Not long ago we featured an interesting Photoshop tutorial explaining how to transform ho-hum daylight scenes into spellbinding photographs that appear as though they we’re shot at night. Today’s tutorial is about the real thing, with several pro tips demonstrating how to capture dramatic landscape imagery after the sun drops below the horizon.

British pro Nigel Danson is a favorite among Shutterbug readers because they marvel at his beautiful imagery and appreciate the transformational shooting and editing technique he provides for emulating his work. Danson recently ventured into the woodlands to try his hand at nighttime landscape photography and he was pleasantly surprised by the photos he captured.

Danson carried his normal assortment of gear, apart from a couple headlamps he used to find his way through the forest and throw a bit of light into the foreground of his images. Conventional flashlights will also work, but Danson’s “head torch” enabled him to keep both hands free and operate the camera in the normal manner.

As his companion explains, “we’re looking for scenes that we can shoot with a wide-angle lens that will benefit from very simple illumination.” The goal was to capture images with an eye-catching, ethereal look. The came upon a big, old, gnarly tree that was ideal for this unusual task.

Danson started with backlighting by placing his light behind the tree , using a 30-second exposure with a 10-second delay so he had time to run back to the camera position before tripping the shutter. As you’ll see, the resulting image is quite impressive.

Another effective approach is to use sidelight while painting the scene with light. As you’ll see, this approach requires a bit more experimentation but once again, the photograph Danson made is definitely a keeper. As he excitedly exclaims, “this proves that in photography there are so many ways to do something.”

Danson’s trek continues as he tries other techniques that you’ll want to experiment with yourself. There’s nothing fancy about his methods or gear, but the photographs are far different than conventional daytime landscape shots you’ve made in the past. And different is what makes your imagery standout from the crown.

After watching the video be sure to check out the tutorial mentioned above that explains an intriguing Photoshop day-for-night edit.

Then head over to Danson’s instructional YouTube channel for more landscape photography tips and techniques.

This tutorial from the popular Photoshop Café YouTube channel begins with a blunt question: “Do your Photoshop masks suck?” If this problem is a regular occurrence, the following tutorial will set you free in less than nine minutes.

Photographer and author Colin Smith has made a living using Photoshop for over 20 years, and he conducts training session for both Adobe and Apple. He describes today’s quick episode like this: “I’m going to give you five tips to clean up your selections, get crisp edges, and nice, clean cutouts.”

Just to be clear, this lesson isn’t about making selections, rather it’s about refining your selections and getting those edges looking perfect. Smith opens a surf shot in Photoshop, creates a mask, and gets to work by explaining how to visualize trouble areas within the frame by adding a stroke in Photoshop’s Effects panel—making sure to do so with a color like red that’s really easy to spot.

The next trick takes place in the Properties panel where you can change the view to black or white, depending upon the image at hand, to make problematic issues even easier to discern. Then it’s a simple matter to eliminate color fringes and other ugly artifacts by enabling the Decontaminate Colors output setting.

Smith demonstrates Tip #3 with a second photo and you’ll learn his precise method for blending edges into the background. He grabs “Select Subject and pops it onto a mask. Then he chooses Inverse so that the selection includes everything in the photo except the person in the center of the frame. Next he expands the selection which makes it easier to proceed.

You’ll also see how to shift the edge of your mask by adding a solid Adjustment Layer, again using bright red. This makes it easier to spot rough edges when you zoom in closer. He explains  a couple tricks for cleaning up the edge, one of which involves adding a bit of blur.

The lesson concludes with a few tricks that accomplish a final, general cleanup, after which the edges of your masks are absolutely pristine. Smith’s popular YouTube channel includes instructional videos on just about any Photoshop technique you can imagine, so be to check it out the next time you run into a problem.

We also encourage you to watch a tutorial we featured with another post-processing expert who demonstrates why “Adaptive Presets” are different from others you use, and how to employ them to create unique photographs that pack a punch.

Effective composition can make or break the impact of every photograph you capture, whether it’s an expansive landscape scene or an environmental portrait. Today’s tutorial from instructor Gerhard Needham concentrates on the latter, with three pro tips than anyone can master with ease.

Needham is an eclectic pro with a collection of beautiful fashion, sports, and landscape imagery. In this episode he illustrates a trio of powerful framing techniques that he says, “will improve your portrait composition, help you break those hard-and-rules, and display greater visual interest.”

These simple technique will also enable you to express your creativity. Needham compares framing up a shot before tripping the shutter to cutting a piece of paper: “You measure twice and cut once.” This is especially important if your goal is to compose in the camera and avoid cropping during post processing.

One common mistake is getting in too tight and cutting off the feet of a subject. Needham’s formula for full-body portraits involves a 30/70 split between headroom and feet room as you’ll see in the example he provides. For mid-body shots “you never want to cut the frame off at the knees or any of the subject’s other joints.”

Lens selection is another key consideration because many photographers think that a focal length of 85mm is the best and only way to go. Needham says, “I completely disagree” and he provides several reasons why the perspective of wider or longer lenses often delivers more interesting results in certain situations.

The lesson continues with an interesting discussion of employing negative space vs. filling the frame. You’ll see how Needham incorporates both techniques to add variety to his imagery. “Negative space is the hardest to get right, but it differentiates the good from the great photographers because you have to be very mindful of distractions in the scene.”

Another factor to keep in mind, according to Needham, is that “our eye is drawn to the brightest and most contrast-rich part of an image, and in portrait photography we want that to be our subject.” As you’ll see, this has important implications for how you compose a shot.

There’s much more to learn about portraiture and other popular photographic genres on Needham’s instructional YouTube channel, so be sure to pay a visit and subscribe.

And don’t miss the recent tutorial we featured with another accomplished pro who explains why understanding how the Color Wheel works will make a “massive improvement” in every photograph you shoot.