A new year is here and with it comes the opportunity to reflect and make plans for how you will spend the next 12 months. If you're looking for inspiration on how to improve, here are seven quick tips to change your photography for the better.
Rain, fog, red sky, hoar frost, and clouds: all these things are predictable with using apps. The only problem is that the probability that forecasts match reality is embarrassing low. I found a much better solution than I have used for some years now. With this, I’m nearly always fantastically prepared for the weather.
There are many times when you have gone to a location to shoot a landscape and you have not been the only one there. That is fine as everyone is entitled to be there. Every now and again however you have the type of photographer who thinks that they are entitled and who blatantly either stands right next to you to get the same composition without any acknowledgment or a courteous "would you mind if I..."
Building a robust and strong photography portfolio is something that takes a lot of effort, persistence, and patience, and many of us spend years before we have a decent collection of images we are really proud of. So, how much persistence does it really take? This interesting video features a professional landscape photographer breaking down the numbers of how often he goes out and how many portfolio-worthy images he comes back with in a year.
They hold you down in landscape photography, they bring you to make wrong decisions out in the field, they make you blind for finding compositions, and they even kill your creativity. Knowing about them and avoiding them makes you a better photographer.
Learning photography and trying to create better photographs can be a daunting task when you're just starting. Here are some guidelines I've taught in my workshops to help new photographers create stronger images.
It can be difficult to consistently push yourself to achieve more, but Morten Hilmer manages it. In this video, he ventures out into the Norwegian wilderness for days on end to capture the local wildlife in grueling conditions.
If you were to ask any landscape photographer what their primary workhorse lens was, the overwhelming majority would likely name something like a 16-35mm. No doubt, wide angle lenses are popular in the genre for good reason, but they are not the only suitable choice for landscape work. This great video will show you some of the possibilities of a telephoto lens and why it can sometimes be a better choice.
One of the most challenging aspects of landscape photography is composition, as unlike most other genres, you do not get any control over the elements in the scene, only where you place your camera and how you frame them. If you are looking to improve your compositions, check out this great video tutorial that will show an interesting challenge as well as some useful tips.
Some lenses are naturally exciting, the sort that inspire and excite you to go out and create images. Others are more pragmatic workhorses, and it can be easy to be tricked into thinking you can get away without them, especially when you have something like a bokeh monster in your bag. This interesting video examines one photographer's journey away from and back to an uninspiring but highly useful lens.
Adobe released version 11 of Lightroom a little over a month ago and with it came a lot of new features. In this part of the guide, we'll go over the new sky selection tool, how to apply color or luminance masks, and how to use intersections.
Over the last few months, we have teamed up with landscape photographer Elia Locardi for a free 8 part video tutorial series on how to improve your landscape photographs using a variety of different NiSi filters. Today we take you behind the scenes on the making of this landscape series and show you some of our favorite gear used in the production. NiSi is also giving away a set of variable ND filters in this week's contest!
Photographing in a winter wonderland offers us so many advantages, as all the distracting elements on the ground get hidden by snow. But then there comes the photographer, who wants to get out the best possible photograph. And exactly this leads to one of the problems.
Most of us do not care to stand in the rain, but you can create dramatic and compelling landscape photos if you are willing to tolerate the elements. This great video tutorial will show you everything you need to know to handle those wet days to make eye-catching photos.
There is a different sort of light and weather needed for these three sub-genres of landscape photography. Photographing them all within a few hours only is possible, but it leads to some big obstacles we have to overcome.
You read that title correctly. Tired of your landscape photos looking like every other fantastic photographer's shots? Maybe you should be taking things in the other direction. If you need a laugh (and some good education), check out this great video that will show you how to take just awful landscape photos.
If you are in the market for an adaptable filter system that really is top quality, I would definitely check out the H&Y filter system.
Landscape photography is one of the most popular genres of photography, but how do photos of rocks, mountains, waves, and sunsets tell a story?
If you are thinking about booking a workshop in the coming year, how do you choose what one to book, and what do you hope to get out of the workshop?
If no one takes notice or takes time to engage more deeply with an image, what does it matter?? Getting control over the viewer’s eyes can be a big game-changer for your fine art photography.
Landscape photography is a tough genre that takes a lot of technical knowledge, creative savvy, planning in advance, and a bit of luck. If you are interested in improving your landscape work, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you five different methods you can use to improve your landscape images.
Recently Adobe released Lightroom version 11 and with it came a completely revamped interface for masking. After a month of real-world use, this guide will help you get up to speed on anything you could possibly want to know about masking in Lightroom for 2022.
The Canon EOS R5 grabbed a lot of headlines when it came out, mostly for features like blazing fast autofocus, a 20 fps burst rate, and 8K raw video. And while those are all quite impressive, the EOS R5 also came with one of the best sensors the company has ever produced, making it an intriguing option for landscape photographers. This excellent video review takes a look at the EOS R5 for landscape work and the kind of image quality you can expect from it.
In some genres, flat, even light can be a real boon for the photographer, but in landscape photography, it can rob a scene of the drama created by the interplay between light and shadow and the natural contrasts across the frame. That does not mean you can't create great images in flat light, though. This excellent video tutorial will show you what you need to know.
It is not difficult to get an okay shot as an advanced photographer. The problem is not seeing the things that would bring your photography even up to a world-class level. What if I would tell you that there exists a tiny subgenre in photography that makes not only most of the things you have to improve visible for you but also makes you a better photographer in all genres of photography?
For many of us, 2021 has been no better a year than 2020. Take a break, and rise above the fog with this incredible video from Michael Shainblum, as he captures long exposures, time-lapses, and film images from high above the clouds in San Francisco.
One of the challenges of landscape photography is that unlike many other genres, you do not have control of the elements in the scene, only where you position yourself and how you choose your composition. This can often lead to overly busy compositions, but this helpful video tutorial will give you some good advice on how to counteract that and produce stronger, more compelling images.
There is more information on how to edit your photos available than ever before, and while that is certainly a great thing for anyone who wants to improve as a photographer, it can lead to using someone else's editing habits and techniques rather than developing your own creative voice. If that is something you struggle with, this excellent video tutorial will help you find more creative freedom in your edits.
Full frame is generally considered the standard professional sensor size of choice, with some landscape photographers even now opting for medium format, particularly with the recent reinvention of the format. But of course, the bigger the sensor, the bigger the camera, the heavier the lenses, and the more expensive the kit. So, does a landscape photographer really need full frame?
Great photographers are not born, they are developed. The habits we form as beginners play a huge role in that development overall.
Creating a successful landscape image takes a combination of many factors ranging from solid technique to creative vision and careful planning in advance. When you are trying to bring everything together in the field, it can be easy for something to go wrong. This excellent video tutorial will show you five common mistakes landscape photographers make on location and how to fix them or avoid them entirely.
Breathing life into your photographs can make the difference between an average shot and a masterpiece. But how can we bring life into a flat piece of paper? Depth is all you need.
With winter approaching fast (for our readers in the northern hemisphere), it's time for landscape photographers to prepare for snowy scenes and cold sunrises. Though it can introduce a new level of challenge to your standard photography routine, photographing landscapes in the winter can also be very rewarding and will certainly add a new dimension to your portfolio.
Creating a successful landscape image takes a variety of skills, some that don't even involve a camera. If you want to get on the road to success, check out this great video tutorial that will help you frame your approach to landscape photography through three major aspects.
A polarization filter is a great tool for reducing glare on shiny surfaces. A welcome side effect is the more saturated colors. Especially during autumn, a landscape photo will get a nice warm appearance. Unfortunately, automatic white balance may counteract the effect.
What if you could change the season of a landscape photo with just the click of a button? Photoshop's new landscape mixer neural filter promises to leverage Adobe Sensei technology to do just that, allowing you to turn a summer landscape into a snow-laden wonderland with a single click. Does it produce worthwhile images, though? This neat video features a Photoshop pro taking the new feature for a test drive to see what it can do.
It is good to have a plan B in landscape photography. But what if even plan B doesn’t work? Should we give up? Or is there still the chance, any way to get some really strong photographs? I came exactly into such a situation recently – and oh man – finally it turned into one of the best photography days I ever had. I even got 360 degrees surrounded by compositions!
The beauty of winter is that even landscapes you have photographed dozens of times can become entirely new scenes with fresh, vibrant looks. Winter landscape photography presents its own unique challenges, though, and this excellent video tutorial will give you seven tips to help you get the most out of your photos.
I have only been to a fire lookout once, and it was by accident. The experience of being high above the landscape was exhilarating, and the views were outstanding, but I didn’t stay long, as I thought I was trespassing.
Welcome to the next, and 5th episode of our 8-part video tutorial series about long exposure photography, and how different filters can produce dramatic results. As a reminder, every time we release a new video, we give away some great prizes. Make sure to follow the instructions in this post to enter this week's contest.
Step outside of your comfort zone and head into the storm with this incredible desert adventure. This video follows professional photographers Nick Page, Michael Shainblum, and Sean Parker as they capture a monsoon storm in the remote desert.
After a decade of selling my work at art festivals, I've discovered that beyond the money that I've earned, I've also gotten some valuable lessons both for my career and for my life.
Opinions matter to most people, but when the opinion of another photographer goes against or deviates from what the original photographer intended for that image, does that that make the image wrong?
Skylum has been touting their upcoming release of Luminar Neo, an image editor that builds on Luminar AI with some new features that are sure to please fans of the current product and may arouse interest from other photo editors.
Creating a successful landscape photo often takes skills both behind the camera and at the computer, and of course, what you do in the field influences how you handle things once you are ready to process your images. This great video tutorial takes a look at a camera setting many of us never touch and how it can improve your landscape images quickly and easily.
When we start out as photographers, there are so many rules to follow and so many techniques to be applied. So, where do you start? What rules do you follow and what do you avoid? In his new video, Mads Peter Iversen tells you what to avoid and what considerations to make when framing your sho, capturing the image, and post-processing.
Waterfalls are by far one of the most popular subjects of landscape photographers, as they can add a nice dose of movement to an otherwise static image, making it far more dynamic and compelling. One of the most crucial choices you can make in this situation is your shutter speed, and this excellent video tutorial will give you some helpful tips for picking the right one.
Landscape photography is often about achieving maximum depth of field, fantastic sharpness, and gathering as much quality into one image as possible. Or is it? This photographer shoots everything wide open and has an excellent reason for it.
Australia boasts some of the best beaches in the world. If you photograph water and you haven’t visited, then you are certainly missing out!
The old sentiment that classics are classic for a reason holds in many areas of photography. There are techniques that most — if not all — photographers should know how to do, and this one in particular, will always have applications.
