We all strive for photos that stand out from the crowd and hopefully convey a style all our own. In the quick tutorial below you’ll learn 10 pro tips and tricks for shooting images that don’t look like those captured by “the Average Joe with a mobile phone.”

Mads Peter Iversen is an acclaimed Danish landscape and travel pro and a favorite instructor among Shutterbug readers. In today’s episode he reveals 10 tips in just 10 minutes that contribute to his success. We suggest jotting down a few notices, because his advice flies by in a hurry.

Iversen is known for a minimalistic style, and his first recommendation is to experiment with unique. “Instead of always shooting from eye level,” he explains, “try getting low to the ground or climbing to a high vantage point.” You’ll be surprise at how a shift in camera position can significantly boost the impact of a scene.

While there’s no such thing as the best type of light, Iversen explains how to position yourself relative to the sun for optimum results, depending upon the task at hand. Side Light, back light, and even illumination from the front can all be used to create unique images for different types of subjects.

Iversen also discusses the importance of clean, uncluttered compositions, and he demonstrates how to eliminate distracting elements while carefully placing others within the frame. He also illustrates how he often uses natural objects like tree branches to frame a key element within a scene, thereby guiding the viewers eyes through an image.

You’ll also see how Iversen carefully balances color, light, and shadow within a scene, how to create dramatic photos when shooting in “bad” weather, a technique for creating a sense of motion with water and clouds, and much more.

You can see more of Iversen’s outstanding work by visiting his popular YouTube channel, where you’ll also find an abundance of helpful lessons.

And for a tutorial on a related topic, check out the video we posted from another experienced pro revealing what he says are the key elements of breathtaking nature and wildlife photos.

Have you ever come across the Color Calibration panel while editing an image in Lightroom but were unsure what these tools achieve and how they work? If so, the quick tutorial will set you straight by explaining how the the various sliders can but used for a variety of purposes.

German photographer and instructor Maike Born solves the mystery in barely four minutes, helping you understand how the sliders affect images for achieving accurate colors or creating unique special effects. She says, “This tool has a deeper meaning for both color correction and creativity, and she begins with a brief discussion of color science to make what follows easy to understand.

As you may already know, a photograph consists of three primary colors: red, green and blue. And all other colors result from a combination of at least two of these primary colors. For example, with only red and blue pixels the result with be a purple tone. Yet with all three colors the image will contain a wide range of tones—depending upon the specific value of each color.
 

There’s no universal standard of how the three primary colors appear, because different cameras brands use a propriety rendition of how colors appear. As a result, if you’re using a Sony camera but prefer Canon’s color palette, the proper use of Lightroom’s Color Calibration tool helps you get that done in a hurry.

But there’s more to this tool than tweeking colors to meet your preference. As you’ll see, “you can also use the Color Calibration tool to create unique effects and a style of your own. So why is calibrating colors so important? One basic reason is to render skin tones as accurately as possible.

Now that you have the necessary background of how colors interact, Born delves into the specifics of employing the various sliders to refines the tones of an image. This simple method works great for portraits shot indoors or out, nature and landscape images, and just about everything else you may shoot.
 

She begins by moving a single slider within Lightroom’s HSL panel and you’ll see how that modifies an image is rendered. She then illustrates why the Color Calibration sliders offer far more control—especially when you want to remove an unsightly color cast that degrades the quality of your shot.

There’s much more to learn on Born’s instructional YouTube channel, so pay a quick visit after watching this video.

And don’t miss the earlier tutorial we posted, explaining how to speed up your Lightroom workflow with 5 easy tips

We had so many incredible submissions to our weekly assignments last year. With seasonal themes to those focusing on composition and technique, our weekly assignments were created to inspire photographers, and we hope you gained inspiration and new skills over the year.

The gallery below features the winning image from each assignment in 2022. Check it out for inspiration, and then get ready to enter our assignments in 2023!

The winning images from our weekly assignments are featured on the OP Blog, as well as our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.

The post 2022 Photography Assignment Winners appeared first on Outdoor Photographer.