Photographer, Author, Instructor and Digital Imaging Expert, Japan
Originally from England, Martin Bailey has lived in Japan since 1991. He specializes in nature and wildlife, with subjects ranging from flowers in the parks around Tokyo, to the majestic landscapes in the surrounding areas and northern Japan, as well as the breathtaking landscapes and wildlife of the north island, Hokkaido.
Martin's images often employee very shallow depth of field, and use the bokeh (the out of focus areas of the image) to augment, and often play a central role, in his sometimes ethereal images. One of Martin's mottos is "Out of focus, not out of mind". Just because the background (or foreground) is out of focus, it doesn't mean it's unimportant. Where the blotches of light and color fall can make or break an image. Also, extremely shallow DoF requires deftly accurate focusing, and this has lead Martin hone his techniques to the point that it has almost become his trademark.
A firm believer in sharing, Martin has released a Photography Podcast every week since 2005. In the Podcast he shares his technique, illustrated with his own real-world example images, as well as discussion on the artistic reasoning behind the shots and aspects considered while shooting. He also releases gear reviews and detailed tutorials on printing, color management and the digital workflow.
Martin also runs Photography Tours and Workshops, taking groups from around the world to photograph the adorable Snow Monkey in mainland Japan and up to Hokkaido, the north island of Japan, to explore and photograph the spectacular wildlife and landscapes there. Locations are continuously being added, with Antarctica expeditions now scheduled each year, and many other locations being planned. Martin's workshops include X-Rite technology based color calibration and digital workflow lectures along with hands-on training in the field.
Martin's work has been published by X-Rite, Popular Photography Magazine, Pomegranate, Korean Air and Creation Durable (Paris) among others, and he is now a proud member of the Craft & Vision team of authors providing exceptional photography education at irresistible prices.