Another fabulous week rolls on by here in the world of photography, and Toad Hollow Photography has been looking all over the internet for the latest links to tutorials, special features and great photography to share with everyone.
This week's list covers a very wide range of photography subjects with something here for enthusiasts of all genres to enjoy. We really hope you enjoy checking out all these links as much as the Toad did in bringing this weeks list to you.
TUTORIALS
How To Use Colors In Your Portraits – JasenkaG shares some great insights right here on Light Stalking on how to use color to your advantage with your photography. Terrific sample shots are included throughout the article to give you a great idea of how the various concepts play out in finished images.
How to Get Precise Exposure for Your Shots – this is one of the very best articles on exposure I have read as it goes into great depth with insights and techniques that can be learned and applied to get great results consistently. Screenshots and a sample shot are followed along with each step of the discussion to allow the reader to visually understand the concepts as quickly as possible.
5 Ways to Change the Color of ANYTHING in Photoshop – this tutorial includes a great video feature that is over 21 minutes long, covering the wide-ranging topic of how to change colors in Photoshop. Several different methods are discussed in this video giving you a great new set of tools to use in your own photography.
Long exposure photography is an easy way to make your photos stand out – this article includes some stunning long exposure shots along with tips and insights from the photographer who captured them. These amazing shots are sure to inspire anyone who has been thinking about jumping into this type and style of imagery.
A Guide to Different Types of Light and Weather Conditions for Photography – let’s take an in-depth look at varying weather and lighting conditions, and the impact they have on the images we capture. This article covers this topic in great detail, and it includes some stunning shots to help illustrate the points and inspire you to get out there and take your own awesome shots.
What Is Dynamic Range and Why Is It Important? – understanding the concept behind dynamic range is an important topic for those wanting to get the very most out of their photography. This article talks about why dynamic range is important and includes a good video presentation to cover the topic in an easy to understand manner.
SPECIAL FEATURES
Surfers Learn The Hard Way What Happens When You Go Surfing During A Polar Vortex – please be well warned before you click on this link, make sure you’ve got some form of a hot beverage nearby, it’s about to get downright cold! So, many people ask what a couple of crazy surfers with a photographer friend do during one of the biggest record-breaking cold snaps in the US… the answer is to go surfing!
35 Photographs of Parachutes – parachutes are terrific subjects for photography, often including swatches of color to offset the natural tones of the region, and always including a sense of adventure and motion captured in a frame. Join us right here on Light Stalking for this ultimate set of parachute themed photographs.
In the age of digital, this 28-year-old photographer went to Antarctica with 65 rolls of film – in many cases, it is impossible to duplicate the look and feel of an old-school film photograph. This special feature follows one photographer who visited the farthest points south with a set of film cameras and a pile of film rolls, and the resulting shots all speak to the terrific look and aesthetic you can achieve with this medium.
Bird Lovers: 12 Stunning Shortlisted Images Of Bird Photographer Of The Year 2019 – check out this amazing collection of photographs of birds as captured and shared by some of the best nature photographers working today. There is a wide range of styles and types of birds included in this collection, each able to easily stand on their own as examples of great shots.
GREAT PHOTOGRAPHY
Heilan’ Coo, Isle of Skye, Scotland – let’s join Anne McKinnell in Scotland where she discovers the amazing community of cows that happen to live in this amazing place. Anne includes a great set of shots featuring these great animals in their natural habitat, along with some great insights and anecdotes that really frame the pictures wonderfully.
Burning Peaks – this landscape shot comes to us from Kilian Schönberger that features the tallest mountains in Germany as the fading light of day casts warm light on the very tips of the dramatic mountains. Thick fog and cloud cover adds to the natural drama of this terrific shot.
Playtime With Momma – Jennifer Leigh Warner brings us along to Wyoming where she finds an amazing mother Grizzly Bear with her two cubs out and about enjoying the day. The carefree nature of the bears creates a heartwarming image that does a spectacular job of capturing their personalities in a photograph.
Löffler – a beautiful white Egret works the still waters it stands in, presumably looking for something delicious to eat. Georg Scharf’s shot includes some beautiful colors in the soft backdrop to create a perfect frame for this wonderful bird.
No Control – for those who love all things rusty and old gauges that are years removed from providing any useful information to the operator responsible for monitoring them, this must-see shot from Michael Criswell is terrific. Michael takes us deep inside a long abandoned automotive factory where he finds this forlorn scene full of rusty goodness.
Ghost town – hope and despair both find expression in this incredible shot from Daniel Kordan. This image was taken inside a long-abandoned home in Africa where the sands of time have literally encroached in the space once lived in to fill the house with rolling sand dunes. This shot is full of great artistic tension.
Maison de Damask, France – I can never seem the get used to how people walk away from buildings, especially homes, leaving them forever to fight the effects of decay and time. This incredible set of shots from Obsidian Urbex Photography reveals the inside of a beautiful manor in France that is still fully furnished and decorated with the items left behind by the previous owners.
Waiting for the sun – captured in New Zealand in the very heart of winter, this photograph finds us peering out from inside what looks like a small ice cavern at the frozen landscape outside. William Patino went through quite the effort to be in this perfect place at the perfect time to capture this very interesting composition.
a perfect sailing day – vivid blue skies hang over the scene that we find here, as shot and shared by Frank King. This shot features a marina full of boats set against a backdrop of terrific character based architecture.
Beast – prepare to gasp as you see this amazing storm-themed shot from Aaron Groen that features a massive supercell storm looming overhead with a wall of rain dumping on the ground below. The circular shape of the storm system shows the epic beauty that can be found in the deadly drama as it unfolds.
SQGM – optical illusion – David A Lockwood shares a very unique shot looking down a highly ornate hall, complete with a highly polished floor that casts interesting reflections of light back at the viewer. The shot also reveals a terrific example of leading lines that guide the viewer out to a great vanishing point.
Morning fire – Arthur Cross captures a breathtaking landscape shot in the early morning as the early sun begins to emerge on the horizon in the distance. This shot focuses on the drama of the mountains in the distance, accented perfectly by the mirror reflection of the scene cast in the still waters of the foreground of the frame.
Walter Reed Birthplace – Mark Summerfield takes us to Virginia where we get to see a couple of exterior shots of a historically important house from the 1800s where Walter Reed was born. This wonderful white wooden house is full of character, captured perfectly here by Mark.
London by night – fast moving light trails draw us into this terrific photograph from David Abbs that uses an arch on the London Bridge as a frame into the vibrant scene. The great details of the famous architecture of the bridge finish the picture off just perfectly.
Le Mont-Saint-Michel (Galerie Nord-Sud – N.D. Sous Terre – Promenoir des Moines – Salle des Chevaliers) – incredible arches, passageways and ancient stone architectural features await the viewer in this awesome blog post from Mathias Lucas. We are taken deep inside a facility that dates back countless hundreds of years where terrific wide perspectives and vignettes find harmony with Mathias’ camera framed by a great backstory.
Walking – beautiful red tones fill this image of an autumn scene that looks down a walking path that is surrounded by the colors of foliage. Mevludin Sejmenovic’s shot takes terrific advantage of the vanishing point in the composition to highlight the people as they walk down the path.
which idiot has found the drain? – we get to take a look inside what looks to be a long forgotten swimming pool in this great shot from Urban Vagabond. The natural light that comes in from the large windows adds to the terrific ambience of this setting.
REJOICE – Christian Wig’s incredible photograph takes on an almost abstract feel as we look out over a vast body of water that has some interesting rocks sitting in the foreground. The use of a long exposure time lends itself to create the ethereal mood found in this particular photograph.
Going for the Nectar, Minnesota -Mark Paulson has perfect timing with this shot that features a beautiful Monarch Butterfly perched on a flower as it searches for something yummy to eat. The shallow depth-of-focus that Mark used to capture this shot does a splendid job of isolating the wonderful subject against its backdrop.
Venezia – there is something distinctly haunting about this great black-and-white image from Kai Ziehl that uses an old stone passage as a frame. A thin veil of mist lingers as we see a lone person looking outward towards the waters, creating the perfect finishing feature to fully express the artistic tension in the scene.
Carmel Mission – Carmel-By-The-Sea, California – Spanish architectural details flourish inside this old church that was built in the 1700s to serve a growing community in the region. Len Saltiel’s shot exposes the intricate and delicate features on the interior of this landmark building, bringing rich history forward to our current times where we can enjoy the design elements.
