A couple weeks ago we posted a tutorial explaining how to use Lightroom’s AI Denoise to rehabilitate underexposed photos. As it turns out, there are a few issues with this new tool that you really must understand to avoid potential problems with your edits while using this powerful technique.

Instructor Mark Dumbleton is a South African pro specializing in landscape and wildlife photography. In this important episode he explains what AI Denoise does to your photos so you can avoid any pitfalls while processing your work.

Dumbleton covers everything you need to know for using AI Denoise properly, and what to avoid to keep yourself out of trouble. He also shares the reason he uses this tool at a specific stage in his workflow to get the best possible results.

As Dumbleton says, “Lightroom AI Denoise does an amazing job of removing noise from photos. It’s extremely simple to use, but it’s also easy to run into problems if not used in the correct way.” By following his advice you’ll be able to harness the power of this sophisticated tool while avoiding any snags.

Dumbleton provides a brief overview of how AI Noise works, so you’ll understand how to get great trouble-free results. The key takeaway here is that most Lightroom edits change the virtual appearance of your Raw file, but “at no stage do the edits change the actual Raw file data.” But here’s the rub: all of the features in Lightroom’s Develop panel work in this way, except for the AI Denoise feature.

When you run a photograph through AI Denoise, “Lightroom removes the noise and spits out a new Raw DNG file for you to work on.” So when using AI Denoise, “Lightroom only inspects the Raw file and ignores all the Lightroom edits applied.” Dumbleton explains further that once AI Denoise has finished running a new DNG file is created, and then Lightroom copies over the edits from the initial Raw files and applies them to the new DNG file.

With all this technical stuff under your belt you’ll be well prepared for the remainder of the lesson; namely, when and how problems occur, how to avoid them, and the proper way to use Lightroom’s AI Denoise for the consistent results you expect every time. And Dumbleton walks you the step-by-step process for quickly getting the job done.

Dumbleton’s instructional YouTube channel is full of helpful information for shooting and editing a wide range of photos, so make sure to pay a visit when you have time.

And don’t forget to take a look at the AI Denoise tutorial mentioned above.

A common mistake by outdoor photographers when shooting on the street or in the field is to begin popping off photos upon arriving at a destination for fear of losing a fleeting moment or great light. The problem with this common approach is that it often results in common images.

The tutorial below from the popular Street View YouTube channel explains why slowing down and carefully exploring a location often enables you to discover and capture compelling images that stand out from the crowd. This often happens because a thoughtful approach often reveals a unique vantage point from which to shoot that differs from the standard eye-level approach.

Instructor Rupert Vandervell is an accomplished British pro specializing in fine-art street photography, so this episode concentrates on that particular genre. But the tips he provides work just as well to create interest with other types of images you shoot outdoors.

Vandervell puts it likes this: “If you slow down and take your time you’ll be able to experiment with unusual viewpoints and determine which is your favorite before deciding on a composition.” He adds that this strategy also applies to scenes that initially look a bit dull.

Yet, when you explore shooting from a different vantage point or camera position, like low to the ground or up high, you’ll likely create images that are far more engaging. Vandervell provides several great examples of how doing this results in more compelling photos than a scene suggested at first.

He begins with a rather uninspiring photo he captured during a photo walk in Prague on a gloomy day. In this instance he changed his position, shooting low to the ground, to capture a far better shot than his original dull image that didn’t make the grade.

Another compelling example is a photo Vandervell made of a man climbing a staircase. Rather than taking the conventional approach of composing the scene to reveal his subject’s full form, he waited until the top half of the man’s body disappeared behind the zig-zagging stairs—thereby composing the shot so all you see is the subject from his feet to his waist. This resulted in an unusual and far more interesting shot.

As he explains, his goal for this photo “was to juxtapose the legs and their shapes with the geometry and rigidity of the rest of the scene.” This conceptual technique really delivered the goods and is a perfect example of how thinking a bit differently can turn a ho-hum photo into a winner.

Vandervell uses several other amazing photos to illustrate how to capture really impressive photos “when there’s nothing to shoot.” As you’ll see, there are various possibilities for doing this by including objects or unusual light patterns to accentuate a scene. As an aside, we think you’ll agree that shooting in monochrome is perfect for these types of dynamic images.

There’s much more to learn on Vandervell’s popular YouTube channel and in a related tutorial we posted recently that demonstrates why creating depth is a powerful pro technique for outdoor photographs with greater impact.