Over the last few weeks, I’ve been sharing some cryptic clues about my first new course in 5 years. Until now, I’ve just called it ‘the plan’. Well, the plan is finally revealed! It finally has a name, and I’m proud to announce it will be available very shortly! I know this will help you propel your own photography to completely new levels!

I’ve created a short 4 minute video with lots more details. Click through the link to watch!
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Summer is fast approaching – in the northern hemisphere, anyway, and if that’s the half of the world where you reside you might benefit from some summer photography tips. (If not, then photographing winter landscapes might be more your thing.)

To photographers, summer is first and foremost a time of sun. Sun of course means bright, which of course means difficult lighting. You can get some great photos even in the middlish hours of the day, but you will need to keep a few things in mind. Here’s a short list to get you started.
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Summertime brings lots of great photo opportunities, but you’re not the only one who can get burned by the sun – your photos can, too. Strong light can be a problem for summer shots, so be aware of the sun’s position and the harsh shadows that might ruin your shot. You may need to compensate with extras like reflectors, polarizing filters and fill-flash. Remember also that summer is a theme, and make sure your images reflect not only that summertime activity but also give your viewer a feel for the season itself.
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Horses are challenging subjects. Like cats, they can be disagreeable, and they can also be unpredictable. When photographing a standing horse pay attention to your subject’s ears and try to capture the photo when the ears are pricked forwards; when the horse is in motion, ear position matters less. Do remember to shoot from interesting angles, zoom in on the details and try to capture the relationship between horse and rider.
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Taking pictures of animals is both fun and challenging, so it’s no wonder that Flickr, Facebook and every other photo sharing website out there are full of images of everything from family pets to wild animals to the residents of the local zoo.

If you’ve ever spent any time photographing animals, you know that different species require different tricks. Cats, for example, need to be stalked. Cats are like teenagers – if they know that camera is around, they’ll avoid it. Dogs, on the other hand, tend to be more accommodating than cats. Spend a few minutes throwing a stick for an active dog, and you’ll probably come away from the experience with a few good photos.

Now what about horses? Ah, they’re even trickier. Our canine and feline friends are carnivores, but horses are prey animals, so their behavior is very different from the behavior of our household pets. Photographing horses requires some altogether different tricks.
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Can you guess what it is? Let me know in the comments below…

All will be revealed next week!

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Do you know what the difference is between a good photographer and a great one?

It’s light. Or rather, the way the photographer uses light. A good photographer knows how to compose an image, how to angle her camera so the viewer gets a completely unique perspective of an object, how to capture an event in an interesting and unusual way – even how to capture an emotion. A great photographer does all of this in the right light.

Light is pervasive, and because of this you may not always be consciously aware of it – unless it’s either blinding you or fading from view. Most of the rest of the time, light just is, so we don’t pay much attention to it. For this reason you may spend a lot of time just snapping photos without really thinking about the quality of the light.

But it’s worthwhile paying attention because you’ll get some stunning results…
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The difference between a good photo and an outstanding photo can often be found in the light. As you look at these examples of images that make good use of light, think about how each one might have looked if the light had been flat, or hard, or coming from a different direction.

Think about how it might have looked if it was photographed at a different time of day. These images are outstanding because the photographer waited for the perfect light, or he/she made adjustments to the light that transformed the image from ordinary to amazing. “Seeing” light the way these photographers do is a skill, and once you learn how, you’ll find that your portfolio will start to fill with images that look just as amazing as these do.
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Advanced If you shoot landscapes – especially scenes containing water, such as waterfalls, oceans and lakes, you probably already know something about using a neutral density (ND) filter. The neutral density filter is the go-to tool for any photographer who wants to take a long exposure during daylight hours. All those stunning images of misty oceans and rivers that you’ve admired were probably taken with ND filters. But if you don’t have a set of ND filters there is another trick you can employ to capture similar images – and it’s less expensive and more flexible than a set of ND filters, too.
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From baby drool to missing teeth to high school graduation, capturing images of your kids throughout their childhood is one of the most important extracurricular roles as a parent that you’ll ever have. Not only for you, but down the road for your kids to have photos to reflect back on. Birthday parties, holidays, and vacations are a given for photo-ops, but there are plenty of other times you’ll be photographing your kids. Making as many images as possible count is your goal. Here are 10 tips for getting the best photos of your kids.
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As I said last week, I’m hard at working designing, creating, producing and putting the final touches on something I know will make you fall in love with your photography – either because you’ll be able to take some stunning images of your loved ones, or for just the delight in taking a breathtaking photo of something you’ve seen.

And today, I’ve started the countdown! My next project – with a working title of ‘the plan‘ – will be released exactly 1 month from today.

During production, I’ve seen some truly amazing images from around the world, and I wanted to share some with you. Consider this a sneak peak at what you could accomplish yourself in just a few weeks.

More next week…
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Photographing at twilight gives a spooky and mysterious flavor to your images, and it can be used to great effect as you can see in these images below.
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You’ve heard me talk oh-so many times about that magic hour, the time just after sunrise and just before sunset when the light has that beautiful, magical quality that can transform a dull, flat scene into a stunning photograph.

What you haven’t heard me talk so much about is twilight. Twilight could be called something similar – that glittering hour, perhaps, or that surreal hour. Twilight photos are different because there’s that element of other-worldliness to them that only appears during that brief moment between day and night. Twilight can be a beautiful setting for any photo, but particularly for landscapes. Master creating twilight images and your photo collection will really be spectacular.
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Modern digital cameras are capable of transforming almost any scene from ordinary to extraordinary. With the right tools and the right knowledge, you can actually create an image that is even more impressive than the scene you saw with your naked eye. Your camera’s settings are designed to help you achieve this, as are software packages such as Photoshop Elements. You can also use any of dozens of little tools and tricks to add that little bit of interest to your image that can go a long way towards transforming your photos from plain to amazing.

One of the most important of these tools is the circular polarizer. A circular polarizer is a screw-on filter that could almost be described as a pair of sunglasses for your lens.
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Need inspiration for your underwater photos? Or just want to know what’s possible with underwater shots. Take a look at these stunning examples from photographers all around the world.
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