Another wonderful week in the world of photography has been and gone, and Toad Hollow Photography has been searching all known corners of the internet for links to tutorials, special features, great photography and interesting blogs to share with everyone. This weeks compendium features a wide variety of tutorials and photographs, covering many different aspect and genres of the craft. We hope you enjoy checking out these links as much as the Toad did in bringing this list to you.
Photo by Rain0975
Tutorials
Tutorial: A Quick Way to Add a Subtle Punch to Your Photos’ Color In Lightroom – granted, this is far from revolutionary or complex, but the results do speak for themselves to a degree. This brief video tutorial, just over 2 minutes in length, created by Trevor Dayley takes us through the application of a specific adjustment in Lightroom that may be useful for many photographers.
10 Tips on How to Photograph a Business Conference – this common-sense list of tips outlines some great techniques and strategies for photographing business conferences and meetings. The sample images included are terrific, adding a great dimension to the article and making for an interesting piece to read for everyone.
Learning to See Light Takes Practice – Joe Farace brings us along on a brief voyage of learning and discovery as his talks about how to see light, and how to analyze your images for the quality of light. Although the article is short on words, it’s deep in content in how the concepts discussed are critical for great imagery.
Five Tips For Capturing That Perfect Lightning Photo – photographer Michael Shainblum is interviewed in this article to share some tips and tricks about shooting storm scenes, particularly the artform of capturing lightning strikes. This brief list of tips and tricks reveals a series of common-sense concepts that when applied are sure to help you come away with that picture-perfect dramatic shot.
Special Features
Storm Chaser Captures Mesmerizing Time-Lapse of Clouds Rolling Like Ocean Waves – storm chasing photographer Alex Schueth creates a stunning time-lapse piece that showcases the wonder of the natural world. As clouds move across a horizon, they undulate like waves in the ocean, and when captured and produced into a video presentation they create a piece that is truly amazing to see.
Available Light? Guilty! – I absolutely love the joy and passion that Joe McNally brings to our craft, not only in his award winning photography, but also his blog posts and anecdotal thoughts that he shares periodically. In this article Joe discusses an upcoming show featuring some of his work collected over a lifetime, with a prime focus on natural light images. Joe shares this entire thing with his audience with a very humorous look at the body of work and how it applies to the reputation as a leader he’s garnered over the years. A real must-read in this weeks list.
Standing where Wordsworth stood – standing in the footprints of the greats who came before is something that many of us crave. Andy Hooker (LensScaper) does just this in this short photographic essay that takes us inside Allan Bank in Grasmere in the English Lake District where the famous author William Wordsworth lived and worked for a number of years. Andy photographs are simply astonishing, revealing the current condition of the house as well as creating a strong desire to visit in person for an intimate experience.
Photo by Steven Guzzardi
Great Photography
Autumn in Wales: Tu Hwnt i’r Bont – a quaint home nestled in the glorious surroundings only found in Wales comes to the screen in this terrific post that features a collection of photographs of the building, all taken at different times in the year. Although the surroundings go through a series of changes based on the period of the year they are captured in, the inherent character found in this historic building remain a constant.
Red Mountain Pass – a cornucopia of color greets the viewer with this picture captured and shared by Rick Louie. Every autumn color imaginable finds expression within this wonderful piece, exposing the wide variety of colors that nature has at it’s disposal when creating breathtaking landscapes like this.
Morning above the Rock – this simply awesome photograph comes to us from the studio of Mark Gvazdinskas. Mark finds himself in a helicopter above the world-famous Alcatraz Prison just as the sun begins to rise, composing a shot that features a fresh elevated perspective on this often-photographed island.
Le Louxor (Cinéma – Paris) – this wonderful set of photographs from Mathias Lucas gives us an intimate look at a newly refurbished cinema in the heart of Paris. The history behind the facility is covered in the post that Mathias has compiled, adding a great layer of interest to the overall picture story.
In Hiding – photographer Robert Beideman finds an almost magical scene in the natural beauty of Banff National Park in Canada, using an ice overhang as a frame for the landscape. The frozen vista stretches across a half-frozen body of water where we find the grand Canadian Rockies in the distance with a covering of snow to complete the scene perfectly.
Eagle Lake NxNW 2014 – Mike Criswell shares a stunning infrared exposure, highlighting an entirely alternative world that is only found in this light spectrum. Details typically lost come to life in this landscape piece that also features a stunning mirrored reflection to add a terrific element to the composition.
Deep Blue – one of nature’s most beautiful abstracts comes to life in this terrific photograph by Russell Ord. Russell’s shot explores mostly a blue palette, taking advantage of a perfect curl in a huge wave created by the powerful undulations found in our oceans.
Return to The Castillo – JayJacy Photography take us inside The Castillo de San Marcos, site of the oldest masonry fort in the United States. Great textures and details from this historic building are explored in this shot, leaving the viewer with a strong desire to pack and head for this destination.
The Surfer and The Sunset – this quintessential sunset shot features a surfer on the sides of the oceans shore looking out towards the endless expanses of the beyond. In frame left a great pier guides the viewer gently through the frame where the vibrant colors of the sunset come to life.
Photo by Luca Casartelli
*On*The*Røcks* – Anthony Fields explores the New York city skyline in this powerful image taken using a long exposure technique. The waters in the shot become silky in their appearance utilizing the extended exposure, and the details in the cities architecture work in harmony with the surrounding elements to cast a distinctive scene.
Lincoln Cathedral – a great trio of shots that showcases the architectural grandeur of the Lincoln Cathedral. Geoffrey Clack delivers an outside image featuring the dramatic architecture alongside 2 inside shots that reveal the incredible scale and detail that has gone into the design and creation of this incredible facility.
Baltic… – a dramatic and captivating seascape piece is shared here, captured by Krzysztof Browko. Beautiful colors in the brooding sky work in perfect harmony with the motion in the lapping waves to create a strong sense of both dynamicism as well as natural beauty in an ever-changing vista.
Just One – the simplicity and beauty of a leaf graces our screens in this wonderful photograph by Lisa Gordon. The autumn colored leaf contrasts against the backdrop with a few droplets of water resting upon it, creating a natural abstract piece that is a pure delight to see.
Winter Pallette – Jay Taylor tries something different, producing a picture of a white owl that is processed with textures and techniques to make it stand out and look a lot like a painting. The results are rather astounding as the textures enhance the inherent beauty found in the bird, and create a perfect natural frame for it to live within.
Pinball Urbanism – a very colorful and delightful vantage of the city of Dubai under a veil of fog is explored in this breathtaking piece from Dany Eid. Huge skyscrapers jut out through the layer of clouds revealing details in the city’s architecture and the endless fog adds a dash to mystery to the scene, creating an almost surreal feel.
The place of quiet… – this is a wonderful post, created and shared here by Sherry Galey. Sherry assembles a small collection of photographs she has taken that exude the sense of peace and tranquility promised in the title of the post, with wonderful results.
Nubble Lighthouse – the quintessential romance of a lighthouse on the shores of the coast is eloquently captured in this highly dramatic shot from the studio of Chris Nitz. The drab, grey skied unleashed rain upon Chris as he worked, and he took distinct advantage of the feel produced by this weather to deliver a picture-perfect representation of this facility.
Nubble Lighthouse – the same subject as the link above but from the lens of another photographer, in this case Rick Louie. Rick captures a similar composition to the one that Chris did above, but with his piece he uses a long exposure technique to add dramatic dynamicism to the roiling ocean while still accenting the colors in the scene.
you talking to me? – a little owl perched atop what looks to be a fence or gate stares intently back at photographer Mark Bridger in this delightful picture. The great and raw character of such a small bird is captured and shared here, and I just love the way the light glistens in it’s eyes to really accent the vibrant life of the wonderful little creature.
Photo by Thomas Leuthard
Dark Inspiration – this terrific photograph by Jim Denham shares the inherent beauty that is found in darker images. Sometimes in art it’s the questions left unanswered, the mysteries left unsolved, that provide the greatest joy and personal interaction between a piece and the viewer, and this shot by Jim showcases this concept just perfectly.
Grist Mill – the old, wooden grist mills that remain in the United States are wonderful photography subjects, as evidenced by this great shot captured and shared here by Kevin King. The beautiful colors exposed by autumn’s kiss add a great dimension and frame for the historic facility, casting a scene that is full of natural romance and intrigue.
Stone Mill Doors and Windows – Mark Garbowski shares a great shot in this piece, taking us inside the old stone mill in Lawrence, Massachusetts. The picture Mark shares here is a pure study in contrasts and shadows, revealing a different mental image for everyone who views and connects with this very dramatic picture.
Interesting Blogs
Film vs. Digital Cameras for Night Photography – Anthony James goes into great detail in this article, including some of the technical underpinnings behind it all, as he discusses the differences between the application of traditional film versus modern digital cameras in the field of night photography. Sample images and a great article reduce the mystery behind this specific genre and make for a very interesting read even if you don’t practice this particular genre yourself.
