Nature Photography How To

Sort By: Post DateTitle Publish Date
Ron Leach  |  Apr 21, 2022

It’s can be challenging to achieve perfectly exposed photos when shooting outdoors under difficult lighting conditions with a broad range of tones from highlights to shadows. While it’s often possible to rehabilitate poorly exposed images during the editing process, wouldn’t you rather get it right in the camera?

Ron Leach  |  Jun 20, 2025

We've all had the misfortune of nailing composition only to get a photo that's too bright or way to dark. Despite what you may have been told, it's not necessary to rotate your camera's mode dial to M in order to avoid these exposure problems.

Ron Leach  |  Mar 02, 2022

One of the most basic components of great photographs is an accurate exposure with a broad range of tones, yielding details in both shadows and highlights. This goal can often be a challenge when shooting outside under complicated mixed light.

Ron Leach  |  Jan 22, 2025

There are several ways to sharpen photos during post processing, and some common methods are just plain wrong. This video demonstrates a "foolproof" technique for making the sharpest images possible while explaining several essential considerations that Photoshop and Lightroom users of all skill levels should know.

Ron Leach  |  Feb 15, 2023

As one of our favorite landscape photographers insists, “contrast is a crucial aspect of photo editing.” That’s because this key variable helps define the relationship between different tones and colors in an image.

Ron Leach  |  Jul 14, 2025

Today's straightforward post-processing tutorial from the Better Pics YouTube channel demonstrates several great options for harnessing the power of Lightroom's Clarity, Texture, and Dehaze tools to maximize detail in every image you capture when shooting in the field.

Ron Leach  |  Jan 06, 2022

Have you ever photographed a scene with vibrant natural-looking colors, only to discover that your image doesn’t look nearly as good on the computer as it did through the viewfinder? Well, join the club.

Ron Leach  |  Jan 14, 2025

White balance can make or break a photo because this important attribute enables you to imbue a scene with a variety of feelings and moods. Do things right and you'll have broad control over a variety of appealing effects. The problem is that an incorrect approach may result in photos that appear unrealistic or totally fake.

Ron Leach  |  Apr 14, 2023

Experienced landscape photographers know that accurate colors, the right amount of contrast, and the proper use of light greatly contribute to the success of an image. Unfortunately, conditions in the field sometimes make it impossible to attain these goals in the camera. That’s when it’s time for a bit of Photoshop magic.

Ron Leach  |  Apr 26, 2023

Many of use would love to pursue a career as a professional photographer, but lack the necessary skills, means, experience and gear to make that dream a reality. But that doesn’t mean we can’t aspire to create pro-quality images.

Ron Leach  |  Jan 18, 2024

A couple days ago we featured an interesting tutorial explaining how to shoot intentionally blurry photos and capture artistic images full of motion and emotion. Today it's back to a primary goal of most landscape photographers; namely, the best way to maximize sharpness when shooting in the field.

Ron Leach  |  Apr 07, 2021

Have you ever returned from a shoot, expecting to marvel at the photos, only to bring them up on the screen and, ouch, they’re not sharp? Well, join the club! There are numerous reasons for soft images, and a number of ways to increase your percentage of keepers, and you’ll learn many of them in the video below.

Ron Leach  |  Dec 05, 2023

If you're a regular visitor to the Shutterbug website you know that we frequently post tutorials on attaining fast and precise focus. That's because many of our favorite instructors have a personal technique that differ from others, and it's worth giving them all a try until you find a method that works best for you.

Ron Leach  |  Mar 15, 2021

Sometime you capture a nice travel, nature, or landscape scene that could benefit from a boost in sharpness and contrast. The trick is to pump up the image without ending up with an overcooked look. You see how to do this is the quick video below.

Ron Leach  |  Oct 21, 2022

We’ve talked a lot in the past about the difficulty of properly exposing landscape photos, because of ever-changing light and the wide range of brightness that often occurs within the frame. It’s often just as challenging, for different reasons, to attain proper focus—an equally critical consideration.

Pages

X