It really has been another awesome week for those who love photography! We're happy to have Toad Hollow Photography searching in all corners of the internet for links to the very best tutorials, special features and great photography for everyone to enjoy.
This weeks list features a very wide variety of topics, with something here sure to be of interest to everyone. We really hope you enjoy checking out this weeks list as much as The Toad did himself in bringing it to you.
TUTORIALS
Quick Tips To Help You Embrace The Wet Weather – in our part of the world in western Canada inclement weather is simply a fact of life and shouldn’t interfere with our ability to get out there and capture great photographs. This primer article is hosted right here on Light Stalking and discusses some tips and tricks for turning a gloomy rainy day into a stellar setting for shooting awesome images.
How to Make Better Photographs? Know Your Subject – being immersed and engaged in a particular subject can make a huge difference in the quality of photographs you capture. This great article talks about how this exact thing can influence a shoot, and how important it is to fully explore a subject by becoming a part of it.
How to create realistic snow in Photoshop – there are a countless number of ways to achieve a specific thing in Photoshop, and adding snow to a picture is definitely one of the things you can do in a multitude of ways. This article covers several methods that you can use on your own shots, sure to give your pictures a look that convinces the viewer you captured them in a snowstorm.
How to Post-Process Soft and ‘Dreamy’ Portraits of Children – learn how to create amazing portraits of children in this step by step tutorial that takes you through the entire process with illustrative photographs and great detail. The final result is great, sure to inspire you to get out there and try these techniques yourself.
How Focal Length Affects Your Car Photos – this short video feature shows us the differences you can see when shooting cars at various focal lengths. The concept of compression comes into play, particularly with longer lenses, which changes the overall character of the shot, and being able to see this in a video presentation really makes it easy to see how this works.
The Complete Guide To Zoom Burst Photography – turning the zoom ring on your lens while exposing your image can lead to some amazingly creative photographs. Take a look at this guide here on Light Stalking to get you started with this interesting technique.
10 More Photography Tips to Help Take Your Images to the Next Level – check out this series of well-written articles that cover some fundamentals behind the concept of what makes a photograph great. As you scroll and read through each page, a broad idea begins to emerge that can greatly help you with your own photography.
SPECIAL FEATURES
Outfoxed! Adorable moment clever rascal turns the table on photographer – photographing wildlife can be a very rewarding experience, and sometimes things happen that are quite unexpected. In this wonderful post, we get to see photographs and read the story behind a very cute red fox who decides that the photographer needed to become the subject, with truly hilarious results.
What a shot! 30 amazing sports photos – sports photography requires a very unique set of circumstances to converge to capture a truly stunning image, and this set of 30 photographs posted on CNN shows a great collection of shots from this genre. Each image can easily stand on its own merits, and when viewed as a set as exhibited here they take on a life all their own.
A tale of two cities: Kolkata’s New Town and ruins of Hampi – photography can be used as a great medium for capturing a changing landscape that creates a series of visual documents that are important for generations to come. This special feature is a terrific example of this application from a photographer who is capturing his surroundings as development encroaches on a landscape forever changed by progress.
Impressing Portraits of Goldfish & Betta Fish – you will never look at a goldfish the same after seeing this absolutely amazing set of photographs. This series explores this genre of aquatic lifeform with terrific light and detail, sure to delight everyone who checks out this pictures.
A Baker's Dozen of Impressive Perseid Meteor Shower Captures – the mysteries of the universe we live in are exposed in this terrific series of shots that reveal the skies as heavenly bodies dance in the night sky. This set of shots are all amazing and beautiful, exhibiting some of the best shots from this category of photography.
Australian Geographic nature photographer of the year – in pictures – nature creates the best canvas for capturing shots of this amazing world we all live in, as seen in this selection of shots submitted for a contest. There is a wide range of images exhibited in this post, each of them amazing for their own composition and content.
GREAT PHOTOGRAPHY
Night at Covent Garden – Jim Nix shares a delightful shot taken inside a classically architected building in the UK at night. Terrific shadows and details all play with the sharp architectural elements as shoppers and strollers alike enjoy the ambiance of the facility.
End of the Line – this great black-and-white shot comes to us from Edith Levy who takes advantage of a candid moment while exploring the NY subway system. In this shot, pillars create patterns and a frame into the picture where hurried travelers await trains that are coming and going.
Inside the church – Manjik photography shares a cinematic looking shot of the inside of an incredible cathedral in Paris, France. Terrific natural light plays with all the grand architectural features in this building to create a striking image full of leading lines and wonderful features.
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) . . . – bald eagles are frequent visitors here on Vancouver Island, and they can make for truly striking photography subjects. This shot comes to us from island photographer ƊƦคƓ๏ƝŦlץƊгєคɱʂ88 and showcases one such eagle posing with a very serious expression straight back at the camera.
Headshot of hummingbird with reflective red chin – hummingbirds can be a very tricky and elusive photography subject to capture well, and in this shot from William Freebillyphotography we get to see how a great picture is created as all the key elements come together. This portrait is full of terrific detail in the face of this tiny flying bird, and the shallow depth-of-focus helps to isolate it perfectly from the backdrop.
Buried and Forgotten – CJ Schmit’s shot is dark, both figuratively and literally, as he shares a picture processed as a black-and-white captured in a cemetery. CJ uses the deep contrasts in this shot to accent the drama of the setting, and a shallow depth-of-focus adds to the overall feeling.
Dubai Density – Daniel Cheong is well known for his amazing cityscape photographs captured in Dubai as he leverages high perspectives to take iconic pictures of a bustling city far below. In this shot, Daniel uses a tilt-shift lens to full effect, showing us this amazing city as life hurriedly moves about in the heart of the night.
Shadows on the Dunes, Death Valley NP, California – fantastic shadows play across the natural forms of the sand dunes in Death Valley in this very dramatic looking abstract piece from Mark Paulson. The natural lines found in the dunes lead you through the frame where mountains appear in the far distance for a great added element to the photograph.
17-51: Reflection to the sea surface – this shot was taken using a long exposure time, turning the waters of the river into a silky and smooth surface while capturing stunning detail in the stationary elements. Captured by momo-123 ( You.Tomi. ), this shot showcases an amazing bridge structure that has stunning artificial lighting that brings out all the natural drama of the scene as a whole.
begin the song exactly where you are – Diane Schuller uses a shallow depth-of-focus to bring out the rich character of this shot that features a perfectly soft framed view of a hand with a wooden piece working around a singing bowl. The bokeh in the lights in the backdrop add a wonderful feel to the photograph, finishing it off just perfectly.
This morning breaks so cold – one of the most iconic castles in the world located in Bavaria is captured in the heart of winter in this amazing black-and-white shot from Daniel Vorkauf. If you enjoy fairy tales and the homes of heroes and villains from these stories, you will definitely want to see this shot.
Ware Parish Church – Mark Summerfield takes us along on an exploration of a historic church in the United States believed to be built in the late 1600’s or early 1700’s. The character of the architecture is beautifully juxtaposed with the natural setting it sits within, making for an alluring set of shots to view and enjoy while you read all the history behind it.
Harfan neiges – a snowy white owl stares intently back at the camera lens in this amazing portrait captured by Andre Villeneuve. An extremely shallow depth-of-focus was used in this shot, helping to draw the eye of the viewer right at the sharp beak of this amazing bird.
Sun Devil – Mike Olbinski publishes a new storm-themed photograph in this post, featuring an incredible lightning strike. The clouds are lit with the intensity of the electricity from the strike as fast-moving cars create stunning light trails that create colorful leading lines into the storm in the distance.
Spirit Island. Maligne Lake. Jasper. Alberta. – one of the most amazing sights in the Canadian Rocky Mountains is tiny Spirit Island that sits in the beautiful Maligne Lake in the park. Tanner Wendell Stewart captures a version of this often photographed spot in the middle of a cold winter, adding a lot of drama to this frigid scene.
In clear air – this monochromatic piece was shot and shared by Andy Hooker (LensScaper) in Whistler, on the west coast of Canada. The region is famous for its skiing and scenery, and it’s easy to see why in this shot of a snow-covered landscape with a skier enjoying all the area has to offer on a perfect day to do so.
Spiral of confusion – a terrific vanishing point is found in this shot of a helical staircase shot looking downwards by Carlos Vazquez. Carlos processes this shot as a black-and-white to reveal all the artistic tension of the scene with great curving lines that lead off into great visual oblivion. If you look carefully at this picture, you may notice features that seem out of place in terms of continuity, check it out.
the waves of winter – the simple beauty of a crashing wave comes to life in this great abstract shot from Frank King captured on the far eastern coast of Canada.There is inherent natural beauty in the curls of a wave as it finishes its travels across a vast ocean and comes ashore, as captured perfectly in this composition.
