UNDEREXPOSE!

Dear reader, if this entry or my other blog entries don't answer your specific photography questions, you can call me on the phone anytime for advice by clicking here.

When doing street photography, quick reaction is the key. I will often have my camera set to Aperture Priority, f-2.8, and auto white balance. This set-up works very well for 80% of the photos one would normally encounter, however the other 20% require some quick exposure adjustments. The attached photo of Kyoto Station is a good example of how auto-exposure does not always work; the background steps were significantly darker than the brightly dressed person with the umbrella. If I let the camera decide the shutter speed within Aperture Priority mode, the camera would perceive a vast expanse of darkness (the steps) and consequently give more exposure to the photo. The result would be evenly exposed steps, but a completely white and "blown-out" subject.

When confronted with a dark background, and a smaller, bright human subject, train your mind to quickly underexpose the camera. The amount of underexposure is dependent on the deepness of the darks, and brightness of the subject. Try underexposing the photograph by 1 or 2 stops. The easiest and quickest way to accomplish this while doing street photography is to:
1. Put your camera in Aperture Priority mode.
2. As a default, keep your aperture at its lowest f-number (you can adjust this at will)
3. Become familiar with your Exposure Compensation button or dial.
4. Learn to adjust this variable quickly and intuitively; if you are confronted with a scene like the above attached photo, underexpose by going to the minus sign.
5. Quickly check your screen, and to make the photo even darker (if necessary), move the exposure dial or button to the minus side even more.

This exposure technique works equally well in an inverted fashion. If you have a darker toned subject in front of a bright background (person skiing wearing a dark ski suit), simply adjust your exposure compensation towards the Plus sign. This will make the snow clean and bright, and will give appropriate exposure to the subject.

Email this Blog to a friend!

 Mark's photographic prints for your wall can be purchased at www.markhemmings.com

Mark can be hired as a photographer or filmmaker via www.hemmingshouse.com

INTENTIONAL CAMERA SHAKE

Dear reader, if this entry or my other blog entries don't answer your specific photography questions, you can call me on the phone anytime for advice by clicking here.

Intentional camera shake as an artistic technique has been very helpful to many photographers over the decades. Many photographic scenes suffer for a lack of drama and color, so photographers learned long ago how to create pre-digital camera techniques, enabling a photo to go from 'documentary' status to 'impressionistic' or 'abstract'.

While computer filters can mimic almost any old school in-camera technique, there is something satisfying about doing everything that needs to be done at the click of a shutter. I took this picture today of Tokyo's frenetic street scenes using a long lens with no tripod. I believe I got just the right amount of camera shake . . .

Email this Blog to a friend!

Mark's photographic prints for your wall can be purchased at www.markhemmings.com

Mark can be hired as a photographer or filmmaker via www.hemmingshouse.com

HYPERFOCAL DISTANCE

Dear reader, if this entry or my other blog entries don't answer your specific photography questions, you can call me on the phone anytime for advice by clicking here.

If you want to get everything in your photograph focused perfectly sharp, try the following:

Set your camera on a tripod, and with Aperture Priority, put your aperture to the highest 'f' number possible (usually f-22 or f-32).

Compose your photograph and lock the tripod head so the camera can't move. Set your camera lens to focus manually.

Now, look at the scene in front of you, and locate the object that is closest to you, and the object that is farthest in the distance. In my example photo, the closest object is the dark green cactus with thick leaves, and the furthest object is the green plant with long thin leaves.

At this point, you will need to mentally divide up the distance into 'thirds'. Locate the object that is one-third distance away from the camera (round prickly cactus in the middle of the frame), and manually focus your lens on that object.

You are now ready to take your photograph, and the image will have the maximum possible sharpness throughout the frame.

Extra hint: wide-angle lenses will always offer more depth-of-field than telephoto zoom lenses.

Email this Blog to a friend!

Mark's photographic prints for your wall can be purchased at www.markhemmings.com

Mark can be hired as a photographer or filmmaker via www.hemmingshouse.com