Videos

How often have you returned from a shoot thinking you captured some great images, only to discover that they look flat and uninspiring on the computer? If you’re like most photographers, you’ve experienced this disappointment more than once or twice.

The shooting and editing tutorials we post typically come from long-time pros, because the vast knowledge they share is a great way to up your game. But every so often it pays to listen to accomplished amateurs who are still in touch with their formative years and what they learned along the way to improve their skills.

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.

OK, be honest: How often have you skipped past the Color Calibration tool when processing images in Lightroom or Adobe Camera Raw (ACR)? If you’re like most photographers, the answer is something along the lines of “quite often.”

Hyperfocal distance is an important photographic concept, particularly for landscape shooters, that enables you to obtain maximum depth of field by focusing on a specific point within the frame—somewhere between the foreground and background.

If you don’t realize that your Adobe Creative Cloud subscription incudes a wealth of helpful free tools, it’s time to wise up and grab what you need. Many of these freebies aren’t readily apparent, and they’re easy to get and put to use.

So you have a bit extra cash to spend on photo gear, and you’re about to go shopping. Before you do we want to remind you of something we’ve stressed in the past; namely, it often makes far more sense to upgrade your optics than it does to invest in a new camera.