Lighting How To

One of the primary goals of landscape photographers is to arrive at a “correct” exposure, and we regularly post tutorials on this subject to help get the job done. But in the quick tutorial below you’ll see why certain types of scenes look much better by adding a bit of intentional overexposure during the editing process.

Camera technology these days is amazing; it’s practically magic. The problem, though, to my way of thinking and photographing, is that the magic offers a very wide and deep comfort zone—you might call it a zone of automatic decisions, and it’s probably best not to spend a lot of time there, certainly not if you want to create individualistic images.

Regardless of how you pronounce “bokeh” (see our hilarious video on this topic), it’s an important concept to understand if you want to shoot photos that grab attention by making the primary subject in a scene really stand out against a soft and pleasing background.

All photographers are looking for an edge when it comes to shooting in mixed light outdoors, where there’s often a wide range of tones from bright highlights to deep shadows. While arriving at a balanced exposure can be challenging in these situations, there’s a way to use varying light levels to advantage.

Nailing exposure is often a challenge with all forms of outdoor photography because of ever-changing light, complicated scenes, and a variety of tones from foreground to background. With wildlife subjects this task may require even more thought and precision.

When most of us got started in photography we were told to “always shoot with the sun at your back.” That advice was reasonable for beginners interested in capturing simple images with a “Kodak Moment” look.

We all strive for photos that stand out from the crowd and hopefully convey a style all our own. In the quick tutorial below you’ll learn 10 pro tips and tricks for shooting images that don’t look like those captured by “the Average Joe with a mobile phone.”