Join us as we explore some of the best tutorials, special features and great photography found by Toad Hollow Photography over the past week. These articles and photographs come from artists and writers who are working in the field today, and feature some of the work of the best creatives working in our current times. We really hope you enjoy checking out this weeks list as much as the Toad did in bringing it to you.
TUTORIALS
12 Tips for Shooting Studio Portraits – shooting portraits in the studio versus shooting in other environments poses a very unique series of challenges for the professional portrait photographer. This terrific article goes into great depth on how to manage all the key aspects of this type of photography, helping you to bypass some of the key problems that emerge during a session that can be problematic.
Capturing the “mini-moment”: Shooting commercial images in everyday life situations – the folks over at 500px have published a new article this week that talks about how little moments in everyday life are becoming increasingly valuable in commercial applications. This article goes in depth into several aspects of this concept, and shares a bunch of illustrative photographs that will show you how to open your mind to the immediate world around you.
How to Balance Ambient Light and Flash in Your Strobe-Lit Photos – using strobes in situations with high levels of ambient lighting used to scare me until I learned how to properly manage the relationship between all the various lighting elements that come into a photograph. This video tutorial simplifies some of the mysteries behind this for those looking to understand these techniques at a fundamental level.
Photography Cheat Sheet: Quick Tips for Diffusing Window Light – I am a highly visual person who appreciates being able to see how techniques and equipment can affect the images I capture and create. This great article gives us a short cheat sheet that shows how various modifiers can change the quality of natural light, and as such can change the feeling the overall picture generates.
7 Tips for Awesome Black-and-White Street Photography – black-and-white candid street photography is definitely in a realm all its own. This great article features a video tutorial from one of the best photographers in the field today who breaks down 7 great tips for how to get the most out of the style.
Want a Simple Technique to Really Strengthen Your Compositions? Use Leading Lines – composition is arguably one of the most important aspects to taking a great picture. This tutorial talks about the concept of leveraging leading lines as a method to create a strong impression with an image, revealing one of the cornerstones behind great compositions.
Creating Corporate Portraits for the Busy Professional – learn from a pro in this great video tutorial that walks us through how best to create terrific professional portraits for busy clients who don’t have much time to spend on a shoot. This tutorial covers all the fundamentals of the genre, and will have you creating several different looks for your client, all the while taking us the least amount of their valuable time as possible.
How to Fix Underexposed Photo using Channels in Photoshop – one of the best parts about using Photoshop is the myriad ways you can accomplish the same task using many different methods. This tutorial covers a method that uses channels in Photoshop to isolate specific parts of the image, allowing you to correct exposure problems within those channels. This is definitely something I am going to try the next time I encounter and underexposed image.
SPECIAL FEATURES
51 Instagram Photographers to Follow in the U.S. – many of us enjoy spending time on Instagram, seeing what creatives are doing out there in their parts of the world. The folks over at TIME have compiled this terrific list of the best photographs on this platform in each of the states in the US.
Santu Mofokeng: master photographer who chased down shadows – one of the great photographers of modern time has recently passed and this article is posted to discuss his body of incredible work, and some insights into the driving force behind him that caused him to take on such an important project. The shots shared here are all amazing black-and-white picture representations of his interpretation of the world that unfolded in his time.
Whispering walls: a poignant photographic project explores long-hidden treasure trove of graffiti by First World War soldiers – this is an amazing story, framed by a profound series of photographs that reach across the thin veil of the past 100 years to grace us today. This series was shot as a means of documenting the graffiti left behind by the soldiers who fought, and in many cases died, in this area. Each piece of graffiti shares a brief insight into the person who left it, leaving behind a profound canvas that paints a picture of the time.
‘I Am a Photographer, Not an Artist’: Legendary War Photographer Don McCullin on Why the Distinction Matters – check out this great interview and series of posted photographs from a man who has seen pretty much everything over the course of his life and career. He originally was highly involved in wartime photography, but recent years has seen him expand his repertoire into the field of landscape photography, and his black-and-whites are amazing to see.
These infrared images show just how alive butterflies’ wings are – a team of scientists recently decided to try to use infrared photography as a means to learn about the intricacies of how butterfly’s wings work. What they learned was absolutely fascinating, and as a result we also get to see some really interesting photographs that reveal one of the universes little secrets.
Dedicated Dad Breaks Gender Stereotypes for Adorable Photoshoot With Daughter – if you have a heart, this is guaranteed to melt it! Check out this wonderful series of photographs of an awesome dad who went far outside of the typical to share an experience with his beautiful little daughter in this absolutely amazing photoshoot. These shots will become treasured memories for the family in the years to come, and they make for a truly heartwarming collection to view and enjoy here.
The best of the International Landscape Photographer of the Year awards – contests are a great way for photographers to get much-deserved recognition, and they also provide the photography enthusiast with a collection of some of the best shots submitted during the time period. This collection of landscape themed shots features a strong set of abstract and detailed shots, each on an evocative example of how this genre is one of the favorites for most people.
This Illustration Of How Field Of View Affects Your Perception Of Speed Will Blow Your Mind – I always knew that perception of speed changes with the width of field-of-view, but I didn’t understand the principle as much as I do now after reading this article and seeing the short video clip included. This brief study was conducted by Akiyoshi Kitaoka, a psychology professor at Japan's Ritsumeikan University, who created the short clip attached to the article as a means of illustrating the idea. Spoiler alert: changing your focal length has a drastic effect on the way we perceive speed in imagery.
GREAT PHOTOGRAPHY
Photographer captures remarkable image of lightning striking world's tallest building — three times in a row – the Burj Khalifa in Dubai is an often featured building in our weekly lists, and is a favorite of cityscape and architectural photographers from all walks of life. What makes this shot unique is how a photographer planned for and executed capturing an amazing shot of what is called “ribbon lightning” as it struck the top of the worlds’ tallest building.
Station of the Moscow metro Aeroport – Yuri Depeche shares a great black-and-white shot of the subway station in Moscow, Russia, taking advantage of the strong leading lines created by the trains and the subway platform. The contrasts explored in this shot from the use of monochrome do a terrific job of highlighting the inherent artistic tension found at the location.
Another tree in fog – David Lockwood finds a landscape scene that includes terrific leading lines created by the fence line that leads into the distance. A tree stands just beyond where the veil of fog begins, accenting the drama found in this moody setting.
Pillars – a long exposure was used to capture this ethereal and moody black-and-white shot from Brett Gasser. This photograph was captured in London and features a pair of stone pillars standing in a silky textured river created by the exposure time used to capture the frame.
Brown Bear Family Portrait – Ron Niebrugge does a fantastic job of capturing portraits of brown bears in Alaska going about their lives in their natural habitats. This picture is of a mother with two of her young as they lounge about a fallen tree in the meadow. Ron delivers a fabulous portrait of the loving family, with great details in the bears faces and bodies.
Peek-A-Boo – a red fox peeks out from behind a tree, looking straight at the camera and creating a perfect pose for a great portrait in this terrific shot. Roeselien Raimond’s timing is perfect, capturing the split second the fox’s gaze reveals its character and spirit.
Bandon Sunset – Bandon, Oregon – Len Saltiel takes us to the shores of the western United States where we look out over an ocean scene that is peppered with natural rock formations, called stacks. Len’s timing for this shot turns the rock formations into really interesting silhouette shapes, and the shot is wonderfully finished with a great sunburst.
Spotted Owl – this is one of those shots that leaves us all wondering what exactly is going on in the mind of this dramatic looking owl as it stares back at the camera. This great portrait comes to us from Y K, and shows us how powerful photography can be for capturing those fleeting moments that come and go in the blink of an eye.
Night in Strasbourg – Jim Nix finds himself in the middle of town at night time surrounded by great neon signs, classic architecture, cobblestone streets and a tram that has just come to a stop. Jim’s shot does a terrific job of capturing the character of the town during the night when people are out and about enjoying all the town has to offer.
S curve – an abstract interpretation of a sand dune is the prime subject in this strong photograph from Jean-Francois Chaubard. Natural light and shadows converge as key elements in this picture to bring attention to the sharp edges of the dunes that then create a strong leading line that guides the viewer out into the distance where a dramatic sky lingers overhead.
Harvest Moon At Brickyard – Randy Hall captures a terrific shot of a seascape that expresses the true beauty found here on Vancouver Island on the west coast of Canada. A full moon lingers just over the horizon and casts a great swath of light across the still waters, adding a perfect finishing touch to the photograph.
Impact – the powerful forces of nature are captured in this stunning frame from Vulture Labs that freezes the moment a massive wave comes crashing over a breakwater with a lighthouse on it. The strength of the wave is portrayed in the height of the water as it encounters the manmade breakwater, further accented by the black-and-white post-production.
Jud Christie Covered Bride – the old covered bridges that can be found in the United States are wonderful and romantic links to the history of the region. This bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places, and is perfectly captured in this shot from Mark Summerfield.
Église Saint-Sulpice de Paris – the interior of cathedrals can make for awesome photography subjects, as we find in this photograph from Raphaël Odin captured in Paris. This picture features terrific contrasts, bringing out all the textures from the stonework and details sculpted by the artists who designed and built this church hundreds of years ago.
