It has been another incredible week in the wide world of photography with tons of great content being posted by some of the best contemporary photographers and writers working in the field today. With this being the case we find that Toad Hollow Photography have been searching relentlessly in all known corners of the internet for links to tutorials, special features and great photography to include in this weeks list for everyone. Pull up a seat and pour yourself a hot cup of coffee and get ready to spend some time checking these links out. We really hope you enjoy this weeks list as much as the Toad did in bringing it to you.
TUTORIALS
How To Create Mood In Your Images Just By Adjusting White Balance – this is one of the best primer articles on how best to approach white balance management in your post-production workflow I have read. Posted right here on Light Stalking, this great article covers the basics behind white balance, and gives you a great starting point by reducing some of the mystery in the process.
Learn to Shoot and Edit Long Exposure Landscape Photos Without Neutral Density Filters – long exposure landscape images are a very compelling style of photography that speaks to the minds and hearts of photography enthusiasts everywhere. Check out this short video that is just over 14 minutes long that covers how to shoot and process this style of imagery without any ND filters.
Twenty Helpful Tips and Tricks for Photoshop – learning about all the ins-and-outs of Photoshop can be a lifelong pursuit as there are countless things you can do with the software, and frequently more than one way to do the same thing. This article features a great 30 minute video that covers 20 very useful tips and tricks for getting the most out of the software.
7 Quick Tips for Getting Started with Wildlife Photography – capturing stunning wildlife photographs presents an unique set of challenges that other genres of photography do not encounter. This great article covers some truly fundamentals tips that will help you get those incredible shots out in the field, and the article itself is accompanied by an awesome series of sample shots to really illustrate the tips being shared.
Exposure Triangle – How ISO, Shutter Speed, Aperture Affect Exposure – this has to be one of the most in-depth explanations of what is often referred to as the holy grail of photography; understanding how to manage light and exposure to create a perfect photograph. All aspects of metering are covered in good detail in this article that also includes some great sample shots to illustrate the concepts covered.
Shooting a Day-to-Night Timelapse the Cheap and Easy Way – learn how to create terrific timelapses the cover varying times of day and their accompanying challenges in terms of light metering. The video segment included in this article is just over 10 minutes in length and is a perfect place to start with your own projects.
How to Convincingly Lighten Shadows in Portraits Using Photoshop – this is a fairly complex method of reducing the effects of hard light and shadows in a portrait. As noted in the article, applying this technique too heavily can reduce a sense of depth in features in a portrait, however when used subtly it can really make a big difference. This presentation comes to us in the form of a video segment that is over 18 minutes in length, so make sure you’ve got a comfy chair and a cup of coffee at hand before diving in.
SPECIAL FEATURES
This Artist's Night Landscapes are Lit By Drones – and the Results are Breathtaking – it’s not often that you come across a brand new concept in art in the realm of photography, but here we have it. This feature article shares some photographs of dramatic landscapes highlighted by a light deployed on a drone, and the images are haunting and amazing, and are truly unlike I’ve ever seen before.
Beyond No Man's Land: Photos by Jan Erik Waider – here we have another completely unique series of photographs, all found and expressed by photographically exploring a very unusual subject. This series showcases an eerie series of images taken of icebergs in the far reaches of the north, all exhibiting amazing natural light and revealing glimpses of a spot in the world most of us will never see in person.
Enjoy This Gorgeous 4K Time-Lapse Movie of the Great State of Wisconsin by Chris Biela – timelapse videos are great features that can reveal the epic beauty of certain aspects of the world we live in. This short presentation takes us to Wisconsin where it’s innate wonder comes to life in amazing 4k video.
GREAT PHOTOGRAPHY
HFB Blast Furnace, Belgium – the fan of urbex themed photography will marvel with this post from Obsidian Urbex Photography that features a set of images captured in an abandoned blast furnace in Europe. The facility itself was built in the early 1800’s and has been abandoned and resurrected several times over it’s lifespan, resulting in a collection of massive industrial blast furnaces that are in an active process of slow decay.
99 seconds – Daniel Cheong does it again with one of his latest cityscape masterpieces shot in Dubai with this photograph taken at sunset as gorgeous colors dance across the sky above the amazing city below. Daniel’s use of a long exposure time for this piece gives both the clouds and the waters a silky and dynamic look, adding to the overall fascination found in this picture.
Au sommet de la Dune du Pilat – Mathias Lucas brings his unique vision and style to bear in this terrific series of shots he captured during a vacation earlier this year. These shots all feature amazing natural light and unassuming people in the scenes to add context and tension to the individual frames.
Glenfinnan Viaduct – Scotland – a highly cinematic looking photograph is presented here by Johannes Hulsch who captures a great shot of this ancient structure oriented in a portrait style. The subtle colors expressed in this image highlight the natural weathering from centuries of standing in a hard climate.
Combined – I love the feel of this shot captured by Vancouver Island based photographer Ehpem on a gloomy February day down by the ocean. This frame features a silhouette of his mother on a storm drain, a favorite photography subject of his, and coupled with the natural grain of the film he used to capture this piece we get to enjoy a strong image.
Skyward – I love abstract photographs that are created by clever compositions that use architectural features as their primary source of inspiration. This shot from Herbert A. Franke features a spiral staircase looking upward, resulting in wonderful geometrical shapes and patterns that culminate in a great vanishing point in the distance.
All Aboard the Hogwarts Express! – Jim Nix takes us on a grand magical adventure where we get to see the inside of the famous train station used in scenes in the Harry Potter movies. Even though we don’t see Platform 9 ¾ we do get to see the wonderful architectural features that make this location what it is.
Endless bridge – Carlos Vazquez shares a powerful and dramatic image in this post, featuring a bridge that spans a large body of water as it curves off into the distance. The vanishing point created in this shot is full of rich artistic tension, and we also find the smooth textures of the waters make for a mystical element in this fabulous image.
Electra’s Tail – focusing on the tail section of a Lockheed Electra airplane on display at the Museum of Flight near Seattle, Washington, Scott Wood delivers a unique perspective of a vignette of the overall plane. Gentle reflections bounce off the seams of the polished metal plates in this piece sure to be enjoyed by airplane enthusiasts.
Tears of Time.. – entire universes are hidden in the refraction of water droplets sitting on the petals of a beautiful flower in this terrific image by Juliana Nan. The gentle pastel colors of the flower and it’s soft backdrop are a perfect frame for the minute details that are hidden in the worlds inside the drops.
Opened – CJ Schmit uses the frame of a broken window as the primary subject in this black-and-white shot of the side of a long abandoned home. The monochromatic aspect of this image highlights the great textures found in the natural weathering of the wood siding from years of harsh conditions.
~ Winter cat ~ – seriously, who doesn’t love a picture of a cute cat staring back at camera? This wonderful photo from Jasna Matz is a great example of this as we find a beautiful cat sitting in what looks to be a snowy wonderland as it looks intently back at the viewer. I wish my cats were so well behaved as this one evidently is.
the pathways of light – light streams in from open slats that clad a long abandoned house in the prairies in this terrific study of natural light from Frank King. The shafts of light find drama in the dust and particulate that floats in the air, turning a beam into a living entity and creating strong artistic tension.
Loch Linnhe Wreck – a ship sits wrecked on the shores of the waters it once wandered in search of a bounty of fish on a regular basis. It’s rusty hull shows intense signs of decay in this black-and-white composition from Rowland Harden that merges the visual drama of the wreck against the beautiful backdrop of the region.
American White Pelican – the American White Pelican is a large bird with a 9 foot wingspan, and here we see one in flight with its wings spread wide open. Wayne Beauregard takes advantage of the moment as the bird flies against a blue sky as a backdrop, helping to make the bird stand out in the frame.
嘉陵夜色 – a highly colorful and dynamic image from 宫城飞雪 reveals the burgeoning nightlife of this presumably Asian city as night begins to fall. An amazing bridge cuts through the composition creating a great leading line into the heart of the city where the city’s architecture finds expression in detail.
St John The Baptist Church – built in the early 1600’s, replacing a structure lost to fire, this beautiful old stone church stands as a landmark in England. Mark Summerfield adds context to the shots of the exterior of the church he shares here with some really interesting background information for everyone who may be interested.
The Ascent – Lizzy Gadd shares a truly profound image with this piece that finds her making her way through a rather sketchy waterfall staircase to the top where she stands in a vibrantly colored dress. The visual features of this shot belies the true nature of the spot she captured this shot in, creating a picture that is full of great artistic tension and natural beauty.
Osprey – this is another shot in this weeks list that is sure to be of interest to airplane enthusiasts everywhere. This shot comes to us from Michael Criswell who serendipitously captures an iconic tilt-rotor Osprey aircraft with it’s rotors rotated to allow for what is referred to as vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) in airplane lingo.
Fire in the Sky – the Norse Gods dance across the northern sky in this epic aurora borealis themed shot from wim denijs captured during a very active event. The finishing touch in this shot is found in the row of tiny red houses sitting on wood piers that create a terrific natural leading line.
