
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
BACKGROUNDS

Wednesday, November 18, 2009
ABSTRACT PATTERNS

Tuesday, November 10, 2009
MAGAZINE WORK

Wednesday, November 4, 2009
RGB COLOR

Tuesday, October 27, 2009
FIRE AND STROBES

Tuesday, October 13, 2009
DRAMATIC LIGHTING

Thursday, October 8, 2009
OUR NEW STUDIO!

Wednesday, September 30, 2009
DIRECTIONAL LIGHTING

Tuesday, September 22, 2009
TIME LAPSE
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
DSLR's FOR THE CAR

Wednesday, September 9, 2009
SMALL INTERIORS

Wednesday, September 2, 2009
PHOTO ASSISTANTS

Tuesday, August 25, 2009
STROBES OUTDOORS

Tuesday, August 18, 2009
EMOTION AND GEOMETRY

Tuesday, August 11, 2009
MID-CENTURY MODERNISM

Tuesday, August 4, 2009
JAPAN & NIKON D90
JAPAN from Hemmings House Pictures on Vimeo.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
MEXICO & DSLR VIDEO
Monday, July 20, 2009
STAR & LAND PHOTOS

Tuesday, July 14, 2009
PHOTOS OF STARS

Monday, July 6, 2009
RAINY DAY PHOTOS

Tuesday, June 30, 2009
NIKON 35mm LENS & FOOD PHOTOS


Tuesday, June 23, 2009
ELEMENTS OF COMPOSITION

- Line - the visual path that enables the eye to move within the piece
- Shape - areas defined by edges within the piece, whether geometric or organic
- Color - hues with their various values and intensities
- Texture - surface qualities which translate into tactile illusions
- Direction - visual routes which take vertical, horizontal or diagonal paths
- Size - the relative dimensions and proportions of images or shapes to one another
- Perspective - expression of depth: foreground, middle ground, background
- Space - the space taken up by (positive) or in between (negative) objects
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
CARACAS MODERN

Tuesday, June 9, 2009
TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY GEAR

Monday, June 1, 2009
BACKGROUND SHADES

Tuesday, May 26, 2009
OVERHEAD PHOTOS

Tuesday, May 19, 2009
CLARITY TOOL

Tuesday, May 12, 2009
THREE LIGHT SETUP

Tuesday, May 5, 2009
NIKON D90 VIDEO REVIEW

Tuesday, April 28, 2009
COLORED LIGHTING

Tuesday, April 21, 2009
LAB ENVIRONMENTS

Tuesday, April 14, 2009
NIKON D5000 OPINIONS

Tuesday, April 7, 2009
DELETE LATER!

I was about to delete the image, but decided it would be best to wait until I reviewed all the images at my hotel. When I got the shot on the screen, I changed my opinion, and decided I would continue its existence!
This is simply a reminder to be very cautious when deleting digital images in the camera. It is often best to delete them after reviewing on a computer monitor. This time period will also give you greater perspective on what images have value, and which ones do not.
To see more photography by Mark Hemmings, click here. All photos copyright Mark Hemmings.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
MIRRORS AND DEPTH

Monday, March 23, 2009
BLUE COLOR CAST

Tuesday, March 17, 2009
EARLY MORNING SCENES

If you are photographing natural scenes with flowing water, try very early in the morning. There are a number of advantages to getting up at such an hour: you will get a cool blue color cast, your water will flow soft and silk-like (due to long exposures), you will most likely get mist over the water, and the final product will be unique, as no one else will be waking up at such an unreasonable hour!
When using a tripod, make sure that you use a self-timer or remote shutter release to take the photo. Your hand touching the shutter release button can cause camera shake, which may be detrimental to the final image.
To see more Japan photos by Mark Hemmings, click here. All photos copyright Mark Hemmings
Monday, March 9, 2009
JAPANESE ART AESTHETICS

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!
To see more photos of Japan by Mark Hemmings, click here. All photos copyright Mark Hemmings
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
HARSH SUN, DEEP SHADOWS

If you are in mid-day sun, and you feel uninspired due to the harsh lighting, why not use the weather to your advantage? Create a low-fi image by increasing your camera's contrast, underexposing, boosting saturation, and finally, taking the picture slightly out of focus.

My sample image is quite deficient compared to the Buena Vista image, but it gives you an idea of what is possible when you purposefully take technically poor pictures! Sometimes you will get gems that turn out to be quite profitable.
Click here to see Mark Hemmings website. All photos copyright Mark Hemmings
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

Monday, February 16, 2009
WATER FOUNTAINS

Tuesday, February 10, 2009
OVERHEAD LIGHTING

Tuesday, February 3, 2009
SYMMETRY AND ASYMMETRY

Monday, January 26, 2009
SINGLE LIGHT SOURCES

Tuesday, January 20, 2009
POST PROCESSING

Tuesday, January 13, 2009
REDUCING SHARPNESS

Monday, January 5, 2009
STOCK SKY IMAGES

Tuesday, December 30, 2008
TEXTURED BACKGROUNDS
I always enjoy using textured backgrounds for fashion photo shoots. Wallpaper in old houses, curtains, or any fabric that has a certain amount of relief, or three dimensionality, can make for intriguing backgrounds. Flat, or non-textured backgrounds are not has photogenic, as there are no 'ridges' in the material to catch the light. When directional light encounters a bump or ridge in background fabric, there will always be a resultant miniscule shadow created. It is the shadows and highlights of a background that will give the appearance of depth, even in relatively flat objects such as sheets.

Remember that the appearance of depth on fabric will not be visible when light is pointed at a 90 degree angle (or straight on). You need to point the directional light at a sharp angle, 45 degrees or less. The slighter the angle, the more texture will be visible.
All Photos Copyright Mark Hemmings. To see more work by Mark, CLICK HERE
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
GROUP PHOTOS

Tuesday, December 16, 2008
DEFOCUSED PHOTOS

The results were often ethereal and dream-like; long skinny arms, legs, and necks, and due to fluorescent lighting, odd color balances.
To try this technique, always have your lens at the lowest f-number, and of course in manual focus. Overexposure is also important, as this type of photography loses it's appeal if exposed properly.
Have fun experimenting!
Email this Blog to a friend. To see more photographs by Mark Hemmings, click here. ALL PHOTOS COPYRIGHT MARK HEMMINGS
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
HIGH CONTRAST - SHINY OBJECTS

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.
Email this Blog to a friend. To see more photographs by Mark Hemmings, click here. ALL PHOTOS COPYRIGHT MARK HEMMINGS
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
MAGAZINE STYLE PHOTOS

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.
Email this Blog to a friend. To see more photographs by Mark Hemmings, click here. ALL PHOTOS COPYRIGHT MARK HEMMINGS
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
CONTROLLING LENS FLARE

It is the lens flare however that makes the photograph for me. This technique is easily done, and the results will always be unique:
1. Overexpose the photograph.
2. Do not have the sun in the composition, but place it just millimeters outside of the frame.
3. You can control (to a certain extent) how the flare will behave by moving your own physical position.
4. Take the picture! If the image is too dark, overexpose more.
This technique is easy to do, and is especially helpful for winter scenes. Make sure you do not look at sun through your viewfinder. For those of you with newer D-SLR cameras with LiveView, you can compose via the screen. Good luck!
Email this Blog to a friend. To see more photographs by Mark Hemmings, click here. ALL PHOTOS COPYRIGHT MARK HEMMINGS
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
BLUE/YELLOW POLARIZER

The reflective surface in this photo is the flowing stream. The polarizing filter gave it a warm, dreamlike hue, which can save a potentially boring nature photograph. The blue version of the stream looked equally intriguing, but for my purposes I stayed with the warmer version (it was photographed for a real estate company promoting their natural surroundings).
While these filters are hyper-realistic, they are very fun to work with, and can often perform miracles on dreary days. Most filter companies offer this polarizer, and they can be purchased at any professional camera store.
Email this Blog to a friend. To see more photographs by Mark Hemmings, click here. ALL PHOTOS COPYRIGHT MARK HEMMINGS
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
EARLY MORNING SNOWFALL

The best time to capture exterior winter photographs is the morning after a snowfall. Here are some tips:
1. You only have a 20 minute window when the outdoor ambient light levels equal the light levels of the building(s) you are photographing. Thus, you should be outside and ready to photograph even when it is dark.
2. Auto exposure should be fine. The blue of the snow, and the orange of the artificial lights should evenly mix what your camera's white balance computer suggests as an appropriate color temperature.
3. Use a tripod and a remote shutter release of some sort, and set your camera to f8, in Aperture Priority mode. You may then have to adjust the +/- exposure compensation buttons to fine tune the exposure after a test shot.
4. As soon as there is a small amount of sky light, you should start shooting. At first, the building's artificial lights will be much brighter than the snow. Then a few minutes later, the photo will be balanced perfectly. Five to ten minutes after your well-balanced photo, you will find that the conditions are no longer adequate for a balanced picture. The snow will be far brighter than the building's lights, and the romantic scene will be greatly lessened due to (relatively) darker artificial exterior lights.
5. While I do not tend to use them, sometimes a softening filter can be useful to make the photo even more dreamy.
6. The only downside to this technique is the pain of waking up early on a snowy cold morning. This laborious aspect of the photo shoot wanes after you start to see the fantastic scene through your viewfinder! It is a great joy to make a photograph during a time of day that almost no one else gets to witness.
I took this photo in the picturesque village of Mt. Tremblant, in Quebec.
Email this Blog to a friend. To see more photographs by Mark Hemmings, click here. ALL PHOTOS COPYRIGHT MARK HEMMINGS
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
FREEZING WATER

The strobe of light will stop all motion, and will dramatically enhance the stainless steel background. Normal house interior lighting is often not adequate to get a bold, sharp photo with a neutral color cast. Make sure, however, not to simply point your camera flash at the water. It should be diffused or reflected off of a very large surface. One idea is to shoot your flash into a large piece of white bristol board that is angled for the water, or another option is to shoot the flash through large diffusion material such as a bedsheet.
As always, I try to make these posts accessible to those who cannot afford professional gear. When the time comes to buy your first light kit, spend the money to get the largest softbox you can afford. The larger the softbox, the better the picture (in most cases!)
Email this Blog to a friend. To see more photographs by Mark Hemmings, click here. ALL PHOTOS COPYRIGHT MARK HEMMINGS
Monday, October 27, 2008
INDUSTRIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

If you are ever in the position to take photographs in industrial areas, here are a few tips:
1. Cooler tones are almost always better than warmer tones for metal products.
2. Look for traditional, bold compositions. Experimental compositions may not work as well for this type of photography; you are ideally looking for compositional 'power' that is a result of thirds or symmetrical compositions.
3. Overcast days tend to be better for steel. There are exceptions of course, but this has been my experience.
4. Tripods are essential even on very bright days, due to the need for architecturally straight lines.
5. High contrast settings on cameras or in post processing tends to look better than normal contrast.
6. While low depth of field lens aperture options are attractive for most images, I find that industrial locations with plenty of steel look best with apertures of f8 or f11. Industrial photography is very similar to architectural photography in that sense.
And finally, keep your equipment clean! Such environments tend to wear out your equipment sooner than normal locations. Here are some more photographs from my other company, Industrial Photographic Services. Hopefully they can be of additional help to you.
Email this Blog to a friend. To see more photographs by Mark Hemmings, click here. ALL PHOTOS COPYRIGHT MARK HEMMINGS
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
COMPOSITIONAL ALIGNMENT

The only obvious straight line of any length is the yellow beam on the right side of the photo. By lining the edge of my camera's viewfinder with the straight wall beam, I was able to get an accurate composition. Keep an eye out for straight lines, either vertical or horizontal, to use as guides. If your camera has the option of turning on a grid display within the viewfinder, it would be wise to make use of it.
Some people have had success with bubble levels that fit on a camera's hotshoe, but I have found that the bubble is too small to allow for great accuracy. If all else fails however, there are always straightening tools in Photoshop. It is best though to get the photo composed perfectly the first time, as Photoshop straightening will slightly reduce the photo's resolution.
The room at the top of the stairs in this photo can be yours for a week! James Wilson and I are leading a photography tour to the Spanish Colonial town of San Miguel, and we are staying in this lovely Mexican villa. For more information on our international photography tours, please click here:
http://www.markhemmings.com/japan_photo_tour/index.htm
Email this Blog to a friend. To see more photographs by Mark Hemmings, click here. ALL PHOTOS COPYRIGHT MARK HEMMINGS
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
NIKON D90 REVIEW

The Nikon D90 is my new travel companion for a number of reasons. Here are a few:
1. It is inexpensive compared to similar 12 MP DSLR's
2. It is very lightweight, and small, which is great for traveling
3. It takes SD cards which are more readily available than CF, and are cheaper
4. While not 14-bit, the 12-bit sensor creates imagery almost as good as the Pro D3
5. It records manual focus HD video, great for travel locations
The video has some issues that would keep it from being used professionally, however it is excellent for creating fine art short films, travel videos, and family films. I have had great success using a 50mm lens shooting video at f1.4, which gives the final product a more film-like appearance as opposed to the plasticky look of video.
The less than $1200 price tag makes this a great camera for all levels. Professionals will find it helpful as a back-up in case of emergencies, travel photographers will like it because of the quality and because it is a "safer" camera to have on the streets, and amateurs will like it because it is simple to use and very effective. To sum up: It is cheap enough to not be a disaster if it was broken or stolen, and good enough for many professional applications. That mix makes the camera ideal for travel, as you need both elements (quality and expendability) for a successful trip.
Email this Blog to a friend. To see more photographs by Mark Hemmings, click here. ALL PHOTOS COPYRIGHT MARK HEMMINGS
Monday, October 6, 2008
OVERCAST SKIES
Overcast days are wonderful for Fall foliage, but the addition of that dull gray blob of a sky can seriously detract from your great image. Why not just crop out the sky? If the sky is not an integral part of your composition, or the desire of your art director, just get rid of it (or leave a small slice like the sample photo). Give it a try! Your photo will be much better for it.Email this Blog to a friend. To see more photographs by Mark Hemmings, click here. ALL PHOTOS COPYRIGHT MARK HEMMINGS
Monday, September 29, 2008
REMOTE SHUTTER RELEASES
Proper street photography is always unplanned and spontaneous. I subscribe to this ethos 95% of the time, except for the following scenario: a perfect location with no people around! This old picturesque part of Kyoto is called Ishibe Koji, and it is a great delight for exploring both night and day. There were no people around (unbelievably!) when I was there, which was disappointing due to the great scene. So I set up my camera on a tripod, composed the shot, and attached a remote cable release. After waiting about 10 minutes eventually this well-suited and unaware model walked into my frame. I quickly took the picture and got what I wanted.The advantage of using a remote shutter release (either cable or infrared) is its unobtrusive means of tripping the shutter. In fact, you don't even need to be looking through the camera, just trip the shutter as soon as someone enters the scene.
Email this Blog to a friend. To see more photographs by Mark Hemmings, click here. ALL PHOTOS COPYRIGHT MARK HEMMINGS

