Photo How To

Have you ever captured what you thought were great images, only to be disappointed when reviewing them on computer? It’s a rather common occurrence that images don’t look as impressive on a monitor as they did through the viewfinder (or with your naked eye when viewing the scene).

British pro Nigel Danson is one of our favorite outdoor photographers and image-editing instructors. So when he claims to have discovered a “secret” Lightroom tool he now uses to process every image he shoots, we stop and pay attention. And you should too.

Photoshop is such a comprehensive package that it can be very intimidating—even to experienced users. And if you’re a novice, getting started may seem absolutely bewildering.

One unfortunate mistake we see regularly is bumping up saturation in an attempt to make photos “POP,” with a heavy-handed approach that gives the shot an ugly, unrealistic appearance and actually ruins the image.

Shooting outdoor portraits can be a mixed bag. On the one hand, natural light photography means carrying less gear, but here’s the problem: On bright, sunny days with high contrast, it can be difficult to properly meter a scene and capture flattering images.

Let’s face it: photographing birds can be challenging, especially when your subjects are in flight. But even birds resting on a tree limb are often fidgety, and their erratic movements require special techniques.

If you love photographing birds and other forms of wildlife, but your images tend to look the same, the tutorial below is just what you need. Best yet, the shooting and editing techniques are far easier than you may think.