30 Awesome Photography Links From Around the Web

As another week passes us by Toad Hollow Photography has been looking high and low on the internet for the very best links to tutorials, features, great photography and interesting blogs to share with everyone.  This week's comprehensive list contains a handful of terrific tutorials and special features as well as a great selection of photography from some of the world's finest artists.  We really hope you enjoy checking these links out as much as the Toad did in bringing this list to you.

Seashells, Sand, Surf and Sunset by DonMiller_ToGo, on Flickr

TUTORIALS

Photo Tutorial — Photograph The Night Sky – an absolutely fabulous article that takes the reader in-depth into the world of night sky photography.  Wonderful photographs are included in the article to showcase the different techniques and results applied to this style of photography.  If you’ve been wanting to get into this and haven’t had an idea on how to start, this is a must-read article.

Check Out This Brilliant Way To Remove Color Casts In Photoshop – this is a four and a half minute video tutorial that shares a unique method of removing color casts from an image.  A detailed workflow is shared in this piece making it easy to understand the key concepts being discussed.

Escaping the Sunrise and Sunset Cliché – this terrific article goes into fairly good detail in terms of discussing the age old attraction to sunrises and sunsets in imagery.  Great illustrative pictures accompany the article at key points to show the results of pictures captured with specific techniques.  This article is a great reference piece that can show you how to avoid taking “another sunset photo” and instead capture something special.

Life Before photoshop: VW Car Campaign – Joe Baraban once again shares some of his incredible insights in this post that discusses getting the shot right, in camera.  Joe shares a shot he created for an ad campaign and discusses in good detail the technical intricacies he used to create the shot.  This is a great piece, well worth the time to visit and read.

city light – Sony A7R by Luke,Ma, on Flickr

Photographing Classic Cars with Film – this brief post shares some tips and insights from one of the industries best photographers, Joe Farace.  If you are working in the field of car photography and use film for your medium, this is definitely a must-read article.

SPECIAL FEATURES

8 Awesome “Abandoned” Locations Anyone Can and Must Visit – A. D. Wheeler shares a great article featuring eight sites that those who love the weathered and worn for the photography opportunities they present simply must visit.  This is definitely the modern day variation of a “bucket list” for photographers.

A Polar Bear’s First Journey – a rare glimpse into the life of newborn Polar Bears is shared in this terrific post featuring the photography and writing of Greg Harvey.  These cute little cubs are so endearing it’s easy to forget that they are going to grow up to be fierce hunters in the wilds of the great north.  This is a terrific set of photographs with a very interesting short article to accompany them.

Thoughts about macrophotography (of bugs) – Light Stalking’s very own @astaroth writes a very interesting article discussing the proper depth of field for macro photography, specifically working in the realm of insects and other tiny creatures.  He includes some really great example images in his post that highlights the key points he is discussing, making for an interesting article to read for everyone, even if you don’t practice this genre specifically.

GREAT PHOTOGRAPHY

Looking towards Singleton from the Trundle – the rolling hills of England leads you right into the frame where you become fully engaged in the intricate details in this amazing photograph.  Barry Turner captures this fabulous shot featuring a beautiful landscape illuminated in wonderful natural light, highlighting the abundant beauty and captivating the viewer.

Who – Rob Hanson captures an absolutely stunning shot of a rare Great Horned Owl nesting in the pine trees.  Rob goes through incredible lengths to capture this shot and the results are well worth those efforts.  The owl blends perfectly into her surroundings, and the way she is staring intently back at the camera showcases the wonderful character and spirit of these wonderful creatures.

Rocky Mountain sunset – wonderful blue tones grace this breathtaking landscape piece captured and shared here by Frank King.  The epic Rocky Mountains in the distance find their tops lit by the waning light of day, highlighting the majesty and drama of this incredible natural feature in the famous Canadian Rocky Mountains.

Off Track – this terrific trio of shots features old trains and their cars in a state of decay.  Lisa Gordon takes advantage of the configuration to capture this set of compositions that highlights the great character in these old items.  They will one day be refurbished and put on display at a museum and this is likely a last chance to see them in their current state.

Gásadalur, Vágar, Faroe Islands – this epic natural landscape shares the sheer beauty of a rugged coastline.  A waterfall draws the viewer into the frame where upon further study the true scale and context of the composition comes to light.

Parked…Permanently – a great old Morris Minor Traveller obviously long forgotten becomes the prime subject for the photography of Dave Wares in this picture.  Dave captures a vignette of the steering wheel and dashboard complete with wear and weathering from years of neglect that paints a picture full of artistic tension.

Oklahoma City Memorial #4 – Evan Gearing captures a fabulous shot of the Oklahoma City Memorial at sunset.  Evan times his shot to create a great sunburst through the opening of the memorial, adding a great element of raw drama to the scene.

With Weather Like This… – a fabulous photograph by Laurie MacBride that features a pair of young deer twins peering sheepishly into the camera.  These are a mighty cute pair of little ones, and Laurie accompanies this great shot with some anecdotal thoughts on a recent weather event that hit us up here on the west coast.

Pretty wolf posing by Tambako the Jaguar, on Flickr

there is always a chair – David Stoddart visits a derelict chateaux in France and finds a weathered room with a worn chair in it.  The rich artistic tension expressed in the chair as it sits near a window expresses a great image of something waiting to be remembered once again as it eagerly awaits its next visitor.

Happy Famaly – a trio of little nesting owls is featured in this incredible photograph by Ilia Shalamaev.  This shot really shows how timing is truly everything, as we see this group of owls engaged with each other in a way that is both very cute as well as a great expression of their inner character.

Heaven Dolomites – a rolling vista leads you gently across lush green valleys off into the distance where the dramatic Dolomite mountains stand majestically.  This lovely image by Marcellian Tan is full of wonderful elements sure to engage you as you explore across the frame taking in both the natural and man-made features.

Winter’s Dance – the incredible effects of a frozen lake are revealed in this terrific photograph by Andy Gimino.  Natural leading lines guide the viewer into the frame where patterns and shapes are revealed in the ice formations, all sitting under the warm glow of a beautiful sunset.

De zaanse schans – an idealistic scene is captured in the Netherlands and carefully processed by Mohamed Idrissi to highlight the wonderful details in the architecture and the incredible colors and tones in the sky.  The long exposure used to capture this shot gives the water in the composition a soft look which accents the crisp details in the house and surroundings.

Abandoned Bath House – Jim Denham finds an old abandoned bath house originally used to service the campers in the campground that no longer exists.  Jim’s methodical processing on the shot accents the blue tones in the image to create a very specific feel and mood in the image.

Fog Invasion @ SZ Street… – this long exposure piece finds us at a very high vantage point overlooking the city of Dubai below.  Rustam azmi’s incredible shot features this iconic city in the heart of the night, covered in a veil of fog that diffuses the lights from the traffic and buildings far below.

D by MarioMancuso, on Flickr

Lord of the Flies – Len Saltiel shares an incredible photograph of the Yaquina Head Light in Oregon.  Len’s terrific composition focuses on the inherent romance of a lighthouse and he includes a wonderful anecdotal story that adds dimension to the post.

Gas Station in Winter – a terrific gas station sits in the Saskatchewan winter completely cloaked in thick snow.  Scott Prokop’s shot features the great character of the building sitting in the natural environment of winter’s snow, making for a great shot to view and enjoy.

INTERESTING BLOGS

Man Buys 10.000 Undeveloped Negatives At a Local Auction and Discovers One of The Most Important Street Photographers of the Mid 20th Century – this is a terrific example of how you just don’t know what you’ll find at your local auction.  A historical hobbyist paid $380 for a complete collection of negatives that later turns out to be the work of a relatively unknown, but very important, photographer who lived and worked in the 50’s and 60’s.

10 Things You Didn't Know About Your Camera – this is a terrific list of features that many people don’t know exist in their modern-day DSLR cameras.  Some of the features outlined are advanced, while others are much simpler in nature.  Just knowing they are available can help while out in the field at a shoot making this an invaluable article for everyone who isn’t an ardent pro with their gear.

smooth tooth smooth by geirt.com, on Flickr

Comodo Introduces New Hand-Held Mechanical Gimbal for Video – stabilization is a common problem in the field of video imagery.  The folks at Comodo have just released a new stabilization system for cameras that is simpler in design than many in the field today.  This post features a video presentation just under 3 minutes in length that shows you how to calibrate the device for your application.

Outlook for 2014 – The Year of the Copy Cats – this is a very interesting article written by Alex Wise.  Alex takes a close look at the concept of plagiarism in photography, and not just from the perspective of stealing an image online and passing it off as your own.  He takes a deeper look in this piece by discussing how taking a shot of an iconic scene with nearly the exact same composition and framing as others is also a form of plagiarism.  At the very least, this piece will definitely inspire you to be unique and to express your own vision in the craft of photography.