MIRRORS AND DEPTH

If you are doing an interior photo shoot, and the locations have mirrors, why not use them to your advantage? Mirrors have a way of creating depth to an interior image, because they give the illusion that there are more rooms beyond the walls. If you have models in the shot, position them so that they are viewed multiple times in the same image.

I took this photo of a changing room in an oil refinery. While there were only two models present, I was able to get five people in the shot (reflection in the left mirror, two reflections in the right mirror, two actual models). It may take a bit of planning as to where you need the models to stand, but it will be worth it!

To see more photography by Mark Hemmings, click here. All photos copyright Mark Hemmings.

BLUE COLOR CAST

Each year I take people to Nagano, Japan, to photograph the famous Japanese Snow Monkeys. I took this photo last week, and was struck by the emotive quality of the image. This blog entry will be old news to many of my readers, but it is worth repeating. When you have a subject that is melancholic in nature, it is usually best to use a blue filter, or a color balance that produces a cool, blue-ish hue. This color tone will accentuate the moodiness of the image.

The day was overcast, and relatively neutral in color. By placing my digital camera on "tungsten" setting (light bulb icon), the image tone is changed from neutral to blue. If you are adept with using the Kelvin scale in your digital cameras, try a very low number, such as 3500 K.

I have never used the comments option on Blogger, but it is now open, and I will try to answer any questions or comments that are posted. Thanks!

To see more Japan images by Mark Hemmings, click here. All photos copyright Mark Hemmings.

EARLY MORNING SCENES

Today is my last day in Japan, and I was blessed with snowfall in the mountains of Nagano. I was staying at a traditional inn with a beautiful outdoor natural hotspring bath. The water was very hot, and the air very cold due to the elevation and falling snow. I wanted to find the right time to photograph the bath, and chose one hour prior to sunrise.



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

JAPANESE ART AESTHETICS

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!

To see more photos of Japan by Mark Hemmings, click here. All photos copyright Mark Hemmings

HARSH SUN, DEEP SHADOWS

Have you ever seen the cover photo for the Buena Vista Social Club? The scene is a Cuban street, with a man walking on one side, and an old classic American car on the other. The photo is not very good technically, but it is incredible aesthetically. The shadows are unacceptably deep, the photo is out of focus, and the man's face is hard to see. However it is one of my favorite images due to it's "soul" factor.



















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