If you’re a regular Shutterbug reader, you know there’s something special about the second day of the week. That’s because it’s Tutorial Tuesday at Park Cameras—one of the leading photo retailers in the UK.

Summer is a great time for outdoor photography, despite the often-scorching heat, with numerous opportunities no matter where you live. It’s not necessary to travel far to find beautiful sunrises and sunsets, great nighttime skies, colorful flowers and lush greenery, accessible wildlife and more.

In the eight-minute tutorial below with exuberant instructor Gareth Evans, you’ll pick up five expert tips for making the most of this season. And, frankly, you can apply much of what you learn throughout the entire year.

Whether you’re a beginner, a more experienced shooter, or even a pro, the advice Evans provides is sure to elevate your results whenever you leave home with a camera. He covers a variety of important topics from selecting a subject and using light to best advantage, to composition and other key elements that transform ho-hum photos into stunning visual masterpieces.

Evans’ first tip may sound obvious, but he says it’s something he ponders carefully every time goes out to shoot; namely, spending sufficient time at a location to find a really great subject. That’s because it’s very difficult to capture eye-catching images of uninspiring scenes.

Evans puts it like this: “When it comes to landscape, for example, you might find a really beautiful view. But you also must find a subject within that scene that can become the anchor point of your photo.” This can be a person or interesting object within the frame, or even a beautiful beam of light emanating from the sky. Then, you build the composition around that.

There’s also a discussion of another key mindset; namely the importance of slowing down—whether you’re shooting landscapes, environmental portraits, wildlife, or just about anything else. Here the idea is simply one of concentrating on the quality rather than the quantity of the images you bring home. In other words, patience can make a big difference, and Evans’ images illustrate why.

Evans’ other tips are just as pertanent and simple to achieve, once you make the commitment to see the situation as a whole. Understanding the rules of composition is another key to great photos, because with that knowledge you’ll know when to follow or ignore conventional wisdom.

Take a close look at these and the other suggestions Evans provides, and then head over to the popular Park Cameras YouTube channel for more tips and tricks on all aspects of photography.

We also recommend watching the tutorial we posted with another expert shooter, explaining how to check a lens if your photographs aren’t consistently sharp.

Have you ever noticed ugly banding artifacts in the gradients you create in Photoshop? Well, here’s the good news: There’s a quick Photoshop fix that you’ll learn in the four-minute tutorial below from the globally popular PIXimperfect YouTube channel.

Instructor Unmesh Dinda is perhaps the world’s most popular image-editing instructor, with almost five million subscribers to his channel. He’s known for simple solutions to common processing problems, and this one is about as quick and easy as it gets.

In today’s episode Dinda explains a “hidden setting” in Photoshop that will help you avoid banding when creating a Gradient Fill layer or using the Gradient tool. He explains how to turn on the special setting, and then demonstrates two techniques that, when used in combination, make banding a thing of the past.

Dinda notes that unsightly banding in gradients isn’t always obvious until you zoom in on a photo, at which point it smacks you in the face. And if you make large prints it’s right there for everyone to see. The lesson begins with Dinda selecting the Gradient tool on the left side of the screen and creating a simple gradient to demonstrate the problem and solution.

To make the banding easier to discern, Dinda then opens the Curves tool, moves the left slider to the right, and the right slider to the left. This increases contrast, and there you have it: really hard banding. So how do you avoid it?

First, go to the top of the screen, select Mode, and change the option in the dropdown menu from 8-bits to 16 bits per channel. The banding still appears because it’s “burned in” the pixels. But now go back to the Gradient too and create the gradient again. Surprise: the banding is gone!

Keep in mind that if you’re working with JPEGS they can only be saved as 8-bit files. As you may suspect, Dinda has a solution for that too, using the magic of the Dither tool at the top of the screen. As he explains, “what Dither does is that it introduces a noisy blend between colors.” Take a look at his before/after images to see how this works.

Dinda provides a couple other tricks for making this technique work to perfection. By following his simple tips, you can forever forget about banding in gradients, and move on the to next problem you encounter.

And when it comes to simple solutions to whatever stumps you next, there’s no better solution than visiting Dinda’s comprehensive YouTube channel.

We also suggest you watch the tutorial we posted recently from another expert, explaining several pro editing tips that will change your processing workflow in Photoshop and Lightroom.

We’ve all been in situations when shooting landscapes or outdoor portraits when the images we capture aren’t quite as dramatic as we would like. Sometimes that ‘s because lighting conditions could be far more interesting.

The quick tutorial below from one of our favorite image-editing specialists explains a straightforward Photoshop technique for adding simple “atmospheric effects” that will really boost the impact of images that need a bit more pizazz. This lesson demonstrates these tricks with an image of a pretty model, but you can use what you learn on all sorts of photos shot in the field.

Nino Batista is an image-retouching specialist with an enthusiastic following on his YouTube channel. His demonstration image was made on a hazy day in Hawaii, and Batista has already completed most of the edit. What you see in this episode is often his final step; namely, refining and adjusting the shape and intensity of the light.

With enhancements like these it’s important to pay attention to the direction of the illumination in a scene, so the effect you add is a good match and creates a realistic look. In this particular shot the light was coming from above. Here’ the catch: adding a light effect in Photoshop may impact the earlier edits you made, so some minor adjustments may be necessary.

One such problem according to Batista is that certain atmosphere effects tend to reduce contrast in the image, so it may be necessary to bump that up. But as you’ll see, increasing contrast at this point can result in unappealing oversaturation and a shift in color tones that need to be addressed. You’ll learn how to easily compensate as Batista walks you through the process.

This is but one aspect of the step-by-step edit that Batista demonstrates in just 11 minutes that significantly improves his original photo. You’ll watch him throw some nice light into the scene and enhance colors in the jungle canopy—all without adversely affecting the perfect skin tones of his model.

Bottom line, the transformation looks great and retains a very realistic look. While watching the episode you may want to think about other ways you can apply these techniques when shooting in the great outdoors.

When you’re done, head over to Batista’s instructional YouTube channel where there’s much more to learn

And be sure to check out the tutorial we posted recently from another Photoshop expert, explaining how to use Layer Blending modes for more compelling photos.

3 Legged Thing (3LT) just announced Freya, an L-bracket designed to fit the popular Fujifilm X-T5 specifically, and Shutterbug received a sample to evaluate several weeks before launch date. Here’s our rundown.

Purpose of L-Brackets
If you didn’t know, the main purpose of an L-bracket is to provide an Arca-Swiss compatible pair of rails (a base and an upright) to facilitate camera attachment to a tripod in horizontal and vertical orientations. The L-bracket is used instead of the mounting plate supplied with the tripod head.

Most examples have been refined to accommodate the attachment of various accessories, e.g., microphones, field monitors and lighting devices. They’re very handy, especially if you shoot a lot of video.

The Problem with Ordinary L-Brackets
Although L-brackets are extremely convenient, they remain slightly underutilized by photographers and video shooters. Part of the lack of popularity stems from their sometimes one-shape-fits-all design. In too many cases, L-brackets interfere with the battery compartment cover and/or articulated camera monitor—users must remove the bracket to change batteries and in some instances the memory cards as well. There goes the convenience aspect.

The Solution
3 Legged Thing, working in cooperation with Fujifilm UK, has resolved these issues for users of Fujifilm X-T5 cameras in a grand way. Following the success of its Gracy L-bracket for Fujifilm GFX 100S and 50S II cameras, 3LT created Freya, a dedicated L-bracket that does not impede camera accessibility or function. (3LT gives brackets, tripods, and other accessories anthropomorphic names, hence the Gracy and Freya monikers.)

The Arca-Swiss compatible Freya L-bracket gives X-T5 users unfettered access to the battery cover and side I/O ports. Additionally, cut-outs along the base and in the upright allow the rear screen to be opened and angled. An indent in the upright accommodates the camera’s strap lug. The  shape of the base ensures a secure fit, and a 1/4-20 stainless steel camera screw attaches the L-bracket securely to the camera. In addition, 3LT supplies an adapter that allows the use of Peak Design’s popular v3 Capture Clip system

Versatility
Made from aerospace-grade magnesium alloy, Freya features a 1/4-20 threaded hole in its upright for the attachment of the aforementioned accessories. The base section of Freya can be extended for use with cables when in portrait orientation. 3 Legged Thing supplies a cable management bracket that slots onto the upright. Also, the base can be used alone if the sole intent is to attached to a tripod in landscape orientation.

Conclusion
As a frequent Fujifilm X-T5 user, I attached Freya to my camera and still haven’t taken it off. It attaches securely and provides just enough extra grip on the lefthand side (a bonus beyond original purpose). Freya is very high quality and attractive as well. Highly recommended.

Price & Availability
The 3 Legged Thing Freya L-bracket comes in these 3LT signature colors: Copper, Metallic Slate Grey, and Darkness matte black. Freya is available directly from 3LT and many camera retailers. It has a suggested retail price of $119.99. For worldwide availability information visit 3LT Store Locator & Stocklists.

Other 3 Legged Thing Dedicated L-Brackets
3 Legged Thing makes award-winning tripods, monopods, tripod heads, camera bags and brackets, all with interesting names.

In addition to two universal L-brackets, the 3LT bracket lineup includes these models:
Alfie for Sony Alpha A7 IV and certain other models,  Gracy for Fujifilm GFX 100S and 50S II, Ollie for OM System OM-1, Roxie for Canon EOS R5, R5 C and R6, Zelda for Nikon Z5, Z6, Z7, Z6 II, Z7 II, and Zaara for Nikon Z9.

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