Outdoor Photography How To

The official first day of summer is almost upon us, and with the new season comes a variety of great photo opportunities as well as some challenges. The tutorial below will quickly get you up to speed, with a variety of tips on gear, exposure, composition, camera settings, and more.

We’ve discussed many times what the “Rule of Thirds” is in photography and why it’s such a good tool for creating visually appeally photo compositions but not everyone is a fan of the concept. In fact, some photographers think the Rule of Thirds might be ruining your images if you adhere to it too strictly.

British pro Nigel Danson is one of our favorite outdoor photographers and image-editing instructors. So when he claims to have discovered a “secret” Lightroom tool he now uses to process every image he shoots, we stop and pay attention. And you should too.

One unfortunate mistake we see regularly is bumping up saturation in an attempt to make photos “POP,” with a heavy-handed approach that gives the shot an ugly, unrealistic appearance and actually ruins the image.

We all strive for sharp images with a minimum of noise, which can be particular difficult when using slow shutter speeds and high ISO settings under low-low conditions. Conventional wisdom is that when you optimize one parameter you make the other worse.

Water is the primary resource on earth and can be the thread of inspiration for a variety of photography styles. For so many photographers it’s nature that inspires them with its beauty, strength and difference, where nature’s expressive power creates different atmospheres.