OVERHEAD 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.

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

MAGAZINE STYLE 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.

When shooting interiors for magazines, you will often use strobe lights if people are NOT in the photograph, and ambient light (windows and lightbulbs) if people ARE included in the images.



When people are in the photograph it is often advisable to have them walking, which increases the dynamic aspect of the composition. For a grounding effect, placing stationary people in the background can add to the static/dynamic balance.

If you were to use a flash for my above sample photograph, the people would have a sort of "ghost trail" moving ahead of their bodies. It does not look pleasing! Instead, the technique used is to have your camera on a tripod with no flash or strobe, and experiment with different shutter speeds (or different walking speeds), until you get a motion blur that is not too abstract, and not too still. A good shutter speed to start with is 1/2 second.

If there were no people in the photograph, studio strobes would be helpful to create a more even balance between the large volume of window light, and lesser intensity of interior lighting. While you can certainly still use models with flash or strobe lighting, they will be "frozen" in place, which may reduce the image's marketability.

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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