Scrap That To-Do’ List And Enjoy These Photography Links Instead

It has been another terrific week in the realm of photography, and here we find Toad Hollow Photography has been very busy searching all over the internet for links to the best tutorials, special features and great photography to share with everyone.  You will find a wide variety of topics and pictures posted in this week's list, all from some of the finest artists and writers working in the field today.  We really hope you enjoy checking out this list as much as the Toad did in bringing it to you.

PHOTOGRAPHY TUTORIALS

Slick Ways That Colors, Shadows And Shapes Can Transform Your Photography – this terrific tutorial comes to us from Jason D. Little right here on Light Stalking, and it shows you how to use many compositional elements and techniques to your advantage when trying to capture compelling photography.  Key elements discussed in this article are covered in enough depth to give you some great ideas on how to create that next great shot, and are accompanied by several example images that show the idea within the context of a frame.

Behind-the-Scenes on a Beverage Photography Shoot using Light Painting Techniques – lighting highly reflective surfaces for commercial purposes can be a very tricky proposition to do well.  This brief video tutorial shows us how master product photographer Adrien Veczan uses deliberate and gentle light painting techniques to really make this product pop off our screens.

How To Photograph Trees – Anne McKinnell shares some incredible insights and tips on how best to photograph trees.  Different trees at different times of the year create compositional opportunities and challenges, both at the same time, and Anne covers all these aspects with some fabulous guidelines that she then illustrates with incredible photos to showcase the concepts discussed.

Mastering Landscape Photography – Techniques – this article discusses key ingredients that are required for shooting captivating landscape photographs.  Different compositional techniques are covered, and include illustrative pictures to help the reader visually understand the concepts shared.

The Essential Elements of Better Food Photography – sponsored by Zeiss, the world-famous lens creator, this article goes into wonderful depth with ideas and methods that can be readily applied to help you take great food photos.  Everything is covered in this detailed primer, from composition to props used in the setting, and sample shots are included at each step to help you see the idea in action.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Photographer Returns to Chernobyl 30 Years Later with Former Residents – photography projects can be a great way to expose and express a particular perspective on a topic, often translating the photographer's view on the subject in a specific way that is unique to them.  This special feature is a great example of this, as we find Alina Rudya returning to the famous location of Prypyat where the world’s worst nuclear accident occurred some 30 years ago, focusing on the people who once lived there as they reflect on lives unlived in the community they once loved.

GREAT PHOTOGRAPHY

Oxbow Blue – this hauntingly dramatic image comes to us from Bob Lussier who carefully captures and processes a stunning landscape scene.  Taken at the crack of dawn and then processed into a monochromatic piece focusing on the blue palette, this landscape shot benefits from the strong contrasts exhibited, turning a breathtaking scene into something way beyond the normal.

New York – Krzysiek Rabiej creates a breathtaking shot of the New York city skyline as the buildings lights shine brightly delivering a feel of a vibrant and busy city.  The predominantly orange hues take on a monochromatic feel in this shot, adding to the overall mood and texture of the bustling city.

Brown and Black Bears – this stunning shot by Ron Niebrugge captures a scene with both a brown and a black bear in it.  This highly unusual scene is perfectly composed and captured by Ron as these two incredible creatures establish their ground in an effort to grab their next meal.

Dubai Key – Mahmoud Marei’s shot of the epic Dubai city skyline focuses on the dramatic architecture the city is world-famous for.  In the distance, a terrific light beam shines upward from the Burj Khalifa, an icon and a statement that speaks of the engineering acumen of man.

lagoon scapes – Vassilis Tangoulis uses a long exposure time to create a moody and ethereal feeling shot featuring a boat tied to a pier as a dramatic cloud formation looms overhead.  The wooden piers in this frame create leading lines that takes the viewer out into the horizon where untold adventures await the brave.

Place of Worship – Heidelberg, Germany – Len Saltiel shares an architectural study in the well-known city of Heidelbery focusing on the incredible and huge church that sits in the heart of the community.  Wonderful textures and details in this structure are perfectly captured, bringing this building that was originally constructed in the 1400’s and 1500’s into focus today.

Los Angeles Downtown – brightly colored light trails create leading lines that take you into this frame in this dynamic shot from Serge Ramelli.  Terrific natural light from the fleeting light of day covers the dramatic buildings that reach for the skyline, adding a great element to this compelling piece.

Light And Shadow – Brad Truxell greets the city of Pittsburgh very early one morning as a vibrant and colorful sunrise begins to peek up over the horizon.  Brad uses the natural light in the scene to highlight the incredible architecture of the city, and he also uses the river and bridges to create great natural leading lines into the frame.

The Aria from City Center in Las Vegas at night… – Evan Gearing’s shot of an architectural wonder in Las Vegas focuses on a monochromatic palette, dominated by the color blue.  The natural lines created by the striking building create perfect leading lines in this shot, creating an image that features strong geometric shapes and lines.

The Basin – Wayne Beauregard composes an ancient pothole in this shot and then uses a long exposure to smooth out the fast moving waters into a silky texture that adds a feel of motion.  This terrific natural formed feature was created 25,000 years ago, and today it makes for a great photography subject to capture and share.

Long Term Parking – a pair of forgotten boats lie cradled together as the sands of time continue their march towards natural decay in this shot from Rob Dickinson.  A strong sense of artistic tension comes alive in this picture as we all wonder about the stories of these boats, and how they got here and into the state they finds themselves in today.

Pond Flowers – Lisa Gordon shares a selection of shots taken around a pond, focusing on the natural beauty and colors of wildflowers blooming in their habitat.  Each picture shares a wonderful composition, and the collection as a whole is an absolute delight to visit and enjoy personally.

Intersect – this shot comes to us from Jennifer Bin who captures a terrific cityscape image taken at night from a high perspective.  In this photograph, an intersection forms a series of lit lines and shapes that draws you into the picture as you explore the finer details of the city’s architecture.

evening serenity – Frank King captures a wide and deep landscape scene, featuring the undulating hills and features of the Alberta landscape.  This shot was taken in the evening, and as you follow the hills far into the distance the Canadian Rockies peek out to make their presence known.

The road to you – a gentle horseshoe shaped ribbon of road creates a great leading line through the snow-covered landscape in this striking shot from Dino Marsango.  Light trails from fast moving cars create strings of red that follow the strips of road, taking the viewer through the frame.

Trucking with Style – Tim Stanley composes this shot of a classic customized pickup truck to express the great character and spirit the truck exudes on the street.  The vibrant colors of the meticulous paint job pop right out of the monitor in this picture, and the reflective surfaces glint with beautiful light as this truck basks in its own glory.

ELEVATE – this abstract study comes to us from Alisdair Miller who captures a chrome-filled scene created by dramatic architectural features.  The finishing touch is found in the elevator that finds harmony in its setting, bouncing bright light off it’s shiny surfaces as the eye travels upward into an awesome vanishing point.

The Window – Michael Criswell’s image shared here features a black-and-white rendition of a scene that focuses on an old abandoned house.  Ivy grows up the side of it, and a missing window adds to the artistic tension, leaving us all wondering about the story behind the house and why it sits forlorn today.

Cochem Castle – this subdued shot comes to us from Johannes Hoehn, featuring a dramatic castle sitting on the edge of a hill as a fog enshrouded landscape peeks through in the backdrop.  The muted colors in this piece help to form the ethereal and magical feel found in the medieval looking structure, adding to the overall sensation created in the picture.

SGang Gwaay – Vancouver Island based photographer Ehpem shares a very emotional image in this post, taking us to the remote UNESCO World Heritage Site called SGang Gwaay where we get to see a black-and-white image of a very old native burial site.  Ehpem’s application of black-and-white to this shot really accents the drama of the setting as it portrays the peaceful final resting place of people from the local community.

Sunset Over Boston – Steven Perlmutter’s shot showcases the expansive city of Boston as a gorgeous sunset blazes overhead.  Steven takes a very high vantage point to capture this shot, and in doing so he also captures the scale and amazing architecture of the city.

Pin Oak Down – posted by Jim Denham this image is a very dramatic and strong shot that uses a dead tree as a leading line into the heart of the frame where a lake finds effect from the application of a polarizing filter to extend the shutter time.  Jim then processes the shot as a monochromatic image, bringing out the inherent mood and feel of the scene just perfectly.

Midtown Manhattan Long Exposure Skyline Panorama – the final link in this week’s list comes to us from Mark Garbowski, who uses a Hasselblad XPan film camera to capture a black-and-white panoramic skyline shot of downtown Manhattan.  The natural grain from the film adds a wonderful texture and feel to this image, giving it an almost retro look and really accenting the drama of this great city.