As another great week rolls by us here in the world of photography, we find Toad Hollow Photography busy at it again looking for interesting links to tutorials, special features and great photography to share here with everyone. This weeks list is full of great articles and photographs, with something here to please photography enthusiasts from all genres. We really hope you enjoy checking these links out as much as the Toad did in bringing this list to you.
TUTORIALS
A Three Part Formula For Better Street Photography – street photography poses challenges and rewards all it’s own, with some of the best pieces taking on the appearance that the craft is easy to fall into. Nothing could be further from the truth as we explore a set of tips and tricks right here on Light Stalking that show some of the finer nuances into achieving incredible candid street shots.
Macro Tutorial: How to Get Great Shots of Insects in the Field that Look like Studio Photographs – heading deep into a jungle like rainforest, we find a large variety of insects and other interesting animals that look great when photographed. This video tutorial shows us how to accomplish this with results that really do look like they were achieved in a closed environment in the studio.
Watch how this photographer defies gravity in this inverted room set – the surreal and the magical converge in this amazing feature presentation that captures dancers levitating in a frame of water on the wall of a room. At least, that's what it really looks like. All concept of reality is tossed in this set of photographs, and a pair of behind-the-scenes videos shows us how this feat was accomplished.
How to Try Out Infrared Photography Without Modifying Your Camera – for those looking to create and produce infrared images there are you options available. You can either buy a converted camera or convert your existing one, or buy a filter. This presentation shows us a selection of IR pictures and discusses how to effectively apply the filter technique, which is quite cost-effective.
Tips for Creating Candid Portraits of Children Outdoors – these are very helpful tips when it comes to photographing candid shots of children being themselves in an outdoor venue. The sample shots that are included here are absolutely delightful, and serve both as a learning medium as well as sharing great portraits.
How to Shoot Magical Portraits in the Pouring Rain – the combination of a weather system, backlighting and great looking models can come together as we see in this stunning set of photographs. The video tutorial that is included in this post is quite comprehensive, taking you through the whole process in just over 20 minutes.
A Beginners Guide to Light Modifiers: Everything You Need to Know – this is a short primer article that talks about various low-cost light modifiers and their pros and cons. If you are looking to get started using a modifier, this may be a great article to help you get oriented.
SPECIAL FEATURES
Slow Life Down by Doing Some Long Exposure Photography – a great behind-the-scenes look at what a photographer goes through reveals the nuances of creating a great image in this video feature that runs almost 14 minutes in length. As the day unfolds and the scene reveals itself, a sense of joy emerges in the finished image.
Skander Khlif’s Black and White Images of The Surfers of Munich – a dynamic series of black-and-white images are shared in this collection, each one unique in what it finds in this unusual setting. The monochromatic nature of the frames shared here are full of drama and artistic tension as the surfers merge with their natural environment.
Mesmerizing Photos of Car Tunnels in Holland – this cohesive collection of tunnel photographs feature the very best aspects of these sorts of compositions, brought together with a common thread. Linear lines and vanishing points are the key compositional facets of these shots, each with a unique fingerprint, yet at the same time they all come together in a collection.
GREAT PHOTOGRAPHY
Savannah Icon – this post features a great architectural study of an iconic place of worship, with a shot from inside the grand space as well as an outside shot that really does this beautiful facility justice. Michael Criswell does a great job with this pair of shots, bringing out all the intricate details of the handiwork of the designers and builders.
Foggy Floor | Old Stoney – photographers John Kamstra and Todd Wall share their unique creations in these two posts, both with a similar theme behind them. Both these shots feature old stone bridges in an ethereal natural setting, both enhanced by incredible mirrored reflections that add a strong sense of magic to the setting.
Reeds and Color – Eagle Lake, Acadia National Park, Maine – a beautiful kaleidoscope of colors comes to life in this great landscape shot from Len Saltiel that discovers the fall foliage at it’s peak in the eastern part of the United States. A wide variety of colors is found in this shot, capturing the essence of this time of year in a single picture.
Wien – this terrific shot was captured in Vienna, Austria in the middle of a romantic snow storm. Julia Dávila-Lampe’s shot features classic architecture in the backdrop as a lone bicyclist makes their way across the frame for a delightful touch of artistic tension.
Snow over Hallstatt – Jim Nix shares a terrific black-and-white shot in this post of a tiny community in Europe that sits on the shores of beautiful waters. As Jim captures this shot a thick winter’s snow falls, adding to the cold feeling found in this picture.
SamAlive – repeating lines and patterns frame a person as they walk away from the camera in this strong picture that ultimately culminates in a vanishing point. This great composition from Sam Alive is full of natural lines, all leading to the heart of the picture where everything converges.
Final table – Urban Vagabond delivers a new urbex shot, this one of an abandoned autopsy room complete with a table and various cabinetry still in fairly good shape. The natural light coming in from the diffused glass in the window adds an eerie glow to the space.
Bramante stairs – I have seen this staircase in Rome captured many times by different photographers over the years, and each one manages to find a unique composition that highlights different aspects of this architectural wonder. This rendition comes to us from Manjik photography that takes the perspective of looking up the stairs where high above we see the circular features of the helical staircase.
Dourdan : le château – Mathias Lucas brings his personal eye and compositional prowess to bear upon an ancient castle that has served several purposes over the centuries. Mathias’ study finds beauty in wide shots and close-up vignettes of an assortment of subjects that are found at this historic location.
Dampflok Brockenbahn – a classic steam locomotive pulls a row of cars through a wintery landscape in this amazing shot from Sabine Wagner. Captured right in the heart of Germany, this shot instantly takes you to a snowy and romantic location where the imagination is free to roam.
Parish Church of St. Peter Port – Frank King shares a terrific interior shot of an old church that was built in 1466, highlighting the intricate details found in the combination of stonework and plaster. The rich, dark woodwork that adorns the space adds a warm feeling to this grandiose location steeped in history.
Winter wonderland in NYC – David Dai captures this great fame in the blue hour looking at the city of New York just beyond the pond the dominates the foreground. Snow covers many of the trees and natural features of the park, creating a wonderfully romantic mood.
The Surreal Landscapes of Lanzarote – Barbara Youngleson adds a rich texture overlay to this shot of a rugged landscape scene that overlooks the sea. The shores here are predominantly rugged and rocky, creating a bit of an otherworldly look and feel that Barbara enhances with her unique touch in post-production.
EMIRATES TOWER – let’s swing back to Dubai in this shot where we find Dany Eid shooting the city in low light conditions in a vertical panoramic format. There is a very wide field of view in this shot and the distortion created by the wideness of the composition reveals a sense of scale.
Yin Yang – a pair of surfers ride over a wave as they head towards shore in this well-balanced shot from Edith Levy. As the waves curl, they create a bit of an abstract touch to the shot helping to deliver a happy feeling picture that highlights the freedom and joy that surfers find in the oceans of the world.
Classic Rorbuer – meanwhile back on the rugged coastline of Norway we find a tiny community perched just on the shores as majestic and dramatic snow-capped mountains fill the backdrop. Pasi Kaunisto takes advantage of the red buildings to add splashes of color to a very muted and cold quaint setting.
Yeatman Bay – a man in a yellow canoe paddles out towards the jagged shores of Quadra Island on the west coast of Canada in this beautiful picture from Ehpem. The incredible forests of the region rise from the rocky shores of the many islands that dot the coast, combining elements of water with land.
Silence of Dawn – there is a distinct and peaceful sense of serenity in this great shot from Ricardo Mateus that uses the leading line of a dramatic bridge to guide the viewer through the frame. As morning breaks in the left part of the frame, beautiful colors begin to slide across the sky as the new day arrives.
Windswept – Vancouver Island photographer Randy Hall shares a beautiful shot of a tree shaped by years of wind as it sits patiently on the shores looking outward. Beautiful swathes of color dance across the sky as fabulous brooding clouds linger overhead to add a great element to the shot.
Morning in Val d'Orcia – deep contrasts find a dark harmony with natural light that streams in from low off to the left side of the shot in this amazingly moody photograph from Adnan Bubalo. As you follow the frame into it’s ultimate depth, layers emerge that show off the scale and beauty of the location.
