Ron Leach

Whether you’re an accomplished wildlife shooter or you just enjoy photographing birds in the backyard, it’s likely you pop off dozens of images when an interesting subject appears. If so, the video below will be a big help.

In short, this eye-opening tutorial from portrait/street photographer Manny Ortiz is a visual examination of what could be called “the art of seeing,” Ortiz uses his compelling imagery to illustrate what accomplished photographers see upon arriving upon a scene, as opposed to how non-photographers (or less adept shooters) view the same location.

Cropping photos is easy, right? You start with either a horizontal or vertical photo and trim it a bit to get tighter or remove distracting elements. Of if you want to be really wild (and have enough resolution) maybe you crop in a way that transforms a portrait orientation into a landscape perspective.

We’re always eager to receive the annual hot gear list from LensRentals, a top source for photographers looking to rent cameras, lenses, lighting gear and videography equipment. This year’s data arrived a bit earlier than usual, but we’re assured that what you see below is a definitive list of the most popular cameras and lenses handled by LenRentals in 2017.