Each and every city across the world has a character all its own in terms of feel, smell and emotions, but they share one thing in common, a skyline of buildings and high-rises that, while put together by different builds, come together to form a beautiful end result.  Each and every building in a city is special, but stepping back to look at all the pieces in the puzzle can be stunning;  this collection of 21 photos captures just that essence. Photo by Werner Kunz (werkunz1) Werner Kunz (werkunz1) Photo by joiseyshowaa Photo by Burning Image Photo by wildpianist Photo by by coka_koehler Photo by Christopher Chan Photo by kennymatic Photo by besar bears Photo by mugley Photo by joiseyshowaa Photo by steena Photo by discopalace Photo by stevewhis Photo by Sprengben Photo by Auzigog Photo by `?ccdoh1? Photo Wolfgang Staudt Photo by tripleman Photo by Sarmu Photo by mischiru

By definition, a Portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. For this reason, in photography a portrait is generally not a snapshot, but a composed image of a person in a still position. A portrait often shows a person looking directly at the painter or photographer, in order to most successfully engage the subject with the viewer. But that's not to say those are the explicit rules of portrait photography. Sometimes going outside the box is needed to evolve and change how we look and feel about a portrait. Go Square! The square format isn't as popular as it was decades ago when medium format camera's shot 120 film in a square, not rectangular format.  Fill the frame and don't be afraid to crop in tight! Tackle the High-Key look! This one also just happens to be square, but high-key portraits is shooting with a white background and over-exposing the subject so only the details appear.  This was taken one step further and converted to black and white. Shoot for the emotion! Portraits don't always and ...

Some subjects in photography are so perfect that they almost photograph themselves. With incredible and diverse colours, butterflies are one such subject. Add a little photographic skill from the photographer and the results can be outstanding. We think this collection of photos of butterflies ranks pretty high on the scale. If you like these, you should also check out the work of Thomas Shahan and see our collection of macro photography tutorials. Enjoy! Photo by TatoodJay Photo by Raimy Photo by SpettacoloPuro Photo by Vicki's Nature Photo by FCM Nikon d40 Photo by TheFrost Photo by Nick Wheeleroz Photo by Marcel Germain Photo by DDSNet Photo by Vicki's Nature Photo by MajaMarko Photo by Tomothy K Hamilton Photo by Tomothy K Hamilton Photo by Wobblymol Photo by Vicki's Nature Photo by BugMan50 Photo by Vicki's Nature Photo by Vicki's Nature Photo by Vicki's Nature Photo by Spettacolopuro Photo by Dawn Ashley Photo by Ecarey Photo by Vicki's Nature Photo by Albyper Photo by Kevin Cole Photo by Vicki's Nature Photo by Edivad Photo by RandiHausken Photo by Jnarin

Some subjects make it very difficult to take a poor shot. European castles tend to be one of those subjects where even the lower quality photos you find are still very interesting due only to the nature of the subject. These photos of castles however, get almost everything right with great composition and solid post-production. Evoking everything from thoughts of fairy tales through to horror, a castle is one of those things that a photographer can really make their own. We think these photographers did a pretty good job. Photo by David Bunting Photo by Pear Biter Photo by Xavier Fargas Photo by Allan Gourlay Photo by Maz Hewitt Photo by Tomanthony Photo by Karl Randay Photo by Karl Randay Photo by Fatboyke Photo by Nicomedes Photo by Lorenzo T Photo by Simpologist Photo by Wolfgang Staudt Photo by Cinzia Rizzo Photo by PixieSticks23 Photo by Nikomedes Photo by Koert Michiels Photo by Fr Antunes Photo by NickPix2010 Photo by Sam Snook Photo by Saturn

The location of most lighthouses allows us keen photographers a unique opportunity to practice all the skills associated with seascape or landscape photography in a setting that is likely to produce some spectacular results. These photos of lighthouses show that if you're willing to wait for the right lighting and compose your shot well, the resulting images can be fantastic. We put this collection together from the great creative commons photographers of Flickr. We love these shots and hope you do too! Photo by Garry Photo by Xavier Fargas Photo by Viamoi Photo by Mic Stolz Photo by John Curley Photo by Macropoulos Photo by Wild Pianist Photo by Stuck in Customs Photo by Wild Pianist Photo by Karl Randay Photo by Jim's Outside Photos Photo by Orvarati Photo by Christopher Chan Photo by Lapidim Photo by James Jordan Photo by Janusz Photo by Xavier Fargas Photo by Caese Photo by Lapidim Photo by Christopher Chan Photo by Giorgos Photo by Taivasalla Photo by Terry Grealey Photo by NapaneeGal Photo by Sachman75 Photo by AGrinberg

If you’re into landscape photography then you will almost certainly know that clouds can have a massive impact on the atmosphere and beauty of a shot. Whether they are whispy and light cirrus clouds or thick and smoky cumulus, a cloudy day is often the perfect time to pull out the camera. But how do you photograph clouds to get the perfect result? Let’s take a look at some methods you will want to learn and also take a look at some stunning examples! Photo by Garry Let’s Talk Lighting and Camera Filters Perhaps one of the trickiest parts of getting a great cloud photograph is the fact that often, clouds will emit a large variance of light. From the deep dark greys of a storm cloud, you might find that the edges are bright white, especially if the sun is behind the cloud. This can make it difficult to meter the light. If you’re shooting digital, then it won’t be so much of a problem as you can see the results instantly and know if you’ve over or under exposed the shot. You can minimise the chances of getting it wrong by getting your filters right though. The first thing you are going ...

Unfortunately, the contemporary western view of Iraq has been shaped by the terrible events of the last several years. One of the shames of that is that Iraq is such a diverse country with stunning natural beauty - a natural destination for photographers! Even so, a few fantastic shots manage to make it to us. Check out these stunning photos of Iraq. Photo by William Allen Photo by Kurdistan Kurd Photo by William Allen Photo by US Army Photo by Kurdistan Kurd Photo by Gustaf Wallen Photo by Kurdistan Kurd Photo by US Army Photo by Nukeit1 Photo by DVIFSHUB Photo by Gustaf Wallen Photo by WISAM Photo by Nukeit1 Photo by Brown Bear Photography Photo by Ob1Left Photo by Suresh Gundappa Photo by Studeio 5.55 Photo by William Allen Photo by Christine K Photo by Yater

Combining long exposure and moving water often produces haunting images, if you can get it to work. Whether it be streams, rivers, lakes or oceans, the effects can be spectacular. There are a group of photographers mainly centered around Sydney (but also a few other places) who practice long exposure photography on the beaches and rock pools and who are damn good at it. We thought we would show you some of their work. Photo by TimboDon Photo by Sachman75 Photo by Sachman75 Photo by Brentbat Photo by TimboDon Photo by Brentbat Photo by Tricky Photo by Dazza17 Photo by Premasagar Photo by ccdoh1 Photo by Bill Hails Photo by Blemtley Photo by TimboDon Photo by ccdoh1 Photo by Blentley Photo by Blentley

The Sydney Opera House is one of the most iconic and photographed buildings in the world. Yet, despite its massive popularity as a destination for tourists and snappers, it is amazing that people still manage to grab original images of it. As these photos of the Opera House show, it is still very much possible to take a unique photo of an iconic and massively photographed subject. Photo by Vermin Inc Photo by Aaardvark Photo by Carlos Lopez Molina Photo by Christopher Chan Photo by Mackenzi and John Photo by Tony888vo Photo by Chewy Chua Photo by Jong Soo Lee Photo by Vermin Inc Photo by Steve Kay Photo by El Fotopakismo Photo by Mondayne Photo by Kcnikcerson Photo by Montxo Donstia Photo by Triplefivedrrew

Macro photography that is well done can introduce a whole new world of subject matter to photography fans. As these extreme close-up photos of ants show, there is a beauty that exists at such a level that we rarely get to see it. These are some of the best macro shots we have seen. Don't forget to check out the resources at the end of the post if you want to find out how to emulate these shots. Photo by ViaMoi Photo by Gerald Yuvallos Photo by Jurvetson Photo by Binux Photo by Myrmician Photo by NeilsPhotography Photo by Dincordero Photo by Dincordero Photo by Pedro Moura Pinheiro Photo by Myrmican Photo by Sedeer Photo by Sedeer Photo by Myriorama Photo by Texeiro de Freitas Photo by Andreas Solberg Macro Photography Resources The Incredible Macro Bug Portraiture of Thomas Shahan Dominate Macro Photography With These Seven Short Tutorials Discussion on Insect Macro Photography Tutorials