ACTIVE D-LIGHTING

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.

Newer Nikon D-SLR cameras have a function called Active D-Lighting. When I bought my D300 years ago, the manual said this about D-Lighting: "Active D-Lighting preserves details in highlights and shadows, creating photos with natural contrast. Use for high contrast scenes, for example when photographing brightly lit outdoor scenery through a door or window or taking pictures of shaded subjects on a sunny day."

I find the function works very well for interior architecture and design. The following shot was taken in a beautiful home in Mexico, during one of our San Miguel de Allende photo workshops. The scene was such that when I exposed for the house interior, the door light was blown-out. When I exposed for the door light, the house interior was far too dark. Normally this would be solved with strobes or multiple exposures, however this was not necessary due to the Active D-Lighting option.

Fortunately professional level Nikon features are now starting to find their way into sub-$1,000 camera bodies. The Nikon D5000 for example has Active D-Lighting, 720p HD Video, and the much appreciated ability to take time lapse footage, all for a price below $1,000. Now is the time to experiment with new photographic subject matter, especially as our tools are getting cheaper and more sophisticated each year.

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

RGB COLOR

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.

Before any color space experts get angry at my gross simplification, please be aware that this blog is primarily aimed at those learning photography. So . . . in easy to understand terms, your digital camera has an option of different color spaces. sRGB is the most common, and Adobe RGB is the usual choice for professional photos that will be printed.

Your camera is probably set to sRGB by default, however you may be able to change it to Adobe RGB or other color spaces. If you are not a working professional, you can probably stick with sRGB.

This blog post is an encouragement to utilize sRGB for all photos that will end up on the web. If your photo does not have a color space saved, or is in another color space, it would be wise to change the photo to sRGB prior to uploading it to the web. Open your photo in Photoshop or another image editor, and then save the photo with "save as". There should be an option to choose a color space for the photo prior to saving the image to the hard drive.

The above photo from yesterday was taken in Adobe RGB for professional printing, however for this blog I changed it to sRGB, resized it, and it is now properly displayed for the web.

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

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 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

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

TONED PHOTOGRAPHS

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 lesson is very simple and short; if you want to photograph an object that has great design characteristics, but is bland in color and tone, try adding a bluish color cast to the photo. This technique is especially useful for metallic objects that have lost their shine.

Simply turn your white balance setting to the "lightbulb" icon, which is also called Incandescent or Tungsten. This will give your photograph new life, and give you a new avenue of expression!

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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

COVER 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 considering travel photography composition, it is always wise to take a number of different views of the same scene. I have heard many magazine art directors complain that photographers rarely consider the most important photograph; the cover shot!

If a scene in front of you is cover-worthy, make sure you take the photograph in a vertical format. Leave plenty of space at the top for the magazine name and other text.

I often forget to consider cover photo compositions, however if you get into the practice of doing these, art directors will be very pleased with your varied compositional selections. Each different view of the same scene will greatly enhance your chances of having the right shot for the client's needs.

This photo was taken by me three days ago in the lovely Cayman Islands, a good place to escape from our Canadian winter.

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

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.

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.

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

VIBRATION REDUCTION

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 doing a job last week for a major ski and golf resort, set in the beautiful Laurentian Mountains in Quebec. While walking around the various properties we came across a family of deer. We were at a distance such that a 200mm zoom lens was required, and luckily it was already on my camera.

You may have noticed that the longer your lens is zoomed to, the shakier your photos become when not using a tripod. This can really be demonstrated by looking through a telescope; one minor vibration of the tripod, and the whole celestial scene shakes for a few seconds! For wildlife photography, using a tripod is usually not convenient, so the latest solution is to purchase an Image Stabilizing lens, or sometimes called a Vibration Reduction lens.

Even though the sample photo of the deer seems nice and bright, my shutter speed was slow enough that the photo would have been shaky and blurry. I turned on the image stabilizing feature on my lens, and immediately the scene became stable, and I was able to get a sharp photo. Although I am not an expert on the mechanics of vibration reduction, my understanding is that a gyroscope with sensors tells the lens to move the opposite direction of your camera shake, thus canceling the unwanted movement. These corrective lens movements happen in milliseconds . . . incredible technology!

Although more expensive than normal zoom lenses, if you enjoy nature or sports photography, an image stabilizing lens might be a worthwhile investment. Depending on the brand, they often go by the names IS (Image Stabilizing Lens) and VR (Vibration Reduction Lens).

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

COLOR WASH

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 have ever wondered how nature photographers get that nice 'color wash' in their nature photos, here is how it is done:

Make sure your f-number (aperture) is the lowest possible for your particular lens. Then crawl around in the grass until you find the right scene, and then place foreground flowers DIRECTLY ON YOUR LENS. Don't be afraid if the flowers actually touch the glass.

Experimentation is very important; sometimes the technique works, and other times it doesn't. The soft color cast is dependent on how much of the grass or flowers touch the lens, and what color the flowers are. Try a few different positions, and eventually you will get a shot similar to the above sample photo.

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

EVENING 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.

If you have access to a field or meadow, wait until just before sunset to get a nice soft wash of golden light. The process is very easy; just place the lens slightly lower than the direct sun. In other words, if you raised the camera a little bit, the sun would be shining directly into the lens. The soft, golden look comes partly from lens flare, which in this case is actually desirable.

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HIGH CONTRAST

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 are using only natural window light and want to get a high contrast look for your portrait, black fabric will do the trick. The best material is black velvet, which seems to "soak up" the light, as velvet does not reflect any light back toward its source.

Simply hang or pin any type of black material as close to the subject as possible. Obviously you will not want the material to be in the photo, but just at the edge. If you want to see how much difference this technique makes, take two photos, one with, and one without the black material.

To increase the contrast even more, use high contrast film, or set your digital camera to its highest contrast setting. Keep in mind that extreme contrast portraits are usually best for fine art photography. If you are doing a portrait session for a normal paying client, it may be best to do it with a more traditional method.

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DEPTH OF FIELD

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.

Low Depth of Field means that only a small "sliver" of the picture will be in focus, and the remaining parts of the picture space will be softly out-of-focus. This is very helpful for People photography, as long as the point of focus is always the subjects eyes.

There are two main ways to obtain low depth of field. Purchase a 50mm f1.8 lens, and set the lens to f1.8. Focus on the subject's eyes, and everything else should go out of focus. The closer the camera is to the subject, the greater the effect.

If you currently only have a zoom lens that came with your camera, you can still get a good effect without buying a new lens. Set the zoom lens to the longest setting, such a 200mm, and the f-stop at its lowest number, such as f5.6. Similar to the 50mm lens, the closer the camera is to the subject, the greater the effect. You may need to use a tripod however when using such a long lens. The longer the focal length, the greater the chance of camera shake.

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SCALE AND PERSPECTIVE

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 blog entry is very short, but effective. When photographing large-scale scenes, whether they are natural or man made, it is important to include a reference point (such as humans) to give the viewer a sense of scale. As camera lenses do not give a 100% accurate representation of reality, it helps to either include background subject matter of a known scale, or additional foreground elements that the viewer can make spatial judgments from. In this case, the people in front of the falls show the scale of the waterfall.

I took this photo at Montmorency Falls, near Quebec City. 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

TELEPHOTO COMPRESSION

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 are interested in learning how to take good sports photos, try using a zoom or telephoto lens at around 200mm. These long lenses have a tendency to "compress" an image, making depth of field changes more prominent, as well as giving the image much more drama. Another benefit to long lenses are the compositional possibilities; you can usually get rid of distracting background information because the subject usually fills the entire picture space.

The downside to long lenses are few, but keep these in mind:
1. You will need a tripod, as the longer the zoom, the shakier the images can become.
2. The longer the lens, the quicker the focusing will need to be. This is either the camera's autofocus, or your own focusing.
3. You may need to increase the ISO to freeze the action of the moving subjects.
4. An f2.8 zoom lens is ideal for sports photography, but these are very expensive. A cheaper but high quality option is the 180mm or 200mm f2.8 telephoto lens (non zoom). You can buy them used for good prices, and the quality is excellent.

I took this photo at a bike race in Burlington, Vermont.

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

NIGHT ILLUMINATION

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 is a photo of my first vehicle, a very enjoyable (and expensive to operate) Dodge camper van. I was out doing night photography a long time ago and decided to take a picture of the van, in case it ever died or was driven off a cliff in frustration. As it was a cloudless night, the moon provided all the light that I needed for my vehicular portrait. If you would like to see the world in a completely different way, set your camera up on a tripod (on a cloudless night), and do a long exposure photo of whatever subject you desire. Your exposure may be a few minutes, but the results are worth it. Even though moonlight is a similar color temperature as the sun, it is a very different quality of light, which will be evident in your final image.

If you are unsure of how to do a long exposure with your camera, click here for a previous blog post that dealt with star trail photography. Have fun!

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

WIDE ANGLE LENSES

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 the above photo looks exaggerated in scale, it's because I photographed the dandelion with a wide angle lens. The distortion caused by such lenses are usually unwanted; stretched, fat-looking faces, and an untruthful expansion of interior spaces are a few examples. However when it comes to nature photography, the exaggerated results from a wide angle lens shot close to the subject can result in very interesting images. Simply get as close to the subject as your focusing will allow, and you will find the lens distortion adds to the picture. It really helps (as in the above photo) if you subject "trails off" into the background, which creates a feeling of even more depth. Anything wider than a 35mm lens should do the trick!

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

PHOTO BUSINESS CARDS

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.

Is your business card boring? Why not make a statement with your business cards by designing one with your own photography? The process is simple:

1. Take your preferred image and digitally re-size it to 2"x3.5" @ 300 DPI
2. Add the appropriate text
3. Save the finished file as a TIFF or PSD file
4. Burn to disk and send to your local print shop

I have been doing this for years, and each print run I change the photo. Many people keep my business cards, as there is less incentive to throw out a business card when it is visually appealing.

This business card photo was taken in Grand Central Station in New York. I don't know the person, but he was entering the Metrazure restaurant. If you are reading this blog, and that is your silhouette, thanks!

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

INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE

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 you are asked to do interior photos of a large room or building, one of the most important technical elements of the final picture are straight lines. A sure sign that an interior photo was taken by an amateur photographer are curved or angled walls. The unnatural curve that you experience when taking the photo is not your fault; your camera lenses are not nearly as advanced as your eyes, which have the ability to optically correct the curving perspective.

So how do you correct the image so that all lines in the photograph will be straight? Here are a few suggestions for in-camera perspective control, without using software:
1. Learn how to use a view camera. This is a very expensive, time consuming, and technically challenging endeavor. To learn more about view cameras, do an internet search.
2. Purchase or rent a perspective control lens made by Canon or Nikon. These expensive lenses can move in many directions, and will allow you to get straight lines by experimenting with the amount of Tilt and Shift that you apply (these lenses are also called Tilt/Shift lenses). Currently, Canon has the best version of this lens, as their 24mm wide angle will be adequate for most interior spaces.

If you don't have the cash for the above options, the second-best choice is using software such as Photoshop. Software still requires the very best image however, so you need to supply it with a photo that is as straight as you can possibly get. To do the most for the photo, follow these guidelines:
1. Always use a tripod.
2. Compose the photo so that you are exactly in the middle of the room.
3. If possible make sure your camera is positioned at the same distance between the ground and the ceiling (half-way up the room). You may need a ladder to do this, and a measuring tape.
4. Step away from the camera and make sure that the lens is pointing exactly 90 degrees away from the floor. In other words, the lens direction has to be completely parallel to the floor.
5. Set the lens aperture of f8 or f11.
6. Use a cable shutter release or 10 second timer so you aren't touching the camera while the shutter is released.
7. Take the photo!

If you are able to import your final image into Photoshop or other software, you can now make fine-tune adjustments to create straight lines throughout the photo. Each software is different, so you will have to read the instructions or ask someone to help you with this. Some key words to look out for are "barrel distortion", "pincushion distortion", "perspective", and "lens distortion correction".

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

NATURAL LIGHT PORTRAITS

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.

To get a nice soft natural look for indoor portraits using window light, it is very important to have a lot of light illuminating all sides of the model. If you have a corner in your house that has two windows on both walls, try placing your model in the corner. If you only have access to one window, pin up reflective material to surround the model. The reflective material will bounce light from the window back to the model. Reflection can be anything white or shiny, which could include a large white bedsheet, tinfoil, white bristol board, etc.

The reason that it is helpful to have non-contrasty scenes for lifestyle shots is because high contrast images do not sell as well. Take a look at any lifestyle magazine and you will see that the majority of images are light, airy, and warm. The more light that you can find to surround the subject the better!

Over-exposure is also a benefit, to the point where the background is always lighter than the foreground. The reverse just doesn't look right. Expose so that the model's face looks great, and don't worry about the rest.

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

MOVIE PHOTOGRAPHY

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.

There are many different types of professional photography, and most of the time a photographer will work within many different disciplines. There are a few photographers who only specialize in one part of the industry, but they are rare, and usually work only in large cities.

A Still Photographer is someone who works in the movies. It is the on-set still photographer's job to take photos of the same scene that the movie cameraman is filming. Why bother having a normal photographer in addition to a movie camera photographer? It is much easier to use still photos for advertising, than the film that comes from a movie camera. It is the still photographers job to take all the photos that end up on the movie posters, websites, movie extra features, and DVD cases.

During filming, the still photographer stands near the cinematographer and takes the same images. It is not an easy job, as the spaces on set are often very small. The still photographer has to keep a low profile, and remain out of the way of everyone else on set. In addition, the still photographer has the added challenge of working in very low-light conditions. Film cameras can handle light levels that would cause severe motion blur in normal still cameras. The solution is to use very fast lenses, and high ISO settings.

If you would like to get involved with movie photography, the best way to start is to join a local Film Co-op. They are often student groups who help each other make films on the cheap . . . each person volunteers their time to create the final product. Another thing to consider is that in most cases you need to be a part of a union to work on movies. It is necessary to have a number of films under your belt before you are permitted to join the union, which is why the student film co-op is such a good experience.

Equipment needed for on-set stills photography: 10-12 megapixel digital SLR, a monopod (tripods are too big), and camera sound blimp to encase the camera (reduces camera noise; available from Jacobson in California), 35mm, 50mm, and 85mm prime lenses, and a 70-200 (or equivalent) f2.8 zoom lens. As you can see, it is quite an investment!

You may also need a full studio light set-up to do what are called Gallery Shots. These are the planned studio shots that end up on the main film poster. These shots need to be of a higher quality than on-set film stills, thus the planned nature of the photo shoot.

Finally, although it may seem glamorous to be working in the movies, it is an incredibly boring process, with long hours and many egos to deal with . . . be prepared!
The above photo was one I took of James Caan in the movie Jericho Mansions

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