PINHOLE 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.

Most people have heard of Pinhole photography, but not many people have had the challenge and joy of practicing the art. It is a very simple process, but requires patience and good instructions. In the simplest terms, a pinhole camera is a light-proof box that has only 2 elements; a small pinhole poked in one end, and film placed on the interior and opposing end of the box. The results are beautifully soft focused, dreamy and mysterious photographs.

There are a few options for obtaining a pinhole camera. If you would like to build a camera yourself, do an internet search for "how to make a pinhole camera". Or to purchase a pre-made pinhole camera, search for "buying a pinhole camera".

Pinhole photography is the original form of photography; when you practice it you are going back in time, to the 10th century! Long before the invention of film the camera was used by painters and astronomers, and at the time called a camera obscura. Because of the camera's age, older subjects tend to look better than modern subjects. In addition to the decision of choosing appropriate subject matter, choosing between black and white film and color can also yield some interesting results. B&W film is more traditional, as color film was not in use until the mid 20th century. However, I have tended to appreciate color pinhole images lately, which I feel have a warm, romantic feel.

Note on digital cameras: While there are pinhole filter attachments available for digital SLR cameras, they don't work nearly as well as film. One major drawback is the extreme dust that shows up on the image due to incredible lens depth of field. I have tried pinhole photography on my Nikon digital, and while my normal lens photos did not show any dust spots at all, the pinhole attachment showed hundreds of dust spots, simply because the focus extends almost all the way back to the "film plane", or CCD.

A second problem with digital cameras is that they do not produce as good long exposure results as film cameras. Pinhole photos can often take up to 1/2 hour to expose, which is very hard on digital sensors.

Regardless of the above difficulties, if you can find a digital pinhole attachment, it may be of value to introduce you to the process. You can then step up to a film based pinhole when you get a feel for the results.

These building were taken in the Castle District of Budapest, Hungary.
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

EXTERIOR ARCHITECTURE

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Photographing building exteriors is both easy and difficult. The easy part is finding subject matter . . . the difficult part is composing in a way that is both dynamic and original.

The above image is a nice mixture of old and new architecture, and the vertical lines of both structures compliment each other. As the old west-facing architecture is more aesthetically pleasing than the newer building, this photo was meant to be taken with warm, evening light. A morning shot would have illuminated the newer building at the expense of the great sandstone detail.

Architecture is a classical subject, and because of its permanence, a traditional rule of thirds composition may be the best choice. In this photo, the older building takes up 1/3 of the picture space, while the background texture (newer building) takes up the remaining 2/3rds. One could argue that the older building should be more prominent, but if altered, I believe that it would lose its visual strength.

These building were taken in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.
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

BACKLIGHTING

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 technique works very well with flowers in the late afternoon or early morning, when the sun is low in the sky. Set your lens aperture (f-stop) to the lowest number possible, which will give your image a shallow depth of field. Compose your photo so that the flowers or buds that are closest to your lens are the center of focus. Now shift your position so that the sun is just barely shining directly into the lens. Do not stare at the sun for too long, as it can do damage to your eyes.

After your photo is taken, you should see a beautiful "wash" of warm light throughout your image, as well as lens flare. In this instance, lens flare is an asset!

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

COMPOSE TO ANNOY

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If you have come from a photography school, or have been part of a photography organization that judges your photos, you may have lingering phobias of improperly composing your photographs (due to the heavy hand that is about to "correct" you!). When it comes to fine art photography, there is no need to follow the rules set out by those above you . . . and often it is in breaking these established rules that the most dynamic and thought provoking works arise.

I took this photo for the purpose of hanging on my own wall. I liked the wallpaper design, from the Arts and Crafts movement, I believe. As I didn't want to have the full painting on my own wall, I decided to throw it off-center in a jarring manner, to grab the attention of the viewer. The wallpaper design and placement of the historic painting takes the image from documentary to abstract, and provides for an interesting work to hang on a wall.

A good location to find textured wallpaper is at an historic settlement, if there is one near where you live. This image was taken at a settlement called King's Landing, in New Brunswick, Canada.

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

ALTERNATE TRAVEL PHOTOS

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If you are selling (or hope to soon be selling) your travel photos to the publishing world, don't forget images that also represent the idea of travel. Depending on flight connections, you can be sitting around in an airport for hours doing nothing. Why not try to get some candid shots that show movement, and the feeling of air travel? These types of images sell well; you can often find them in travel trade publications such as AAA and the like.

Here are a few suggestions:
1. Use a wide angle lens to allow for extra text space. The above photo has plenty of white area which is ideal for graphic designers; they can add the magazine mast head or any other text.
2. Make sure there is always movement in the photo. Static images do not sell very well.
3. Err on the side of overexposure.
4. Find the brightest area of the airport to take your photos.
5. Keep an eye open for pilots and crew walking toward their gate. You can often get usable images of these people as long as no faces or company logos are visible.
6. Panning shots of people walking by work well. The faces will not be recognizable, and the sense of movement will add value to your image.

Important: With increased airport security this type of photography is very risky. Keep your camera at your waist, and keep shooting, guessing at the composition. You will eventually get some usable images, after deleting the majority of ill-composed shots. In this case, digital cameras have the advantage!

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

IMPRESSIONISTIC 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.

An easy way to get your flower photos to look like a painting:
1. Put your camera on Aperture Priority and set your lens to its lowest f-stop number. In this case, a 50mm f1.4 lens works best, but use whatever you have.
2. If you are using digital, set your camera's saturation level to high, and white balance to Shade setting. If you are using a film camera, place a warming filter or orange gel in front of the lens. Use a very saturated slide film like Fuji Velvia or Kodak VS.
2. Hand-hold this photo, no tripods needed.
3. Place your lens on manual focus, and focus above the flowers, somewhere between the tops of the flowers and your camera.
4. Try a few different photos with different levels of de-focus, and choose the best one. I have found that overcast days work best for this technique. 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

FINE ART SELF 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.


After my first shot, I felt that one of my photos taken in Quebec City needed an extra element that was not available at the time; a person. As I was alone, I tried a self portrait by placing the camera on a tripod, and setting the 10 second timer. What good is this technique, especially if a face isn't even visible? The value is in the increased marketability of the image with the addition of a person. I am experimenting with this by submitting both images to one of my agents, and seeing which sells more. From past experience, I am quite sure that this photo will outsell the non-peopled image.

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