Getting proper exposures when shooting in the field can be a real challenge, especially when shooting under uneven and ever-changing light. The result can be blown-out highlights, crushed shadows, or a combination of both.

Today’s tutorial from a British pro provides several straightforward tips for getting the light right that will greatly increase your odds of success. This way you can trust your exposure skills and concentrate on other aspects of your work.

Henry Turner is a British landscape photographer who regularly takes us along on his adventures, while demonstrating behind-the-scenes secrets to his success. As he says, until to know how to consistently nail exposure, you can’t really move on to other important considerations like mastering composition, achieving precise focus, and improving your visual storytelling skills.

Turner begins with a difficult scene of a small waterfall full of bright highlights. The challenge with this shot is that the bright waterfall is surrounded by dark foliage—with deep shadows throughout the scene. The tool he uses to manage the exposure is the histogram on the rear LCD of the camera.

He’s shooting at 14mm with a shutter speed of ¼ sec. to achieve a “nice milky look” with the water. His ISO is 250 with an aperture of f/11. As you’ll see, these settings result in a perfect histogram. There’s a lot going on in the scene, and you’ll pick up valuable composition tips as you watch Turner capture the shot.

Turner moves on to another peaceful location in the Lake District and finds a scene with different challenges. Once again, he carefully interprets the histogram to arrive at a proper exposure. The goal is to avoiding clipping the right or left side of the graph and let the midtones fall in place. As a result, detail is retained in both the shadows and highlights.

Some cameras feature a “live histogram” that displays the exposure changes you make in real time. Turner explains how to use that, and he provides an alternate approach if your camera doesn’t offer this relatively new capability.

There’s much more to learn in this 16-minute lesson, and by the time you’re done watching bungled exposures will be a thing of the past. You can find more tips and tricks on Turner’s instructional YouTube channel, so consider it a valuable resource in the future.

And be sure to check out another tutorial we posted recently, discussing several common landscape photography fails and how to get things right.

Have you ever noticed when employing masks that ugly artifacts appear around the periphery of the selection? It’s a common problem that can be quickly resolved by following the quick and easy tips in this tutorial from the Photoshop Café YouTube channel.

Instructor Colin Smith is the founder of the channel and an expert at all things Adobe. In barely four minutes he demonstrates how to rehabilitate a photo by eliminating these unsightly edges, and his effective method is so simple that even beginners can accomplish the task with ease.

The demonstration image a pretty seascape shot with a beautiful sky. Smith’s goal is to reduce the silhouette in the foreground. So he grabs Lightroom’s masking tool and chooses Select Subject. Lightroom’s AI select the gazebo on the shore, but Smith also wants a selection of the foreground.

Smith quickly accomplishes this task using Lightroom’s Object tool that works in two modes: either with a selection or by using a brush. He chooses the latter approach and roughly paints over the area he wants to keep. Lightroom then makes an AI selection of that area in the image.

But here’s the problem: after increasing exposure and opening up the shadows, ugly artifacts around the edges of the selection are readily apparent. There are several was to fix this mess, some more complicated than others, but Smith reveals a technique that does a great job and is as simple as can be.

Smith chooses the Subtract option and grabs a large brush, making sure that Feather is set to the maximum. You’ll then notice two concentric rings; the inner ring represents where the brush is, and the outer ring depicts the Feather. He then runs the feather across the area that needs repair.

The next step is turning on Auto Mask to sample color and protect the edges around the foliage. There are a few minor refinements, using the keyboard shortcuts Smith provides, and the rehabilitation process is complete—short and sweet.

Smith’s popular YouTube channel is full of straightforward techniques like this, so be sure to pay a visit whenever you find yourself in a jam.

And don’t miss the earlier tutorial we posted from another post-processing expert, explaining how to dodge and burn in Lightroom for perfectly exposed photos.

Today were going to talk about properly configuring a camera for your specific needs. And if you’re one of those “set-it-and-forget-it” photographers we suggest you pay close attention.

Even worse is buying a new camera and relying upon the default settings. That’s because camera designers don’t know anything about the type of images you shoot, and what lenses you employ. So default settings merely provide decent results for the average Joe. And if you shoot a variety of different genres, with lenses from wide to telephoto, each require a different configuration for optimum results.

Instructor Ian Worth is a pro landscape photographer based in Wales, and in today’s episode he discusses “10 camera settings that I always change on every camera I own.” We suggest you consider his advice and do the same for the cameras in your cabinets.  And whenever you buy a new camera, the first thing you should do is set it up properly for your specific needs.

The key configurations discussed in this lesson aren’t specific to any particular brand, and they’re easy to find by scrolling through the menu. Worth begins with the Long Exposure Noise Reduction setting. He provides a quick rundown on the common options available, as well as problems that may occur. Bottom line: Worth always turns off this setting and deals with image noise during post-processing.

Many cameras also offer a setting known as Instant Image Review that enables you to examine a photo on the rear LCD immediately after it’s captured. This is another one Worth always turns off because he often shoots photos in quick succession, and he prefers to evaluate them later when he’s not concentrating on capturing his next shot.

It goes without saying that we always want to achieve the best possible results during post-processing, hence the third setting Worth recommends which is to set the camera to capture Raw file. In his case he configures his cameras to capture images in both the Raw and JPEG file format for maximum flexibility. This is particularly convenient if your camera has two card slots.

The foregoing describes just three camera settings that Worth recommends you change, and he provides a clear rational for these and the other seven discussed as the lesson proceeds. We recommend having a camera (or two or three) handy while watching this lesson so you can experiment with some changes as they’re discussed.

Worth’s YouTube channel is full of helpful tips and tricks, so be sure to pay a visit when you have time.

And don’t miss the tutorial we posted from another experienced pro, explaining five Do’s and Don’ts For shooting better outdoor photographs.

If you’re unfamiliar with the notion of “aspect ratios” it’s time to understand the concept. That’s because the shape of a photograph greatly influences how images are viewed.  As you’ll see in the quick video below, there’s much more to this topic than just cropping a horizonal image into a vertical one to improve composition.

Instructor Mike Smith is a notable British landscape photographer who regularly posts behind-the-scenes tutorials demonstrating his favorite techniques, camera settings, and gear. By the time you’re done watching this seven-minute episode you’ll know everything necessary for choosing the best aspect ratio for whatever situations you confront.

Smith notes that aspect ratios have been an unwitting part of our lives; ever since the first time an artist put paint to paper, followed by the first image printed in the darkroom and the introduction of the first televisions and computer screens. More recently, when setting up a new camera, you’re given a choice of using the native aspect ratio (often 4:3) or changing it to 3:2, 1:1, 16:9 or something else.

It terms of photography here’s what you need to know to get started: Aspect ratios are expressed by two numbers separated by a colon; the first representing width of your photo, and the second indicating the height. Thus, a square photo has an aspect ratio of 1:1.

Smith goes into much more detail about what this means for your photography, how it influences whether you shoot in landscape or portrait mode, implications for cropping, and other important considerations. He also discusses his favorite aspect ratio “that the Internet hates.”

With all this information under your belt you’ll be able to decide the precise shape of every photo you make, whether it’s a portrait, expansive landscape vista, or anything else. This approach puts you in charge of exactly how your images are viewed and displayed.

After watching this very helpful lesson, take a look at Smith’s instructional YouTube channel for much more of the same.

And check out an earlier tutorial we posted from another accomplished pro, explaining how to create Golden Hour photos at any time of day with a simple Lightroom editing technique.