Join us as we celebrate the best that the world of photography has to offer for another weekly list, hand curated by the folks at Toad Hollow Photography. This weeks list is full of interesting tutorials, special features and great photography, as we've come to expect. We sincerely hope you enjoy checking out all this great content as much as the Toad did himself in bringing this list to you.
TUTORIALS
Bite Size Tips: How To Draw The Eye In Photographs – creating great compositions that bring the viewer into the frame and lingering over elements or details is a goal we all strive for in our photography. This brief tutorial hosted here on Light Stalking discusses this concept in a short article and includes a terrific illustrative picture.
Overcoming Anxiety as a Portrait Photographer – this article is full of helpful tips and insights into how to overcome your anxiety in the context of a portrait photography session. The results will be found in awesome images that meet everyone’s expectations and will give you the foundation to take on the next session with confidence.
Tips for photographing the most astonishing silhouettes – silhouettes can be a very powerful compositional tool in a photographer’s tickle-trunk, creating evocative images that are full of wonderful artistic tension. Check out this excellent article that discusses this technique, and is sure to give you some awesome ideas on how to apply this to your own work.
10 Tips for Digital Photographers Getting into Film Photography – moving from the realm of digital photography to the world of analog film photography can be a learning curve for many photographers, and having the ability to learn from those who have been through this can be a very helpful tool. This 8 minute video presentation covers 10 often overlooked tips and tricks that can help you overcome some of the fundamentals and get to the work of creating awesome photographs.
How to create the ultimate fake sun with a strobe (with lighting diagrams) – creating a feeling of light emanating from the sun can add a terrific feel to a shot, and this article covers some of the basics on how to mimic sunlight in your photography using strobes. The sample shots included in this article are terrific, giving us instant ideas on how to utilize this technique in our own sessions.
Basic Single-Light Techniques for Photography and Film – this is a great and succinct overview on different styles of lighting and how they can apply when creating imagery, whether it is still photography or video. The samples that are shown in this video give us a great idea of the applied effects.
Constructing product photography in-camera instead of in-Photoshop – the power of doing as much work as possible in camera results in less work in post-production with Photoshop and can create more realistic and compelling pieces. This video tutorial takes you through the various steps that can be used to achieve this, with a stunning finished shot that doesn’t look much different than what was captured directly in-camera.
SPECIAL FEATURES
Laughter In The Wind – our deep love for architecture and history here on Vancouver Island takes an interesting turn as we find an abandoned house on the shores of Jordan River, a fast disappearing community on the coast of the island here. This house was once owned by friends of ours and today it’s very sad to see it in such a state of decay, with only a limited number of days remaining in it’s story. We also include a short video presentation in this post that includes some new drone video.
The 10 Best Uses of Color in Film – take a wild journey of color discovery in this 13 minute video presentation that reveals how different colors can be used to effect in the realm of imagery. 10 different styles are explored in cinematography in this feature, which is sure to translate perfectly to the world of photography were some of these techniques can be applied with fabulous results.
Wild photography: Buck outswims hungry wolf in northern Alberta lake – this amazing photograph reveals a struggle only found in nature whereby a wolf chased a stag deer into the lake on a life and death pursuit. The photograph is absolutely amazing, and the story has a happy ending with the stag coming out the other side of the lake unscathed.
GREAT PHOTOGRAPHY
Independance Day – Derek Burdeny finds himself amidst a massive superstorm with lightning tendrils reaching for the earth in bolts of fury, and he does a masterful job of capturing this phenomenon to share with the world here. Derek’s post-processing on this shot does a terrific job of accenting the natural drama found in such a storm, drawing you right into this picture where a sense of awe is hard to avoid.
Mother Ship – Michael Criswell takes us back inside the Texas State Capitol for a fresh look at the incredible rotunda and it’s great architectural details. The clarity of the shot accents the features of this interior space, making this a must-see shot for those who appreciate this genre of photography.
Over the barn – a distinctive cinematic feel is created by Daniel Casson with his post-production of this drone photograph that captures a rolling landscape far below. The highlight of the shot is the dramatic old barn that sits alone in the countryside below.
Highlights – Steptoe Butte State Park, Washington – light dances off the undulating mounds of Steptoe Butte during the golden hour in this mesmerizing shot from Len Saltiel. The natural textures of this abstract scene find great benefit in this natural light environment, adding to the depth experienced as you view this shot.
Catch the light – this minimalistic concept themed shot comes to us from Christophe Staelens who executes this shot perfectly. A red umbrella on the shores sit under a thick and brooding sky above, and the gentle back-lighting of the umbrella makes the colors pop in an otherwise dark setting.
Blue hour at Nyhavn – as advertised, Jim Nix takes us to this terrific district in Copenhagen, Denmark during the blue hour where the old architecture and character of the city comes to full life. This highly stylized image uses the cobblestone streets to it’s advantage, noting the colorful reflections from the buildings lights that play across it.
Beyond The Clouds – a thick river of clouds rolls over the mountains in this breathtaking shot from jae youn Ryu captured at what looks to be a very high perspective. Beautiful colors in the sky in the distance adds the perfect finishing touch to this wonderful composition.
Another Mill – Bob Lussier shares a new black-and-white portrait of one of the mills he frequents, with this shot looking over a river at the mill on the opposite banks. The monochromatic aspect of the shot coupled with the long exposure turns the river's waters into a silk cover while the drama of the old building beams back at the viewer.
Twilight over Democracy – Jason Row does a terrific job of capturing the late light of the day in this shot that features the dramatic architecture of the British Parliament under a vibrant sky. The bridge that leads to this feature creates a perfect natural leading line, taking the viewer right into the heart of the frame.
a taste of honey . . . – this delightful portrait is of a bee hovering near a gorgeous purple flower, presumably working on collecting nectar. The composition and the timing of this wonderful photograph by ƊƦคƓ๏ƝŦlץƊгєคɱʂ88 work in perfect harmony to deliver a great rendition of these tiny creates at work in their natural habitat.
Church… – an amazing old church forms the perfect anchor into this amazing shot from Krzysztof Browko who creates this picture in near perfect conditions with great natural light and cloud cover. There is a ragged mountain in the distance behind the church, creating some context for this shot that showcases the beauty of the region.
the angle of the canyon – the canyons of this river have been carved out over countless thousands of years, leaving a great landscape feature perfect for Frank King to photograph. The canyon creates a great natural leading line, full of drama, that guides the viewer into the frame and outwards to the majestic mountains in the distance.
Galleria Subalpina – classic architectural details create perfect leading lines and shapes to draw you into this frame from Alfon No. The soft and muted light coming in from the glass roof bathes the entire interior scene in perfect light where a vanishing point is found by those who spend some time checking out the finer details in this picture.
Brown Bear Family – for those with a deep love and affinity for bears like I do, this shot is one you won’t want to miss this week. Ron Niebrugge captures this shot as a mother bear and her two cubs meander their way across a meadow with mom if full command of the surroundings and the two cubs in tow always curious about something that’s going on.
The Bridge – we have featured this world-famous bridge in Lisbon many times before, and this rendition is one of my personal favorites. Ricardo Mateus captures this landmark under a beautiful palette of color in the sky using a long exposure to smooth out the waters, as the bridge itself creates a marvellous natural leading line and vanishing point.
Bengal Tiger – Wayne Beauregard captures a striking portrait of one of these amazing endangered cats at it walks through it’s personal home at the Southwick Zoo. The terrific details in this shot bring out the character and spirit of this amazing animal.
Red Fox – Hisham Atallah finds a fabulous red fox in it’s natural habitat as it looks back at the camera directly to create a very striking portrait. The wonderful details in the fox’s face finish off this wildlife themed shot perfectly.
Catching Up – Lisa Gordon shows off her terrific photography skills in this post that showcases various aspects of her experiences, including an aerial view of a landscape captured from the cabin of a helicopter, as well as several shots of garden elements and some crocheting she has been working on. This delightful collage of images all benefit from Lisa’s top-notch compositional skills, revealing vignettes of her life.
When I could fly mom ? – the artistic tension in this shot from Andre Villeneuve is truly palpable as we get a chance to see a mother goose and her young one as they paddle across the still waters. The dark processing adds to the romantic feel of the shot, finishing off this amazing picture perfectly.
A Grey Panther – we close off this week’s list with a scan of a photograph that Andy Hooker (LensScaper) took many years ago of the King’s College Chapel. The black-and-white aspect of the shot does a great job of showing off the architectural drama of this amazing structure, and Andy’s personal anecdotal thoughts are truly inspiring and well worth the time to read for those looking for an uplifting message to take in for the week.
2 Comments
Thank you so very much for including me here.
It is truly an honor.
All our pleasure to be sure, Lisa, cheers and thanks for visiting! Hope you enjoyed checking out the other links we’ve posted here as well to other great photographs and articles!