Nature Photography How To

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technology has changed dramatically since this became a common mantra, and one pro says it's time to reconsider the outdated rule.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.

After all the excitement of spring and summer macro photography, when insects begin to disappear and plants start to wither, it's not uncommon for photographers to stash their close-up lens in the back of their cabinet. That's a real shame because winter provides a bunch of great opportunities if you take a different approach.

Every so often we stumble upon a photo with breathtaking colors that appear natural but seem almost impossible to achieve. Shots like this often involve more than being at the right place at the right time, as you'll see in the quick tutorial below.

Have you ever noticed unsightly color fringes along the edges of objects in your photo's? If so, join the club. Also known as Chromatic Aberration, these artifacts are a sure way to spoil an otherwise nice shot.