Photo How To

Just in case you've been living abroad in a cave, we thought we'd remind you that Independence Day in the U.S.is right around the corner. And that means it's time to bone up on your fireworks photography skills. This tutorial from the Shutter Speak YouTube channel explains a simple and "foolproof" formula for achieving dazzling results.

When photographers use the term "workflow" they're usually referring to the process they use when editing their photos, but there's another essential workflow to consider that doesn’t get as much attention. And that's the shooting workflow that relies upon key camera settings to capture the best possible images in the field.

We're going to kick off this post-processing tutorial with a quote from one of our favorite landscape photographers: "White balance is one of the most important settings to adjust when editing your images, because getting it right is crucial if you want photos to appear natural and realistic."

We often discuss the importance of using masks to make selective enhancements to a photo, rather than just relying upon global adjustments that affect the entire image at once. There are a variety of options available, and this tutorial from the PHLOG Photography YouTube channel demonstrates one of the most useful techniques.

Today we're exploring the characteristics of soft light and the different ways it can affect the impact of outdoor images, whether they're landscapes, environmental portraits, or just about anything else. This tutorial comes to us from the folks the Great Big Photography World—a YouTube community of passionate creatives with a comprehensive range of lessons for shooters of all skills levels.

The thoughtful use of depth-of-field (DOF) techniques is a key component of every image you capture. And this holds true for landscapes with maximum sharpness throughout the frame, portraits with soft backgrounds, and clean street scenes with a minimum of clutter. Do it right and you have a successful image but make a mistake and the photo will suffer.

Here's an interesting discussion  to help you differentiate between what you want and what you really need when it comes to purchasing a new camera—specifically with regard to camera sensor size. Full-frame models are all the rage, but some photographers regret their decision to "step up" from a full-frame camera.