JAPAN & NIKON D90

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.

With regards to talking about D-SLR filmmaking, I am a bit outdated dealing with the D90, especially with the recent introduction of the Nikon D300s.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.

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

NIKON 35mm LENS & FOOD PHOTOS

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 friend of mine recently bought the relatively new Nikon AF-S 35mm F1.8 lens. I have been using it lately for food photography, specifically menu items that don't need to be blown-up beyond 8x10 inches. The most important aspect of the lens for me is the ability to get in very close to the subject matter. The closest focus distance is 30 cm, which is quite valuable for certain types of food photography. The closer your lens is to the subject, the more options you have for creative depth of field experimentations.

While professional food photographers might not use this lens because it is not full frame (DX, used with normal consumer Nikon DSLR's), it is a great lens for practicing the art of food photography. A good way to start shooting food is to offer menu photography for your local diner or family-run restaurant. They probably won't have money to pay you, but why not work out food credit? When you get confident in your food lighting skills, and are ready to handle larger commercial jobs with dedicated photography budgets, you will already have a decent knowledge of how to present and light the dishes.

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 GEAR

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 few days ago I arrived home from filming a television documentary on the Venezuelan Youth Orchestra. We stayed for a week in Caracas, Venezuela, going to different neighborhoods doing interviews and photo sessions with the youth. 

Traveling to dangerous cities such as Caracas can be a challenge due to the high possibility of camera theft. I remember on past trips, especially to Japan, I would take a pro body such as the Nikon D2x, with a Nikon D70 as a back-up, with a 70-200 f2.8 pro lens, an 85mm, 50mm, and 12-24mm zoom. This made for a massive backpack, extremely heavy and uncomfortable.

Lately I have been traveling professionally with the least gear possible. I am not well versed with Canon equipment, but a Nikon D90 with an 18-200mm zoom has served me very well when on the road. I have always relied on the excellent quality of prime lenses, but zooms seem to be getting better each year. The D90 and 18-200 combination is adequate for almost all magazine work, and most stock agencies will except images from this equipment. And if it does get stolen or lost, it is a much easier pill to swallow than replacing a $10,000 professional Nikon body and lens!

While I haven't tried the new Nikon D5000, it might be an even better option for frequent travelers. It is small, light, can do decent travel videos, and is priced very well for its excellent image quality (based on my knowledge of the similar D90 CMOS sensor).

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

NIKON D90 VIDEO REVIEW

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.

From time to time I will be giving my thoughts on Nikon and their foray into video. Despite the technical limitations of the camera, I have been able to get some really dynamic footage from three different countries so far. When it is finished, I will include on this blog a short film that I did in Japan, solely using the D90.

This blog entry is simply a reminder to check your footage for any potentially interesting still images! Even though HD video is not a great resolution for making prints, it is certainly fine for web viewing. This evocative still image is of my assistant Jon, as he was standing in while getting the manual focus right. I find the D90 has a nice "cinematic" look to it, and I am looking forward to the next offering from Nikon.

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

NIKON D5000 OPINIONS

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.

I was excited this morning when I discovered that the D5000 was in fact a reality! Very few people have seen this camera, as it is not released yet, but by reading the specs I will share my thoughts:

1. The swivel screen is excellent for photographing in large crowds where you need to raise the camera above your head (press scrums, concerts, etc.), and also great for seeing what you are filming with the video feature.

2. The camera will work very well for snapshots of people using the built-in flash, in Auto mode. My assumptions are based on the D90's excellent performance in full Auto mode, while taking family pics at birthday parties and other non-professional events. This camera, while not in the D90 class, will no doubt equal the D90 in its D-Lighting and flash balancing capabilities.

3. The video will probably be of the same quality as the D90; not so great with regards to the Jello-like effects of "rolling shutter", but very decent for low depth-of-field effects when using fast prime lenses.

4. It will be a great travel camera, just like the D90. It is small, light, unobtrusive, and relatively inexpensive considering its many features. Up until last year I would take my large professional camera bodies on international trips. I don't do this anymore; my last two trips were shot entirely on the Nikon D90, with great results.

5. Do you have a family with small children? The D5000 may be perfect for you. The video capability will be much easier than the D90 due to the swivel screen, and as mentioned above, the camera is feature-packed, inexpensive, lightweight, and it looks easy to use.

To get more information on this camera, do a Google search for "D5000". DP Review is also a great source for a more detailed study of the camera. The comments section is open, feel free to discuss and ask any questions!

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

NIKON D300

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.

I don't usually mention specific brands on this blog, but one noteworthy product deserves special mention: the Nikon D300.

I bought one just a few days ago to use as a back-up camera body. I didn't expect anything great, just normal Nikon dependability.

My family and friends went to a picnic yesterday, and I took the camera to photograph the kids. I wanted to see how well the camera dealt with skin tones using the on-camera flash. I don't ever use such flashes in studio, but for travel photography situations I often wished my pro camera body had a pop-up flash to capture fleeting, low light opportunities (Geisha in Kyoto come to mind). The D300 is amazing! I have no idea how they were able to do it, but the small pop-up flash creates fill light better than workhorses such as the D2Xs with a Nikon SB800 speedlight. I was very impressed with how well the camera judges exposure.

Usual problem areas with flash photography are blown-out foreheads, noses, and chins. This has always been a problem for editorial or event photographers, as they are almost always using a flash unit attached to the camera. Each flash photo that I took with the D300 was perfectly exposed; no bright foreheads or noses, and the background was always well balanced with the foreground subject matter. When I got home and checked all the images, my first thought was that (among many others), this was a great camera for travel, news, and event photographers. It is light-weight, fast, and exposes intelligently in full AUTO mode.

One of the secrets to creating such a well-balanced photograph is the optional Active D-Lighting. When this is enabled the camera underexposes the photo slightly, to avoid over-exposed highlights on a person's face. It then immediately overexposes the darker areas to create an evenly lit scene.

Some could argue that this is replicable in Photoshop. It is, to an extent. I found however that the D300 does a better job of boosting the shadow area than Photoshop's tools, such as the Shadow/Highlight slider. One could also say that the results of the D300's Active D-Lighting are the same as setting other cameras on Low Contrast. Not so . . . the D300's Active D-Lighting still maintains an acceptable amount of contrast, whereas the Low Contrast setting on other cameras yields a bland, washed-out photograph.

As I am only three days into the camera, I still have much to discover. At this point, at $1800 I believe that for digital SLR's, it is the best value for the dollar.

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