SINGLE LIGHT SOURCES

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 confronted by the challenge to photograph objects, either for commercial jobs or for your own portfolio projects, the tendency is to overcomplicate the lighting.

This wine bottle was a commercial job, and the reflective glass posed a lot of challenges. I tried lighting it with up to five different strobes, and nothing was working. I finally gave up and put one single strobe over the bottle, and I was amazed at the difference. Less is more! 

Try to simplify your lighting setups. It will save you time and a lot of frustration.

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

POST PROCESSING

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.

A quick tip on post processing for a dream-like effect:

Give the photo a very slight diffusion with Guassian Blur (but not too much!), then increase the contrast, and boost the saturation.

Make sure the color cast is on the warm side, meaning more red and orange, rather than blue.

These simple techniques can be found in almost any image editor, and can often rescue bland photographs.


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

REDUCING SHARPNESS

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 it comes to issues of photo sharpness, almost always the subject deals with techniques to increase the sharpness of a particular image. I have found that digital images are often TOO sharp, and this detracts from their fine-art potential.

If your subject matter is more artistic than documentary in style, why not try a slight out-of-focus technique? It is very easy . . . simply focus on the subject normally, and then switch the lens to Manual Focus. At this point you only need to rotate the lens focus ring slightly. The results are a more organic, film-like look.

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

STOCK SKY IMAGES

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.

Here is a short but useful tip: when you are outside taking pictures, grab a few shots of nice cloud formations. 

You can use these photos to rescue bland, overcast exterior photographs that have blown-out, white skies. As long as you do the layering (in Photoshop or other editor) judiciously, you can produce a reasonably realistic landscape or exterior architectural image.

The more stock photos of clouds that you have in your collection, the easier it is to match with various exterior scenes. If you are unaware of the process of Layering, do a web search for Photoshop Layers. With a bit of practice you should be able to get the hang of it in a few hours!

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