Outdoor Photography How To

Perhaps one of the biggest misconceptions that people have about scenic photography is the notion that the beauty of a scene will automatically be captured by a camera—all you need to do is simply point and shoot at random. After all, spectacular mountains or azure seas are awe-inspiring to...

As the subject of a photograph, texture speaks to our sense of touch. The way that things feel is very ingrained in our consciousness. Texture tells us about the nature of a subject, whether it's the rough surface of a straw hat, or the silky smoothness of satin. The light that reveals an object's texture also gives us a sense of...

Rural scenes provide picturesque photo opportunities for those who love to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life. These settings convey feelings of tranquility. If you're like a lot of landscape shooters, scenery that includes barns, covered bridges, and miles of open fields may inspire you photographically.

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It seems that everywhere you look, you see nature photos that include water in its many forms, whether they're waves crashing on a rocky coastline, snow on a hillside, dewdrops on flower petals, or a simple ripple on a pond. For outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy taking pictures of water, the possibilities are...

Photographing wildlife presents special challenges, especially if you own a compact camera. You may not have the powerful lenses that professionals use, but you can still do nicely with a moderate telephoto setting on your point-and-shoot camera, if it has one. As with household pets, wild animals...

Most landscape photographers always carry a polarizing filter to solve a bunch a problems. These affordable tools let you darken pale blues skies, reduce reflections on water and other non-metallic objects, and even boost saturation if need be. But as you'll see in this tutorial from the PHLOG Photography YouTube channel, these benefits often come at a cost.

Most of us are familiar with the use of out-of-focus, seamless backgrounds by studio photographers, especially those who shoot portraits. Often, these backgrounds are a single color, such as white, black, or gray. In other cases, the backgrounds are a muslin material, adding texture to the background. The sole purpose of these backgrounds is to create a cleaner overall composition, giving the viewer no choice but to look at the man, woman, or child.