Amazing Photography From 2016 and What to Look Out For in 2017!

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It's Been Quite a Year in Photography

As 2016 ends and we all look forward to what 2017 has in store for us all, we find Toad Hollow Photography has been looking all over the internet for links to share in their final post for the year.

photography links

This week's list includes a selection of “Best of 2016” features, along with tutorials, special features and great photography.  We really hope you enjoy the final post of the year as much as the Toad did himself in bringing this list to you.

2016 – THE YEAR IN PICTURES

Year in pictures 2016 | In pictures: Twelve months, twelve frames – these two features showcase a curated selection of photographs taken in 2016 that are profound in the way they capture these times in a frame.  Both of these features were posted on BBC, and reflect upon a year full of incredible events.

driver Photographer
driver Photographer

The Year in Pictures: 2016 – NBC News shares their compendium of photographs that represent the year 2016.  This list features 50 shots that are at times a little disturbing, and at times extremely heartwarming, as we reflect on a year that was full of events covering the entire spectrum.

2016: The year in pictures – CNN shares a curated selection of over 140 photographs in this post that documents the events that occurred during 2016 across the world.  As with the other lists, this one features a wide variety of topics, revealing a glimpse into the human condition as captured in a series of photographic slides.

Christopher Michel
Christopher Michel

Readers' travel photography competition: 2016 – the winners – The Guardian publication reveals its list of the best photographs from 2016, as supplied by their readers.  This list reveals a wide variety of shots and themes, each sharing a meaningful moment from the year past as we all look forward to what 2017 has in store for us.

TUTORIALS

A Perfect Introduction To Fine Art Photography And Its Finesse – the nuances behind the genre of fine art photography make it what it truly is; an image that reflects the artist's vision of the scene with great attention to detail.  As with all types of art, the beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and this terrific primer article here on Light Stalking will give you a great foundation to move forward on if you are getting started in the realm of fine art.

Photoshop Tutorial: How to Make Your Model Look Like They’re Dissolving – check out this 45-minute video tutorial that takes you through all the intricate steps of creating a dramatic dissolve effect in an image.  This effect can deliver a unique and dynamic feel to an image, and even just learning about all the key steps involved can help you in taking full advantage of all the power that Photoshop has to offer.

Yann Caradec
Yann Caradec

6 Tips to Become an Advertising Photographer – this primer covers a few of the key points that should be considered as you work your way into that dream advertising photography job.  These tips and tricks may be considered to be simple and obvious, but following them can save you countless hours.

7 Tips to Make a Great Street Photograph – street photography is a genre all of its own, revealing a frozen moment in time, often captured during a candid moment.  This great article covers 7 great tips and tricks for capturing great street photographs, and includes a 15-minute video presentation to illustrate the key points shared in the article.

The Step By Step Basics of Using Studio Lights for Portraiture – introducing studio lighting into your portraiture work can reveal a series of questions and concerns due to the different way your equipment works.  This primer covers the basics, giving you a great foundation to move forward with as you apply strobes in photography.

Official U.S. Navy Page
Official U.S. Navy Page

Tips for Stunning Travel Portraits – the work of Steve McCurry is well-known around the world as he captured some of the most iconic portraits of people in our contemporary times.  This article discusses the key elements to a great travel portrait with inspiration from Steve McCurry, giving you some insight into some of the finer details that make pictures truly stand out.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Richard Thompson on Photographing a Pagani Huayra BC – the world of exotic cars requires a professional photographer with a specific vision for the project at hand.  This special feature finds us enjoying one of the world's most exotic supercars from the lens-eye perspective of famed automotive photographer Richard Thompson.  A 5-minute behind-the-scenes video production gives us a great look into how a project of this magnitude is executed.

Exploring a Gorgeous Abandoned Castle… and Getting Caught – sometimes the experience of a photo shoot is as powerful as the images captured during the session.  In this post, we get to visit an old and forgotten castle and share the experience of the photographer who was caught during the shoot.  Thankfully, the images are intact and share a visual story of a home that once was the center of someone’s world.

GREAT PHOTOGRAPHY

Happy Autumn! – an incredible color palette pops to life in this panoramic formatted shot from Jason Hagani.  Jason uses a body of water in the foreground of the picture to create a soft reflection, reinforcing the abundant beauty of the colors on display.

Steve Byrne
Steve Byrne

Dover Stone Church – A.D.Wheeler Photography delivers a new feature in this post, showing us a well loved and preserved location that is home to a church that lives within the walls of rock.  A.D.’s exceptional photos accompany a backstory to the location, adding a certain depth to the article that makes you feel as if you joined him personally on the adventure.

Time for a dive – Michiel Pieters grabs a terrific shot that features a person diving into a lake that is surrounded by rugged mountains and rolling green forests.  The colors of the water work perfectly with the textures and character of the wood building in the frame, presumably a home that sits on pilings over the lake’s surface.

Autumn Colours – Barry Turner guides you into a rich and vibrant scene where the colors of autumn ring down upon us all with glorious tones.  A pathway in the center of the shot creates a perfect natural leading line into the picture where a vanishing point awaits those who follow through.

Kostas Limitsios
Kostas Limitsios

Wreck IV – an incredibly moody and ethereal shot is shared in this post from Emmanuel LE GUELLEC.  This black-and-white shot uses a long exposure time to create a great texture on the waters, and the raw drama of the boat that lies wrecked in the middle of the frame adds a huge dimension of artistic tension.

happy haunting! | Butter Church . . . | S__B | see through walls . . . – local photographer ƊƦคƓ๏ƝŦlץƊгєคɱʂ88 visits a place I am often seen at in the Cowichan Valley, the remains of a historic stone church that has an amazing history and backstory to it.  These highly stylized images captured at this location take on a very artistic feel in the way they are processed, with clever usage of textures and post-production to accent the Halloween feel intended by the artist.  For sake of comparison, here is a link to Toad Hollow Photography’s Stone Butter Church portfolio.

And Away – Michael Cleary grabs an amazing shot of a Grey Headed Flying Fox just as it takes off from a still body of water.  The shallow depth-of-focus Michael used to take this photograph works perfectly to isolate this incredible creature from its backdrop, creating a striking portrait of a very unusual looking animal.

KaguraYanki
KaguraYanki

October in November – Lisa Gordon shares a breathtaking shot in this post, showcasing the incredible natural beauty found during autumn time.  Wonderful colors in the foliage work perfectly in harmony with a small pool of water, creating a soft reflection that adds a perfect touch to the setting.

The Spirit Island – a lone canoe paddles towards the iconic island called Spirit Island, located on Maligne Lake in the heart of the Canadian Rocky Mountains.  Johannes Hulsch’s composition highlights the incredible vistas found in the park, revealing to us all just how tiny we are against the scale of such natural majesty.

Columbia Gorge, Oregon – Mark Paulson shares an incredible vista of the Columbia Gorge in the state of Oregon.  Mark’s inclusion of the structure perched on the cliff overlooking the gorge adds a perfect dash of context and scale to the shot, helping the viewer to realize the immensity of the landscape.

Morning Mirror – the golden hour in the early morning creates a wonderful tone to the natural light, framing the tiny community of Hallstatt as it sits on the shores of a lake.  Adnan Bubalo’s perfect composition takes us into the frame where we find old-world detail in the amazing architecture that forms the community.

On Golden Pond – fall in Colorado takes on a golden feel in this shot taken from an elevated perspective overlooking a rolling landscape far below by Tim Stanley.  A gentle reflection in the lake creates a wonderful element of interest in the shot, finishing it off with a perfect flourish.

Rachel Kramer
Rachel Kramer

Misty Morning – a thick fog covers the landscape in this great shot from Forrest Mankins.  Behind the veil of the fog, we find a tiny cabin sitting on the shores of the lake, surrounded by a rich green forest that adds perfect context to this landscape piece.

Koala Bear – admit it, who here doesn’t want a Koala Bear as a pet?  Wayne Beauregard shares a delightful shot in this post of one such bear as it sits on a branch enjoying the day, showing off its incredible personality in the context of a single frame.

Rio della Misericordia – the golden hour dances joyfully around the architectural details of the old buildings found on the canal Rio della Misericordia in Venice in this great shot from Ole Steffensen.  People hurriedly walk along the paths alongside the canal, adding a touch of life to this shot which really showcases the incredible buildings and homes that are found in this part of Europe.

troy_williams
troy_williams

A First look at Prague – Edith Levy shares a terrific black-and-white shot that features architectural details overhanging a walkway as people meander their way through the day.  The lines and shapes found in this shot are accented perfectly by the monochromatic processing applied here, bringing out all the character of the scene that can be expressed visually.

Durdle Door Is Smiling – this stunning landscape shot comes to us from photographer The Narratographer, who finds this scene at the perfect time with the perfect conditions.  A gorgeous sunset paints the sky in vibrant colors as the landscape features come to life, finished off perfectly by the natural leading line from the pathway.

Nocturnal wandering – join Jim Nix as he wanders the cobblestone streets of Italy in the middle of night capturing iconic photographs at every turn.  This shot is full of wonderful textures and details in the old buildings, accented perfectly by the roadway and the leading line it creates to draw the viewer into the heart of the frame.

Heaven Before the Fall – the Italian landscape captured by Richard Beresford Harris features wonderful color hues along with layers that guide the viewer into the frame.  The resultant shot takes on a highly abstract feel to it in a vista that feels like it goes on forever.


Further Learning

“Understanding Light” is a fantastic book written by professional photographer Kent DuFault, which focuses on you becoming the master of light that you’ve dreamed about.
It’s a tricky topic to learn, but it’s a foundation of all photography, so it’s definitely worth investing your time and energy into understanding it.

About Author

I am a fine arts photographer that specializes in HDR techniques. Please feel free to visit our Limited Edition Prints site, our Online Gallery or our lively Photoblog.

Wow, wonderful collection, some really stunning photos there, and I bookmarked this for all the useful tutorials you shared.
The book recommendation is on point as well, really great and useful read.

Thanks Alex! We’re always happy to hear that people enjoy these weekly compilations, your feedback is very much appreciated!

All our pleasure here, Mark! Cheers my friend, and a Happy New Year to you in return as well!

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