Photo How To

Rebirth and renewal, new beginnings and love. What is it about spring that brings out our inner romantic, and what does it do to our photography? This is what we asked you to show us when we announced Shutterbug’s Spring “Time of the Season” photography contest back in May. And you delivered in spades!

Whether you prefer portraiture, macro, or tabletop photography, it’s nice to have a choice of backdrops to make your images stand out. Unfortunately, many of us shoot against a plain wall because we can’t afford to invest in backdrops of various colors.

Conventional wisdom is that autofocus is the best mode to use for photographing birds, especially when your subjects are in flight. But every so often manual focus is a better choice, as you’ll see in the tutorial below.

(Editor’s Note: Exploring Light is a monthly Shutterbug column featuring tips, tricks, and photo advice from professional photographers in Canon Explorers of Light education program. This month's column is by Bob Davis on how collaboration with other photographers can improve creativity).

Summer isn’t typically the favorite season for serious landscape photographers, in part because of early sunrises and late sunsets. If that sounds familiar, and you prefer to shoot in autumn and winter, this tutorial may help you fall in love with outdoor photography during summer.

Don't worry—you won't have to carry around a mirror. These images are all about observation and imagination.

Regardless of the type of images you shoot most, it’s a good bet that sooner or later you’ll try your hand at landscape photography if you haven’t already. And whether or not you’re experienced at outdoor photography, you can greatly improve your results by avoiding a few harmful mistakes.