Nature Photography How To

We regularly encourage Shutterbug readers to step outside their comfort zone and experiment with unfamiliar techniques to capture attention-grabbing photos that stand out from the crowd. If you're willing to try something different, this quick tutorial  from the My Photo Journey YouTube channel is a great place to start.

Highlights and shadows can be the bane of landscape photographers who often confront scenes with a wide range of tones that exceed the density range of their camera. Today's quick tutorial from the folks at How to Use concentrates on the former, with a straightforward Lightroom method for eliminating blown-out areas within the frame.

Most photographers understand why the Curves tool is so effective for achieving optimum tonal adjustments with just about any photos you shoot. Today we'll let you in on a little secret that enables users of all skill levels to employ Curves to the max for quick and precise results.

One filter that's in the bag of every experienced outdoor photographer is the versatile polarizer. Unfortunately, there's a lot of misinformation out there about the best way to use this affordable tool, and today's tutorial from Photo Masters clears up all the confusion in barely 12 minutes.

We can summarize the following tutorial in five words: "Don't believe everything you think"—at least as pertains to the "necessity" of using ISO 100 whenever possible when photographing nature and landscape scenes. Camera technology has changed dramatically since this became a common mantra, and one pro says it's time to reconsider the outdated rule.

Last week we presented a quick solution for eliminating ugly color fringing from photographs captured outdoors in high-contrast situations. Today we're tackling another unsightly problem; namely, color banding and gradient banding that can also ruin an otherwise great shot.