that is able to really handle the resolving power of that camera sensor and take the best image that you possibly can. And so as I started learning a lot more about photography as a whole, I'm looking at a variety of different lenses and manufacturers that are out there to see just what kind of image rendering that you can actually get from those products.
- [12:48]
Unknown Host
So it's almost like you kind of had to become an optics expert in some capacity. Explain that a little bit. What have you learned? And kind of what are the, what are the big differences? Because, and I'll disclaim for the audience that like, my level of expertise with photography is the zoom button on my, on my Samsung phone. So, you know, I'm not. I wish I knew more. So I'm super excited to learn.
- [13:12]
Kenneth Hines
So since I've been with Zeiss, I definitely have gained a lot of knowledge and I take a lot into account for my work. You know, people look at my images and they always say it has like a painterly look or it's very 3D. And I always attribute that to my usage of the lenses that I have. So for me, a good lens is one where the light goes through the lens and it hits the image sensor. And that sensor, that image that you have, you have the perfect contrast, you have perfect lighting, and you have no flaring. That's taking place because there are lenses to where, you know, people may see them being very sharp lenses. But then when you have, let's say, the sunlight, if it comes at an angle, you don't want that light to spread across your sensor. What you want it to do is you want it to hit those individual pixels dead on, because that's how you maximize the contrast in your image, how you have retained the overall color and sharpness in your photo. So all lenses perform very differently. You know, you have some that may have a flatter look, that may be pleasing for some photographers. There are those that really like that separation to where you have your subject, and then everything behind your subject is out of focus. And it's a nice smooth balance between that.
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Unknown Host
Right. And so interesting how contrast sensitivity is a topic obviously, for when we're talking as eye doctors to patients. Right. But on the other side, it's the technology that you're using every single day to help identify the perfect shot.
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Kenneth Hines
Right.
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Unknown Host
And to help capture the perfect shot. So let's talk about your. We'll call it the tech stack. Right. What is your equipment today and kind of how. How did you decide on it? And I don't know much about photography lenses, so maybe you just give an overall view of the landscape and why you're choosing to use what you're choosing to use and kind of what the optics are.
- [15:16]
Kenneth Hines
Absolutely. So I'm still using Sony's camera system, and all of my lenses are Zeiss lenses from a variety of the different families that we have. On the photo side, they're all named after exotic birds. So we have Zeiss Bodice, Loxia, Milvus, and Otis. And so the oldest lenses that we have, which are some of my favorite lenses to utilize, basically it was the people at Zeiss said, make a lens that has no kind of compromises. Make the best lens that you can produce. And that was the Otis. So it is a design where you have minimal chromatic aberration, which is where in certain situations with lighting in an image, you may see a color fringing that may be purplish or green hue, and that's something you don't want to see in your image. You want that to be minimized as much as possible. But then you also want a lens that really takes advantage of these high megapixel cameras where we're in the 40, 50, 60 megapixel range now. And so you want to have a lens that can really take advantage of that sensor's resolving power. So that way you have edge to edge sharpness. And the Otis lenses are just so good with that to wear. Beautiful color, beautiful subject separation, just a very rich lens. And now it better be that way because it's a $5,000 lens too, right? So it is among the. It's the highest lens that you could purchase within the Zeiss family.
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Unknown Host
Now, it also sounds to me, though, that when you said the no compromises, when you talk about compromise in lens design, what does that really mean to you? Because again, you've got 17 years in background in this.
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Kenneth Hines
Yes. So compromises take place when you're trying to make a lens that, say, lighter, smaller, because you want something that's easy to travel with. You don't want something that's monstrous that you have to tote around, especially if you're someone that may be hiking, you know, walking for long distances. So there are compromises that are made in the optical design of that lens. So, for instance, you may have a lens that needs to be corrected a little bit more heavily than other lenses. So you may have a little bit of barrel distortion. So what's done is with software, when you're editing your photo, you can actually go in and they'll have the profiles for that particular lens, and you can select that and it will do the correction for that distortion on your lens. So that's relying on the software to fix some of those discrepancies in the lenses. That way you have a design that is smaller, much lighter, without having the weight of a meteor lens. Because depending on where the technology is at that time, let's say you have a lens that's an aperture of 1.2. That's going to be a very big lens because that's a wide aperture opening that the light is going through. And a lot of times it's going to be a relatively larger lens compared to something that's an F 1.8 or an F2 that can be in a smaller size. So how do you get a lens that's that wide of an aperture into a more compact body, but then you're not compromising too much of its quality.
- [18:43]
Unknown Host
Interesting.
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Kenneth Hines
That's what you have to kind of really take into account when you're looking at various lenses and from different manufacturers.
- [18:49]
Unknown Host
Okay, so now that you've got the tech talk to me about what it takes to be a professional photographer or even to be a hobby photographer. Like, how do you figure out what to take a picture of?
- [19:04]
Kenneth Hines
So.
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Unknown Host
And what technology to use to do that?
- [19:07]
Kenneth Hines
So I always tell anyone that ever asks the question, as far as, you know, what makes a great photo, what should I look for? I said, you take a photo that feels good to you. You know, do you look at something and say, you know, I feel great about that. You know, let me capture this. I like this moment. If you feel passion behind that photo, and here's the thing, don't use the camera to take the photo. Use your eyes. Because we have the best camera system possible. That's our eyes and our minds. So there are times when I see the perfect photo, but I don't have that on camera. But I never forget it. And it's like sometimes just me remembering that is the only picture that I need. And so if you go about it with feeling, then you're gonna capture images that, that provoke a very significant, well, a significance to you personally and something that really resonates with you. It doesn't. You don't. I always say validation is only for parking. You don't need that from other people.
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Unknown Host
Said the guy who has like thousands and thousands of people following him on social media and such.
- [20:16]
Kenneth Hines
Well, it's because I feel I've lasted this long in the industry because my attitude to photography is I don't care about everything else. I just care about making memories and going through experiences and then sharing those with people to say, you can do this too.
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Unknown Host
But you know, what's interesting about what you just said is that I see so much of the time, and I actually see the data as a marketer as well, is that how much of the time we spend with our eyes effectively closed during the day. And when I say that closed, I really mean screen time. What you're describing is, hey, embrace the world with your eyes open and look for those unique memories. And you're probably doing this because it's your job literally to look around the world and find something interesting and capture it and think about it and really use your brain and your eyes to kind of of make that association and say, that's an interesting thing that I want to remember. So many of us are operating and thinking that the most important thing we have to do is located inside of a 7 inch device or a 6 inch device that's in our pockets. And the reality is that what you're encouraging everybody to do is look around and try to find it. And then number two is capture it somehow, whether it's mentally or with a piece of technology.
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Kenneth Hines
Yes, absolutely.
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Unknown Host
So, you know, when you're finding that moment, I love the whole concept of, okay, you've got the feeling that that's behind it. And you know that if you look at something and it makes you feel a certain way, possibly it'll make others feel a certain way, too. Give me some more examples of, like, interesting shots or, like, kind of unlikely situations where, you know, it's not quite the family photo. Right? Like, that's the likely situation. I want to remember somebody. We're in Orlando, so somebody might want to remember their trip to Disney. But what are some of the unlikely places where, if you open your eyes, you'll be able to see something really unique and interesting?
- [22:18]
Kenneth Hines
Well, funny. Another moment that comes to mind is actually an image where I captured a couple inside Grand Central Terminal. And this was, I think, back in February of 2019. And I sometimes go to Grand Central. Literally, just a people watch. I've stood in Grand Central just walking around for, like four or five plus hours at a time, just people watching. You know, I just find that so fascinating because it's like, you look at other people and it's like, what's on their mind? What are they thinking about? Are they having a good or a bad day? And I saw this couple, and I took this photo of them that was just such a beautiful shot. And it's also a timeless shot, too, because in the background, the old clocks that Grand Central used to use for displaying the time slots for the trains, they replaced it with a more modern digital board. And so the photos don't look the same way that they did with the older board. And so that on top of the couple, it was a beautiful moment. And I was with a friend, and we tried to go and get that couple to show them that photo, but the station was so busy that day that they got lost in the crowd. So with the help of Grand Central and even ABC News New York, really, they posted that image trying to help me find who that couple was. To this day, 20, 25, six years later, I still do not know that who that couple was, but it's one of the most priceless images that I. I have captured.
- [24:01]
Unknown Host
So what was the emotion? What was the feeling? Describe it.
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Kenneth Hines
It's. You could definitely tell it was like a couple in love. Like, it's. They had no care about the people around them. It was a moment where it was just the two of them. Among this sea of thousands of people. And I love that because sometimes I feel that's how I am. I feel like I'm in a world where there's just a sea of people around me, but no one notices me or anything like that. And so that's why I love Grand Central and photographing in there, because it's like, it's a place that really fits me and how I may feel sometimes. And I just love capturing moments there.
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Unknown Host
That's super interesting. And again, kind of observing the world with eyes wide open is kind of so interesting, and it's also so relevant to our industry because you realize that we, as professionals in our industry, empower so many people to do exactly what you just described, which is the ability to see a moment, see an experience, and then have that experience feel a certain way, generate a certain emotion. I think that's so fascinating. When we come back, though, I want to talk about your experience with your vision loss and kind of your experience with what you were able to. What you were able to learn from that. And we'll be right back.
- [25:20]
Dr. Jennifer Tsai
We know your days can be demanding. From the moment you wake, juggling work, family, and everything in between, you're constantly on the go. Maybe it's the strain of staring at a screen for hours or the frustration of glare while driving home at Duff. Perhaps it's just the feeling of missing the small, beautiful details of your day because your vision isn't keeping up. We understand. And that's where Zeiss eyeglass lenses can make a real difference. They're not just about clearer vision. They're about easing the burdens of your day and enhancing the moments that matter. Zeiss lenses are crafted with personalized precision, exclusively available through eye care professionals to address your specific needs for those long hours at the computer. Zeiss eyeglass lenses minimize eye strain, allowing you to focus without discomfort. For those challenging drives, they reduce glare, making your commute safer and more comfortable. And for those precious moments with family or friends, they enhance the beauty of every detail, ensuring you don't miss a thing. I'm Dr. Jennifer Tsai, optometrist and founder of Line of Sight Vision. And I believe everyone deserves to experience their day with comfort and clarity. At Line of Sight, we partner with Zeiss to create eyeglass lenses that are uniquely tailored to your unique needs, helping you navigate your busy life with ease and clarity.
- [26:36]
Unknown Host
All right, we're back on the power Hour. I'm back with Professor Kenneth Hines. I am excited to continue this conversation about moments and being able to see moments and being able to use technology to capture those moments and to see those moments. But if it's okay with you, I want to get a little bit personal because I think you talked to me a little bit about kind of your personal experience with vision loss and how that impacted you as a photographer. Let's jump into it.
- [27:07]
Kenneth Hines
Yes. So I noticed over the last several years that my vision was suffering to where I may be doing photography, but if I'm looking in the distance, I can't see that far. See that, that's a person. But they just weren't clear. I couldn't make out faces. And so that, that was a hindrance for what I was doing of not being able to see as much as I would have liked to. To where a lot of times I was using the camera as a handicap because I can put the camera up to my eye. I have a digital monitor, and so I can see in the distance of where I couldn't see without the camera. And so finally it came to me, you know, I really should do something about this.
- [27:52]
Unknown Host
Okay, so how long? Let's just start at the beginning. How long did it take you to from the moment that you kind of started noticing a little bit of vision loss to actually doing something about it?
- [28:05]
Kenneth Hines
I would say maybe 10, 15 years.
- [28:09]
Unknown Host
Really?
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Kenneth Hines
Yes. That long.
- [28:12]
Unknown Host
And how often have you had eye exams prior to this?
- [28:17]
Kenneth Hines
Admittedly, I would say I can't even tell you what my last one was before my eye exam that I had in April of last year.
- [28:26]
Unknown Host
Okay. But this is so important for the industry to hear because here's somebody who uses their site every single day to earn a living, right? Like you, literally. And the work that you do is so impactful because you literally notice something. You use your vision to notice something as you described in the first half of this episode. Then you identify the thing that you just described. Then you use technology to capture it, and then you get it out into the world. And thousands, in some cases millions of people are looking at the image that you created and are reacting to it and have an impact on their life from images that you create as a professional photographer. And here's a guy who is not able to see and he doesn't know that he needs an eye exam for.
- [29:10]
Kenneth Hines
10 to 15 years.
- [29:11]
Unknown Host
That's, you know, it's a little bit mind blowing on one end. On the other end, I am sure there's millions of people, probably tens of millions of people who are exactly in your same shoes, who just haven't been.
- [29:23]
Kenneth Hines
To the eye doctor and That's a come. I, you know, kind of about a year and a half ago, I kind of set my sights out to learn more about Zeiss as a whole. And so I wanted to learn about a different division of Zeiss. Vision was not a part of that original.
- [29:43]
Unknown Host
You're somebody who, I mean, full disclosure, you're somebody who is. Who has a contract with Zeiss. You use their camera lens technology. So you're like, okay, I'm a little bit partial to this, to this company.
- [29:54]
Kenneth Hines
Right? You know, I, you know, my career has been with Zeiss for 17 years. I've used Zeiss's lenses and I've used Sony's cameras. And you would think that someone who has been an ambassador for, for the photo division for over six years would be cognizant about getting a regular eye exam. If I'm. My education that I share with people is on lens technology, having the right optics, making sure that the image quality that you see is perfect. But I, you know, and then I'm paying for insurance that I was not using, which was idiotic. And so it's like, no, I'm paying this money for insurance. I need to use this.
- [30:39]
Unknown Host
What prevented you from. I think Dr. Are going to be fascinated by this, by this part of the conversation. So what prevented you from having to go see or from going to see an eye doctor, even though you're a little bit aware of. Maybe my vision could be a little bit better?
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Kenneth Hines
Honestly, I really don't know. I just feel like. I guess for. Especially with males, I feel like their resistance to go to any kind of doctor is very, very low.
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Unknown Host
Well, because we're clearly superhuman, so, you know, and we never get sick, right? And, you know, if we do get sick, it'll just work itself out, right?
- [31:14]
Kenneth Hines
And so I, I just, like, I knew something was there, but still did nothing because it was just the thought of, oh, going to the doctor. Like, I, Oh, I don't, I don't know about that. But, you know, I, I just had a turning point to where I said, this is this basically stupid? I'm just going to be plain. It was stupid.
- [31:36]
Unknown Host
So you went to the eye doctor for the first time last year, and what was that experience like for you?
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Kenneth Hines
So if you could imagine, I'm thinking, oh, my gosh, I'm gonna go in here and I'm gonna be told the worst, that it's like I got all kinds of things wrong with my eyes. I'm like, that's. That's what I'm like. I'M fearing hearing what the diagnostic diagnosis is, but yet I rather prolong it and finding out now, right? And just putting it off and waiting even longer and probably making it worse. And so I said, you know, that's a crazy way of thinking. And so I go in, and my optometrist, she goes through, and she put me on one of the scans to take the visual image of my eyes. And I said, well, I haven't had an eye exam in years. And I was like, yeah, do everything. And she said, you have picture perfect eyes. I'm like, come again? It's like, really? She was like, yeah, you have nothing, you know, no dark spots on your eyes or anything. And I was like, wow, okay.
- [32:39]
Unknown Host
Probably the retinal skin. Yes.
- [32:41]
Kenneth Hines
And she said, yeah, your eyes look very healthy. And of course, you know, you just need corrective lenses. And she. So it was funny. She asked the question as far as, how did you find me? I said, do you want the honest answer? I said, I'm a photo ambassador for Zeiss, and I saw that you're a Zeiss partner, and that's why I came here. And so she didn't respond to that. And I said, I guarantee the first person that has ever said that. She was like, I've been here since 1989, and you are the first person that has ever told me that. But I was just surprised that the only thing I had to worry about was just needing corrective lenses, which I knew because I'm like, I could not see. As soon as you start stepping away, like, five feet, I can't. You're blurred to me. But it really. I think that positioned me to where I'm like, no, I know this was crazy. I want to be someone who's representing, educating people about the importance of eye care. You know, the same way that I'm teaching about the obtaining stellar images in photography, I want to also be a voice for those photographers that they may be in the same position and not want to go to the doctor either. And I'm like, no, this is important. You should do this. And I'm working with a company that provides excellent technology and eye care, and I'm sharing that side of things. So it's like, if you're using Zeiss for your camera lenses, why not use them for the eyes that you're using every single day to see well?
- [34:18]
Unknown Host
So what was your experience like when you put on the pair of glasses?
- [34:21]
Kenneth Hines
Oh, my gosh. So, of course, I'm only coming in this as someone who's never Worn glasses. And I'm putting these on for the first time and they're Zeiss. They were the clearest thing I had ever seen. Now coming from my photography background, it looked like someone had put in front of me a photo and they took the clarity adjustment and turned it all the way to 100 because I could just see such fine details and it was just so clear, very vibrant. I couldn't believe it. It took me two weeks to get used to wearing my glasses and being able to be like, wow, this is the clearest that I've ever seen in my life. Even when I did have good vision, I don't remember it being this clear.
- [35:08]
Unknown Host
Wow. And did you spring for kind of with your Zeiss technology and your camera, did you spring for the time top end lenses or did you go kind of in the middle or what'd you do?
- [35:18]
Kenneth Hines
So initially with, with my insurance I just got basically the standard, you know, polycarbonate. But I did have a few different technologies added where I have the photo fusion X because that was something that I really wanted to have, the self tinting lenses. One of my cousins has had self tinting lenses. And so I'm like, oh that's, that's very neat technology. You know, if I ever have to wear glasses, I have to remember to, to have that glasses. And so I had that put in. And then these are smart life lenses for my, for digital screen usage. Since you know, I'm in front of a screen for much of my day. You know, these are very comfortable. Since I started wearing my glasses, my headaches went away because that's also something that I was noticing. I would have severe headaches.
- [36:09]
Unknown Host
Did you ever think those were related to your vision?
- [36:12]
Kenneth Hines
No, I did not. But I do know that like there would be moments where it's like my eyes would be struggling to focus on something and you know, sometimes I'm seeing things in a very awkward way and it's like, you know, okay, I take a break from the computer for maybe 30 minutes, an hour or so and then it's like, okay, now I can get back to working. So it's like I'm experiencing these things. But again, I still never did anything about it.
- [36:38]
Unknown Host
So this is, is such an interesting lesson and I think there's so many hundreds and thousands of people in every single market that every single eye care professional is listening to. This serves that are just like you, right? You have a job that requires you to see clearly. You literally earn a living with your eyes and yet you weren't really Aware. And you were a little bit worried about going to the eye doctor. And how has it transformed your life since you. I mean, you've been in your glasses for just under a year. So how has it transformed your life?
- [37:16]
Kenneth Hines
Honestly, it's done more than just allowed me to see clearly. Like, I found a new fascination for iframes, if you can believe I have nine pairs of glasses now.
- [37:25]
Unknown Host
Oh, I can believe it. You're a fashionable dude. I mean, anybody watching on YouTube is going to know that.
- [37:31]
Kenneth Hines
So I've become a fan for that. And how I got this connection with Zeiss Vision actually came out of nowhere. But it's like everything just happened in divine order, I guess, to where.
- [37:47]
Dr. Jennifer Tsai
When.
- [37:48]
Kenneth Hines
I got my first pair of glasses, I went on the Zeiss Vision Instagram page and just wanted to see what some of the tags were on the page that people were tagging to them. So I was going through and liking them, and I liked one image from a location. And they're an optical place that's up in New York, in Larchmont, New York. And they came on my page, looked at what I did, of course, saw that I was a Zeiss ambassador. And they reached out to me and said, would you want to do a collaboration? We'll comp your lenses and give you a discount on your frames. I said, okay, sure. So I do that and Zeiss Vision Notices. And that's how I met Sarah here. And she loved the work that I was doing. And, you know, I sort of pitched the idea that, well, I'm already on the photo side for Zeiss. You know, I think it would be a good angle to have someone like me who can really reach out and touch to those people who have nothing to do with the medical industry but educate and be a voice for people to, you know, get your annual likes in. Learn about what. What's out there in terms of eye care. Learn about the different technologies that's available out there in eye care and really make that a part of your life as a working photographer, because that's very important. And so I've encouraged some people. I said, just try, Zeiss. I want you to try it. Go to your optometrist, ask them if they have Zeiss try them out, and then let me know what the experience is. Because I said, I don't know. I've never used any other eyeglasses but Zeiss. But I want to know from other people who've been wearing glasses for 15, 20 plus years, what is it for you? Like, are we seeing the Same things. How is using this going to be.
- [39:45]
Unknown Host
For you and what have you heard?
- [39:47]
Kenneth Hines
So I had people from my Instagram one, the first person that had tried them and told me, they're like, yeah, I didn't even know Zeiss did eyeglasses. And I said, I'm gonna take the chance since I'm using Zeiss lenses. And they're like, I just can't believe how clear they are. That's always the first thing that people notice is how clear it is. And I had a friend that I encouraged to try them because she's a progressive lens wearer. And I said, I'm very inclined to know how it would be for you using progressive lenses from what you have. So she gets the lens as the first thing. Of course it's clear. But she said, I can't see where the progression is in the lenses. It's just so smooth. And she said now she has drive safe lenses since she's behind the wheel often. And she was like, I actually can drive better because I can see clear. I can see more. And I was like, that's very interesting. Even with sunrise, she's going to work in the morning and she has the light beaming in front of her. She was like, I noticed that these, these lenses actually made the glare diminished. She was like, this was actually better to see through. And I was like, really? Like, that's an interesting note because I haven't experienced that because I. I'm not out, you know, at those times of days. So it's, you know, been very interesting to see what people's responses have been. But I'm just glad that people are taking up my challenge to them. Just try Zeiss and tell me what you think about them.
- [41:21]
Unknown Host
Well, so the interesting part for me as well, in addition to your experience with these Zeiss lenses, is the fact that you've gone from seeing your glasses as a medical device to seeing your glasses as a fashion accessory. Because I assume that all of your nine pairs of glasses, they're not the same frames.
- [41:41]
Kenneth Hines
No.
- [41:41]
Unknown Host
And they. So how is that? You know, talk a little bit about how that's impacted your life as well.
- [41:48]
Kenneth Hines
It's impacted me in a way to where for the first time I've been comfortable doing things like this. Typically, I was someone that was always preferring to be behind the scenes. I didn't like people seeing me. I didn't even like having a profile photo of myself online. So many people didn't even know how I looked for many years. And just in this past year, this is the first time that I literally, I'll willingly pull out my phone to take a selfie. That never happened before. But I feel like my face just works with glasses. Me personally, and it's made me a little bit more confident in myself, and I just love how I look with glasses, and I love the assortment of frames. And especially coming to this conference for the first time, I just wanted to see how, if I'm working with Zeiss Vision, I really want to be more educated as far as the technologies that are out there or the companies that are out there, what's being talked about in reverse, like how you said you don't know much about photography. I know very little on the optometry side, But I'm here because I want to learn. Because what I learned here from people like yourself and those that are around, I can better position that information in a way that it can be engaging for my viewers who are coming at my content as a photographer, but they may be in the same situation as mine. But a doctor may not know how to target those kind of people.
- [43:30]
Unknown Host
So that's actually my last question to you, is that what could someone have done in the last 15 years? And obviously you're trying to do some of this work now, but what could somebody have done in the last 15 years to convince you that it's not scary to get an eye exam? You should go get an eye exam. You should go get your vision corrected. It's actually going to make you more confident. It's going to help you with the things that you do every single day, and it's going to help you professionally. I feel like eye doctors are sitting here listening to this, and they might be frustrated. They might be like, I know I have these thousands of people in my community. I just don't know how to reach them or what to do. So what would you say somebody would have had to do for you over the course of the last 15 years for you to say, yeah, you know what? I guess I will go get an eye exam?
- [44:18]
Kenneth Hines
I would say just, I really don't know what could be different. But I will say this. As far as me being an educator in the photography industry and how I teach in a manner to where, whether you're a professional of many years or someone who's just starting today, you can learn from the content that I share. It's basically taking what you all do, what you all share, and breaking it down in a way where people really understand it more. And it can be relatable, because I feel like a Lot of people utilize social media as a way to pretty much get all of their information, but it's like, how can you actually share the information that you have in a way that's engaging, will capture someone's attention to where it's like, oh, I never thought about that. And especially with me being someone that a lot of people in the photography industry look up to, they, they watch the videos that I do, they're gonna listen to what I have to say, because I do it in a manner to where it's like, I try to be as calming as I can, I try to be as engaging as I can, but providing valuable information to people. So that way they are, you know, very cognizant about what's going on. And so I feel that just a little bit that I've done and seeing the responses from it, it's caught people's attention because it's like now they have sort of a balance in the middle to where it's like, I'm getting you there. Once you're, once you finally put two and two together, that, oh, yeah, I'm using their lenses. I didn't know they have eyewear, but now that I know, let me check this out.
- [46:02]
Unknown Host
So I'm going to think about this episode as one where the tech geek photographer, who is an optics expert, goes to the eye doctor 15 years later than he should and becomes so passionate about eyewear that he gets nine pairs of glasses. And it improves his life and improves his confidence, improves his ability to do his job. And now he's advocating for everybody to get an eye exam. Kenneth, thank you so much for the work that you do. Such a pleasure to have you on the show and thanks for everything that you're sharing and all the impact that you have on the world.
- [46:36]
Kenneth Hines
Thank you so much and thanks for having me.
- [46:38]
Eugene Shotsman
Thanks for listening, everyone. This episode was sponsored by Zeiss. Zeiss has been an innovation leader in optics for nearly 180 years and they are not slowing down. They're pioneering high quality lenses, pushing boundaries of coatings and digital centration technology. Zeiss is definitely on the forefront of real innovation in the optical space. If you'd like to learn more, please see the link in the show notes and get in touch with the Zeiss rep.