The world of photography continues to engage and delight us all with authors and artists from all genres creating great shots and posts to enjoy. This week's list is full of a very wide variety of subjects and includes tutorials, special features and great photography. We really hope you enjoy checking out this week's list as much as the Toad did himself in bringing this list to you.
TUTORIALS
5 Tips For More Authentic Travel Photos – great travel shots are definitely a goal many wanderers try to achieve while they are visiting far-and-away destinations. Check out this set of tips posted here on Light Stalking that is sure to help you rise above the usual and capture those true and pure images of your adventure that can be enjoyed for years to come.
How to Choose and Use Vintage Lenses on Your Digital Camera – bringing vintage and antique lenses into the equation on DSLR cameras is a great way to bridge the divide between the vintage look while still taking advantage of all the great new technology available on modern cameras. This brief guide walks you through some of the key considerations if you are considering buying a vintage lens to attach to your contemporary camera.
How to shoot and edit multiple exposures – learn how to create compelling multi exposure images in this short tutorial presented by a master of the craft. This post includes a short video presentation that takes you through the act of capturing the requisite frames all the way through to post-production.
The Importance of Foreground in Landscape Photography – for the avid landscape photographer, the art of composition is key in regards to a great finished piece. This short video tutorial takes you through the concept of including a strong foreground in your imagery, particularly important for those who shot wide and deep out in the field.
This Tutorial Explains The Basics Of White Balance In A Brilliantly Simple Way – white balance is an important aspect of photography that is often confusing and overlooked by photographers. This video tutorial removes some of the mystery around this concept, giving you visual cues all along the way to help you see how to manage white balance in your work.
Winter Photography Tips for Iconic Shots of Iceland – this video feature is just over 13 minutes in length and covers a topic near to my heart, visiting Iceland to photograph the amazing landscapes found there. This terrific video takes us through the most critical compositional considerations that will definitely help us take advantage of this amazing location.
Best Tips For Photographing Wildlife And Birds – many of us love to photograph birds and other such wildlife in their natural habitats. This tutorial covers some of the fundamentals to consider when out shooting in the field to ensure you get the best possible results. Sample shots are included as you read along to help you see how effective the tips are.
SPECIAL FEATURES
See the most amazing underwater photographs in the world – just as promised, this post contains a set of award-worthy underwater shows that showcase various underwater lifeforms in their natural habitats. This is a stunning collection of images, one that anyone who loves this type of photography will not want to miss this week.
Uplifting Photos Show What Pure Joy Looks Like in “Life’s Happiest Moments” – capturing unbridled joy in the context of a frame is a powerful medium for us human beings to employ to capture candid moments of utter happiness. This article talks about a new book that contains images from this category, and the article includes a great set of shots from the genre to bring a pure smile to your face.
A Whimsical Photo Series Featuring Adorable Wild Red Squirrels Doing Some Very Human Things – if you love squirrels half as much as I do you will not want to miss this post in this weeks list. This feature article contains a series of really cute squirrels staged by an expert to insert them into situations that are distinctly human in nature. The results are delightful.
The Grand Canyon Is 100 Years Old. Take a Look at Its History in Photos – check out this great photo collection that shows off the incredible natural beauty of the Grand Canyon, with photos going back pretty much to the time of the beginning of the park. Some of the older shots, in particular, are quite wonderful as they reveal a different way of life that existed back in these times.
‘Dragon aurora' dancing over Iceland captured in this stunning photo – check out this amazing shot taken during a recent spell of aurora borealis over the northern hemisphere. In this shot, the phenomenon takes on a special look as we can easily find the shape of a fire-breathing dragon in the night’s sky overlooking the landscape and dwellers below.
GREAT PHOTOGRAPHY
Brady Elementary – a deep sense of questioning and sadness is found in this terrific shot from Michael Criswell that takes us inside a long-abandoned auditorium in a long-unused school in Detroit, Michigan. This is another example of how a dwindling population in a civic center is adversely affected by a lackluster economy.
Spiral staircase in Brahms Kontorhaus – vivid colors and great patterns grace this terrific composition of a downward look through a circular staircase by Herbert A. Franke. The repeating patterns found in this shot create a bit of an abstract feel, coupled with the great vanishing point we find as we follow the staircase down to the bottom.
Hail No – check out this amazing photograph of a natural phenomenon in the form of a supercell storm that is formed in amazing swirling cloud formations as rain teems down upon the landscape below. Mike Olbinski is well known for his storm-themed shots and this one is a highlight in his catalog of great shots captured over the years.
Surrounded By Ice Giants – Jason Row, a contributing author right here on Light Stalking, takes us to the southern tip of the world at the Antarctic where we see the massive ice sheets with a blue observation boat in the foreground. The boat adds a dash of color against the dominantly white and blue setting and also serves to add a reference point for scale.
Appalachian Barn – heading well off the proverbial beaten path we can find all sorts of treasures lying in the outlier regions of the area we live in. This concept comes to life in this great shot from Tim Stanley that reveals a classic wooden barn nestled in a stunning landscape as the days slowly roll by.
Forgotten time – this very interesting shot is shared here as a monochromatic piece by Christophe Staelens. This shot features a pocket watch against a bokeh backdrop to really make the watch stand out strongly against the background of the shot.
an ordinary life in a beautiful world – Vancouver Island based photographer Diane Schuller shares a set of shots she has taken that reveal various aspects of life here on the island. Some of the shots are tight close-ups while others reveal details in the contextual setting of the core subject.
Waiting – a lone woman stands vigil on a train platform in Paris, France presumably waiting for the next train to take her onto her next destination. Kai Ziehl’s image is done as a black-and-white which does a great job of bringing all the artistic tension of the scene out for us all to thoroughly enjoy.
It’s all open text – great classic architecture can be an awesome photography subject as we see here in this shot posted by Frank King of an old building in Toronto in Canada. All the lights are on in the building as cars zip by creating terrific light trails to add a strong sense of the dynamic to the frame.
Houston Sunset – Evan Gearing shares a great evening shot of the Houston cityscape with this highly stylized photograph. The city streets and the contemporary buildings cast perfect leading lines in the frame to gently guide you through the various zones of interest.
The House of M, Romania – let’s all join Obsidian Urbex Photography as they take us inside a wonderful building that today is a mix of museum and office space. These interior shots are all marvelous examples of the power of architectural photography, revealing wonderful details in the ornate flourishes brought into the overall design.
Angel – a pair of delicate butterflies linger on a plant in this stunningly beautiful image from Mustafa Öztürk. The vibrant colors of the backdrop create a perfect soft background for the little creatures, helping them to truly stand out in this alluring frame.
Dark Nights In London – ghostly silhouettes of people moving to-and-fro work in perfect harmony with the lights of the buildings and their resultant gentle reflections off the stone pathway in this nighttime themed shot from Jim Nix. We also find a strong natural leading line that takes us out into a vanishing point with this candid city shot.
Lost in This World – a solitary fox sits looking outward in this wonderful portrait from Roeselien Raimond taken in the fox’s natural habitat. The perfect framing in conjunction with the contemplative nature of the fox’s stare work perfectly together to make this a very strong wildlife shot.
Perfect Reflection – Banff National Park, Alberta – the incredible dramatic mountains of Canada’s Rocky Mountains stand rugged and tall in the distance with a layer of snow still lingering on them in this shot from Len Saltiel. A still lake in the foreground adds a perfect point of interest in how the waters create a great mirror reflection of the overall scene.
The White Veil – various tones of blue dominate this natural abstract photograph from Kilian Schönberger that features a great composition of a forest. A gentle mist hangs over the scene for an added touch of drama to finish this shot off perfectly.
Race Rocks – this amazing lighthouse here on Vancouver Island was built in the second half of the 1800’s and today remains a wonderful landmark on the coast of the island. Randy Hall’s shot also features the snow-capped mountains of the region in the backdrop for added context and interest.
Munduk Waterfall – Carsten Meyerdierks shares a strong shot of a beautiful waterfall in Indonesia that gently falls into a cavern covered in lush green vegetation. Closer scrutiny of the photograph reveals a lone woman standing near the bottom of the falls which adds a perfect element of scale to this great composition.
