Photo of the Week

Congratulations to Takeuchi Kuu for this dramatic and amazingly composed photo of the week, ‘Startrails of Mt. Shimen’!  You can comment on this photo here.

The Most Popular Stories from the Last 7 Days

•10 Ways to Change Lives Through Photography (And Where You Can Start Today)  – Photographers, as people, are a diverse lot and we all have our reasons for engaging in this particular art form.  Some of us are interested in documenting our family life.  Some of us are photographers because it grants us a much needed hobby or diversion.  Some of us earn our living taking photos.  Some photographers are immersed in many visual art forms and photography is only part of their artistic puzzle.  Whatever your reasons for taking photographs, you can use your skills to help others.  The ideas in this article are a great place to start if you are interested in practicing some photographic philanthropy.  Your skill level doesn’t really matter here since everyone can find ways to make a positive impact via their art.  Also, there are many ways to be of service to our fellow man that don’t involve the exchange of money.  Perhaps, giving of our time and talents is actually more challenging and therefore more meaningful.

•Rural Photography – The Road to the Forgotten: 16 Gorgeous Photographs – The saying “One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Treasure” is certainly true for photography.  While there are many people happily nestled into their rural homesteads, there can something of an underbelly to rural areas.  Many long-ago abandoned homes and barns can be found if you are paying attention.  Photographing these sites, if you are really brave, can be a very exhilarating experience.  Just be careful not to get arrested or die under a collapsed structure!

•Review: Shooting Stars – How to Photograph the Moon and Stars With Your DSLR by Phil Hart – If you’ve ever wanted to take amazing photos of the night sky, but weren’t sure where to start, or even if you are already practicing this form of photography but want to learn more, then this book is for you.  Chock full of gorgeous example photos and easy to understand charts and diagrams , this book takes the intimidation factor out of learning a new form of photography.  Photographers are visual people and the author of this book really caters to the visual learning style.

•Case Study: An Example of One Photographer’s Workflow – Most of us probably have thousands of photos sitting on our computers.  If we aren’t careful, chaos and disorder can quickly take over and make our workflow much more complicated and frustrating than it needs to be.  You can always, through trial and error, establish your own workflow.  Likewise, you can just continue to wade through the photographic clutter on your computer and feel frustrated as a result.  If you do find yourself to be currently in the chaos camp with your photography workflow, perhaps it will pay off to learn from someone else’s experience and practice a little bit of emulation.  This article walks you through the process of downloading, organizing, selecting, processing and backing up your photos.

What You Missed in the Light Stalking Community

Submit your photo to this week’s photography challenge – Light!  You can hardly get more open-ended than this when it comes to photography.  Light , or the lack of it, can be used and interpreted countless ways.  Do you have any photos to share with us that demonstrate what light can do?

We have had some great responses to our last few photography challenges on the forum.  Last week’s photography challenge was The Great Outdoors!– We all have photos taken outdoors.  This one is definitely open to interpretation since there are so many subjects and types of landscapes that can be shot outside.  if you have any shots taken outside that you would like to share with us, we would love to see them!

Also, check out the Harmony! challenge from the week before.  Do you have any photos to share with us that represent harmony to you in some way?  Perhaps it’s the subject that is harmonious or perhaps it’s the way the individual elements in the photo come together that creates harmony.

We’d love to chat with you! Add your opinions here:

•How Do You Use the Site Now?

•Glascarnoch

•Thailand – Shy Passenger by the Train Window

•How to Upload and Share a Photo

•All the Fun of the Fair

What Are Our Members Up To?

We have some amazing members here at Light Stalking that run the gamut from career professional photographers through to beginner enthusiast. Here’s what a few of them are up to in photography.

There were so many great shots uploaded this week, that it was hard to choose which ones to feature!

Great Shots Uploaded to the Light Stalking Community

Photo by Huques Hardy.  Hugues can also be found on his website and Facebook.

Photo by German Koster who can also can be found on their website.

Photo by Mark Paulson.  Mark can also be found on his website.

Photo by Les.

If you’re not already part of the Light Stalking community then come and join the fun. We promise not to bite!

Author information

Rachael Towne

Editor at Photoluminary

is a professional photographer and editor of Photoluminary. Also, if you use Lightroom and/or Photoshop, check out her brand new Etsy store

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The post Star Trails and the Best of Light Stalking this Week appeared first on Light Stalking.

A self assignment is just as it sounds, an assignment created by you and assigned to yourself. Depending on your level of expertise and what style of photography you enjoy doing, the actual scope of the assignment will vary greatly. For example, a novice photographer will most likely have different goals than a full time professional.

this is no joke mr. yoke by Pixel Addict, on Flickr

Self Assignments For The Hobbyist Photographer

If you’re just getting started in photography, you don’t want to overdo it by asking too much of yourself right from the get go. Like anything, when you try rushing your education, you start cutting corners and missing things. At this stage of the game, it’s critical that you take your time and understand the fundamentals as you are building the foundation for the rest of your career as a photographer.

For hobbyists or novice photographers, a self assignment should be about getting you to think critically about how you are going to go about taking a photograph. It should have you thinking about the workflow of your practice time. Give yourself a project that falls within the realm of your interests–food photography, fashion, portraiture, whatever it is that you enjoy photographing.

Do not use over complicated light setups, in fact, the goal here is to simplify things. Before you even begin taking photos. Make a note of the shots you want to get and precisely how you plan on getting them. Will you use reflectors? How will the model pose? What ISO should you be using, and so forth…Some find it helpful to make sketches, or storyboards, of the shots they have envisioned.

Try not deviate too much from the plan, but don’t be afraid to experiment if you come up with an idea along the way. At the end of the shoot, compare the shots you created to the sketches you made beforehand and see how they compare. Chances are you will have run into some bumps throughout the process. Maybe you didn’t notice how distracting the background was or how the angle of the sunlight cast unflattering shadows across your subject. Make a note of all the little discrepancies you notice and think about how they can be prevented or remedied in future shoots.

World’s Favorite Sport by vramak, on Flickr

Self Assignments For The Serious Amateur Photographer

By now you’re probably pretty comfortable using your camera off it’s auto mode and perhaps even making all the decisions by opting to shoot on manual. You’ve got a solid grasp on the rudimentary elements of photography and are encouraged by how much all the hard work you’ve put in thus far is paying off with good images and positive feedback. Self assignments at this stage should be challenging and really force you to start stepping outside of your comfort zone.

You may want to try your hand at a style of photography you’ve never payed much attention to like miniature photography, or flower photography. Take yourself to the streets and only take photographs of things that have a specific shape–such as a circle or triangle. Do a photoshoot of a luxury car or try photographing a local musical event. Find something that interests you outside of photography and try interweaving it into assignment. But, whatever it is you choose, make sure you make it a challenge. Choose to work with complex light setups, shoot only at night, focus on fast moving objects to learn more about motion blur and panning.

Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport – Revista Autoesporte Jan/11 by Fabio Aro, on Flickr

Self Assignments For The Professional Photographer

One of the downfalls of being paid to complete an assignment is we sometimes lose a degree of creative control over what we are doing. Your clients may already have an idea of what they want and they are paying you to make that idea a reality. It doesn’t always happen, but when it does it can be somewhat disheartening.

For someone who spends a higher than average number of hours taking photographs, a self assignment should be a project that is created as an effort to keep your creative self sharp and help keep your passion for photography kindled. Come up with a project that will break you away from your regular routine and give you the opportunity to “let your hair down.”

Becoming a better photographer is a never ending process. It’s important to not burn yourself out on all the technicalities. Test yourself, but do not allow yourself to become frustrated if you don’t see results immediately. Self assignments are just as much about having fun as they are learning.

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Tiffany Mueller

Tiffany Mueller is a professional music and fine art photographer. She has been published in multiple publications including magazines, art journals, and various photography books. She blogs at Life Is Unabridged.

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The post How to Jumpstart Your Photography With Self Assignments appeared first on Light Stalking.

How Shutters Work

So lets start with the basics, what is it and how is it achieved. There are a number of different types of shutters in cameras. Most common are focal plane shutters found in DSLRs and diaphragm shutters more often found in compact cameras. The principle is the same, the shutter opens for a set period of time, allowing light to enter the lens and expose the image, either to film or on a digital sensor.

How long we open the shutter will determine how bright the image will be. Imagine the sensor as a water bucket and above it a tap. This is the shutter. When we open the tap the bucket fills. Open the tap for too short a period and there is not enough water and so we get a dark, under exposed image. Open it for too long and we have an over exposed image. If the tap is on for far too long, the bucket overflows, these are your unrecoverable clipped highlights.

The typical range of speed for most shutter is from around 1-2 seconds through to 1/4000 or even less. For average everyday daylight photography we would be using shutter speeds of 1/60th to 1/1000th of a second depending on conditions, aperture and ISO, however it is the way that we use these and the other shutter speeds that allow us to define how our images look. Lets look at what effect shutter speed has on images.

What Do Differing Shutter Speeds Do to an Image?

Slow Shutter Speeds – Slow shutter speeds can generally be regarded as those of 1/30th of a second and more, all the way up to times in the minutes. For the most part, when using a slow shutter speeds you will need to be using a tripod as any motion in your body is going to be transmitted to the camera (and final image), when hand holding. The longer the focal length of the lens the more chance there is of this happening.

To increase you control over slow shutter speeds, it may be worth investing in a remote control unit for your camera, these allow you set very slow shutter speeds and also mean that you are not directly touching the camera, reducing the possibility of camera shake.

An ironic use of a slow shutter speed. Photo by the Odessa Files

Slow shutter speeds are a wonderful creative tool if used well. You can created ethereal effects in bodies of water such as oceans or waterfalls, or imprint traffic light trails over your cityscape images. One of the main problems in using slow shutter speeds, is actually having too much light available, even when you have closed the aperture down to its minimum. To solve this issue you can use neutral density filters. These are graded by the amount of light they reduce, an ND 0.3 will reduce your exposure by one stop, an ND 0.6 two stops etc, allowing you to reduce your shutter speed to get the required effect.

The use of a slow shutter speed to show light trails Photo by the Odessa Files

Fast Shutter Speeds – These can generally be regarded as speed of less than 1/500 of a second and are a powerful tool for freezing motion. Typical uses of high shutter speeds are in wildlife photography, to freeze the motion of an animal at speed and, for in sports photography where you can capture the action at its optimum moment.

Exposure wise we have the opposite problem to slow shutter speeds in that there may not be enough light. This is why you often see wildlife and sports photographers with fast, large aperture lenses. In low light even the fast lens may not be enough meaning that you have to increase your ISO to maintain the required shutter speed, which will introduce an increase in image noise levels.

Using Panning

A way around this in certain shots, is to use panning. When we pan, we follow the action of the subject with the lens, moving our upper body to keep up. This in turn allows us to reduce the shutter speed to a certain extent. For example if we where shooting a fast moving racing car, it may require a shutter speed of 1/1000 of a second or less to freeze the action. By using panning we can reduce this to 1/250 or even more with the added bonus of the background being out of focus, this conveys a sense of speed in the image that would be lost using a high shutter speed.

Freezing the action using a high shutter speed. Photo by the Odessa Files

Using a slower shutter speed and panning. Photo by the Odessa Files

This article only briefly touches on the power of shutter speed as a creative tool. As with all photographic techniques, the best way to learn and understand fully the effect of shutter speed is to go out and practice, then practice some more.

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Jason Row

Jason Row is a British born travel photographer now living in Ukraine. You can follow him on The Odessa Files. He also maintains a blog chronicling his exploits as an Expat in the former Soviet Union.

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The post How to Get Great Photo Effects With Camera Shutter Speed appeared first on Light Stalking.

No matter how potentially disparate each one of us may be from another in terms of our background in and particular use of photography, I think one thing we can all agree on is that photography constitutes an opportunity to do something good for someone else, to bring needed attention to a worthy cause, to possibly change a life.

Here are a few ideas to help spark your photo-related philanthropy.

Non-profit Organizations

• HeartsApart.org – Created in 2010 as a way to keep U.S. military personnel connected with their families, HeartsApart.org provides service men and women who are facing upcoming deployment with photos of their spouses and children. The unique thing about these photographs is that they are printed on waterproof cards that can be folded to fit snugly in a uniform pocket. You can apply at HeartsApart.org to volunteer your services as a photographer, make up artist, hairstylist, or wardrobe stylist.

Military Families celebrated by USAG-Humphreys, on Flickr
• PhotoPhilanthropy – The mission of this organization is simply to link photographers with established non-profits from every part of the world, creating opportunities for photographers to document the work done by the affiliated charitable groups, thus raising awareness of the corresponding issues. You can learn more about how to donate or become a volunteer at the PhotoPhilanthropy website.

Wooden Box Playpen by macisaguy, on Flickr
• The Giving Lens – The Giving Lens coordinates photographers to participate in humanitarian efforts in developing nations. Volunteers are organized into teams, each led by a professional photographer with travel experience. While the prime objective of these trips is to help others — from clean drinking water initiatives to women’s and girl’s rights work — everyone involved shares a passion for photography. The Giving Lens organizes several trips per year; find out dates and more information here.

Village Veil by Meanest Indian, on Flickr
• The Maple Leaf Mission – This Canada-based organization provides families free sessions with a professional photographer. Three types of session are available:

• The “One More Moment” session is designed for families who have a loved one (of any age) with a terminal illness and wish to capture a few final moments together.

• The “Your Moment” session is for families who have one or more members who are living with illnesses, injuries, or other conditions that significantly limit their physical, mental, or social capabilities, but who are determined to live life to its fullest. Amputees, transplant patients, and those with cerebral palsy are just a few examples of who qualifies for this session.

• The “Military Moment” session caters to both homecoming and pre-deployment events of military members and their families.

    Those interested in putting in some time as a photographer or volunteering in another capacity for the Maple Leaf Mission can apply online.

Paul by Andrew Czap, on Flickr
• Help Portrait – According to Help Portrait publicist Lori Mahon, “The idea behind Help Portrait is simple: 1. Find someone in need, 2. Take their portrait, 3. Print their portrait and 4. Deliver their portrait. Help Portrait takes place worldwide the second weekend of every December.” To get involved in this global project, head over to Help-Portrait.com and sign up.

Saravuth Inn by daniel_greenberg, on Flickr

Independent Efforts

• Offer your services to someone you know. This could be a young family who may not be able to afford a photo session with their newborn, or your elderly neighbors who are eager to show off the grandchildren they haven’t seen in years. I am sure there are opportunities all around you.

• Pass on your knowledge to aspiring photographers. You can hold free classes in places like libraries and other municipal establishments. Or you can hold them in your garage. If people are eager to learn, it won’t matter; they will appreciate your time and effort.

• Donate some gear. Especially if you know you’re one “spare” lens cap away from being considered a hoarder. Photography gear is expensive; if you see real passion and potential in someone — especially a young person — who could use some better equipment but can’t possibly afford it, do what you can to help make that a reality for them.

• Donate prints. Is there a school in your area that needs prizes for a raffle drawing? Is your local library having a book sale and looking for something other than just books to sale? Do you know of any locally-owned/small businesses around you that might want to spruce up their decor? If the answer to any of these is “yes” then all you’ve got to do is decide who will be the lucky recipient(s) of your masterpiece(s).

• Host a free exhibit highlighting a cause you are passionate about. Regardless of what the topic is, there are sure to be others who share your passion and will be interested in not only viewing your photography about the issue, but also in using your exhibit as an opportunity to learn more, which will hopefully lead to doing more.

Your skill level doesn’t exempt you from the responsibility of doing something good; no one is too much of an amateur or too much of a professional. There’s no excuse for not finding some way to use your art to make a positive impact on the lives of others. There are an endless number of ways you can help; the charitable organizations and ideas presented here barely scratch the surface of the possibilities that exist. No matter how great or small a deed, those on the receiving end will be forever grateful and you will be indelibly touched by the transformative experience of self-sacrifice. I’d call that the ultimate win-win situation.

Author information

Jason D. Little

Jason Little is a photographer (shooting macros, portraits, candids, and the occasional landscape), part time writer, and full time lover of music. You can see Jason’s photography on his photography blog or on Flickr.

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The post 10 Ways to Change Lives Through Photography (And Where You Can Start Today) appeared first on Light Stalking.

With time, I created a quite simple workflow that addresses all the above without actually taking much of my time and allowing me to dedicate more time to the real work of processing the pictures. Although I am aware that this workflow is not unique and that there are plenty of others around with various degree of perfection and success, this one is simple, uses only Adobe Bridge as the sole piece of software to assist me performing the whole trick and works both on Windows and Mac. Let me share it with you.

Downloading the Photographs

Obviously, the whole process starts with pictures stored in memory cards produced by a camera or cameras.

I use Adobe Bridge to transfer the photos via a small card reader attached to a USB port on my computer (the card reader is a basic one costing a few bucks but accepting all cards types available on the market). While downloading, Bridge already separates the pictures by date taken and deletes everything from the card at the end of the transfer. Alternatively, I could also use the camera or even a manual transfer but these operations do not give me the power and speed that Bridge gives me.

The resulting folders will most likely contain and correspond to the pictures taken at certain places or events.

ABOVE: The Photo Downloader from Adobe Bridge. Notice the selections like subfolders by date, the deletion of the files at the end, the destination folder, etc. The downloader is triggered from the menu File/Get Photos From Camera…

Organizing the Photographs

The organization by dates is just the beginning and I do not leave the pictures this way. Rather, I rename the folders according to the subject of the pictures. For example, “2013-03-15″ becomes “Rome” because the pictures were taken there. Then, in the “Rome” folder, I rename all the pictures from “DSC_XXXX” to “Rome_XXXX” as shown below.

Talking about the number “XXXX”, I keep the original one produced by the camera because it makes things simpler later. There are some photographers that renumber all pictures starting from “0001″ which is good but whenever I need to search a picture by its number, it will be much easier to find “5345″ than “0001″ everywhere. But, it is just my preference.

The Batch Rename tool. I perform a string substitution in the same folder.

Selecting the Right Photographs

I learned that all photographers of all degrees of experience make mistakes. Not only that, we all experiment with light and angles before taking a good photograph. Therefore, these pictures are pretty much useless and it is a good idea to get rid of them.

I begin by quickly inspecting the worst ones that are blurred, out of focus, repeated, experimental, badly taken, etc. Depending on the number of pictures, this can be done in no longer than half an hour working with Adobe Bridge.

After a coffee break to relax my eyes, I repeat the process but this time with a lengthier inspection by opening some of the pictures in Camera Raw and taking a closer look at them. Some bad details now become apparent and this helps me to remove some more pictures. Here, the temptation to further process the pictures is really big but I try to resist as much as I can so that I do not my lose my focus on the task to be done.

At this point, you could argue with me that I am cruel by deleting the pictures I do not like. Indeed, a few of them could be useful nevertheless provided that I put some extra effort on them. My experience tells me that rarely this is the case and the sensation of saving my time and the space on my disks is much greater than having these “bad boys” lurking around. Again, that is my opinion and I prefer deleting them. Maybe, you have a different one. No problem as it works both ways.

Identifying the Photographs

After this initial clean up, I identify and document the pictures with my personal information through the EXIF information – metadata – which is hidden somewhere in the picture. It is always a good idea to do it because it documents and helps to protect my work. There, I can register my name, my website, a brief and general description of the pictures, dates, etc, along with predefined information like the camera and so on. This work is selective as it depends of the purpose of the pictures: if sending to stock sites, some of them do not accept any information while others tolerate only parts of it. On the other hand, on special occasions like a wedding, it is recommended to write as much information as possible.

In Adobe Bridge, I created a few templates that define the proper metadata for the needs that I have (Tools/Create Metadata Template). I have one that has all information possible; another one for this or that stock site. Therefore, I just need to select the pictures desired (Edit/Select All) and then apply the template to them (Tools/Append Metadata).

The Processing

I do not process all the remaining photographs unless absolutely needed. Rather, I use a very simple method to select the ones that are worthwhile. Always in Adobe Bridge, I display their moderate size thumbnails and I move myself away about a meter (3 feet) from the screen. At this distance, I do not see details but I can see pictures that stand out and pictures that are, by comparison, somewhat dull and unattractive. This simple method saves me time and gives me a very good level of accuracy as what is left over does not give me much to work with.

There is another reason why I do not process every single picture: for average photographers like I am, it is common sense that for each set of 100 pictures taken, 30 can be immediately discarded (already done in the previous step), around 40 have an average quality or below, another round of 20 have a good quality, some more 5 are really very good and only 1 is truly outstanding. Do not worry if the numbers do not add up as they are approximate and vary from case to case and from photographer to photographer. The important thing to be realized is that I only need to process 20, maybe 35, if such.

Further Processing

Since I always shoot RAW, I keep the processed images saved in JPG along with the original pictures in the original folder (“Rome”, remember?). If I decide to use some of them on my website, I copy the ones I want to another folder called “Rome” somewhere else under a “MySite” folder. Or, if make them available for sale on specialized websites, I also move other copies to “Rome” folder under a “FineArt”, a “Flickr” or etc folder. In this way, I know exactly where each photo needs to go to or, conversely, where each photo came from. Note that each site has different requirements of resolution and size and, by doing the way I do, I can satisfy all needs without creating confusion. Also, it allows me to add a watermark and a specific EXIF information while keeping intact both the original RAW file and its corresponding original JPG.

The Final Step, the Backup

I constantly make backups of all my pictures. I usually do a full one every week and partial backups (only the folders affected, that is, new and changed ones) whenever I finish a work.

The backups go to external drives that I attach to a USB when I need to do the backup. There are several types of external drives that vary by capacity, speed, type, portability, sophistication, etc. After the backup, I disconnect the drive and save it away from the computer to guarantee the existence of my work.

I do the backup by manually copying and pasting the folders using dates and references to identify each backup. For instance, “2013-03-01-FULL” means a full backup made on this date. The reason I do it manually is because I know the internal structure of my backups (exactly like my working folders) and, if I need to restore something, I go directly to the point and copy what is needed (or all) back. Also, it is simpler and do not require any pieces of software (most of the time, these pieces use a special format that should be restored by the same piece of software).

This procedure is simple because it essentially reproduces my working environment located on my fastest computer at home which is connected by an internal secured network to other computers and laptops. No matter where we are, my wife and I can work with any pictures located exactly in the same place thus avoiding the existence of multiple copies of the same pictures in many places. I also maintain an old laptop connected to our TV that allows us to see pictures on a larger screen without copying files back and forth (an interesting remark here: sometimes I leave a random slideshow running with the pictures; it is amazing how forgotten pictures suddenly show up!).

Some Additional Steps

The above steps of my workflow are the ones that I routinely take. Sometimes, I take additional ones for special needs. For example, while in Rome, I could have taken some pictures of flowers. Although they are flowers from Rome, flowers do not tell the story of Rome though. Therefore, I move these flowers to a folder called “Flowers” but I still keep their original names as “Rome_XXXX”. In this way, I easily and immediately know everything about a particular picture in any folder even though they might not be originated there. Other candidates to reside elsewhere are HDR or HFR pictures (the results plus the original ones).

Sometimes, when working on a big project or when I come back from a trip, I start working on a temporary disk on my computer that is not the one where all the pictures reside so that I can have a clearer view of everything that I am working with. After the task is finished, I move everything to its final and correct destination.

Occasionally, I go back to previous folders created years or months ago and do a scavenge check on old pictures. There, I see things with a different eye or with a new Photoshop technique and often I redo some or find things that I did not see at first. It is a lot of fun for me because it allows me to rethink ideas, revise my experience and, why not, unearth a gem that was buried there all the time.

I just shared my processing workflow with you and, as I said, it is not the ultimate one nor it is perfect but it exactly suits my needs while not being on the way of what I most want: enjoy my time producing small pieces of art!

Author information

Celso Bressan

I see Life through my lenses and materialize it in small glimpses called photographs as though they just could tell a short story about what I am experiencing. They bring me back some emotions and encourage me to go forward and to have a much greater sensation next time! You can see more on my website and blog.

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The post Case Study: An Example of One Photographer’s Workflow appeared first on Light Stalking.

West Pier (Explore #113) by flashcurd, on Flickr

TUTORIALS

How to Correct Perspective with Photoshop and Lightroom 5 – Keith Cuddeback delivers a terrific video just over 7 minutes in length that takes the viewer through the process of using perspective correction tools in Photoshop and Lightroom.  Keith’s great insights in both the video and the article that hosts it are well worth the time to see.

 Light my Way (HDR Vertorama) – an absolutely breathtaking piece illustrates a terrific written article that discusses in good detail the steps involved in creating the picture.  Klaus Herrmann’s post includes links to previous tutorials he has created on specific features and processes, turning this singular article into a comprehensive piece that reveals as little or as much as the reader is interested in.

 How to Create Professional Time-Lapse Videos From Start to Finish – time lapse videos can deliver spectacular presentations that are dynamic and alive, many of them studying either directly or indirectly the changes in light over time.  This tutorial is the first in a series that takes the visitor through the process of creating this genre of presentation, from industry leader Vincent Laforet partnered with Canon.

 Automatic Exposure Bracketing (AEB) Explained – Alex Wise delivers a concise article that delves into the details on exposure bracketing.  This technique is useful in the field for both conventional digital photography practices, as well as HDR.  Alex delivers his well-written piece with a few of his great shots to illustrate the topic discussed.

 Shooting Portraits in Black & White – Joe Farace shares some great insights and tips into black-and-white portrait photography.  He shares his thoughts in this piece by illustrating the concept with some great example pictures, making this short post one that is quick to take in yet full of great details.

 Halos and HDR, Episode 2: The Photoshop Fix – the dreaded halo effect that sometimes comes up when processing and creating HDR imagery is combated in this video tutorial presented by Blake Rudis.  Blake takes the viewer through the process by showing the workflow he’s created to address this.

 How to Photograph Jewelry – this concise tutorial shares some really terrific insights and tips into the art of photographing jewelry.  Jose Antunes goes into some pretty great detail in this tutorial, showing how you can use inexpensive materials to achieve striking results.

REVIEWS

Nikon D7100 — A Definitive Review with Meaty Details [photo comparos + spec highlights] – Chase Jarvis writes and delivers a truly comprehensive review of the latest offering from Nikon in this family of cameras.  Chase’s great article is punctuated by fabulous images that do a great job of illustrating the key points he is talking about.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Largest Photowalk in History Set to Take Place Next Tuesday in San Francisco – I have to say, if there was any way possible for us to attend this we’d be all over it.  The Google+ Photos team along with photographers Thomas Hawk, Trey Ratcliff and Robert Scoble have organized a truly epic event, open to photographs from all genres and interests with the possibility that this might be the largest gathering of this type ever.  If you’re in the area or have a chance to get here, this would definitely be an experience of a lifetime.

Catastrophic lessons in a quake zone – if you only have time to see one post in this week’s list, I really encourage you to select this one.  This profound and poignant piece photographed and written by Jason Lee shares a glimpse into a part of the world affected by an earthquake.  The stories of the survivors and their struggles is brought to life here by Jason’s incredible photography.

Massive hurricane on Saturn captured by Cassini spacecraft – just in case you’ve thought about packing up and moving to Saturn, please be warned that there’s a rather nasty hurricane afoot on the planet.  Nasa has revealed these images of the vortex of this storm, as well as some anecdotal information that shares the true scale and intensity of a storm that is completely unimaginable to us here on little Earth.

Dead Horse Point | Photographer at the Edge of the World | Mission Accomplished | Sunrise at Dead Horse Point – one of my very favorite parts about being involved in photography is rooted in the artist aspect of it.  The same scene or concept can be photographed by different people, each who will create something unique and personal based upon their vision for the work.  This series showcases a set of shots captured by a group of photography friends who recently got together for an adventure.  Each piece in this set can easily stand alone as a masterpiece, but when taken in as a collection it all starts to take on an added dimension.

What a DSLR’s Rolling Shutter Does to a Speaker Playing a 61Hz Tone – I’ve often wondered what a speaker cone looks like when active.  The strange effect of the rolling shutter of the DSLR when capturing high speed video of the speaker cone is presented here in this piece, sure to be the source of amazement for all who visit to see themselves.

COLLECTIONS

Top 20 Earth Pictures found on StumbleUpon – this fabulous compendium of images is curated into a single page for everyone to enjoy.  Each of the images selected and included in this collection meets a specific criteria of quality and views, making for a truly breathtaking set of photographs to view.

 36 Jaw-Dropping Nature Photos – each of the photographs selected for this collection can easily stand as a masterpiece on it’s own.  A series from points all over the world, this set features the incredible beauty and majesty that makes this planet such an amazing and beautiful place to live.

 20 Unusual Churches (Part I) – churches are often photographed for their incredible architectural detailing, many of them designed and created in highly ornate fashion.  This collection features 20 of the most interesting, and completely unique, churches in the world.  Some new, some very old, this is a series sure to be enjoyed by fans of this genre worldwide.

GREAT PHOTOGRAPHY

Baby Great Horned Owls in Colorado Springs – Lee Brown takes us along on a journey of discovery and amazement as he shares a great series of photographs featuring a nest full of baby Great Horned Owls.  Lee’s post adds extra depth to the presentation here, giving a glimpse into a little of the life of these beautiful creatures, as well as showing off the incredible cuteness that these little babies truly exhibit.  Terrific details and light here, in challenging conditions, well worth the time for a visit.

 Slave Cabin Sotterley Plantation – a subject after our own heart is shared in this fabulous post by Mark Summerfield.  Mark visits an important historical site, photographing one of the last remaining examples of a cabin used as housing for slaves back when this occurred.  The incredible details in the little cabin are augmented here wonderfully with all the background information that Mark gives on both the structure and the times it was actively used.  Educational and entertaining, this post delivers on all the key elements.

Dylan Dog – Vittima Degli Eventi by Daniele Zedda, on Flickr

 Washington’s Stonehenge near Maryhill – a gripping and epic vista is shared in this IR photograph created and posted by Scott Wood.  As Scott stands by the Columbia River in Washington State overlooking the rolling landscape, the incredible natural beauty of the setting comes to life in his detailed picture, making for a shot that is a true must-see in this week’s list.

 Love – our very own @tomdinning here on Light Stalking shares a shot and some truly profound words, leaving the visitor with a renewed sense of appreciation for love and life.  Tom is not only a profound photographer, he is also quite the philosopher and this blog post really showcases his wide and varied skill set, making for a brief presentation well worth the time to visit.

 While You Were Sleeping – if you don’t mind a touch of vertigo, you’re in for a real treat with this incredible photograph.  Beno Saradzic dangles off the side of an incredibly tall building in Abu Dhabi and captures a stunning HDR image of the city below, finding the architecture of the city intermingled amongst really interesting clouds, producing a truly dreamy feel.

Death Valley Part II | Death Valley Part III – Jason Hines takes us along as explores this world-famous spot in the wee hours of the morning.  Jason captures a fabulous series of images, some focused on the incredible details that comprise this location, and others giving us a wider overview of the area.  Terrific details and tones are captured in all the pictures, adding a layer of interest to the presentation.

 “Something I Don’t Like” Dandelions – who knew that weeds could be so photogenic?  Howard Jackman takes us along on an exploration of his backyard where he shares a fabulous series of photographs of his dandelion collection.  These close-up macro shots reveal details that would typically be missed my most, making for a really compelling collection to enjoy in this week’s list.

 Dandelion Seeds – while we’re hanging out with the weeds, let’s take a look at a shot posted this week by Scott Wood that features a dandelion gone to seed.  Scott uses a focus stacking technique with this image to ensure the dandelion itself is tack-sharp from front to back, yet the background is completely blurred by the shallow depth-of-focus.  The results are astounding.

 Little florist – you are cordially invited to see one of the cutest cat pictures possibly ever taken.  Zoran Milutinovic delivers a wonderful piece here that finds itself the beneficiary of fabulous photography elements coming together.  The composition Zoran has used does a great job of bringing all the spirit and character of a little fur-friend to life, sure to illicit “awwww’s” from all who pop by to see for themselves.

 the officers mess | light at the end of the tunnel – a fabulous pair of images, both taken at an abandoned fort in Suffolk.  david stoddart’s great shots reveal fabulous details and textures in the weathered fort, sure to be enjoyed by those who love these types of subject.

 Sunset Fever – this great composite shot showcases the incredible architecture of the great city’s marina in Dubai as well as the incredible colors in the sky from the sunset.  Karim Nafatni (GostRidr®) delivers a highly detailed piece here, using subtle processing to create something very unique and compelling while still maintaining a certain level of a natural feel.

 Hampton Rocks – a terrifically dramatic and moody picture is created and shared in this post by Steven Perlmutter.  Steven’s black-and-white shot is taken using a long exposure, turning the vicious waters into a smooth veil hanging over the landscape, all of which is accented in the terrific details in the natural rock formations that create the primary subject.

 Something Wicked This Way Comes – Pete Leong captures a stunning wide panorama of a storm front making it’s way over the landscape.  The incredible drama in the boiling skies creates an instant classic, almost iconic in nature.

Craigdarroch Castle – Victoria, B.C. – my good friend and fellow photography adventurer recently paid our lovely city a visit.  Keith Cuddeback takes friends and family on a sunset shoot where he comes away with a fabulous shot of one of our most famous castles, one that forms a foundation for the history of the city in the context of colonial settlements.  For sake of alternate viewpoints, here is a series we shot of Craigdarroch Castle ourselves.

 Stars & Stripes – in light of everything the city of Boston has been through recently, profound images of patriotism are most definitely well-received.  Edith Levy visits the historic city and finds an archway between the InterContinental and the Boston Harbor Hotel with an American flag hanging in it, and she comes away with a vibrant and detailed shot that features several terrific photography elements.

 Canyo’s Heat – the Antelope Canyon in Arizona is an amazing place, a spot I’ve seen many photographs of over the years.  It seems that even though the subject matter may be slightly limited in nature, the results of each photographer’s visit reveals a truly unique view.  Gregory Boratyn comes away from a visit here with a great shot featuring a strong sense of depth in both the colors and tones of the canyon walls, as well as the beautiful palette that reveals itself.

 Ship – the remains of a half-submerged wooden boat sits under a cloak of incredible colors from the evening sky in this photograph by sarawut Intarob.  Fabulous natural tension and drama are all brought out in this image through the perfect composition that sarawut used to capture it.

 Forward Torpedo Room, USS Bowfin, Perl Harbour – submarines have always been a source of intrigue for me, there’s something really compelling about living hundreds of feet under the water and using deductive skills to outwit your foe.  Gerard Pollock captures a great shot of a torpedo room, revealing fabulous details in the engineering and craftsmanship that goes into it’s construct.

 A Land Before Time – this wonderful landscape photograph features the Monument Valley, and all it’s natural colors and details.  Jared Marshall captures a shot that reveals an almost surreal landscape that is absolutely compelling to take in and enjoy.  I believe we even get to see a rattlesnake here that Jared was standing awfully close to; look for it in the frame and tell me if you see it too.

 Toad Eyes – this is a great shot of what is undoubtedly one of my long-lost relatives.  Sure, being a Toad has it’s days, but sometimes you’ve just got to lounge about in the ol’ Lily Pond.  Dirk Seifert captures a great close-up shot that features some of the beautiful details that make up these wonderful creatures… OK, I’m a little biased…  but, it is a great shot, check it out yourself!

 Spring Blast – spring and summer are definitely on their way in here in North America, and signs of color and life are found all over the place.  Rachel Cohen captures a beautiful shot of a cluster of bright and vibrant flowers, just in time for the season.

 The Aftermath by Martin Widlund – an ornately detailed interior featuring fabulous architectural details is explored in this photograph by Martin Widlund.  The beautiful architecture finds itself juxtaposed against the relentless march of decay as time and Mother Nature work together to dismantle that which man originally built.

 The Brilliance of the Organ Mountains – brilliants colors and tones in the fleeting day’s light are captured as they gently illuminate the peaks and tops of the Organ Mountains in this picture from the studio of Helene Kobelnyk.  Great details in the dramatic sky from the fading light work perfectly with the surrounding landscape to present a compelling piece here.

 Nos deux regards au puces de Saint-Ouen | Nos deux regards… – Mathias Lucas and Anne-Laure K. take us along as they explore a flea market, producing two distinctly different views and perceptions of the same venue.  Both Mathias’ and Anne-Laure’s work could easily stand on their own, but when viewed together these pieces deliver a really special presentation.

 A Thrust Of Earth – a craggy and dramatic series of cliffs along Lake Champlain form the perfect subject matter for Andy Gimino to photograph and share here.  Andy’s use of a ND filter results in some terrific long exposure times, smoothing out the surface of both the brooding clouds in the sky above as well as the silky waters below.

 Balea Lake – a lovely bit of architecture sits under the watchful vantage of a beautiful hilly mountain range that makes it’s way down to the waters below.  Tony Goran’s photograph features fabulous colors and details in the building captured, as well as a wonderful reflection that mirrors portions of the image back to the viewer.

 stealing the light – photobypawelp uses exposure blending techniques to create a highly dramatic black-and-white photograph of the inside of an old house, it appears.  Fabulous light streaming in through the old wooden doors drape over a lonely chair in the composition, creating spot-on artistic tension.

 Hillside Barn – the incredible character and persona of old wooden barns is studied in this great pair of shots from Jimi Jones.  Jimi finds a fabulous old barn in a field, and delivers both a color and a black-and-white version to share two distinctive views of the same setting.

 15 Seconds of Bixby – this fabulous blue hour photograph features a great bridge spanning two bluffs that sit by the sea.  As the evening progresses, the lights from the fast moving cars leave behind colorful trails across the bridge, creating a highly compelling scene for Allard Schager to photograph and share here.

 Cars and Girls… – a little humor, some interesting background information and a whole bevy of terrific pictures awaits the visitor in this great post by Phil Kneen.  Phil’s collection of images features abandoned cars in various settings, and through his technical process the end results take on a vintage feel to them.

 A Pirates Life for Me – great tones are captured in this shot that features a view looking down the queue to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney World.  The rustic setting created for the attraction delivers a great scene for Marc Perrella to capture and share.

 The Mother of all Power Plants – this post features a great series of images captured inside an unused power plant somewhere in Europe.  The incredible scale of this facility produces a haunting setting for the avid urbex fan, and this terrific collection really showcases some of the fine details of a facility now long unused.

Saint Isaac’s. by 612gr, on Flickr

 big dial little dial – really wonderful textures and details are explored in this photograph by david stoddart.  This shot features a close-up view of a pair of gauges, and the composition used to create this picture accents the features being explored in the frame.

 Lost in the Woods – Chris Maskell delivers a rather abstract looking piece in this post that features a collection of Silver Birch trees that Chris very carefully processes.  By combining several post-processing techniques here, he is able to take a frame from nature and really produce some striking fine art to enjoy.

 Rejuvenation – CJ Schmit visits what appears to be an abandoned facility, coming away with a great image that showcases textures and details through the natural weathering process.  CJ’s use of black-and-white in the post-processing phase adds a great element of drama to the scene.

 Multnomah Falls – the absolutely epic beauty of these incredible waterfalls is perfectly captured and presented in this shot by Putt Sakdhnagool.  Subdued tones and vibrant details work together in this picture to deliver a truly breathtaking piece, one sure to spur on many to visit the site personally.

 Thor’s Hammer – Derrick Birdsall captures a great shot of an electrifying lightning strike in this shot, featuring some really incredible colors and tones from the bolt as well as a mesmerizing natural set of lines from the tendrils that cause the viewers imagination to run wild.  What a terrific ethereal picture to take in and enjoy in this week’s list.

 Thunder on the Bradshaws – a stunning shot from the studio of Mike Olbinski that also features personal insight from Mike on the setting and his thoughts.  The results are a profound black-and-white photograph of a lightning strike in the far distance under a storm formation that is truly accented by the words shared.

 Hiking The Navajo Trail At Bryce Canyon – Bryce Canyon is an amazing natural formation, one I visited as a child with my parents.  Anyone who visits this place is left with a lasting impression, as is shared here in this great post from Steve Creek that takes us along on one of the hiking trails in the park.

 Shipwreck – I just love the haunted feel and ethereal setting captured in this fabulous shot by Mikko Lagerstedt.  A lone boat lies prone, half-submerged in the waters it now finds itself part of.  Mikko’s use of long exposure turns the active waters smooth, which naturally draws the viewer straight into the center of the shot, focusing on the great textures, details and story of a vessel now forgotten.

 Aerial acrobatics – this picture from Ari Hazeghi documents the age-old struggle between two bald eagles locked in combat over food.  Considering the highly dynamic nature of the situation, Ari’s perfect composition captures all the inherent drama in an incredible scene.

 Peeling Paint – for those who loves textures and detail in imagery, this is a terrific photograph sure to please.  Steven Perlmutter finds great natural leading lines in his composition that leverages the old support beams, naturally guiding the viewer through the frame.

 Night lights – the northern lights, also known as Aurora Borealis, are masterfully captured in this photograph taken in Norway.  Joris Kiredjian photographs a vista with vibrant colors emanating from the natural light formations, gently draping the incredible landscape below in rich hues and tones.

 Three Buildings in Victoria British Columbia – even though our local architectural history here on Vancouver Island is around 150 years old, there are still some really wonderful buildings and facilities left that reflect this.  Joseph de Lange visits the city and comes away with a great trio of shots that features a few of the iconic buildings in town, processed in black-and-white for a bit of a vintage feel and to capture and express the inherent drama.

 New Life for Old Prints – Andy Hooker (LensScaper) shares a really terrific image and presentation in this post, featuring a large print he took 40 odd years ago.  Andy then photographs the original print using his digital camera and shares the results here.  The natural grain in the old black-and-white print really adds some texture and interest to the scene, one that shares a poignant and profound image with the visitor.

 Happy Fence Friday! – this is a great shot, featuring an owl sitting on a fencepost looking back at Brenda Widdess.  The crop factor Brenda used to create this image adds a great dimension to the picture, as does the spot-on composition that gently guides the viewer into the frame.

 Self Examination – a simple image of a collection of wine glasses on a table provides a tapestry that Erik Kerstenbeck uses to share some truly profound thoughts and life-lessons.  The shot of the glasses is really quite captivating and when taken in with the really deep thoughts expressed, this post takes on an added dimension.

 Public Safety at the Pike Place Market – fire trucks make for fabulous photography subjects, often bright red in color with great details and features to take in and enjoy.  Spencer McDonald shares a great shot of a fire truck parked in an iconic spot in Seattle, making for a great picture that shares a little of life on the west coast.

 Monument Rocks and the Way – Scott Ackerman creates a breathtaking piece here that features a wonderfully hued night sky filled with stars in the Milky Way atop a natural rock formation on the landscape below.  The merging of the stars in the sky with the earthly rocks below work perfectly in harmony to create a compelling image.

 Early Morning Cherry Blossoms – a beautifully colored, vibrant morning scene is presented in this picture from the studios of Metro DC Photography.  The lights from the monuments captured across the still body of water are gently reflected back to the viewer in this super high-resolution image that is full of great details.

 The Road To Farmville – a vignette and dusty pathway lead the viewer into the heart of the frame here where we find an old wooden barn.  John Sotiriou’s careful processing on this shot manages the tones and feel of the scene captured perfectly to create a personal experience for the viewer.

 Over The Fork – a waterfall, fabulous details and moss covered rocks…  the perfect trifecta for the avid photographer!  Jerry Denham takes us along into the forest where he shares a picture taken of a running stream perfectly accented by the natural items that surround it.

 Fire Rose – a red rose, elegantly and purposefully processed to showcase all it’s raw, natural beauty is featured in this great post from Mark Neal.  The close-up study of the flower performed by Mark here really brings out the vibrant colors and wonderful details.

 Clara – spring blossoms literally explode on the viewer’s monitor in this beautiful picture posted by Steve Beal.  These blossoms only appear once a year, and out here on the west coast they disappear as quickly as they came.  Steve’s great shot here captures them in full bloom, making for a shot that will sweep the remainders of the white powder in the snowy corners of our imaginations from the last vestiges of winter.

an early morning stroll to the beach by jon smith., on Flickr

 Faneuil Hall – selective color can be a powerful tool in the creation of imagery, and Edith Levy’s photograph here is a fabulous example.  Edith’s photograph captured in the marketplace in Boston near the waterfront does a great job of sharing a little of the character of the city in a manner that is highly sympathetic to it’s storied history.

 Mediterranean Sky_V – an old boat lies on it’s side half submerged in this stunning and dramatic shot that exudes artistic tension.  Vassilis Tangoulis’ use of long exposure to create this shot makes the fine details in the decaying vessel literally come to life while smoothing out the background to the point it actually becomes negative space, keeping the viewer engaged on the prime subject.

 It’s A Tough Job…. – photography is fun, right, we all love doing it?  Well, when you get a chance to marry two of your passions together in an afternoon of over-the-top fun it takes on a whole new meaning.  Mark Mullen was recently asked to photograph the classic Porsche 911 sports car, and as a result gets a chance to spend the afternoon with an alluring maiden in red…  and in turn he then comes home with some spectacular shots of the car.  Check it out.

 Glowing Barrel – absolutely breathtaking light refracts off the top of a curling wave in this shot that basks in the warm tones and hues of golden light.  David Orias’ image here is absolutely without peer, showcasing the wondrous beauty of the oceans in the world we all call home.

 “Business route” is optimistic – an absolutely top drawer shot is shared here by Melinda Green Harvey who then peppers the dramatic scene with her colorful post.  Melinda has a terrific way of using her incredible imagery as a basis for a poignant and often humorous look at the remnants of life from years now past.

 if you could read my mind… – black-and-white shots of the cities we live in can produce really dramatic and often insightful images.  oneowner shares a pair of images of such, one showcasing the grandeur and beauty of the Kodak building, and the other showing a vantage looking out into a landscape that leaves the viewer with as many questions unanswered as answered.

 Cardinal Close-Up – there’s just something inherently beautiful in the cardinal bird family.  Bright red feathers form their outer clothing, and engaged and energetic eyes are the windows into their souls.  Kerri Farley captures a fabulous shot of this bird, exposing great details in both it’s features and character.

 Zoom Zoom – a terrific old badge on a car denoting the V8 that still does or once did live under it’s hood is the prime subject in this fabulous shot from the studio of Beverly Everson.  The patina from the weathering works flawlessly together with the rich tones of the picture, showcasing the ornament in a way that delivers a bit of the feel of the era it originated in.

 Badwater Basin, Death Valley National Park – Anne McKinnell is out on a wild adventure filled with photography, and she’s been sharing these experiences with us on her blog.  This post features a series of shots taken in the famous Badwater Basin, showcasing the incredible landscapes punctuated with the salt formations that make this area so well-known.

 Feeding Frenzy – nature is amazing on so many levels, as exemplified in this great shot from Laurie MacBride.  As the new birds start their journeys of self-discovery, busy bird parents are relentlessly badgered by the young ones, and this really stellar shot by Laurie shares a little of this spirit.

 A postcard from Seattle – the spectacular Seattle city skyline creates the perfect subject to stand against the epic backdrop of the majestic mountains the area is famous for in this breathtaking piece by Scott Wood.  As the Space Needle stands tall and proud in the frame, the surrounding elements of the scene come together in a shot that is, indeed, postcard worthy.

 Ogden Point Frame – Ogden Point is a busy terminus here in Victoria, playing host to all sorts of visitors and activities.  It’s not unusual to see the helicopters buzzing overhead as they take off and land with important people and cargo, and all the cruise ships dock here while visiting the city.  Local photography Ehpem captures a frame of the point that really shares a glimpse of oceanside life here on the coast.

 …Bring May Flowers – Erin Duke has a terrific gift with her photography, and this photograph is a great example of why.  Erin’s Oriental Lilies in her garden find themselves one day peppered in raindrops after a spring shower, and Erin takes advantage of the opportunity to share a picture full of vibrant colors and beauty.

 Skyline, Detroit, 2013 – I just love the natural tension that a shot like this brings out.  Ren Bostelaar shares a picture here processed in black-and-white that is of a viewfinder overlooking the city of Detroit.  Ren’s perfect composition and shallow depth-of-focus work together in harmony to really create a compelling picture in this post.

 Sunset on the Panama Canal – Jim Nix shares a beautiful sunset hanging over the world-famous Panama Canal.  As the boats make their way into the canal-proper, they set up for their pending maneuvers and Jim’s great picture here shares a terrific impression of this.

Wet all over. by Fede Racchi, on Flickr

 Triptych_01 – I actually believe there is a true lunatic standing on the wing of this aerobatic airplane performing incredible maneuvers.  Perry Bailey creates a terrific triptych presentation of three frames of the plane in flight, making for a unique and highly compelling presentation I truly enjoyed.

INTERESTING BLOGS

Some Thoughts on Having Photographs Go Viral on the Internet – for many, the notion of having your work go viral is the cornucopia that will lead to untold fame and riches.  The truth, as with many things in life, is there is a balance to this notion as well as a series of side-effects.  Some of these side-effects may be less than desirable, although living and participating in the modern world may preclude any form of control over the issue.  This is a very interesting blog post that discusses this phenomenon, and at the very least will leave the reader with a series of questions that are well worth looking at.

Ghost town of Superstorm Sandy – a terrific piece that discusses and shares photographs from the area hit by the Superstorm Sandy recently.  As the rebuilding continues Shannon Stapleton visits to grab some current photos and discuss the efforts underway.

 Check Out How the Pros Used to Capture Space Shuttle Launches in the 1980s – this terrific presentation showcases the people and the equipment that were used to photograph space shuttle launches.  The wide types and varieties of gear employed and the processes used to capture the still pictures and film are all shared in this video feature.

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Toad Hollow Photography

I am a fine arts photographer that specializes in HDR techniques. Please feel free to visit our Limited Edition Prints site, our Online Gallery or our lively Photoblog.

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The post Get Comfortable: It’s Coffee and Photography Links Time! appeared first on Light Stalking.

If you are feeling adventurous, or maybe you are lacking inspiration and need a change – take it to the road! Even if you live in a large city, it is usually only a short drive to come upon the countryside where a lot of these hidden gems can be found. Even if it would take an entire day to accomplish, it is worth it. There are no rules here, except maybe to avoid breaking any trespassing laws, and most importantly, to make sure you have fun with it!

There are infinite possibilities, some photographers have been known to go inside of these homes and find them intact, as if the inhabitants had just gone out for coffee one day and never returned. This is eery and very creepy, but more power to you if you are brave. Again, just be careful of trespassing and never go into a building that appears unstable.

If you are lucky, you might already live in an area that gives you access to rural areas. If you do, you should definitely take advantage. Here are a few examples of the beauty to be found within the forgotten.

abandoned home by Vittis from Lithuania, on Flickr

Abandoned Old Home by graywolfx47, on Flickr

Old Ford by graywolfx47, on Flickr

Broken Window by shinealight, on Flickr

Abandoned Home NM by PoeticVision, on Flickr

Window to an Abandoned Home by country_boy_shane, on Flickr

Army Photography Contest – 2007 – FMWRC – Arts and Crafts – I Can See You Now by familymwr, on Flickr

10.30.11 HarpersFerryTrain-2492 by Luigi Crespo Photography, on Flickr

One of These Days by tlindenbaum, on Flickr

Trailer and Barn by urbanwoodchuck, on Flickr

Old Decaying Kitchen by Martin Cathrae, on Flickr

Hillsboro Pike Barn #1 by urbanwoodchuck, on Flickr

La Moine River Anthology by craigfinlay, on Flickr

Reclamation by Oslo In The Summertime, on Flickr

nature always wins by theogeo, on Flickr

Le Mans – La vieille maison by bibendum84, on Flickr

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Amber Ketchum

Amber is a professional photographer from Ohio. You can visit her on her website.

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The post Rural Photography – The Road to the Forgotten: 16 Gorgeous Photographs appeared first on Light Stalking.

Photo of the Week

Congratulations to Toad Hollow Photography for this perfectly vintage photo of the week, ‘Antique Baby Carriage’!  Toad Hollow Photography can also be found on his website, blog, Facebook, Twitter and Flickr.  You can comment on this photo here.

The Most Popular Stories from the Last 7 Days

•How to Challenge Yourself to Be a Better Photographer  – It seems to be human nature to want things to be easy and effortless.  However, there is an often overlooked benefit to challenging yourself.  Sometimes, these challenges show up whether we want them to or not and sometimes we have to create them.  If you are up for creating a challenge for yourself photographically, and growing in skill as a result, following the advice in this article is an excellent way to start this process.  Ultimately, doing things that you find hard over and over will eventually make them easy.  This applies to any photographer, no matter what your skill level, since there will always be something new to master if you are looking for it.

•How to Organize a Successful Photo Walk – While nothing new, photowalks are growing in popularity.  Well known current photographers, such as Trey Ratcliff, Scott Kelby and Thomas Hawk are active promoters of photowalks around the world.  Killing two birds with one stone, namely the social instinct and the photo instinct, can be accomplished by participating in or organizing a photowalk, if you can’t find one that interests you in your area.  The tips in this article illustrate both the benefits of the experience as well as how to prepare yourself for success.  Wherever you choose to go on your photowalk, get into the habit of looking at what you usually consider to be mundane with different eyes.  You might be surprised at the beauty you find around you.

•How to Recreate These 3 Popular Photographic Filters in Photoshop – While we can still use good old-fashioned filters over our lenses, we do have the option to recreate these looks in Photoshop.  Perhaps you realized that the scene in front of you would look amazing with a certain filter, only to remember that you left it at home.  Perhaps you don’t generally carry filters with you but want to enhance your photos in post.  Either way, these three tutorials will show you some useful techniques for accomplishing traditional filter results in Photoshop.

•Serious Fun: 7 Toy Cameras Worth Your Consideration – High end cameras, chock full of features like magnesium alloy frames and state of the art sensors, are easy to find these days.  This is even true for many point and shoot varieties of cameras.  However, there is something to be said for the analog and rather unpredictable results that can be produced with toy cameras.  Rife with all kinds of optical aberrations such as light leaks, vignetting and blur these cameras add an element of surprise and fun.  Some of us even sorta miss the good old days of tinkering with gadgets in a more manual way.  While some toy cameras were indeed originally meant to be toys, they are still real cameras that hold a certain appeal for many amateurs and pros alike.  The examples in this article prove that you don’t need expensive gear to take a great photo.  After all, a great photographer can take a great photo with any camera.  So, consider treating yourself to a little bit of fun!

What You Missed in the Light Stalking Community

Submit your photo to this week’s photography challenge – The Great Outdoors!  This subject is very open to just about anything…as long as it’s shot outdoors.  Surely you have a photo or two taken outside and we hope you will share them with us.

We have had some great responses to our last few photography challenges on the forum.  Last week’s photography challenge was Harmony!– Harmony can be a result of the subject or from the way the elements in a photo come together.  This is a good subject to practice with since it requires some thoughtfulness.  We hope you will share your interpretation of harmony with us.

Also, check out the Indoors! challenge from the week before.  Do you have any photos to share with that were taken indoors?  With all of the good weather most of us have been having, minus a few rainy days in the mix, it might be hard to stay indoors and take photos.  Still, do you have any photos taken indoors that you can share with us?

We’d love to chat with you! Add your opinions here:

•How Could I Make This Better?

•Looking for Opinion

•Baby Shots

•First Attempt at Macro With an Animate Object

•Great Egret

What Are Our Members Up To?

We have some amazing members here at Light Stalking that run the gamut from career professional photographers through to beginner enthusiast. Here’s what a few of them are up to in photography.

Great Shots Uploaded to the Light Stalking Community

Photo by Julie.

Photo by cytoskeletal.

Photo by Walter Johannesen.

Photo by Yvonne.  Yvonne can also be found on Flickr.

If you’re not already part of the Light Stalking community then come and join the fun. We promise not to bite!

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Rachael Towne

Editor at Photoluminary

is a professional photographer and editor of Photoluminary. Also, if you use Lightroom and/or Photoshop, check out her brand new Etsy store

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The post Photo of the Week and What You Missed on Light Stalking This Week appeared first on Light Stalking.

The Four Parts of the Book

1. The Sky at Night

This opening section of the book provides an introductory education on basic astronomy concepts as well as detailed information on the night sky through the seasons in both hemispheres, the moon, light pollution and the weather.

Peppered throughout each subject are many gorgeous photos, diagrams, charts and links to highly credible sources of more information and free open source software.

In the section on light pollution, which is a more pervasive problem than one might think, there is a map of the entire world showing exactly where the hot spots for light pollution are located.  You can also click on the links to view separate regions of the world in more detail.

2. Night Sky Photography

This is the part of the book where you learn how to use your camera, lenses and other gear to take amazing night photos.  While it is true that you really only need your DSLR camera and tripod, there is other equipment that can enhance your experience as well as what you can do with your camera.

Night photography is more challenging due to the much lower light levels, but armed with the proper knowledge and some basic gear you can master it.  While there is a massive amount of detail in this section, it is laid out in such an easy to comprehend way, that anybody motivated to learn will be able to digest it and put it to good use.

Like the first section, lots of beautiful photos and helpful graphics are used to demonstrate the material being covered.  For example, in the part that goes over shutter speed, actual photos are used to show the radically different results of using the same shutter speed with the camera pointed different directions in the sky.  The stars can move a lot during a 60 second exposure!

Other important aspects of using your camera for night sky photography include lenses, aperture, focusing methods, ISO, noise reduction and other camera settings.  Also, other gear and even clothing are covered.

You can also learn how to shoot landscapes in twilight, stunning HDR, moonlit landscapes, panoramas and much more.

3. Image Processing

Like any other form of photography, night photos will require post-processing to fully bring out their beauty.  Sometimes you will want to use post-processing as a way to bring the image closer to what your eyes actually saw.  However, there is room for artistic interpretation as well.  Both of these goals are recognized in this book.

First explained is the histogram, which is an important tool in any type of photography.  Color and saturation, white balance and other adjustments are explained as well.

To make things really simple, the book lays out four basic steps to enhancing your photos, all of which can be done in a variety of image editing software.  In fact, there are detailed tutorials that are specific to different software such as Photoshop, Lightroom, Aperture and ACDSee Pro. Most photographers have at least one of these programs at the ready.

For those interested in timelapse video, there is a short tutorial on post-processing as well.

4. Wonders of the Night Sky

This section is inspiring and  shows you many specific celestial events, plus where and when, that you can photograph. Again, bare bones all you really need to take these photos is a camera and a tripod so you can get started immediately if you want.  This section is chock full of beautiful night sky photographs from all over the world.

Finally, a helpful field guide that you can print out and carry with you as well as links to further resources are included.

Personal Impressions

Personally, I have been interested in night photography since day one and have felt intimidated by some aspects of it.  During the process of reading this book with the intention to review it, I became inspired to get started on shooting at night myself!  Like I thought, there were indeed gaps in my knowledge that would have been frustrating hurdles to get over.  Now, I feel confident that with a bit of practice I will be able to capture night sky images I will feel proud of.

Being a visual person, and all photographers are, having the option to do a large part of my learning visually instead of trying to digest everything via text was refreshing.  After taking my time and reading the material from start to finish, it was a piece of cake to quickly scan for items of interest that I wanted to look over again.

I would definitely recommend this book first and foremost to any photographer interested in night sky photography.

You can get a copy of Phil Hart’s book at his website.

Author information

Rachael Towne

Editor at Photoluminary

is a professional photographer and editor of Photoluminary. Also, if you use Lightroom and/or Photoshop, check out her brand new Etsy store

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The post Review: Shooting Stars – How to Photograph the Moon and Stars With Your DSLR by Phil Hart appeared first on Light Stalking.

kim cathers by Kris Krug, on Flickr

• Prime Lens – Try limiting yourself to using nothing but a prime lens for a set amount of time, e.g one week, a month, etc…In doing so, you will be challenging your creativity and your eye for composition. Since you will be shooting at a fixed focal length, the best way to frame a shot may not always be very obvious. In many instances you will have to call on some critical and creative thinking to get the composition just right. Creative thinking should become a part of our everyday process as photographers and this challenge is invaluable for instilling it in one’s system.
• Revert To Film – We’ve mentioned this one in a previous post, but it’s such a good approach that it’s worth bringing up again. One of the main benefits of shooting digital is it affords photographers to take tons of images at a margin of the cost of film. Conversely, one of the benefits of shooting with film is that it encourages photographers to save money by getting the shot right the first time, thus eliminating the need to take 40 frames of the same subject “just to make sure”. Fundamentally, taking a few backup shots of the same thing is a sound idea; however, it let’s us get a little a lazy by giving us a safety net. Making a mistake with film hits us where it hurts the most, our wallets. Not wanting to shell out tons of cash for those digital camera inspired safety nets, shooting on film forces us to slow down, think about our exposure settings, framing, etc so we don’t have to shoot through an entire roll of film just for one salvageable image.

Old celluloid film rolls by Marcel Oosterwijk, on Flickr
• Self Assignments – Think about what your goals are as a photographer. If you were to start taking photographs as a means of making a living, what kind of photography would you choose? Product photography, fashion photography, fine art, what style most appeals to you? Once you have that decided give yourself a self assignment. Future product photographers could use any common household object and do a mock-up photoshoot of it as though you were doing it for an advertisement in a magazine. Fashion photography minded people could enlist a fashionista friend and do a glamour shoot. Whatever it is that strikes your fancy, create an assignment for yourself and conduct it as though you were being paid to complete it. This will encourage you to take pride in your work and ensure that you are always doing the best you are capable of doing.

Red dots by Håkan Dahlström, on Flickr
• Pay Attention To The Details – It’s easy to look at the big picture when we are out looking for things to photograph. First impressions are important, but don’t use them as a means of dismissing a subject altogether. Spend a day out in the field photographing nothing but textures, angles, lines, and maybe even shadow play. In doing so, we are making ourselves look past the obvious by getting up close and personal with it’s composition, which more often than not goes by unnoticed. It will teach you to be more thorough in evaluation a scene and before you know it, you’ll be finding photographic inspiration in everything around you.

Challenges are, well, challenging, but they should not discourage us from continuing on our journey to become a better photographer. Regardless of your skill level, look at challenges as a means to better yourself and to better your art. Recognize what is hard for you and keep doing it over and over until it becomes second nature. Don’t let your weaknesses frustrate you, put them to work instead. Use them as an excuse to pick up your camera and go out shooting.

Author information

Tiffany Mueller

Tiffany Mueller is a professional music and fine art photographer. She has been published in multiple publications including magazines, art journals, and various photography books. She blogs at Life Is Unabridged.

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The post How to Challenge Yourself To Be A Better Photographer appeared first on Light Stalking.