Golden Hour is widely recognized as the best time to shoot landscapes, seascapes, and many other types of outdoor scenes. In this six-minute tutorial you’ll learn how an experienced photojournalist approaches the challenge and captures unique images that stand out from the crowd.

Sean Gallagher is a documentary photographer/filmmaker who has produced images for National Geographic, The Guardian, and the Pulitzer Center, and he’s also a Fellow of the UK’s Royal Geographic Society. Thus, his approach to capturing the golden light is somewhat different from the pure landscape photographers we’ve featured in the past.

He defines the topic like this: “In the morning, Golden Hour is the first hour after the sun rises above the horizon. Conversely, in the afternoon, it’s the hour preceding sunset.” And unless you’ve been living in a cave you know how spectacular these times of day can appear. One reason for this is that when the sun is low in the sky “it passes through more of the atmosphere which scatters the light and creates the beautiful tone and quality of light that photographers love so much.”

Portrait and street photographers “also crave this soft, warm light,” so Gallagher’s techniques apply to them too. The lesson takes a surprising twist before Gallagher reveals his tips and tricks when he poses these questions: “Is Golden Hour actually overrated? Are we all guilty of making the same type of images at this time of day? What can we do differently during Golden Hour to make new and unique photographs?

The balance of this lesson is devoted to a demonstration of how to capture these types of landscape images from the perspective of an “outsider.” The discussion answers the third question above with some interesting advice on exposure, camera settings, composition, camera angles and more. Gallagher also explains how he finds “the right moments,” and how to utilize shadows and silhouettes for maximum impact.

The video concludes by addressing the “forgotten” Blue Hour and how to capture stunning images at this ethereal time of day too. Once you’re done watching take a look at Gallagher’s instructional YouTube channel where you’ll discover other methods for doing things a bit differently.

And don’t miss the tutorial we featured recently with another experienced pro who demonstrates how to shoot studio-quality photographs of flowers in the field with simple gear.

If you’re unfamiliar with the term “Smart Objects” here’s a definition paraphrased from the experts at Adobe: They’re a type of “container” that holds multiple layers, that enable you to apply a variety of characteristics to an image with different tools and features.

In today’s tutorial from the globally popular PiXimperfect YouTube channel you’ll discover the power of Smart Objects when used properly, and how getting one setting wrong can do major damage to a photo. Six minutes is all it takes to learn the simple solution so your post-processing doesn’t break down.

Instructor Unmesh Dinda has over five million YouTube subscribers throughout the world. He begins the video by summarizing the benefits and versatility of Smart Objects like this: “They maintain all the details, and whatever filters you apply can be changed later,” But when things go wrong they do so in a hurry.

Dinda then explains the problems you may confront unless you do as he says and change one key setting. The bottom line is that your Smart Objects may become so blurry, over-sharpened, and pixelated that you may lose the entire purpose of using them in the first place.

The sample image is an attractive hi-res portrait of a pretty model against a plain, colored background. He resizes the shot because he wants a smaller file and at first it looks pretty good. But watch what happens when there’s a Smart Object involved. This is when the problem rears its ugly head because one of the settings in the panel is incorrect—a relatively common occurrence.

Now when he resizes the images there are a number of sparkles and ugly artifacts on his subject’s face—and they only occur on the Smart Object layer—the regular layer is fine. A you’ll see, this is not problematic when you resize an entire document, but also with single elements within the shot—like using  a Smart Object to edit the model’s eyes.

We don’t want to spoil the surprise by revealing the setting that needs to be changed, because listening to Dinda describe the finer points of the foregoing is super important. But here’s a clue: It involves interpolation settings, or as Dinda puts it, “the way pixels are arranged when you reduce or increase the number.”

We suggest visiting Dinda’s wildly popular YouTube Channel after you learn the quick solution, because there are many more valuable tips and technique to be found.

And don’t miss the valuable tutorial we featured recently from another post-processing expert who demonstrates a “game-changing” Photoshop technique that he insists will improve every photograph you edit.

We are thrilled to announce the winners of GuruShots‘ “Animal Kingdom” Photo Challenge. After receiving a stunning array of entries showcasing the incredible beauty and diversity of the animal kingdom, we present the exceptional photographers that truly captured the essence of wildlife. Below are the Top Photographer, Top Photo, and Guru’s Top Pick, along with seven outstanding runners-up. 

Be sure to check out the gallery that showcases the other contestants in the “Animal Kingdon” photo challenge. Also, if you want to see what’s new in artistic creativity, download GuruShots’ latest software, AI Art Master.

Winning Images

Runners Up

Show your best images to the world by posting in the Shutterbug Photo of the Day gallery. Here’s the quick and easy procedure along with some tips to help you navigate to the right place, and even some advice about composition and subject matter.

When you post to our Photo of the Day Gallery there’s a chance that your image may be featured on our homepage for all to see. The internet reaches even the most remote corners of our planet and endures essentially forever. You may even hear from friends you haven’t seen in years, after they see your photo on Shutterbug.

Get Started
It all begins with a Shutterbug account. Registering is FREE and fast, and we do not misuse your contact information. Once registered, log in and navigate to the GALLERIES tab. From there select Shutterbug Photo of the Day.

Go Directly To Upload
If you are logged into your account and want to go directly to the upload section, click on this Go To Upload link. Bookmark it so in the future you’ll be able to connect in seconds. Just remember you must be logged in to your Shutterbug account for the link to work.

You can create a persistent login (“Remember me”) event so you don’t have to log in fresh every time you visit our website. If you see the warning “You are not authorized to access this page” it means you’re not logged in.

After uploading, check and confirm that the image is visible in the gallery. If you see an entry that reads, “0kb,” something went wrong. Try again.

Specifications
Each day, one image from our Photo of the Day Gallery is featured on our homepage as a thumbnail that links to the larger version. The aspect ratio of the thumbnail image window is 16×9. If your image doesn’t match, the system will automatically crop it to make it fit. It’s not something we do; our software crops without our guidance.

The full, uncropped image is still available in the gallery, but the thumbnail that attracts viewers to click may be altered unless you make aspect ratio adjustments before you post.

Maximum file size is 5 megabytes. That’s plenty big for web viewing. Sometimes we see posts that have 0kb files size indicated. That usually means the poster tried to upload a file that was too large.

Please include explanatory details about how and where the picture was taken. Please list camera, lens, f/stop, shutter speed and ISO setting so that our readers can learn from your experience. Details about the location are always good, and if you shot on film and scanned, or used a smart phone, everyone wants to know stuff like that, too.

Common sense tells you to not reveal the name or any personal identification information about people in the picture. And while we are on that subject, we strongly emphasize that by submitting a photo that contains recognizable people, you confirm that you have unrestricted permission from the subject(s).

All Images are Reviewed
All submitted images are carefully reviewed before they are published. No advertising is allowed. And needless to say, we’re not interested in receiving any NSFW images.

Generally, the images you upload are published to the gallery after review the next day, usually before 7am Eastern. But the special Photo of the Day badge might take a little longer. The image you submit might appear as the Photo of the Day a few days after you submit it, if it’s received on the same day as a more compelling picture. So even if you upload a great shot on Monday and it’s not selected as Tuesday’s PoD, it may still be chosen later.

Inspiration & Tips
Take a look at our Photo of the Day gallery to see some truly inspiring work that covers a wide range of subjects. Bird photography is always a favorite, and we see many outstanding photos of our feathered friends. Night scenes and landscapes are likewise prominent.

Here are some valuable tips from our readers and staff.

Express yourself in color or monochrome—it’s all up to you. Show off your photo editing skills, too, and if you use a certain plug-in, be sure to tell everyone what you used.

Avoid centering the subject if you can. Feel free to break this rule when in-the-middle is the layout you prefer, but normally a photo becomes stronger when the subject is artfully positioned in the frame. Cameras tend to focus on what’s in the center, but photographers don’t have to.

Keep in mind that image thumbnail is presented small and at relatively low resolution. Use discretion when considering images that contain important details that are too tiny to identify.

Exercise your creative spirit. There are no “bad” photos aside from those that are corrupted technically (under/over exposed, blank, unintentionally grainy, blurry or out-of-focus). Share your creativity with everyone.

Try something new. Shoot monochrome, high contrast black & white, streaking lights, Cross Processed images—whatever you can imagine. Especially, experiment with any creative or special effects features built into your camera.

Photo of the Day Celebrity Linn Smith
Photographer Linn Smith has been uploading to Shutterbug’s Photo of the Day gallery for a very long time. Virtually every visitor to our website has had the pleasure of viewing at least one of Linn’s magnificent bird images. You can enjoy the same authority and attract your own followers by posting your best images.

The photo at the top of this article was submitted by Linn Smith and is used with permission. This is an image anyone would be proud to hang on their wall.

Here again is the DIRECT LINK to upload your photos. To access the upload area via this link you must have an account and be logged in. You can create a persistent login so you do not have to log in fresh every time you visit our website.

Become a Member of the Shutterbug Community
Register for a free account. Sign up for our newsletter. Spend five minutes (or less) uploading your best shots once every week or so. Potentially become a Shutterbug Photo of the Day winner. Enjoy viewing the fantastic work being done by thousands of photographers all over the world—and add your images to the enduring collection.

– Shutterbug Staff