Lighting How To

According to outdoor photographer Len Erickson Luminosity Masks are a super effective tool for bringing out the best in just about any image you shoot outdoors. And by combining the power of Photoshop with the inexpensive Lumnezia Masking panel the task is easy with "ultimate control."

We regularly preach the importance of taking a selective, rather than a global, approach to processing your images. This simply means limiting your adjustments to specific portions of a scene that really need work, instead of making enhancements to the image as a whole.

Earlier today we posted a tutorial with a foolproof in-camera method for shooting photos with perfect exposure. But what if you want to improve photos you shot in the past that don't quite hit the mark? The lesson below from the FJR YouTube channel demonstrates how easy this is to do with Lightroom's powerful Dodge and Burn tools.

Many photographers shy away from portraiture for a couple reasons: Either they lack an understanding of on-camera flash, or they don't own more complicated (and expensive) lighting gear. Today you'll learn an alternative approach that delivers beautiful people pictures without supplemental illumination.

We addressed the first problem in an earlier tutorial and today you'll learn how to cope with the latter. Instructor Simon d'Entremont is an accomplished Canadian pro, specializing in wildlife imagery, and he walks you through the steps he takes to capture great images when the light is far from ideal.

Among the most challenging conditions faced by landscape photographers is bright midday light. In this situation you can either go home and try again under better conditions or understand how to make the most of harsh light.

Dodging and burning is a classic image-editing technique dating back to the heyday of film and the darkroom. Back then, dodging was used to lighten a specific portion of an image, while burning did the opposite.