A firm understanding of Dynamic Range is super important for achieving optimum results, yet this key element  is often ignored. In fact, this crucial concept is one key to capturing well-balanced, high-quality images that make you proud.

Today’s quick explainer comes to us from the Great Big Photography YouTube channel, a popular network of experienced creatives who share a wide range of courses catering to both amateurs and professional shooters. This three-minute episode explains Dynamic Range in simple terms and demonstrates why is particularly important if you’re struggling with overexposed highlights or crushed shadows that are virtually devoid of detail.

Our unnamed instructor begins with this definition: “Dynamic Range is the ratio between the maximum and minimum light intensities that your camera can record in a single frame,” and it’s a value that can differ significantly from one model to another.

Consider this interesting fact: “The scope of tones that your camera can record is far more limited than what our eyes can see” (although the disparity has narrowed somewhat as sensor technology has evolved). This is one reason why what you see in the field isn’t always what you get.

When shooting contrasty scenes in harsh sunlight, for example, even the best cameras can fail to deliver a sufficient range of tones from bright highlights to deep shadows. And this dilemma often holds true when photographing in low light.

In either case, there are techniques for dealing with these issues to achieve properly balanced exposures. You’ll learn how file format (i.e. Raw or Jpeg) affects dynamic range, and why our instructor recommends shooting in Raw for maximum post-processing flexibility. He also describes how the metering mode you select factors into the equation—specifically with regard to Spot vs. Evaluative metering.

Another topic of discussion involves using a technique known as “HDR photography” to blend multiple exposures into one perfect shot, and another method used in bright conditions when the trick is exposing for the highlights.

You’ll also see why our instructor recommends shooting in diffused light whenever possible to capture a naturally balanced tonal range. The Great Big Photography YouTube channel has thousands of subscribers and many more how-to lessons like this one.

And don’t miss the explainer we featured recently with another accomplished pro who demonstrates why Photoshop’s new Hue/Saturation tool is a game-changing upgrade for creating photographs with perfect colors.

Do you understand the benefits of shooting in Manual mode, but you’re still struggling to achieve the right combination of settings when photography birds?  If so, this tutorial from the Flying Parrot Photography YouTube channel will quickly simplify the process.

Today’s instructor Sonia is a “nature-obsessed” Australian pro whose how-to videos are designed to help you find art in nature, take bird photography to the next level, and approach all conditions with confidence. She summarizes today’s nine-minute episode like this: “I’ll walk you through how I choose the best manual settings for bird photography so you can stop guessing and start capturing well-exposed shots.”

The tips in this nine-minute video fly by in a hurry so you may want to prepare to jot down a few notes before clicking the “Play” button. Sonia covers her entire process from arriving in the field to understanding how to handle ever-changing light and avoid missed shots while fumbling around with your settings.

The bottom line is this: Whether the subject is stationary, you’re chasing small fast-moving birds, or photographing large raptors, you’ll know exactly how to configure the camera for success. There’s also a link in the description beneath the video for downloading Sonia’s free guides and other helpful assets.

Sonia also explains why this genre of nature photography poses unique changes, and she demonstrates straightforward solutions for getting the job done to perfection with whatever camera you own. She prefers shooting in early morning when many birds are most active and recommends setting your lens to maximum aperture.

Step number two is dialing in a setting of ISO 2,500 and taking a look at the shutter speed that this gives you. Sonia is aiming for a speed of 1/1,600 to 1/2,000 so her preliminary ISO setting may need to be modified accordingly depending upon available light. As she explains, “If the day is particularly dull I may have to boost my ISO up to 4,000 or even 5,000 to get a fast enough shutter speed.”

Sonia takes a deeper dive into the foregoing and several other important settings and considerations, and you’ll pick up some enlightening tips on camera angles, lens choice, and composing bird photographs for maximum impact.

Her popular YouTube channel includes many more instructional videos for photographing our feathered friends, so be sure to check it out.

We also recommend watching the video we shared recently from another accomplished pro who presents a beginners guide to Exposure Bracketing that will enable you to capture outdoor photographs with perfect tones in challenging light.

Want to capture stunning ultra-wide photos with your iPhone? Most folks don’t understand how to how to use the Panorama mode correctly, but this quick tutorial from the iPhone Photography School explains everything necessary to get the job done with ease.

Today’s instructor Emil Pakarklis is founder of the channel and promises that by following his straightforward tips “your shots will look bigger, better, and more immersive than ever.” And like with Emil’s other tutorials you’ll learn why you don’t need an expensive mirrorless camera or DSLR to capture jaw-dropping images.

Emil is on location atop a cliff in a beautiful national park looking down on a giant u-shaped riverbend—a perfect vantage point for shooting a breathtaking panorama with a unique perspective. The first step is opening the iPhone camera app that by default is set to a 1X wide-angle view that prevents him from capturing the entire scene in one shot.

Switching to the .5X ultra-wide setting almost solves the problem by encompassing the beautiful sky along with an interesting foreground element. It’s a really nice image but Emil laments, “it still doesn’t convey everything in the expansive scene.” And this is when the easy-to-use Panorama mode saves the day.

You’ll see why this technique requires that you rotate the camera to a vertical orientation before proceeding. Then Emil swipes his finder from right to left twice to bring up the Panorama mode. There’s another key consideration to understand; namely, determining which of the phone’s lenses will deliver optimum results.

Emil makes this determination by “pre-visualizing the scene while moving the phone from left to right.” He also explains how to decide whether you should start shooting from the left or the right. As you’ll see, there’s a white arrow on the screen for making the choice.

Emil’s says, “I like to start where there’s more interest or the where the scene is brighter” which is why he begins shooting from the left for this particular image. Then he presses the shutter button and moves slowly and gently from left to right, explaining that “the slower I move, the better it’s going to work.”

You’re goal throughout the capture is to keep the white arrow atop the yellow horizonal line on the screen. Another rule, according to Emil, is to capture your panorama image more than once. That’s because the iPhone is stitching a lot of  individual photos together and occasionally there may a mistake with one attempt surpassing another.

Emil walks you through a few other important techniques that are super simple to master, and we recommend having your iPhone handy as this helpful lesson proceeds. Then head over to the iPhone Photography YouTube channel many more mobile photography tips and techniques.

Adobe has updated Photoshop’s frequently used Hue/Saturation tool, and this tutorial from PHLEARN explores the myriad of improvements in less than 10 minutes. As you’ll see, this latest version is quicker and easier to use, delivers precise results, and features a bold, new, intuitive interface.

Instructor Aaron Nace is the brains behind the PHLEARN YouTube channel that’s billed as “the number one Photoshop and Lightroom online resource.” In this quick episode Nace provides his recommendations for employing the revised options to fine-tune hues, enhance color vibrancy, and more.

Nace summarizes today’s lesson like this: “We’ll show you its user-friendly interface and powerful capabilities, and then demonstrate how to select and modify the colors within your photos.” There’s a link in the description beneath the video for downloading his sample image so you can follow along and make the Hue/Saturation adjustments yourself as the simple steps are explained.

You’ll see that a lot of the functionality resembles what we had before, but the visual representation is dramatically different. Not only that, but Nace explains how the tools are much easier to use. The sample shot is full of vivid tones, and Nace demonstrates how you can quickly change these engaging colors to create a variety of attention-grabbing effects.

The starting point is creating a new layer and choosing the Hue/Saturation option from a dropdown menu that appears. Then take a look at the Layer panel on the right of the screen where you can double-click a tab to access Photoshop’s newly designed Properties panel.

You’ll immediately notice a row of predefined colored circles. Then it’s a simple matter of clicking on the appropriate button to adjust those specific tones. Nace explains why this approach is referrable to the dropdown menu you’ve used in the past. Even better is the fact that these quick-access options are available in the contextual taskbar  so that they’re readily available at any time during your edit.

The remainder of the video illustrates exactly how to navigate and employ the new Hue/Saturation tool for a variety of purposes. Nace starts from the top and works his way down, beginning with a selection of easy-to-use presets. like Cyanotype, Increase Saturation, Sepia, and others. It’s important to note that choosing the Default option rather than a preset will affect all of the colors in an image at once.

At this point we’ve barely scratched the surface of everything you’ll learn in this must-see video. Once you get the hang of it (it doesn’t take long) you’ll have a much a much easier time adjusting colors to perfection with any image you shoot.

The PHLEARN YouTube channel is a great source of information about all things Adobe, so be sure to take a look when you have time to explore.

We also recommend watching the Photoshop tutorial we featured recently with another post-processing expert who demonstrates what he says are, “five HUGE image-editing mistakes that are very easy to fix.”

Yesterday we provided an important warning about the finite lifespan of your camera and why it’s essential that you check shutter count regularly to anticipate costly repairs, missed shots on location, or even a total breakdown. We’re following up on that today with a couple less-dire maintenance hacks from pro Andy Rouse.

Rouse is an award-winning wildlife photographer whose enlightening tutorials take us behind the scenes as he travels the globe “in search of the perfect shot.” Today’s episode finds him in India during a dusty time of year, and both he and his cameras are covered in dirt. His main concern is the filthy equipment, and in the next four minutes he provides simple tips “that will keep your cameras and lenses in tip-top condition.”

He begins with a preventative measure using a free elasticized shower cap “borrowed” from a hotel that he stretches over a lens while hiking on dusty days. In fact, he admits to having “a whole load of them in my rucksack.” And remember that precautionary measures are always worth taking for extra protection—even if you shoot with “weather and dust resistant” equipment.

The first beneficiary of Rouse’s cleaning process is his camera. He explains that a cloth doesn’t get the job done effectively because it can’t get in between dials, buttons, and other difficult-to-reach crevasses. Instead, he carefully employs both a blower-brush and a soft toothbrush (“nicked off an airplane”) to clean out all the grime-filled nooks and crannies. Unfortunately, he doesn’t reveal where he stole the blower-brush.

Now Rouse turns his attention to a lens with “the twisty bits caked in dust.” Once again, his toothbrush and blower-brush play an important role in a process that Rouse says, “I find quite therapeutic.”

Rouse provides some cautionary notes about cleaning the front and rear elements of the lens, and he recommends not to undertake this task unless necessary. So there you have it: Just go out and “obtain” the simple cleaning accessories required and get the job done today.

Then head over to the Wildman Rouse YouTube channel for more gear tips and shooting techniques.

And please don’t ignore the tutorial mentioned at the onset with regard to checking your camera’s shutter count to avoid any unwelcome surprises before it’s too late..

We’re all looking for new ways to expand our repertoire and b&w infrared (IR) photography is a great technique for capturing awe-inspiring images with an otherworldly look. Today’s quick tutorial with instructor Richard Herzog demonstrates how easy it is to get the job done in the camera.

The magic behind this method occurs because IR photography captures the invisible infrared light spectrum to create captivating imagery with high contrast. As a result, your photographs will be imbued with a distinctive effect whereby foliage on trees, leaves, and grass appear bright white in a surreal way. You’ll also notice dramatic separation between clouds and the surrounding sky.

All you need is the appropriate lens filter and a firm grasp of how to use it. Herzog is an adept pro whose passion for photography developed at an early age while watching his grandfather shoot with a basic Polaroid camera. Over the years he developed his skills, opened a studio in Arizona, and made photography his career.

Today’s behind-the-scenes episode takes place in Watson Lake, AZ where Herzog is surrounded by impressive boulders and the lake in the middle of the frame. He begins by mounting an IR filter on his lens. Fortunately he locates a tree within the scene because a green element is very important. There’s a list of the filters Herzog prefers in the description beneath the video.

The first big consideration is this: “The infrared focusing spectrum is different from the visual spectrum, so we have to put the filter on and then focus manually.” That’s because the camera’s AF system will get things wrong. The trick involves using Focus Peaking to identify the precise spot on which to focus.

Herzog also has some interesting suggestions for adjusting exposure both before and after you trip the shutter. Exposures tend to be long when making IR images, and he explains that you don’t want to boost your ISO setting too far, otherwise image noise rears its ugly head. He limits himself to ISO 500 or lower.

You’ll see how Herzog experiments with exposure times of 30 seconds to two minutes—hence the need for a sturdy tripod. There’s more to be gleaned as the four-minute tutorial proceeds, culminating with Herzog’s exceptional final image.

There are many more valuable tips and techniques to be found on Herzog’s instructional YouTube channel.

And don’t miss the recent explainer we featured earlier with a beginners guide to Exposure Bracketing that demonstrates everything you need to know about camera settings and post-processing techniques for perfect exposures when shooting outdoors in complicated light.