If you’re a regular visitor to the Shutterbug website you know that we frequently post tutorials on attaining fast and precise focus. That’s because many of our favorite instructors have a personal technique that differ from others, and it’s worth giving them all a try until you find a method that works best for you.

Today’s episode from Canadian pro Simon d’Entremont reveals a method he claims is “the best for every scenario” from landscape and wildlife photography to portraits and more.” Simon is based in Eastern Canada and he’s adept and at a variety of genres, so when he makes such an emphatic claim it’s worth paying attention.

Simon begins with a quick explanation of why photos may be unsharp. Maybe you inadvertently focused on the background instead of a primary subject closer to the camera. Or perhaps your goal was maximum sharpness throughout the frame, and you used the wrong aperture setting to achieve the necessary depth of field.

There are other reasons for blurry photos, but fear not, because Simon has some great solutions for a wide variety of problems—whether your subject is stationary or in motion. He explains the common term “acceptably sharp” like this: “Focus doesn’t go from poor to perfect all at once.” In other words, the area in precise focus is the point at which light rays converge, but there’s an area in front of and behind this spot that will still appear quite sharp.

This is where depth of field enters the equation, because the chosen aperture determines how broad or narrow the zone of sharpness will be. Thus, “the thinner the depth of field, the blurrier the background will be.” Conversely, the deeper the depth of field, the sharper the foreground and the background will look.

Simon reviews three variables that affect depth of field; camera-to-subject distance, the focal length of a lens, and the aforementioned aperture setting on whatever lens you use. He provides interesting illustrations to depict how all this works.

With the basics out of the way Simon turns to important shooting techniques and how they differ based upon the genre of photography that you’re pursuing. Thus, the best approach to take will be different when shooting landscapes or architectural photos that it will be when photographing wildlife or portraits.

One key to fully maximizing Simon’s advice is an understanding of how hyperfocal distance works. By the time you’re done watching you’ll be totally up to speed on this valuable concept, and how it interacts with other essential variable for nailing focus every time. Be sure to pay a visit to Simon’s instructional YouTube channel where there is much more to learn.

We also recommend watching the related tutorial we posted last month from another expert, explaining what professional photographers know about f/stop settings that you probably don’t.

Today’s tutorial from the PHLOG Photography YouTube channel demonstrates a powerful editing technique for precisely color-grading landscape images with Photoshop’s Gradient Map tool. The technique is simple to accomplish and will work wonders for just about any photos you shoot in the great outdoors.

Instructor Christian Mohrle is an acclaimed German pro, and he provides a link beneath the video for downloading the demonstration image so you can follow along in real time. He always begins edits with a few basic adjustment before jumping into the topic at hand. If all you’re interested in is the Gradient Map technique, just go to the 8:32 mark of the lesson.

Mohrle’s preliminary adjustments are well-worth watching, though, because you’ll pick up some tricks for future use. He first changes the profile from Adobe Color to Adobe landscape, and then makes several exposure adjustments in Photoshop’s Lights panel. The next step involves a few initial color adjustments in the Color panel.

After some straightforward masking, the preliminary adjustments conclude by cleaning up the photo and adding a bit of sharpening. Now the image is significantly improved and it’s time for Mohrle’s Gradient Map adjustments that take his photograph to a whole new level. He shows you where to find the tool at the bottom of the menu.

At first things look very strange because they’re a few quick steps before you can apply the color grading effects. These include adjusting the blending mode from Normal to either Overlay or Soft Light, depending upon how strong you want the enhancements to appear. It’s also important to lower Opacity of the adjustment layer, and Mohrle recommends a setting from 10-30%.

Mohrle then jumps to the Gradient Editor window for the final refinements and explains how the method is somewhat like Split-Toning. The difference is that you can not only affect color tones but effectively work on contrast.

You’ll notice a bunch of built-in presets and other options in the panel. Mohrle suggests ignoring these and explains why and how you should concentrate solely on the color box in the window. The left side represents shadows while the right indicates highlights.

In the last four minutes of the lesson Mohrle walks you the step-by-by step process for completing the amazing transformation. You can find more eye-opening tips and trick by visiting Mohrle’s instructional YouTube channel, so be sure to do that and explore what’s available.

We also suggest watching another powerful Photoshop tutorial we posted recently, with four amazing landscape photography effects that are easy enough for users of all skill levels.

Christmas festivities are just three weeks away, and many folks have already decorated their homes with colorful lights and interesting objects. This means it’s time to bone up on your skills and do a bit of practicing as the special season unfolds.

Even if you’re adept at shooting after dark, photography during the holidays is a bit different. That because of the preponderance of vivid bright lights, and the added challenge of darker elements that often should be included. This helpful tutorial comes from The School of Photography, a leading source of photo education in the UK.

Most of us have tried our hand at this challenging task, and disappointing results are not uncommon. But in barely nine minutes, instructor Marc Newton demonstrates several help techniques for getting the job done to perfection.

In this behind-the-scenes lesson you’ll watch Newton work his magic in London, while strolling through iconic locations like Regent St., Piccadilly Circus, and Oxford St. The tips he provides are easy to emulate, and you may even capture a few spectacular images that you can use for next year’s holiday cards.

Newton begins on bustling Regent St. with twinkling holiday lights, floating angels, and other beautifully illuminated decorations everywhere he looks. He didn’t do any advance scouting and came with no preconceived goals—other than relying upon his well-developed eye and a few simple technique to capture  festive photos with a creative flair.

One of the challenges with this genre of photography is arriving at balanced exposures, and Newton offers some great professional advice. He’s shooting handheld in Aperture Priority mode for reasons he explains, and he reveals the specific camera settings that work best for him (and will for you too).

Thoughtful composition is also a key consideration when shooting these type of scenes that are often cluttered and need to be simplified for maximum impact. Also you see, Newton regularly changes his focus point before reframing an image in various ways until he finds a look that he really likes.

Sometimes this means including people in the shot, while other times he concentrates on decorations and colorful lights to tell the story of this joyful season. And shooting from a variety of perspectives, and bracketing exposures is also part of the equation. The foregoing is just a taste of what you’ll learn by following Newton on his photo walk.

So pay close attention, get out there and practice, and you’ll soon be capturing nighttime holiday photos that really make you proud. There’s much more to learn about all aspects of our craft on The School of Photography YouTube channel, so be sure to take a look after watching this episode and check back often.

We also suggest watching a related tutorial we posted recently from another accomplished pro, explaining how to shoot breathtaking light trails on city streets after the sun drops below the horizon.

We’re all looking for a creative edge to imbue our landscape photos with a unique look grabs a lot of attention. In the quick Photoshop tutorial below you’ll learn four simple Photoshop effects that are easy enough for anyone to accomplish.

Instructor Austin James Jackson is an accomplished outdoor photographer based in Southern Utah. He’s also a very popular instructor who specializes in shooting and editing lessons for photographers of all skill levels. He kicks off today’s episode with this: “Knowing how to use Photoshop and what effects to apply can be one of the most difficult parts of editing your images.”

In barely eight minutes Jackson explains what he says are his most commonly used Photoshop effects that are sure to add impact to the images you make. He discusses the popular Orton Effect, a Curves adjustment trick, a foolproof way to give images more “pop,” and how to use Midtone Contrast to significantly improve the look of a photo.

Jackson is using Photoshop 2024 for this demonstration, but you should be able to easily replicate his tips with just about any version of the software you use. He begins with the eye-catching Orton Effect which can be created in a number of ways. The method you’ll learn here is designed specifically for landscape imagery.

This technique is designed to give highlights a glowing dreamy appearance, and Jackson walks you through the simple step-by-step adjustments. And like with the effects that follow, he provides helpful keyboard shortcuts for speeding up the process. He also explains why and how to the method he suggests in a way that’s optimized for the resolution of your camera.

Jackson’s Curves adjustment trick is equally straightforward, and it’ a very effective method for editing outdoor photos with a wide dynamic range. He says he regularly employs this edit “when I want to add contrast to a scene without the highlights getting too bright and the shadows becoming too dark.” His approach begins with a conventional adjustment, and then he adds an extra twist.

Third on the list is Jackson’s so-called “Pop Effect,” that’s particularly helpful with images that include a lot of details like his photo of a cascading waterfall against a dark background. While watching how this one works you’ll think of other types of landscape shots for which this can make a big difference.

This edit begins with Photoshop’s Unsharp Mask tool and Jackson explains the specific settings to use for best results in various situations. His initial enhancement looks a bit too strong, but you’ll see how to easily lessen the effect if need be.

Jackson concludes the video with a powerful way to use Photoshop’s Midtone Contrast tools to make images much more compelling, and you’ll have to watch the lesson to see how this works. When you’re done head over to his instructional YouTube channel for more tips on shooting and editing the images you shoot outdoors.

You’ll also want to check out the tutorial we posted recently from another professional landscape photographer who demonstrates a unique editing technique for creating dramatic landscape photos that stand out from the crowd.