Photography Links Of The Week – Put Your Life On Hold For This

Photography Links Of This Week - Put Your Life On Hold

Image by Ilona

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Another terrific week passes us by in the world of photography, and here we find Toad Hollow Photography scouring all corners of the internet for links to tutorials, special features and great photography to share with everyone. This weeks list features a very wide range of subjects and topics, with something here for everyone. We really hope you enjoy checking out these links as much as the Toad did himself in bringing this list to you.

GREAT PHOTOGRAPHY TUTORIALS

Are Your Black And White Landscapes Looking Dull? Not Anymore… – this tutorial comes to us from Light Stalking contributing author federico alegria and covers the basics of how best to capture landscapes in black-and-white. The core concepts covered here will help you to get the most out of your work by highlighting proven techniques. Sample images are included to show expected results, adding to the overall article.

Holger Wirth

Tips That Can Help Define Your Techniques – the ages old adage that “practice makes perfect” comes to light in this great tutorial article that is intended to inspire you to move outside a typical zone of comfort in the hopes of finding new creativity. The great sample shots that are included here do a perfect job of showing you how the various techniques can play out in your own images.

How a Flash Helps to Create Sharper Images – this brief tutorial covers a basic premise; that is by including a flash in your photography, you can actually create sharper images. This also helps to draw the eye into the frame where the brightest part of the image reside, as well as creating areas of contrast and shadow that add depth. This is a simple article to read and understand, and a series of sample photos help to illustrate the concept.

These Photos Show the Secret Tricks of Food Photography – prepare to be caught utterly off guard with this tutorial which shows a behind the scenes look at the materials used to create wonderful looking food images. In many cases, these ingredients may be the last thing you’d think of in terms of appetizing images, yet the results most definitely speak for themselves.

Embracing the Role of Fear in Street Photography – fear is a strong force, one that can quell artistic intent in the blink of an eye and render the artist frozen in a state of self-doubt where no work can be effectively created. This article is an extremely well-written piece that discusses ways to overcome those inner fears, and as such we find a way to blossom into the existence, and therefore the experiences, that we desire at our very core.

SPECIAL FEATURES

A Perfect Place To Leave Your Heart – join us at Toad Hollow Photography as we head on up to the northern tip of Vancouver Island in search of grand adventure. In this feature post we share some thoughts and insights we experienced during our trip to Glendale Cove where we got to see Grizzly Bears in the wild just a few yards away from us. On the way back, we were joined by a pod of Pacific White-sided Dolphins who put on quite the show. This post features a short video presentation as well.

Jay Huang

The inspiring story of how Jeremy Cowart came to be the most influential photographer on the internet – this 25 minute feature video presentation is guaranteed to inspire everyone who invests the time to watch. This is the story of Jeremy Cowart who believed he couldn’t “do it” when he was young, yet over the years he has become one of the most influential and inspiring photographers online today.

I Shot the World’s First Pinhole Photos in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone – this subject never ceases to captivate my imagination and amaze me. After 30 years of utter abandonment, the area around the Chernobyl zone is now strictly off limits as it is still highly radioactive. Grzegorz Sawa-Boryslawski gets into this exclusion zone and uses rudimentary photography techniques that employ pinhole cameras, resulting in heart-rending shots that exhibit this forgotten zone as the ravages of time take their toll.

Astounding Macrophotos Show the Beauty of Bugs – I’m probably not going to sleep for a week now after seeing these incredibly detailed images, yet somehow at the same time I found myself drawn in a way that I couldn’t resist. This set of photos is created using a very complex technique that takes an incredible amount of blended frames and a massive effort in post-production, and the results really show this.

CHECK OUT THIS GREAT PHOTOGRAPHY

Cowichan Bay the sea – one of our favorite best kept secrets here on Vancouver Island is the tiny community of Cowichan Bay that sits on the shores of the ocean in a protected bay area. In this post we find local photographer Joseph de Lange exploring the bay at various times of day, capturing wonderful and beautiful shots that showcase the blend of nautical and land-bound that creates the character making this such a special place.

Mathias Appel

The Neverending Bridge – this composition from Ricardo Mateus finds us following a very dramatic bridge that creates a natural leading line heading out into an eternal vanishing point. The perfect touch is added here by the long exposure technique which creates a silky feel to the swirling waters and the vibrant colors from a beautiful sunset.

Reading 2124 – Michael Criswell creates a stunning monochrome piece here, focusing on a classic steam locomotive. Michael’s post-production techniques accent the rich contrasts explored in this shot, creating great definition that accents the details and textures of this once very active locomotive.

“When It Came II” – Prakash Singh captures a moody and dreamy feeling shot that overlooks a cityscape of the dramatic city of Dubai below. A dense fog meanders through the streets, working in harmony with the lights of the streets and the buildings far below, adding to the overall sensation.

Sunlit – Stone Mill, Lawrence, Massachusetts – beautiful muted light streams in through massive windows into an area of an old mill that has not been active for some years in this great photograph by Len Saltiel. The rich details and contrasts of this old facility really pop in this terrific composition, revealing great natural drama.

Don Miller

Val d’orcia – incredible colors dance across the sky in this frame that finds a rolling valley far below with a gentle fog drifting in. Adnan Bubalo’s takes advantage of the long shadows and great contrast to create a sense of depth as you follow the rolling hills into the distance on a visual voyage of discovery.

Royal Roads Japanese Garden – the gardens at Royal Roads where Hatley Castle sits is a wonderful place to visit and photograph, with compositional opportunities found at every turn. Vancouver Island photographer Jason McKenzie captures a great shot in the gardens, focusing on a delightful little foot bridge that sits amidst the natural and peaceful beauty of the location.

short-eared owl charms – terrific textures and details emerge in this portrait of a short-eared owl perched with its feathers ruffled as it stares out at something intently. Ahn.b . k . grabs an incredible nature shot here, revealing a little of the personality and character that these really wonderful animals exhibit.

Yogendra Joshi

Kinzua Bridge ~ A Look Back – A.D. Wheeler takes us along as he creates a photo essay on an amazing storied bridge that dates back to times when structures like this formed “wonders of the world”. Having been destroyed several times and subsequently rebuilt, today the bridge is part of a park, and in this post A.D. shares archive shots alongside his own new ones to add great context and history.

Spiegelrei in Brügge – this shot takes on a painterly look with crisp details and textures in the very old architecture of this European community. Christian März’s shot uses a canal in the heart of the frame to guide the viewer deep into the scene where a church spire reaches for the sky in the far background.

The Keeper – Bob Lussier shares a terrific moment with everyone in this post, featuring a romantic lighthouse at Martha’s Vineyard captured in the early morning as a beautiful sunset crested the horizon. The perfect finishing touch to this great composition is found in the silhouette of the lighthouse keeper who appears to be up with the birds watering the plants.

Back Check – another terrific portrait of an owl in this weeks list, in this one we find our feathered friend with it’s head spun right around as it checks on who is so interested in it behind itself. In this case it’s Henrik Nilsson, the photographer who was at the exact right place at the right time to capture this wonderful photograph.

On the Diagonal – abstract shots come in many shapes and sizes, as evidenced by this image created by Andy Hooker (LensScaper). Andy focuses on a patterned architectural feature, and by twisting the perspective and processing the shot as a black-and-white, a whole new world of drama and a subtle abstract perspective is discovered.

Renaud Camus

A Slice of Ny – Anthony Fields shares an awesome shot taken from the heights of a helicopter ride high above the city of New York. Central Park fills the majority of the center part of the frame in this great picture, surrounded by the famous architecture that makes the city a must-see destination for those who are adventurous.

Good Morning, Pittsburgh – Brad Truxell takes advantage of the compression found in telephoto lenses in this shot taken in the early morning as the sun rises on the great city of Pittsburgh. The beautiful colors in the sky find harmony against the details of the architecture of the city, creating a compelling shot sure to be enjoyed by cityscape enthusiasts.

…bled XLII… – the magical spot of Bled Lake in Slovenia comes to life on our screens in this epic shot from roblfc1892 roberto pavic. Purple hues dance across this panoramic frame as the medieval monastery that sits perched on a tiny island in the middle of lake reveals a mystical scene peppered with snow.

Terry Madeley

The Rider – Anita Megyesi shares a lovely shot of a vibrantly colored sky as a backdrop to a silhouette of a bridge with a bicycle rider going across. The image expresses wonderful artistic tension with the rider, and the context of the bridge adds a wonderful element.

Let it snow – Dany Eid shares a terrific black-and-white shot that features the tops of skyscrapers peering out above a thick and dense fog cover over the city of Dubai far below. The effects are totally ethereal in nature, revealing a glimpse of the city that seems somewhat abstract at the same time as the details in the architecture pop out.

Beech Hotel – Barry Turner’s photograph features a hotel sitting on the edge of the shores as nightfall looms, with beautiful colors in the sky dancing across the composition to add a feeling of peace and tranquility. Terrific crisp details in the architecture find balance with the natural elements in this frame, making for a compelling shot to view and enjoy.

patrickkavanagh

The Stare – this shot gives us a sense of the serious nature of the great Bald Eagle as it locks onto target and heads straight in. In this case, the target is the camera of Susan A. Breau, giving the viewer the sense that rodents and fish must have as their final moment draws near. This is a highly compelling and fascinating shot that is difficult to tear away from.

Train Days – CJ Schmit grabs a great shot of a rolling steam train, processing it in black-and-white to add to the overall sensation of nostalgia that lives in the composition inherently. Great details are revealed, and the natural leading line created by the row of rolling cars adds to the overall aesthetic of the image.

THIS DOWNLOAD IS FREE: Photographers! If you want to take your Lightroom Processing Skills up a gear, then download our free Lightroom Shortcuts Cheat Sheet. You never know, it could just save your life (or a photo – same/same, right?)Download it here.