SUBWAY STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

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Whenever I am in Tokyo I always enjoy walking through the mad rush of humanity in Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Tokyo subway/train stations. A fun and often intriguing street photography technique is to look for the large ad signage on the walls, and wait for the right people to walk by.

Sometimes this works, sometime it doesn't. The ones that do work, however, make the waiting worth it!

Mark's photographic prints for your wall can be purchased at www.markhemmings.com
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JAPAN & NIKON D90

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With regards to talking about D-SLR filmmaking, I am a bit outdated dealing with the D90, especially with the recent introduction of the Nikon D300s. However, it takes awhile to put short films together, and this one that I did in Japan was shot entirely on the D90. The future looks bright for creating films on these new and relatively inexpensive cameras, considering each new model will benefit from the shortcomings of the last model. Hope you enjoy the film, and to see it larger on Vimeo, click on the "JAPAN" link below the film.

JAPAN from Hemmings House Pictures on Vimeo.

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RAINY DAY PHOTOS

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I would like to encourage you to take nature photographs when it is raining. Most photographers have a hard time with this because of the hassle, but it can be done by using a tripod and an umbrella. It is even better if you can convince a friend to come out and hold the umbrella!

I have photographed Japanese bamboo forests many times in the last 10 years of my Japan travels. A rainy day in Kyoto initially looked like a disaster, until I started shooting. The colors of the bamboo were very rich, with a nice sheen and texture. I was pleasantly surprised! My day was salvaged by a simple introduction to watery surfaces. As long as you avoid including the sky in your composition, you will find that photographing nature scenes in the rain can be quite rewarding. Watery surfaces can provide a whole new dimension to old locations that you have photographed ad nauseam. If you are shooting macro scenes of flowers and plants on a dry but overcast day, try bringing a spray bottle full of water. The colors will pop out, and your shots will go from good to great!

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

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This photo was taken by me a few years ago in a special section of Kyoto called Higashiyama. Because of the crowd, I needed to hold the camera over my head to get the shot. This technique can be very effective, but also troublesome when in autofocus.

To insure you focus on what you want, even when you aren't able to see the scene through the viewfinder or rear screen, try the following:

While looking through the camera, autofocus on chosen subject. Then switch the camera to manual focus, place the camera over your head, and start shooting! The focus will remain constant while you try different compositions over your head. When you are done remember to switch the camera back to autofocus, if that is the mode that you usually use.

It is a simple tip, but it can very effective especially with darker scenes such as dusk and very early mornings.

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

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Each year I take people to Nagano, Japan, to photograph the famous Japanese Snow Monkeys. I took this photo last week, and was struck by the emotive quality of the image. This blog entry will be old news to many of my readers, but it is worth repeating. When you have a subject that is melancholic in nature, it is usually best to use a blue filter, or a color balance that produces a cool, blue-ish hue. This color tone will accentuate the moodiness of the image.

The day was overcast, and relatively neutral in color. By placing my digital camera on "tungsten" setting (light bulb icon), the image tone is changed from neutral to blue. If you are adept with using the Kelvin scale in your digital cameras, try a very low number, such as 3500 K.

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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

JAPANESE ART AESTHETICS

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I am teaching photography in Japan right now, and I took this image yesterday in Tokyo. I am reminded of the classic Japanese paintings that have a far greater percentage of empty space than subject matter. If you ever give yourself photo assignments, try this one out: find scenes that allow for 5%-10% subject matter, the rest of the scene being empty.



This type of imagery is powerful, as all of the viewer's efforts at comprehending the image are compressed downward to the small (but potent) subject matter. Give it a try!


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

HIGH CONTRAST - SHINY OBJECTS

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I love photographing shiny, curved objects such as metal, acrylic, and glass. These objects allow for a very high contrast appearance due to the reflective material's propensity to blow-out the highlights. This simply means that the bright reflective areas of shiny material will usually be pure white, with no color or tonal information. Most of the time this situation is undesirable; we almost always want at least a little bit of shade or color, even in the brightest highlights.




Instead of taking a normally exposed photo that has excessively white shiny reflections, why not dramatically underexpose the photo? This technique will increase the appearance of contrast, and will keep tonal information in the bright white sections of the photograph. This technique will also add to the "fine art" aspect of your image.

These sleek machines are Japanese bullet trains called Shinkansen, photographed in Tokyo Station using T-Max P3200 B&W film.
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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

UNDEREXPOSE!

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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.

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

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BLOWN OUT HIGHLIGHTS

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While I love this photo that I took of a Japanese bride, I didn't realize until after that the white highlights were blown out. When this happens detail is lost, as there is no other tonal information except pure white. Pure white does not allow for any adjustments; all ability to adjust tonal values is lost.

There are a number of ways to correct for this, but one way is to do two exposures utilizing a tripod. If the subject has dark skin and is wearing very light clothing, try the following technique:

1. Ask the model to remain perfectly still.
2. Take your first image with a proper exposure of the face.
3. Reduce your exposure, and quickly take a 2nd photo exposed for the bright clothing. Make sure there are no extremely white highlights (unless you purposefully want pure white).
4. In Photoshop or another image editing program that allows you to layer a photograph, place both images together, resulting in a two-layered image.
5. Click on the Eraser tool, and start erasing either the clothing, or the face, depending on which layer is on top. Make sure the eraser is Feathered for a soft erase.
6. If you find it doesn't look right, try it again until you are confident in the process. If your tripod was sturdy, and your model was still, you should have a perfectly registered, and well exposed image.

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

BALANCING THE LIGHT

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When photographing very large interiors, where using strobes or other lights are impossible, it is best to wait until evening to get the right balance of exterior and interior light.

Even though it looks like a bright midday sky outside of this building, it was actually quite dim outside, after sunset. The reason the windows look nice and bright is because of a long exposure. The interior lights were low to begin with, so I waited until the interior lights matched the light levels from outside. The end result is a balanced photo that looks bright and clean.

The only drawback to this is that people will be blurred because of the slow shutter speed. In this instance, at the Tokyo International Forum building, it worked to my advantage.

If you don't completely understand this process, try it with your own living room. Set your camera on a tripod, and keep photographing until the exterior window light matches your interior house lights. You will find that balanced light is very attractive, and looks more natural than using an on-camera flash.

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

TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY

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When in a different country photographing city-scapes, the first and easiest subjects to photograph are the buildings. Night city photography can be exciting in places like Times Square or Shinjuku Tokyo. However, when you photograph objects that are immovable, such as skycrapers or neon signs, there is a potential for the image to become static (far too still and stationary).

To move your images from static to dynamic, why not add an element of movement? Spend the time to get your tripod out, and include in the foreground moving people or moving cars. Your exposure will be long, so a tripod is essential, and even better is the use of a cable or remote shutter release.

By adding movement to your city photographs you have just increased the value of your images tenfold.

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

CITY SCAPES

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Many large cities have top-floor observatories where you can see the city from an aerial view. Tokyo is no exception, with many options for viewing the world's largest city.

Although I have talked about photographing through windows in a past lesson, it was from the outside of a window looking in. This lesson deals with the opposite.

When you are at an observatory, you will need to use a tripod and a lens hood. If your lens does not have a built-in hood, you can make one out of black construction paper. Your goal is to eliminate all interior light shining between your lens and the window pane. So place the lens as close to the glass as possible, and if necessary, use a jacket or other dark fabric to completely surround the lens.

When you feel that you have no reflected light between the glass and the lens, you can take the shot. If the window is dirty, focus your lens to infinity, and use a small F-number. If the window pane is clean, focus to infinity and use an F-8 aperture.

This photo of Shinjuku, Tokyo was taken by me a few days ago from the Park Hyatt hotel bar. This was the bar where much of the shooting took place for the film "Lost in Translation", by Sofia Coppola.

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AIRPLANE WINDOWS

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This was touched on a few weeks ago in a similar blog, but it is worth repeating. When flying in an airplane make sure you place your camera as close to the window as possible when taking pictures. Place a blanket or other fabric around the lens so no interior light is hitting the window where you are photographing, and place your lens aperture at the lowest f-number. You can often get spectacular images in aircraft, especially during sunrise and sunset over the clouds.

It may be hard to see, but Mt. Fuji is peaking up through the clouds!

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SYMMETRICAL COMPOSITIONS

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When photographers first learn about compositional guidelines, such as the rule of thirds, they are often subconsciously bound by these parameters. One thing to keep in mind is that if an image is symmetrical, or has a triangular appearance to it, a centered composition often works best. For the above image, if the door was placed on the left or right of the picture space (rule of thirds), the photo would lose much of its strength. Indeed, images that have triangular shapes are often associated with power or authority, and to compose off-center will often weaken the photograph.

The best way to find out for yourself what compositions look best is to take three versions of the same scene; one where the center of interest is to the left, one to the right, and one in the center. It won't take long to be able to know in advance of your picture taking what composition will be the most effective.

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

BLACK AND WHITE FILM

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In this new age of digital photography, it is sometimes nice to revert to a good solid film to record certain events. Even though I predominantly use professional digital cameras, there are certain subjects that just seem to require traditional film. I find that nature photography is better suited to slide film, wildlife photography (in certain cases) works best with professional color film, and in the case of the above photo, Asian martial arts work well with B&W film.

There are two brands of Black and White film that I have always loved; Kodak T-Max P3200 (ISO 3200) and Fujifilm Neopan 1600. Both films are very high contrast, grainy (but in a good way), and wonderfully fast for low-light and quick moving situations. If you are used to hand-holding your camera using a 400 speed film, you will really enjoy the added shutter speeds afforded by these higher speed films.

Subject matter consideration is very important when using these films. Similar to Monday's lesson, these films are better suited to mysterious subject matter, and portraits of models who have soul. Photojournalists often used these films in the past, and they are well suited to many forms of social documentary work.

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

BALANCING THE LIGHT

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.

Today's photo blog entry is more of a tip than a technical lesson. The example photo is of exterior architecture, but the same principles can be used for many different styles of environmental photography.

Have you ever taken a photo of a building and the formerly blue sky turned out completely white? Or, the sky was a proper exposure, but the backlit building came out shadowy and dark? The problem is the great difference in light levels between the dark shadow of the building and the very bright light of the sky. The easiest way to correct this problem (if you have the time) is to wait for the sun to go down. Approximately 1/2 hour after sundown, depending on your location, the light in the sky will be about the same brightness as the artificial light emanating from the buildings.

The window for getting balanced light is very short, sometimes only 20-30 minutes. As an experiment, place your camera on a tripod, and take the same photo every 5 minutes. When it is too dark to see any sky, you can pack up and review your photos at home. You will find that maybe 3 or 4 photos look excellent, and they will probably be the ones taken in the middle of your session.

This technique is very popular with photographers who specialize in house exterior photography. They simply turn on all the lights in the house, wait until the outdoor sky is the same brightness level as the indoor house lights, and the result is a beautiful warm interior with a cool dark blue sky. Try it out on your own house!

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

FLOWING WATER PHOTOS

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Including flowing water in a photograph will add a sense of time and calm, if done with a slow shutter speed. No doubt you have seen countless waterfall photos where the water flows like silk down the rocks. I took this photo in a mountain hot spring town near Mt. Fuji, Japan. Because many temples and gardens in Japan have flowing water, it is an ideal location for such images. If you have tried similar shots, but only ended up with harsh rushing water, try the following techniques:

1. Place your camera on a solid tripod, and compose the photo. If you have a cable or remote shutter release, this is the time to use it, as it will keep your non-moving picture elements sharp (background, rocks, etc.).
2. If you have a camera that will allow for manual exposure, set the camera to Aperture Priority ("A" symbol for most cameras . . . check your user manual). Change the aperture (or f-stop) to the biggest number possible, which is usually 16 or 22. If you have a neutral density or polarizing filter, adding it to the lens will give you a greater effect of smooth flowing water. You are now ready to take the picture.
3. If you have an automatic point and shoot camera, go to a local camera store and purchase a neutral density or polarizing filter. It will be gray in color, and will allow for longer exposure times (thus giving a softer flow of water). Switch your settings to the mountain, or scenic icon, which will slow the shutter speed even more. Hold the filter over your lens, and with your camera on the tripod, take the photo. The length of your exposure will be dependent on the brightness of the day.
4. Hints: the brighter the day, the shorter the exposure, which means less flow effect. To this end, overcast days will produce better results. Also, if you are using a polarizing filter, you will get interesting variations on the photo by simply rotating the filter. Ask for a demonstration at your local camera store.

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