We love it when experts post tutorials on obscure Lightroom and Photoshop tools that make the task of editing images faster and more precise. Whether these tricks are truly “hidden” or “secret,” as is often claimed, we can all benefit from trying unfamiliar methods.
The tutorial below discusses five such tools you may not know exist, and they’re likely to become part of your daily workflow today. Instructor Stjin Borgers is a pro based in Germany’s enchanting Black Forest, who says, “For the longest time I didn’t take notice of these secret Lightroom tools, but they are incredibly handy for editing photos like a pro.
Borgers goes even further, claiming that the methods he describes are “truly hidden away” and “essential” to his work. Be sure to watch until the end, when he demonstrates what is says is one of the best organizational features Lightroom has to offer.
Tip number on is Lightroom’s easy-to-use Target Adjustment tool that’s lurking inside the Tone Curve panel, within the HSL panel, and in the B&W panel. This tool enables you to select a specific color or tone in an image, and then adjust it without affecting the rest of the shot. As Borger explains, “this is really handy when you want to modify the hue, luminance, or saturation of a specific element within the frame.
Another oft-ignored feature is Lightroom’s Snapshot tool. This one is useful for keeping track of different versions of the edits you make. As Borgers says, “A Snapshot basically saves all the adjustments you make to a photo in a very easy-to-find record.” It therefore saves a lot of time because you don’t have to sift through the History panel searching for a previous version of an image.
Borgers describes three other super-helpful tricks as the lesson progresses, involving black and white points, simple sliders, and his “organizational pro mode.” He says, “I love using these hidden Lightroom tools,” and you will too.
Borgers goes by the handle “Sightseeing Stan,” and you can find more tips and tricks by visiting his instructional YouTube channel.
We also suggest you watch the earlier video we posted from another image-editing expert, explaining how to use an amazing new feature in Adobe Camera Raw.
One of my favorite ways to enjoy and learn about nature photography is through printed books and over the years, I have accumulated a large, diverse collection. Most of the books on my bookshelf fit nicely into a single category: portfolio, planning resource, reference, cultural/natural history, or photography education.
Sometimes a book might fit into two of these categories, but it is rare to find a publication that is all of these things in a single volume. Because they are both so comprehensive and achieve a level of excellence in each of these areas, Our National Monuments: America’s Hidden Gems and Treasured Lands: A Photographic Odyssey through America’s National Parks, both by QT Luong, are essential books for any photographer who values and visits public lands in the United States.
Although I own and value both books, this review is focused on Our National Monuments. I bought Our National Monuments during the pre-order phase and when I received it, I flipped through the photos and read some of the essays introducing each national monument.
My initial impression was quite positive: beautiful printing on substantial paper, a comprehensive narrative about each monument, and in-depth photographic coverage to bring the text to life. I recently used Our National Monuments to help plan a future photography trip and this experience with the book made me appreciate it even more.
Starting with a foreword written by former Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and an in-depth introduction covering the origin of national monuments along with an overview of the conservation issues facing these lands, the rest of the book is organized by state. Within each state, individual chapters focus on one national monument (the book covers twenty-seven national monuments in total).
Each chapter opens with a narrative, usually written by a nonprofit organization that supports and advocates for each park, that represents the perspective of those closest to the monument and offers context about the landscape. A comprehensive series of full-page photos from around each national monument follows, covering the major highlights, some lesser-known spots, and more intimate views.
After the photos, Luong provides reference information including a helpful overview map, orientation information, an overview of the park’s seasons, and a discussion about each of the preceding photographs.
When taken separately, each of these chapters provides an excellent introduction to each monument: the local perspective, a sense of the conservation issues, context for the area’s geography, natural and cultural history, useful trip planning resources, and ideas for how a photography trip might work. When taken together, Our National Monuments is an incredible achievement as a work providing inspiration, information, and advocacy in a single volume.
Writing about public lands in the United States is a complicated endeavor right now. With the COVID pandemic encouraging more people to get outside, chronic underfunding for federal parks and public lands, ever-changing public policy, and social media making information much more accessible, places like national parks, monuments, and other federal lands are under a lot of pressure.
With these trends in mind, the tendency among conservation-minded nature photographers seems to be to protect information instead of sharing it, with the hope of keeping some places off the beaten path. With Our National Monuments, Luong has chosen a different approach.
By providing context about each place, information about the very real threats to some of these landscapes and showing significant reverence for each place through both the writing and the photographs, this book has the potential to inspire a much deeper appreciation for these relatively unknown public lands. Even if this book will bring more visitors to some of these places, it takes a responsible, respectful approach to educating more people about the importance of America’s national monuments and hopefully helps build a bigger, more invested constituency for protecting special places across the United States.
For all these reasons, I highly recommend Our National Monuments as an essential part of any photography book collection.
The post Photo Book Review: “Our National Monuments” by QT Luong appeared first on Outdoor Photographer.
In today’s mobile-obsessed society there’s one thing we carry with us at all times (even if we forget to bring our wallet). And that’s the smartphone we use for everything from checking the weather, keeping up to date on social media, and taking photos when a “real” camera isn’t available. Some folks even use their phones to make telephone calls.
When it comes to photography, “purists” often refuse to give smartphones their due, even though today’s advanced phones are very capable imaging devices—dare we say cameras? We’ve posted numerous phone photos in the past that are breathtaking to say the least.
The tutorial below from the Light Meets Lens YouTube channel deals specifically with travel and nature photography when you’re traveling as light as possible; i.e. your serious camera gear is at home or in the hotel. It’s happened to the best of us.
Instructor Nick Kuhne is an accomplished pro, who says, “My obsession with landscape photography never stops—even when I’m on vacation.” He introduces this episode with a question: “How do I still capture great shots without stuffing my luggage with bulky camera gear?”
Many of Kuhne’s tutorials are behind-the-scenes affairs, as is this one made while vacationing in Aruba. And if you’re like many photographers, you know how travel partners can get peeved if you’re carrying around a huge bag of gear. Hence his surreptitious use of an iPhone 13 Pro.
In barely six minutes Kuhne discusses a variety of his techniques, accessories that make the task more effective, and a few other tips for achieving great imagery from sunrise to sunset when he lets go of his pro gear. As you’ll see, the trip went really well, other than when his expensive Panama hat blew away in the sea.
Everything you’ll learn is easy to accomplish, and most of Kuhne’s tips work equally well—whether you’re using an iPhone or Android device. By following his advice you’ll be able to capture beautiful phone photos yourself. Just keep a close eye on your favorite hat when the wind starts to blow.
Kuhne’s instructional YouTube channel is full of helpful advice for outdoor photography with all kinds of gear, so be sure to pay a visit when you have time.
We also recommend you out check another helpful tutorial we shared recently, explaining how to shoot amazing landscape photos with lenses of various focal lengths.
