OVERHEAD PHOTOS

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

CLARITY TOOL

There will be times when a commercial shoot will result in an image that is unavoidably low-contrast. If you need to photograph two dimensional subjects, such as this antique flag, you may find that even a high contrast in-camera setting does not provide the clarity that is required. Thus, in Photoshop RAW we can use the "Clarity" slider to help with our mid-tones.

Set your camera to shoot in its RAW setting, and open the resultant file in Photoshop. In most cases, the program will be set up so that the RAW converter handles the file prior to opening the normal Photoshop screen. You will find a slider called "Clarity", and by taking it to the right you will see the mid tones increase in contrast, while keeping the highlights and shadows relatively untouched.

This tool is an easy and quick way to do mid-tone contrast adjustments to flat, washed out subject matter.

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

THREE LIGHT SETUP

I took this photo for a local auction where the public bids on hiring a chef, who will come to their home to cook a meal (thus the chef's knife and wine glass!). For location portraits, it is often beneficial to have a triangular pattern of lighting. One light should be in front of the subject slightly off-center, and two lights on either side of the subject, placed slightly to the rear. 

The rear lights should be behind the subject, but placed so that a sliver of light illuminates both the left and right side of the subject's head. If you try this triangular lighting technique and find that the light is far too bright on the two sides of the subject's head, simply increase the frontal light, or decrease the rear light output.

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

NIKON D90 VIDEO REVIEW

From time to time I will be giving my thoughts on Nikon and their foray into video. Despite the technical limitations of the camera, I have been able to get some really dynamic footage from three different countries so far. When it is finished, I will include on this blog a short film that I did in Japan, solely using the D90.

This blog entry is simply a reminder to check your footage for any potentially interesting still images! Even though HD video is not a great resolution for making prints, it is certainly fine for web viewing. This evocative still image is of my assistant Jon, as he was standing in while getting the manual focus right. I find the D90 has a nice "cinematic" look to it, and I am looking forward to the next offering from Nikon.

Click Here to see Mark Hemmings website. All photos copyright M. Hemmings