31 Undeniably Fantastic Photography Links of the Week

The photography universe continues to expand at an astounding rate with great new artists joining the established ones to create and deliver great content.  Toad Hollow Photography has been searching the internet high and low, looking for some of the best links to tutorials, references and great photography to share here with everyone.  We really hope you enjoy this edition of photography links as much as the Toad did himself in bringing it to you.

Tutorials

How to Post-Process Almost Any Aspect of a Single Exposure Landscape Shot – this is a very in-depth video tutorial, over 30 minutes in length, that takes you through the post-production process of a photograph using Lightroom.  This presentation covers almost all the key aspects of post-production from a high-level, giving you an overall impression on how to fully leverage the power of these tools.

Inside the Camera Bag: Wedding and Commercial Photography Kit – if ever you’ve wondered about what the pro’s use in the field, wonder no more.  This great video feature is just over 20 minutes in length, and in it Ben Lucas takes us through his entire gear setup and discusses the application of each piece.

Portrait Lighting Tips: Fine Tune Your Look By Adjusting Light Positioning – Joel Grimes delivers a great video tutorial just under 6 minutes in length that shows you how the smallest adjustment in terms of light placement can have noticeable effects on the end result.  Joel shows the images he captures as he shoots them, giving you a strong understanding visually of how the adjustments work.

Finding Faces – Joe McNally shares some behind-the-scenes tips and tricks in the application of artificial lighting for portrait photography.  Joe’s insights are always terrific, and in this post he shares a set of photographs and some great tips and tricks on how he lit the subjects he shot.

References

Photography Terms Glossary – this complete glossary of terms covers almost all the terms common in photography in terrific detail.  Written in an easy to understand manner, with some images to add depth, this is a reference site you will find yourself returning to time-after-time.

Great Photography

Fog in Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park – this wonderful landscape study showcases a narrow color palette in the hue of blue and purple.  Goal Kw-graphicstyle takes an elevated perspective to capture this shot, revealing a magical and mystical landscape that seems to originate from another planet entirely.

The Chair – with light gently streaming into the big windows of a long-unused mill, casting shadows and illuminating key parts of the scene, we find a black-and-white shot that is full of rich artistic tension.  Bob Lussier visits a mill he’s been to many times before, and featured countless times on his blog, and find a new scene and composition that reveals little and leaves many questions unanswered.

Upper Navajo Falls – some things in nature defy description, their appearance is so out of the ordinary that traditional words struggle to find traction.  This photograph by Ron Niebrugge features a natural waterfall formation that was apparently formed from a recent flood, with some very unique natural elements that serve to draw you into the frame in a voyage of discovery.

Harmony – a truly breathtaking landscape shot is featured here by guerel sahin, showcasing the epic natural beauty found in the Italian mountains.  A still lake body in the foreground of the shot plays host to a wonderful old wooden structure, and the mirrored reflection of the surroundings add a perfect touch to complete the picture.

An Ancient Japanese Temple – Tower of Yasaka – this is a terrific and moody piece, shot and shared here by Jimmy McIntyre, featuring what looks to be an empty street in Japan looking at an old temple in the distance.  Jimmy used a small aperture to achieve a 13 second exposure, effective enough to remove all signs of people from the scene, but still leaving a dramatic imprint on those who visit and view.

Three Little Friends – for those who love to see photos that exude the cute-factor, this is a shot you will not want to miss in this week’s list.  Giedrius Stakauskas captures a heart-rendering shot of a trio of Arctic Foxes at play in a field, freezing forever a moment of unbridled joy for both the little fur creatures as well as anyone who visits and views the shot.

Shapes and Colours – a wonderful abstract image from the studio of Andy Hooker (LensScaper) graces our screens in this post.  The yellow leaves of fall form a strong image that appears quite abstract in nature against the creamy bokeh of a shallow depth-of-focus used to isolate the leaves from their background, yet they still introduce great natural color and texture to augment the photograph.

Why am I always late and in a hurry? – there is just no beating the raw character that is found in Little Owl’s as they go about their day.  Austin Thomas captures a wonderful shot in this piece that features one such owl as it runs across the frame, giving a strong sense of artistic tension and wonder in where this little bird is off to in such a hurry.

The Grey Man in Acadia – Acadia National Park, Maine – I love shots like this one from Len Saltiel.  They focus on a primary subject, in this case the stone arch and the vanishing point into the park beyond it, but they also reveal treasures for those who spend some time with the details.  In this photography, the patient viewer also discovers a man moving through the frame, on a hurry to destinations unknown, adding a perfect touch of artistic tension to an already beautiful scene.

Nubble Light – this is a great shot posted by Michael Criswell that features one of the last remaining lighthouses on the coast of the US.  Mike uses a long exposure technique to smooth out the waters and add drama, and the rugged and inherent romance of the lighthouse in the distance is the destination that is well worth the visual trip through the frame.

Patricia Lake, Jasper – beautiful colors created by a gorgeous sunset play against the rugged and crisp details of the Canadian Rocky Mountains in this wonderful photograph by Iso100 Photography.  By using a long exposure technique in this shot, the skies have a strong sense of fluidity, adding a perfect element of dynamism to the details of the surrounding landscape.

Sunset From Cadillac Mountain – this wonderful sunset capture features a vista that goes on forever, revealing silhouettes of the majestic mountains in the background under a canopy of incredible colors.  Mark Garbowski carefully processed this shot to showcase the incredible colors he witnessed while capturing the shot and as a result he creates a picture that is breathtaking.

Busch Stadium – this iconic shot is presented here by Evan Gearing, featuring the cityscape of St. Louis with the world-famous Busch Stadium as the prime subject.  The way the ballpark is lit draws the viewers eye right to the landmark, and from there many wonderful details in the city are left to be discovered and enjoyed.

Island in the Sun… – Robert Mehlan captures a mystical image in this shot that features an island in a pool of light, surrounded by beautiful waters.  There is a distinct ethereal feel to this shot, one that is sure to be enjoyed by everyone who visits.

Marina Bay Sands Laser Show – Daniel Cheong posts another of his world-recognized photographs of the city of Dubai at night taken from a very high perspective.  As the evening’s laser show goes on, it casts streams of colorful light all across the cityscape adding a great element to a compelling image.

Rural landscapes: on an autumn morning – fall’s long shadows cast dramatic contrasts across this bucolic capture from the studio of Frank King.  Old wooden wagons dot the Alberta landscape, and in this shot we get to enjoy the raw artistic tension found in this picture full of rich texture.

Plasmatic Explosion – Artur Stanisz takes us to the very top of our planet, only a short distance from the North Pole, to capture a shot featuring the incredible colors and shapes of the Aurora Borealis.  The results of this visit are a picture that seems to come from another planet, a foreign place that is breathtaking and full of raw artistic tension, all at the same time.

Fire on Squaw Pass – Rick Louie captures a fall shot featuring a rolling vista under a blanket of intense colors from the fading light of day.  This has to be one of the most vibrantly colored sunsets I’ve seen in quite a while, and it finds wonderful harmony in the autumn colors in the landscape below.

Wissahickon Foot Bridge – this autumn shot by Bill T is composed with a rickety and crooked wood foot bridge that forms a perfect leading line to guide the viewer into the heart of the frame.  So much character is captured and expressed in this quaint scene which also showcases a stone bridge in the veiled backdrop to add a perfect dash of interest.

Out in the Woods of Autumn – as the autumn season fully arrives, photographers find themselves far afoot looking for stunning and colorful scenes that represent the area explored.  In this shot, JayJacy Photography captures a scene full of predominantly red tones, expressing a feeling of the outdoors that only autumn can bring.

Seven States – this wonderful shot from the studio of Desmond Lake exhibits a stunning landscape scene that reveals both a very dramatic rock face and waterfall, as well as a vista just beyond it that looks as if it reached to the very ends of the world.  Lovely natural light adds a perfect touch to a scene that is absolutely mesmerizing.

Fall in Pittsburgh – Dave DiCello takes a high vantage point to capture an autumn cityscape shot of the iconic city of Pittsburgh.  Gorgeous colors expressed in the fall foliage work in perfect harmony with the beautiful aesthetics of the city as Dave captures a short series to share on his blog.

Nature in a Tangle – a seemingly neverending pergola leads the viewer into the frame on a voyage of discovery that appears to never end.  Barry Turner’s shot takes advantage of the vanishing point created by his perfect composition to express a delightful vanishing point.

Pfeiffer Sea Door – from what I understand, this phenomenon only occurs at specific times a year when the angle of the sun's trajectory is just perfect at sunset.  Chip Morton captures this magical moment, and comes away with a gem of a photograph that showcases the raw and inherent beauty only found in nature.

Formula 1 Up-Close – capturing fast moving objects, like race cars, is a tricky undertaking in photography.  Finding that balance between the crisp and sharp details of the car against a fast-moving and dynamic background takes some expertise and skill, and this great shot from the studio of Tim Stanley shows a terrific example.

greens are good for you! – the epic beauty and colors of Vancouver Island come to life on our screens in this stunning photograph posted by Brenda B Widdess.  The huge trees and abundant lakes create natural vistas that are simply too good to pass up for a roving photographer, and Brenda’s shot here showcases exactly why.