The Week in Photos: Like You’ll Never Experience…ANYWHERE

No surprises, we've had another terrific week in photography online.

With content writers and photographers posting tutorials, special reviews and great photography for everyone to see and enjoy – this is sure to be an experience you won't forget before next time.

This week's list of hand-selected photography links features the work of some of the best people working in the field today, brought to you by Toad Hollow Photography. We really hope you enjoy checking out these links as much as the Toad did himself in bringing this list to you.

Photography Tutorials

Understand the Fundamentals of Light – a Bite-Sized Guide for Photographers – when talking about photography, the topic of light is always first and foremost. This great article discusses the fundamentals of great light in imagery, talking about the quality, direction and color of light and how it affects and changes a scene. Terrific sample shots are also included to give you a great visual cue to the concept being covered.

Working with Layer Masks in Adobe Photoshop – layer masks are arguably one of the most important and powerful tools in Photoshop, giving you great control over the post-processing of an image and helping you to only work on sections of the picture you want to. This video tutorial is just over 5 minutes in length, and gives you a great starting point for exploring this feature-set in Photoshop on your own.

How To Precisely Color Grade Photos With Complementary Colors – this video presentation is just over 16 minutes long and takes you through the steps involved with color grading an image. A sample shot is used throughout the video, allowing you to see the changes being effected by the technique as we go along.

How to Add ‘Dynamic Contrast’ to Your Images Using Only Photoshop – creating pictures with a dynamic contrast look doesn’t necessarily mean you have to invest in a costly set of Photoshop plug-ins, as is evidenced by this short video tutorial that takes you through the steps using the native tools built into Photoshop. The results are quite visually astounding, and many people may like to learn how to incorporate them into your own workflow.

6 Tips For Adorable Baby Photos – here is a short set of tips and tricks for capturing wonderful baby photographs. These little bundles of joy require their own set of techniques to ensure the shoot goes smoothly and you are able to capture all the shots wanted, and these tips are sure to help jumpstart you in this particular style of photography.

How To Set The Tone And Tell Stories With Geometric Shapes – the emotions and feelings that can be created by managing shapes within and image are explored in this brief blog post. A 5 minute video tutorial accompanies this article, giving you a fresh idea on how to use these compositional features to create your own images.

Special Features

Documentary on the Most Famous Fashion Photographer Alive: Mario Testino – this BBC documentary comes in at just over 45 minutes long and takes us behind the photographs of one of the most famous fashion and portrait photographers working in the field today. Being able to see a bit of the behind-the-scenes work, we learn a little about what drives a professional who works at this level.

Werner Philipps: Inspiration in Natural Light Portraiture – a brief question-and-answer session is featured in this article, giving us all a little deeper understanding of the work of Werner Philipps. His natural light portrait work is truly incredible as he takes advantage of natural light and uses it to meet his goals. A set of sample shots is also included to really give you a good idea of the pictures he creates.

Magnum Photographer Elliott Erwitt On Photographs That Transcend Time, Place And Subject – join professional photographer Elliott Erwitt as he discusses the nuances that go into a great photograph. Insights like this from an industry leader are always helpful to those of us who are growing as we continue to practice and find our own form of visual voice in the photography spectrum.

NASA's Earth at Night Images Are ‘Mind-Boggling' – the undeniable impact that mankind has on the earth we inhabit comes into sharp relief in this incredible presentation shared by the team at NASA that shows our world at night with population centers creating pockets of light. This incredible undertaking is condensed into a few minutes of animated video, taking you on an amazing journey through the night’s sky as we take in the sights of our world below.

15 Inspiring Places Travel Photographers Should Visit – if you are looking for inspiration and a destination to visit to capture stunning photographs, look no further than this list of 15 places that everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime. Shots are included from all these locations, giving you an instant idea of what to expect when your wheels hit the ground from your international flight.

One Major Challenge When Settling Home After a Long Absence – world-famous traveling photographer Jimmy McIntyre and his wife have just returned home after a long exploration of the world through the lens of his camera. His thoughts on the modern trappings of the world, particularly in the context of all the negativity we see in the news, is a profound statement on the state of things and how they affect our perspectives.

Nothing but Amazing Photography

Moments to keep in mind – cinematic tones work perfectly with the landscape shot shared here by Johannes Hulsch, featuring the beautiful natural scenery of the Canadian Rocky Mountains on a seemingly somewhat still day. A lone canoe paddles it’s way across the frame, heading towards the world-famous Spirit Island on Maligne Lake, showcasing both the beauty of the park and nature in general.

Mount Hope – join Michael Criswell and his wife as they explore a massive and historic cemetery located in the United States. This cemetery inters many famous people from the early days of settlement in the country, making for a place that is peaceful and full of solitude, as expertly captured and shared in this moving post.

Red morning above the castle – a beautiful early morning sunrise covers the skies in a rich and warm color palette as an old castle sits on the crest of a hill below. The incredible setting converges with the old castle, creating an almost fairy tale appearance in this wonderful photograph from Daniel Řeřicha.

The development – a long abandoned industrial complex is featured in this dramatic shot that literally exudes artistic tension, as captured and shared here by andre govia. Years of neglect and decay combine with the remaining elements of the factory to create a moving picture that is full of rich details and textures.

Blue hour at Lake Moraine – for those who love landscape photographs, particularly ones that feature the dramatic Canadian Rocky Mountains, this is a shot you won’t want to miss in this week's list. Johannes Hulsch captures a breathtaking piece in this image, showing off the epic beauty of a rich blue rippled lake in the foreground with majestic snow-capped mountains off in the distance.

Glowing Mountaintop – Two Jack Lake, Banff National Park, Alberta – Len Saltiel features a breathtaking landscape photograph of the Canadian Rocky Mountains in this early morning picture that captures the essence of the park framed in a glorious sunrise. The dramatic mountains in the distance find themselves delicately covered on their tips by the rising sun, adding a perfect finishing element to the image.

Infinity – Dany Eid shares a fresh perspective of the wonderful city of Dubai, taken from an elevated position atop a hotel. This shot showcases the cityscape as a multi-faceted location, with great architecture and a complimentary color palette to accent the bustling city below.

Sunset at Cadillac Ranch – Jim Nix explores the indescribable ranch in Texas that is known the world-over for having a row of old deceased vehicles stuck in the ground with their rear-ends pointing towards the heavens. This scene creates really interesting compositions, highlighted by the vibrant colors of the various bits of graffiti that cover all the old cars as they stand guard.

Dune rider – this amazing shot from the Red Bull Photography photography group has it all going on, with a perfect composition of a fast moving off road vehicle as it crests sand dunes and terrific natural light to highlight the entire scene. This dynamic shot features a strong sense of motion, and really shows you how these incredible vehicles defy gravity and physics to achieve their incredible feats.

Witches Lake – Rossano Ferrari’s landscape photograph features a terrific still reflection in the lake in the foreground, creating a mirrored reflection of the beautiful snow covered surroundings that encircle it. It is finished off perfectly by the vibrant colors in the sky, presumably created by the sunrise or sunset that framed this perfect setting.

blue hour at the bridge – Frank King shares a great architectural piece that features a steel bridge after a snowfall. Lights cover the spans of the bridge, adding pockets of color and light to the dramatic lines, creating natural leading lines that guide the viewer into a fabulous vanishing point in the distance.

lake louise. banff. Alberta – a deep and cold winter’s day creates the perfect setting to capture the epic beauty found in the Banff region of the Canadian Rocky Mountains in this wonderful image by Tanner Wendell Stewart. A deep snow blankets the scene in pristine white, and a small cabin sits near the river as rugged snow-covered mountains loom in the distance beyond.

On The Street :: Boston – Lisa Gordon shares a terrific pair of black-and-white shots captured during the colder months in Boston, MA at night. These photographs feature a man playing a saxophone on the street, and are excellent representations of great candid street pictures.

Hallstatt – a beautiful blue hour creates an ethereal feel in this landscape shot that highlights the tiny community of Hallstatt that sits on the shores of a body of water. Kurt Hinterreither takes advantage of the natural light and the magical setting to create a distinct photograph that has a truly old-world feel to it.

Port of Vancouver – Barbara Youngleson creates and posts a highly stylized image that features one of the iconic structures in downtown Vancouver, on the west coast of Canada. Brooding clouds that linger overhead add to the inherent drama of this shot that draws you to explore the fascinating architecture.

Paris reflection! – deep and rich contrasts accent this scene that features the old architecture of the famous city as it sits alongside a canal. Patrice Thomas captures this shot that uses a great mirrored reflection to add a great element to the image, and finishes it off with a great vignette that naturally draws the eye into the frame itself.

Flow Under the Ice, Minnesota – this shot posted by Mark Paulson takes on an abstract feel to it as he explores an opening in the ice as moving waters flow just below the surface. The convergence of the moving water along with the stationary ice creates a shot that has a distinct yin/yang feel to it.

The Mysterious Elowah Falls – join Carl Pan as he takes us deep into the forests on the west coast where a mystical scene awaits the viewer that focuses on a stream with a waterfall in the backdrop. Carl uses a long exposure time to shoot this setting, combining the rich and lush details of the forest alongside the moving waters that add a sense of dynamism to the picture.

Further Resources

An ADOBE LIGHTROOM Guide
5 Ways to Make Your Photos Pop by Photzy