This quick video from the Photo Genius YouTube channel tackles the issue of “wonky” leaning buildings that often detract from cityscapes and other outdoor scenes with structures (or tall trees) that appear to lean back away from the camera.

This is a common perspective problem that occurs when you can’t shoot straight ahead and have to tilt the camera upward to fit key elements within the frame. The fix is easy to make in both Lighting and Photoshop, and instructor Paul Farris demonstrates everything you need to know in barely four minutes.

Farris is an Australian pro who’s been teaching workshops and sharing photo tutorials, gear reviews, and post-processing tips for over 16 years. This episode is devoted to controlling a perspective problem that may also occur in landscape images with any tall elements that appear to converge near the top of the frame.

Farris is working in the latest version of Photoshop but you can employ his technique with other image-editing software. He pulls up images captured with a wide-angle lens in and around Brisbane, and he explains the dilemma like this: “Wide-angle lenses are popular with landscape and architectural photographers, but they exaggerate and distort perspective.”

Hence, it’s not unusual for buildings to appear as though they’re learning;  a distraction sometimes referred to as the “keystone effect.” Farris explains that his wide-angle lens wasn’t solely responsible for his distorted photo, revealing other considerations that often contribute to such problems.

One good example has to do with camera angle, like when composing scenes from a low vantage point. Farris turns to other photos with somewhat different concerns, and then demonstrates how easy it is to use Photoshop’s straightforward Perspective Correction tools, to get everything nice and straight.

The popular Photo Genius YouTube channel is full of instructional videos like this one, so be sure to pay a visit and explore what’s available to improve your shooting and post-processing skills.

And don’t miss a tutorial we featured recently from another image-editing specialist who explains the concept behind lens blur and demonstrates when, why and how to use it when editing your photographs in Lightroom.

Remember that macro lens you stashed in the back of your camera cabinet at the end of summer? Well, there’s a lot more to closeup photography than photographing spring buds and the flowers and insects that emerge later.

Winter also provides a wide array of great macro photography opportunities, as you’ll see in today’s 11-minute tutorial from instructor Steve Hedges. Snowflakes and icy foliage are just two eye-catching examples of appropriate subjects. Hedges is an accomplished British pro whose short-and-sweet videos span the gamut from landscape, cityscape, and wildlife photography, to street photography and shooting after dark.

In this behind-the-scenes episode you’ll follow Hedges in Essex during a rare snow event (just like what we’re experiencing today in New Orleans where it’s been 15 years since the last significant snowfall). So mount your macro lens on a camera, launch the lesson, and follow along as Hedges explains his powerful winter macro tips.

Technically speaking, a “true” macro lens has a 1:1 reproduction ratio like Hedges’ 105mm Micro Nikkor. Lenses like this are expensive, but you’ll also learn how to create impactful closeups with affordable lenses that are limited to a reproduction ratio of 1:2 or even 1:4.

On this frosty morning Hedges is concentrating on small details and explains the challenge like this: “The beauty of macro photography is that you can take a really ordinary subject and turn it into something beautiful.” By doing this in winter you’re sure to capture unique macro and closeup images that grab attention and stand out from the crowd.

Hedges finds some ordinary-looking frozen ferns and explains the techniques he employs when photographing subjects with a “true” macro lens. He reveals recommended camera settings, effective tips for composition, how to deal with weather, and methods for using ambient light to advantage.

This discussion continues with similar advice for using lenses with less magnification. You’ll learn how to minimize subject movement on windy days and other effective techniques for getting the job done to perfection.

So bundle up warm, get out there in the snow, and see what kind of winter macro magic you can create yourself. Then head over to Hedges’ instructional YouTube channel for more tips on elevating your outdoor shooting skills.

And don’t miss the tutorial we shared earlier with simple tips from another accomplished pro who explains why your outdoor photographs are boring and demonstrates how to capture stunning images in the camera.