It seems like every time we post a tutorial about the use of external flash we receive a bunch of comments from photographers who insist on shooting with available light—despite the fact that this approach doesn’t always deliver the best possible results in certain situations.

Today’s “illuminating” tutorial from the AI Photo Guy is designed for the flash phobic among you, explaining a simple way to control the quality and quantity of light hitting a subject, using a simple, inexpensive accessory that doesn’t rely upon complicated electronics or any special skills; namely, the lightweight and packable reflector.

Instructor John Henry is an accomplished wedding photographer based in South Africa who likes to keep things as simple as possible, and in less than two minutes he demonstrates how reflectors enable you to dramatically improve your photos and achieve stunning images. Everything you need to know is super simple, and it takes Henry less than two minutes to explain.

And if you assume that this approach is just for beginners think again, because this easy technique is also common among pros, visual artists, and budding photo enthusiasts. Henry covers a variety of ground in a hurry, including the various types of reflector available, the impact of using those of different colors, how to position the reflector relative to your subject and the sun, and much more.

Henry also provides a variety of practical tips for maximizing the use of reflectors to capture a wide variety of subjects, whether you’re shooting landscapes, environmental portraits, macro subjects and even product shots. In short, these simple tools offer endless possibilities for enhancing natural light, filling in shadows, and sculpting light to perfection so you can easily achieve professional looking results.

Very little practice is required to get the hang of it, and once you do you’ll be ready to tackle the more advanced technique Henry explains, like using multiple reflectors simultaneously, and even combining reflectors with other supplemental light.

Bottom line: By following Henry’s straightforward advice you’ll quickly elevate your photography and transform how-hum shots into visual masterpieces. So invest in a reflector or two and you’ll only be limited by your imagination, while surprising yourself by what you’re able to achieve.

And then you can ignore that expensive flash gathering dust in the back of your camera cabinet. After watching this video pay a visit to Henry’s YouTube channel where you’ll find more great advice for photographers of all skill levels.

And speaking of inexpensive accessories that work wonders, be sure to check out the earlier tutorial we posted from another experienced shooter who explains how to use affordable lens filters to significantly improve the look of your photographs.

When most landscape photographers edit their images they strive for a bright and vivid effect, especially during autumn when beautiful warm, golden tones are just about everywhere you look. But how about marching to the beat of your own drummer by giving images a dark and moody effect that’s full of eye-catching drama?

German landscape photographer Christian Mohrle is the man for the job, and in this 12-minute photoshop tutorial he demonstrates how to create photos with unique a look that will really stand out from the crowd. We recommend downloading the demonstration image with the link beneath the video so you make the adjustments yourself as Mohrle walks you through the step-by-step process.

Mohrle always begins his transformations with a few global adjustments to create a solid base image for the magic that follows. Today’s photo is a forest scene that he crops heavily so two large trees on either side of the scene perfectly frame the dirt path running through the middle. This also gives the image a nice sense of symmetry.

His preliminary enhancements also include switching the profile from Adobe Color to Adobe Standard which contributes to his final goal by immediately lessening contrast and preparing the shot for the foggy look he applies later. He also cools off the shot by carefully dropping Color Temperature and increases Tint by a notch for more natural colors. Next he significantly drops exposure, being mindful that he’ll later use masking to selectively reintroduce light in specific portions of the frame.

After a couple more basic adjustments it’s time for the masking to begin. Because the center of the photo is nicely framed by the trees, Mohrle accentuates that area by brightening it up with a large Radial Gradient. He also uses this selection to add light entering the center of the frame from above.

Next comes a Linear Gradient over the bottom portion of the image used to darken the foreground and surrounding areas. Mohrle pays close attention to the histogram to avoid going too far. After applying a couple more masks to achieve a balanced exposure and subtle vignette, color grading is next on his list.

This step with Photoshop’s Color Mixer is really simple, as Mohrle pushes the Saturation of the orange, yellow, blue, and green tones. He also makes use of Spit-Toning tools within the Color Grading panel. All that’s left to complete the impressive transformation is a bit of dodging and cleanup.

You can find more lessons on giving photos a unique look by visiting Mohrle’s instructional YouTube, so take some time to explore if you haven’t done so in the past.

And be sure to check out the recent tutorial we posted with another processing expert, explaining an easy technique for using Luminosity masks that provides ultimate control of exposure and color.

Earlier this week we presented an overview of the most popular lens filters, explaining the basics of how they work to improve the appearance of photos you shoot outdoors. Today we’re taking a look at one category of these affordable accessories; namely, the Neutral Density (ND) filters that are so popular among landscape photographers.

This tutorial come from the AI Photo Guy YouTube channel, but there’s no artificial intelligence involved in today’s episode. Rather, it’s a quick discussion of the different types of ND filters, and why every outdoor photographer should have at least one in their bag. The unnamed instructor refers to the ND filter as an “essential tool for every photographer” because they often enable you to shoot unique imagery that would be impossible to capture without one on your lens.

The ND filter is essentially a light-restricting device, available in various strengths, that provide precise control for limiting the amount light hitting your camera’s sensor. Understanding how they work and using them properly will balance the tones, regardless of the light levels you confront, thereby taking your images to new levels without the chore of extensive editing.

After a brief discussion of the science behind these oft-ignored tools, the video explores the varying strengths of ND filters available and how to select the best option for any given task. Most serious landscape photographers carry a set of these filters with different light-blocking capabilities, but if you’re just getting started it’s possible to get by with just two or three.

By the time you’re done watching you’ll understand the impact these filters have on shutter speed, aperture, and overall image quality. The instructor offers really good tips on using an ND filter to make stunning long exposures under bright light to create eye-catching motion-blur effects, manage reflections, smooth flowing water, and give clouds a cotton-like appearance as they float across the sky.

You’ll also see how the ND filter will help you capture artistic cityscape scenes under a variety of conditions. In short, by following this straightforward advice, the photos you make will easily stand out from the crowd.

The video includes common mistakes to avoid, practical advice for maximizing the results you achieve, and essentially taking your imagery to the next level. You’ll also learn why it’s important to invest in high-quality filters that don’t degrade the optical performance of your prized lenses.

Be sure to check out The AI Guy instructional YouTube channel where you’ll an abundance of tips for all things photographic. And don’t miss the overview mentioned above where you just may discover a couple other filters you “need.”

Photoshop offers such a broad array of capabilities that there are often several ways to accomplish the same task—some more complicated and than others. And often the best way to use a particular tool is just as easy and effective as doing things wrong.

Today’s tutorial from the Photoshop Café YouTube channel urges to stop taking the common approach with Photoshop’s popular Contrast tool that has a way of spoiling an image by introducing a dreaded harsh look known as “the crunchies” that often quickly spoils an image. In fact, the manner in which some photographers employ this tool delivers images that are worse than if you did no editing at all.

Instructor Colin Smith is an expert at all thing Adobe who frequently posts lessons that simplify seemingly difficult tasks. In this episode he provides a “reimagined” use of Photoshop’s Contrast tool that delivers superior results. Best yet, his method takes less than two minutes to explain, and it’s just as quick and simple to employ.

Smith pulls up a shot of a seascape scene with waves crashing ashore.  He then clicks on the Filter tab atop the screen and chooses the Camera Raw Filter option from the dropdown menu. The Contrast slider appears under the Light section in the panel that appears. So here’s the problem: According to Smith, “most of the time when people want to increase punch in a photo they simply use the Contrast slider.”

However, all this does is deepen the darks and brightens the whites. Unfortunately, this uninformed method often creates what Smith says are “horrible looking photographs” that are crunchier that a stale cookie. In short, there’s a better way that provides much fresher results.

At first, Smith approach to achieving more POP seems counterintuitive because it starts by reducing the amount of contrast to create a “less dense’ photograph for the quick tricks that follow. As he explains, contrast is the equivalent of modifying blacks and whites—the two sliders at the bottom of the Light panel. In other words, “when we use Contrast it’s all together, but if we use blacks and whites separately we now have individual control.”

You’ll see the how this works when Smith ignores the Contrast slider and, instead, slides whites to the right and blacks to the left. The trick is to do this in a slow, deliberate manner until you see exactly what you want.

Smith provides samples of how the image appears after using the Contrast slider, employing the approach he recommends, and with no adjustments at all. It’s obvious that his method delivers superior results with more detail throughout the shot. and a far cleaner look. Who knew?

There are more quick editing tricks on Smith’s instructional YouTube channel, so visit there often and whenever you run into a jam.

We also recommend watching a tutorial we posted recently from an accomplished photographer who clears up misconception about the proper use of a camera’s aperture settings for optimum results.