After all the excitement of spring and summer macro photography, when insects begin to disappear and plants start to wither, it’s not uncommon for photographers to stash their close-up lens in the back of their cabinet. That’s a real shame because winter provides a bunch of great opportunities if you take a different approach.

Add b&w into the mix and you can capture a variety unique and outstanding photos. Instructor Miceal Widell is a Swedish photographer with a portfolio full of beautiful closeups of insects and other macro subjects. This behind-the-scenes episode is different from his others for two reasons: First, it takes place in winter, and second he’s shooting in b&w.

As Widell trudges through a snow-covered landscape he explains his appreciation for winter and newfound interest in b&w. He also reveals the gear and camera settings he prefers for this type of photography and offers some solid advice on composition.

Widell admits that, “at the core I’m someone who appreciates color.” At this time of year color is in short supply so he concentrates on contrast instead, which “is a perfect  for shooting in b&w.” With the absence of flowers and insects Widell looks for water—whether it be ice or liquid form. Doing this, he says, enables him to capture eye-catching abstract images.

You’ll learn the best way to expose these types of shots, and how Widell freezes subject motion while shooting with available light. He also explains why he typically uses a 90mm macro lens instead of the common 50mm option. As he notes, the reach of a longer lens is very well-suited for this particular genre.

You’ll pick up some great techniques along the way, including how to gently twist a pinecone or other small subject until it’s bathed in perfect light. He also offers variety of tips for b&w photography in the snow and the typically gray skies. Another key topic is the importance of shallow depth of field for accentuating subjects against soft, blurry backgrounds.

Widell also demonstrates a few editing techniques for making winter macro photos the best they can be. By the time you’re done watching you’ll be digging into you camera cabinet to find that macro lens you stashed away in autumn.

There’s much more to learn about macro photography throughout the year on Widell’s YouTube channel, so take a look, get out there, and take advantage of his advice.

We also encourage you to watch a tutorial we posted earlier, in which another pro demonstrates how to use Lightroom’s Crop Tools to dramatically improve all photographs captured in the great outdoors.

This 10-minute Lightroom lesson from the PHLOG Photography YouTube channel explains the importance of proper tonal adjustments when editing landscape photographs that appear boring and dull—an uninspiring look you want to avoid at all costs.

Instructor Christian Mohrle is a popular German educator and experienced outdoor photographer whose tutorials we feature often. The topic of the day is to illustrate  “how I apply tonal adjustments to add punch to my landscape photos.” This effective technique is simple enough for anyone to master in minutes.

This process is super-easy to learn if you download Mohrle’s sample image using the link beneath the video so you can follow along in real time. As you’ll see, one of the problems with the shot is that it’s lacking in contrast. Be sure to keep your eye on the histogram as Mohrle makes all the necessary adjustments.

The first step is modifying White Balance with Lightroom’s Tint and Color Temperature sliders. A quick glance at the histogram reveals an excess of blue tones, and the initial goal is to achieve what Mohrle refers to as a “neutral image.” He then changes the Lightroom Profile from Adobe Color to Adobe Standard which provides more control over Contrast.

Now we’re ready for the specific tonal adjustments that Mohrle recommends. Because this is a snow-covered winter scene, the first goal is to significantly brighten up the shot. Interestingly Mohrle drops the exposure because he wants a darker base image for the enhancements that follow.

Mohrle then demonstrates how to add Contrast by “spreading the histogram” with a few quick changes to Exposure and Highlights. Next he explains how to adjust Shadows and Blacks to further accentuate the effect. He notes that it’s important to take a subtle approach, “otherwise the image looks very, very strange—very, very fast.”

Pumping up Texture adds more detail, while dropping Clarity and Dehaze achieves the soft, dreamy, foggy effect that Mohrle wants. He also increases Vibrance and Saturation. Keep in mind that all of the aforementioned adjustments were applied to the entire image at once.

Now it’s time for selective adjustments using masks to individually target specific areas with the frame, and this is where most notable enhancements occur. Mohrle then completes the job with straightforward color grading and sharpening. Check out the big difference achieved in his final result. After the video ends head over to Mohrle’s instructional YouTube channel for more editing tips and tricks.

We also recommend watching a tutorial we posted recently from another image-editing expert who explains how to use Lightroom to banish unrealistic color casts that can ruin an otherwise great photograph,

Every so often we stumble upon a photo with breathtaking colors that appear natural but seem almost impossible to achieve. Shots like this often involve more than being at the right place at the right time, as you’ll see in the quick tutorial below.

Instructor Neil Borg is a professional photographer, specializing in landscape, travel and nature imagery. He’s also a post-processing expert, known for quick and effective techniques that enable him to finish the job and get back out in the field as soon as possible.

Today’s episode demonstrates how Borg harnesses the magic of Color Calibration to perfect the color of his amazing imagery. He explains the video like this: “We’ll delve into Lightroom’s powerful Color Calibration panel and unlock its secrets to transform your photos into extraordinary works of art.”

Even if creating “art” isn’t a personal priority, you undoubtedly want your images to be as compelling as possible, so open up Lightroom, pull up an image, follow along, and learn how to achieve “dreamy and impossible” colors in barely eight minutes.

There are two basic problems with Borg’s sample shot: The colors are highly influenced by greenery in the foreground, and by the very bright highlights in the sky. He intentionally picked a Jpeg image to illustrate that this straightforward technique doesn’t require a Raw file to accomplish.

Borg opens the Calibration panel at the bottom of Lightroom’s Develop module and focuses his attention on the three pairs of sliders for adjusting red, green, and blue. There’s also a Tint slider, but that only works when editing Raw files.

You’ll then see how easy it is to dramatically “re-color” a photo by moving the red, green, and blue sliders in a way that makes adjustments in a complimentary fashion. He first pushes greens all the way to the left for more “yellowish” tones, before making less drastic modifications to the other two  primary colors.

The colors look much better after these preliminary changes, and now it can be edited like any other image. Borg walks you through his quick process for improving Exposure, Contrast, and other important variables. He also uses Lightroom’s Dehaze tool to create a subtle, dreamy effect.

Borg completes the impressive transformation by using an S-Curve as part of his global settings. After watching the video head over to his instructional YouTube channel for more straightforward tips on editing outdoor photographs.

And don’t miss a tutorial we posted from another pro recently, with a simple Lightroom masking hack for photographers of all skill levels. Trust us: this one will quickly transform dull landscape photos into stunning images that grab attention.