Outdoor Photography How To

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.

One of the most exciting aspects of landscape photography is that we're never sure what to expect from Mother Nature. Sometimes calm, sunny days quickly transform into a dark and foreboding scenarios with threatening clouds and other eye-popping atmospherics that make for awesome imagery.

We've all had the misfortune of returning from a shoot, only to discover that our "great" images are soft and unfocused. This problem can be overlooked if it's extremely rare, but if it happens consistently there's a few problems that must be resolved.

Every so often one of our favorite instructors surprises us with a concept that really makes sense for capturing landscape scenes with maximum impact. And that’s exactly what you’ll find in the quick tutorial below, as Romanian pro Toma Bonciu demonstrates what he means by “layering” a scene from foreground to background.

We're always on the lookout for straightforward tutorials that will inspire Shutterbug readers to try something new and expand their skills. If you've never experimented with high-contrast b&w photography, this video from instructor Peter Forsgard is guaranteed to add a new arrow in your quiver.

If you're under the impression that a high-end camera is required for fast and precise focus, well, think again, because we're going to dispel that common excuse in the next 10 minutes. The good news is that you can achieve super sharp photos with whatever camera you own by using the pro techniques demonstrated below.

Attaining fast and precise focus is a primary goal of just about every photographer, regardless of the type of images they shoot. When soft photos result with regularity, the first thing that comes to mind is, "I must be doing something wrong."