دسته: فیلتر

  • Learn How To Capture Better Architectural Photos With These Resources

    Learn How To Capture Better Architectural Photos With These Resources

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    Architectural photography is not about capturing photos of just buildings, but also about capturing meaningful photographs of structures, their stories and sometimes closer photos of cityscapes as well. A lot of photographers consider it to be a boring genre or one that is used for real estate purposes but if you look closely and work with the best light conditions, while also using the right focal length, architectural photographs can be stunning and very interesting subjects for photography. These can also be combined with other genre like portraits, street, documentary, etc.

    When it comes to architectural photography, it almost always involves geometry in it and using geometry in compositions can be a powerful way to capture compelling photographs. Architectural photography can be of both interior and exterior photographs of architecture and if you are new to architectural photography, learn how to capture better architectural photos with the resources listed below.

    Photo by Wolfgang Staudt

    When it comes to architectural photography, there are quite a lot of factors that need to be taken onto account. Depending on what you wish to shoot and the results you are looking to achieve, starting from the focal length used, you will need to take care of the aperture values, iso, shutter speed, stabilisation, the verticals and so on. This article discusses seven tips to capture perfect architectural photographs.

    Photo by Hector Falcon

    Outdoor architecture is one where the photographer captures the exteriors of an architectural structure, be it the entire structure or part of it. When capturing outdoor images of architectural structures, do not just point and shoot what is right in front of you or just capture the entire building and stop with that. Close observations under the right light conditions will reveal the intricate details and colours in architectural structures and this article talks about five things you need to consider when photographing outdoor architecture.

    Old and new, contrast and juxtaposition are good architectural subjects. By Jason Row Photography

    There was a time when photographers thought that architectural photographs could only be captured using a wide angle lens, because most photographers, even when closer to the structure, thought that the structure needs to be completely included in the frame. Architectural structures come with stunning details and colours – the patterns and the geometry can be very compelling and there are many ways in which a photographer can photograph a part of an architectural structure and this article discusses a few.

    Photo by Ashim D’Silva

    Landscape and nature photography are stunning and there are a ton of opportunities to photograph subjects in nature. The same applies for buildings that range from ancient historical structures, ruins, religious structures, cultural architecture to modern architecture. Architectural photography can also help the photographer slow down and learn to use the camera, especially if you are beginner as there are buildings and structures all around us. This article provides eight reasons why you should try architectural photography.

    Photo by Germán Rodríguez

    There are a multitude of religions across the world and they all have places of worship or other religious structures built for various purposes. Religious structures can look complicated both on the inside and the outside, but the intricate details are stunning to photograph, if taken time to observe and compose. This article shares some secrets to capture amazing religious architecture.

    A four minute exposure using 16 stops of ND was enough to create movement in these slow moving clouds. By Jason Row Photography

    Architectural subjects can be great for long exposure photography, where you have a powerful static subject which is your architectural structure, and then you can capture the movements around the structure, be it people, swaying trees in the wind, clouds, water, traffic light trails and so on. Capturing long exposure images of architecture can boost the visual impact of the frame itself and this article is a good guide to long exposure architectural photography.

    Photo by Medhat Ayad

    Whether you are a real estate photographer or someone interested in capturing the interiors of buildings and other structures, interior architectural photography brings out the character of a building, and shows what the great structures really look like on the inside. It can be quite tricky to capture interiors because of the limited light, sometimes also the limited or huge space inside and composition can also be quite tricky. This article provides some tips to capture indoor architecture easily.

    If you are someone who is interested in black and white photography, architectural structures can be great subjects for black and white photography, if done well. Good light, tonal range, patterns or textures, composition, are some important factors to look out when shooting for black and white conversion. This article discusses the art of urban black and white photography.

    Photo by William Warby

    Converging verticals can be a problem in architectural photography and when shooting certain buildings and structures, it can look stunning and artistic for some buildings/structures but quite odd for the others. Architectural photographers most of the time try to get those verticals right, in order to get the best results. If you are looking for ways to get the verticals straight in your architectural images, check out this article that discusses a few tips.

    Further Reading



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  • These Religious Architectural Photos Speak Of Their Time And Place

    These Religious Architectural Photos Speak Of Their Time And Place

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    There are religious architectural structures almost all around the world. When talking about religious structures or architecture, it includes churches, cathedrals, mosques, synagogues, temples, pagodas, monasteries, etc. Religious architectural photography is a bit complicated because the architecture itself can be very detailed both inside and out.

    When capturing photos of religious places, one needs to compose carefully, make use of the available light and use the right camara settings and gear wisely in order to get the best results. A tripod will be of great help when shooting indoors and a wide angle or tilt-shift lens to get the entire building in the frame, or a moderate focal length to capture the architectural details.

    Here are 24 religious architectural photos, that speak of their time and place.

    Architectural photographs are great subjects for black and white photography. It is advised to not shoot directly in black and white, but to capture the colours in raw format and then convert it to black and white when post processing. There is more to converting an image to black and white, than just dragging the saturation slider all the way down to the negative end. If you wish to produce dynamic black and white images, check out this eBook, “Better Black And White” by Photzy, that will teach you how to properly convert a colour file to a black and white image.

    Jure Tufekcic
    Sonia Dauer
    Manasa Putnala
     Fernando Lavin
     Roozbeh Eslami
    Danylo Istominov
    Andy Bridge
    Miguel Baixauli

    When capturing an image for black and white conversion, you will need to decide when photographing the structure itself, whether the image will work well in black and white. Good light and tonal range in the image is very important. Contrasting colours do not always convert to contrasting tones in black and white. If you are starting out in black and white photography, check out this eBook, “Better Black And White” by Photzy, which is a practical follow along guide that will help you to create compelling black and white shots every time.

    Ricardo Gomez Angel
    Jason An
    Pond Gotishatiankul
    Siborey Sean
     Mich Stella
    Benjamin Merkle
     Raul Taciu
     Sanjar Ganiev

    When you are out in the field, depending on the light and the colours that are right in front of you, you should be able to decide whether a shot will work great in black and white. Learning how to look in black and white will greatly help and there are also a few post-processing tricks that will help you get the best results. If you wish to take your black and white photography seriously, check out this eBook, “Better Black And White” by Photzy, to understand tone, contrast and master black and white photography.

     Dibakar Roy
    Vijesh Datt
     Aleksey Cherenkevich
     Yingjie Wang
    Rachelle Magpayo
    Keyur Tandel
     Santy Sun
    Daniel Olah

    Further Reading



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  • September 2025 Photo Contest Winners: The Beauty of Everyday Life

    September 2025 Photo Contest Winners: The Beauty of Everyday Life

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    We’re happy to announce the winner of September’s competition, “The Beauty of Everyday Life.”

    For those who don’t know, the Light Stalking Monthly Photography Competition carries a $100 People’s Choice Award and a $100 Overall Winner Award. The People’s Choice Winner is selected by a vote of the community, whereas our guest judge selects the overall winner.

    The “Beauty of Everyday Life” Photo Contest

    Capturing the beauty of everyday life is a priceless thing and it is one that helps the photographer to capture even the most ordinary moments of everyday life in a very beautiful and artistic way. This could be the little fleeting moments happening in the natural world around us, the little moments happening indoors at home or candid moments in public places.

    Some ways in which the beauty of everyday life can be photographed are, finding and photographing beauty in moments that are often overlooked everyday, creatively using a particular type of light on a day because the Sun decided to peek out of the clouds at a certain time to illuminate a spot, capturing the daily life of humans, could be a hug or even a genuine smile or laughter, etc., or even capturing the intricate beauty or patterns in the subjects around us – both nature and manmade.

    Participants of September’s contest cleverly submitted their interpretations of the theme that included moments from nature, moments in public and private places, their own candid moments and so on. The photos were all meaningful, portraying an interesting story.

    When choosing the winning photos, we wanted to make sure that the decision process was based on a good interpretation of the theme, followed by other factors like light, composition, story, details, creative vision, etc. The results are entirely subjective and there are no losers in any competition as we all know.

    Here are September’s Winners:

    First Place: “Everyday on the birdbath” by Tersha

    Copyright Tersha

    Tersha’s photo of a little bird on the birdbath was a sweet moment captured and one that reminds us of the importance of looking after the wildlife around us. The head of the bird has a bit of motion blur, that shows the bird enjoying its time in the bath which may be its daily activity that it looks forward to (as the title says). Also, with the bird looking into the bath, it can make one very curious what the next moment will be.

    The composition is also spot on with a simple rule of thirds and the background blurred to make the bird and the bath stand out. The golden light at the back also helps with a good contrast in the photo – the bright sun outside and the shadier area where the bird is enjoying its time at that particular moment.

    Congratulations on capturing this beautiful photo and the win Tersha!

    Second Place: “The ride” by Robert H

    Copyright Robert H

    This photo by Robert is a clever use of the golden ratio and Robert has captured the simple joys of everyday life beautifully in this photo. The light is quite hard and there must have been a lot of colours in the photo but Robert’s choice to convert it to black and white has helped focus the attention on the moment and to remove the harsh effects of the light itself.

    Capturing the photo from the back has also introduced a kind of mystery and intrigue in the photo but at the same time complements the pattern of the seating area. Robert has made use of the right settings to freeze the moment and the details across the frame are tack sharp. Congratulations Robert on this beautifully captured image.

    Third Place: “The Beauty of Everyday Life” by Patrick

    Copyright Patrick

    Patrick chose to submit a collage that showcases the beauty of his everyday life. I think this is a clever way to portray one’s own story, if you have the creativity and patience to do so. Looks like Patrick is working on a very creative project and has captured the “behind the scenes” of the process, himself working and also chilling and enjoying the process .

    Presenting images in the form of a collage is not an easy one from an artistic point of view. The images need to work well together and they need to have some sort of connection in terms of story, theme, colours, etc. The images in Patrick’s collage look great with perfect range of tones while also telling us a bit about his everyday life. This is a very clever submission Patrick and congratulations!

    People’s Choice Award Winner

    Our monthly photo contests also come with a People’s Choice Award. The winner of this part of the contest receives $100 worth of store credit on Light Stalking which they can spend as they please on our blueprints, drills, courses or Presets.

    Copyright Patrick

    The most popular photo for September, voted by the contestants was “I’ll be watching you” by Patrick, which has won the people’s choice award. This is a very powerful photo, typical of our loyal friends who always keep an eye out and are always curious about what we are up to. The look on the dog’s face and the way Patrick has framed this image, works well together making it a great storytelling shot and a great moment to keep as one of the beauties of everyday life. Congratulations on the win Patrick.

    We are almost three weeks into this month’s photo contest and still have a few days left to submit photos to our October’s monthly contest. This month, our theme is, “Abstract Realities.”

    If you would like to join and enter some images into our monthly contest then take a look at your options here.



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  • Patterns Of Life, Abstract Nature – The Weekly Light Stalking Community Roundup

    Patterns Of Life, Abstract Nature – The Weekly Light Stalking Community Roundup

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    Welcome to our weekly community wrap-up.  It’s been another very exciting week on the Light Stalking forums with great photography by the community and the discussions in the forums have been amazing and very inspiring the past few weeks.

    Here is the Photo Of The Week that is judged by Federico every week. This week’s photo of the week is Pat Garrett’s unique take on patterns – Unseen patterns connected to every day life. Read more about it here – Photo of the Week – October 12th

    Copyright Pat Garrett

    The weekend photography challenge from last week was “Patterns of Life” and members came up with their creative interpretation of the theme by capturing very interesting shots – some of them are shared below.

    This week, we have a new challenge that has some very beautiful submissions already. Join the challenge here – Nature’s Abstractions

    Here are some patterns of life photographs from the past week’s challenge that we thought were great and should be included here:

    Copyright Patrick
    Copyright Patrick
    Copyright Patrick
    Copyright Michael
    Life Passed Through Here – Copyright Pat Garrett
    Copyright Patrick

    Here are photos shared by members in other forums like General Photo Chit Chat, Landscape Photography, Macro Photography, etc.

    Robert shared a photo of clouds shot through pine trees here. Check out Robert’s experience when capturing that photo.

    Sitting in Camp on a Late Summer After Noon sipping a Beer and watching the Clouds through the Pines – Copyright Robert Apple

    And a Morning View from one of the Camper Windows

    Copyright Robert Apple

    Robert shared another interesting photo from the Red Rocks – Visitors From Easter Island. How many faces can you see? Go and comment here.

    Copyright Robert Apple

    Daniel shared a few photos too: One of a china rose here

    A New England Aster here:

    Copyright Daniel Krueger

    And a moon series here:

    Copyright Daniel Krueger

    Tersha shared a stunning photo of a Nigella flower, almost going into seed.

    Blue Petals – Copyright Tersha

    Another fun image by Tersha was – Spot the spiders

    Copyright Tersha

    Patrick has been working on a few projects recently and also has been creatively capturing images, mostly with a dark mood. Here are some interesting ones:

    After Dark – Copyright Patrick
    No entry – Copyright Patrick

    Also, check out some artworks that Patrick has been working on recently here:

    Punks Not Dead. Always challenging the classics – Copyright Patrick

    And some colours and patterns photos from everyday life here:

    Copyright Patrick

    Our new member Dail has introduced herself here, and she has already posted a couple of stunning abstract flower photos. She is an avid nature photographer with a passion for macro work, capturing the intricate beauty of the natural world up close. She is also looking for advise on mobile photography that she has been trying to improve recently.

    Discussions:

    • I have been in photography for… – Rob started this discussion – Have you guys ever noticed that somebody who leads with how long they have been doing Photography is usually about to say something to offend somebody else?
    • How do you improve? – Rob started a very interesting discussion on how photographers may fall into a few different groups. Join it here.
    • Steve started a discussion on Magnetic Filters. Join over here to participate.

    If you are someone who captures images with your smartphone, we have a Mobile Photography Challenge where you can post your mobile photos and also check out the works by other photographers. The images must be captured and edited on a smartphone. Join to submit the photos over here. Here are some interesting photos captured on a smartphone:

    There are also some members’ picks that are featured. These can be chosen by any of the members and are put in a whole new thread of their own and called out as being a great addition and shot for the forums. Check out those stunning captures here.

    Patrick started a thread late last year – “Community Inspired Photo Story Challenge” – capture a story in 3 to 6 photos that hold personal significance and post them with a brief description. While that thread was started to be completed within a week, it has been open with ongoing submissions for the past year and is still open where members can post their stories.

    Short 20 min walk round a local hidden gem – Copyright Patrick

    Here are some throwdowns to follow and post your own photos, or you can start your own throwdown too.

    • Trees That Go Bump In The Night – Robert has started a throwdown and invited members to share their unusual photos of trees (Not Your Normal tree photos)
    • 2025 Reflections Throwdown – a unique way to capture your own reflection, whether abstract or otherwise. There are many beautiful images to go through for some inspiration.
    Copyright Patrick
    • Your Pets – Share photos of your pets here.
    • Rob started a new throwdown – “Abstract Flowers” – a very interesting one and it has some very creative and absolutely stunning shots already. You can participate here and we have shared some recent images below.
    Copyright Tersha

    Dail shared a very interesting photo of Garden cosmos, where she took advantage of the wind and the clouds to capture a long exposure abstract of the flowers.

    Copyright Dail

    Jean shares ICM (Intentional Camera Movement) with low speed photo of some flowers

    Copyright Jean T
    Copyright Tersha

    And, there are images posted in the Shark Tank forum where members request for constructive criticism/feedback on their photos.

     If you’d like to join in with our members, feel free to join us on the forums.  We’d love to see you there, and we are a friendly bunch.



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  • Photo Gallery: Vibrant Portraits with the Sigma 200mm F2 DG OS Sports Lens

    Photo Gallery: Vibrant Portraits with the Sigma 200mm F2 DG OS Sports Lens

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    Sigma is pleased to feature a gallery of fashion and dance portraits by photographer Anabel DFlux. This gallery is comprised entirely of images shot with the Sigma 200mm F2 DG OS | Sports lens. With a large maximum aperture of F2 and a flattering focal length, this premium prime lens is an excellent choice for portraits with exceptional depth and compression, perfect for intentional, beautiful blurring of backgrounds and foregrounds that makes subjects pop.


    Featured model: Lee Lim @fa.mulan.rouge

    About

    Anabel DFlux is a published photographer in Los Angeles, California. Having started her photography business at the age of 15, Anabel has dedicated her life to her photographic passion. From canine sports to exotic animals, to some of the biggest musicians in the world – Anabel’s work doesn’t fall into any specific niche. She believes there are no limits to what you can create, and to photograph everything that gives you that spark of inspiration.

    Equipment used


    200mm F2 DG OS | Sports

    EXPLORE MORE


    This travel gallery – photographed with the Sigma 16-300mm F3.5-6.7 DC OS | Contemporary lens on a Fujifilm X-H2 camera body – was captured by photographer Devon Smith Jr. during a summer trip with Brooklyn to Alaska, an organization dedicated to helping diverse youth from Brooklyn, New York experience a once-in-a-lifetime adventure in Alaska’s rugged natural environment. From climbing a glacier, to rafting down a rushing river, to sleeping in a tent under the stars, BK2AK helps close the gap to outdoor adventure by increasing access to the outdoors.


    There are lenses that document life, and then there are lenses that transform it. The Sigma 200mm F2 DG OS | Sports has a way of making the everyday feel extraordinary. See how photographer Meg Loeks uses this lens to make her portraits truly stand out.

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  • 21 Soulful Portraits Shot Under Beautiful Light Using Creative Compositions

    21 Soulful Portraits Shot Under Beautiful Light Using Creative Compositions

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    Portrait photography is one of the most popular genre and one of the most difficult one to master as well. Capturing portraits may seem very simple in terms of lighting, posing, etc., but you will need to take care of a few important factors to capture soulful portraits. Here are some stunning portraits that have been shot creatively while also making use of interesting light.

    Portraits can be taken for a lot of reasons – professional, business, memories, events and so on. Depending on the purpose, you should be able to capture portraits that can be cherished for years to come. If you are new to portrait photography, it can be quite a nervous, challenging task and something a bit difficult to handle. If you would like to overcome the challenges and start capturing incredible and memorable portraits, we recommend you to check out this eBook, “The Art Of Portrait Photography” by Photzy.

    Vitaliy Shevchenko
    Mohammad Faruque
    Mubariz Mehdizadeh
    behrouz sasani
    Andriyko Podilnyk 
    Photo by Валерия Прокопович
    Natalya Ukolova

    In order to capture the best portraits, you need to choose the best location, look for stunning backgrounds and the right light to get the desired results. You don’t need the most expensive gear and lighting setups to capture stunning portraits. A beginners’ camera and an affordable 50mm f/1.8 lens will work just fine to shoot under natural or slightly low light situations. If you want to master the art of portrait photography, we recommend you to check out this eBook, “The Art Of Portrait Photography” by Photzy.

    Dmitry Mineev
    Ekaterina Krusanova 
    Diyar Shahbaz 
    Sebastian Mark 
    Farrinni 
    Howen
    Vitaliy Shevchenko

    Capturing the best portraits also depends on using powerful compositional guidelines and effective poses where you need to take care of the subject’s hands, knees, elbows, and necks. This depends on the type of portraits and the purpose of the shoot – for example capturing environmental portraits of people doing their day to day tasks in their own space, etc. If you wish to learn a lot more related to portrait photography, and capture gorgeous shots, check out this eBook, “The Art Of Portrait Photography” by Photzy which contains 214 pages of fast easy learning, packed with illustrations, case-studies and assignments to verify your knowledge. 

    Raphael Nast 
    dariush radmand
    Andriyko Podilnyk 
    Andras Vas 
    AnimGraph Lab
     Amanda Kelly

    Further Reading



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  • Everyday Stories, Abstract Flowers – The Weekly Light Stalking Community Roundup

    Everyday Stories, Abstract Flowers – The Weekly Light Stalking Community Roundup

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    Welcome to our weekly community wrap-up.  It’s been another very exciting week on the Light Stalking forums with great photography by the community and with new members joining in. The photos and discussions in the forums have been amazing and very inspiring the past few weeks, which makes it even more exciting. A lot is happening with members sharing images from their travels, projects, etc.

    Here is the Photo Of The Week that is judged by Federico every week. This week’s photo of the week is by Tersha and you can read what Federico had to say about this photo in the link here – Photo of the Week – October 3rd

    Copyright Tersha

    The weekend photography challenge from last week was “Everyday Stories” and members had their creative take on the theme with very interesting shots – some of them are shared below.

    This week, we have a new challenge that has some very beautiful submissions already. Join the challenge here – Patterns of Life

    Here are some storytelling shots from the past week’s challenge that we thought were great and should be included here:

    Elderly gentleman making maple syrup in his hand built sugar shack – Copyright Michael
    Remembering – Copyright Patrick
    Every step you take, Every move you make I’ll be watching you – Copyright Patrick
    Life imitates art – Copyright Click
    Copyright Lon Davis
    Always searching for the next frame – Copyright Patrick
    Long walks – Copyright Patrick
    Beauty surrounds us, technology can absorb us – Copyright Pat Garrett
    Hands, tying flies for fishing – Copyright Tersha
    Copyright Frogdaily

    Here are photos shared by members in other forums like General Photo Chit Chat, Landscape Photography, Macro Photography, etc.

    Dail shared a beautiful abstract photo of a flower that she shot when she was at the sunflower farm in the rain.

    Copyright Dail F

    Daniel shared an interesting post here – In Just 9 Days – The Sun and Moon Celestial Dancing! It is so interesting to see the comparison where the moon is illuminated differently during various phases.

    September 17, 2025, Moon leading sun after moon rise – Copyright Daniel
    September 26, 2025, Sun leading moon at sunset – Copyright Daniel

    Tersha shared an almost surreal photo of a wasp on a flower here:

    Copyright Tersha

    And a photo of a French Red-legged partridge here.

    Copyright Tersha

    Patrick is working on a new series of artworks and has photographed them creatively. Take a look at the photos here.

    Copyright Patrick

    Robert shared a powerful photo of a buffalo. Read about how he captured it here.

    Copyright Robert Apple

    Robert also shared a photo of a lonely tree in a vast landscape. Check it out here.

    Copyright Robert Apple

    An image of a lost place

    Copyright Robert Apple

    And a gorgeous stormy landscape here:

    Copyright Robert Apple

    Robert shared another photo of a wolf lichen, shot with a shallow depth of field here.

    Copyright Robert Apple

    Steve shared a minimal photo of a vine trying to make its way up a wall:

    Take joy in small things – Copyright Steve

    And a photo of people fishing

    Copyright Steve

    Patrick shared photos of soap bubbles. Check out the rest of the images here:

    Copyright Patrick

    Discussions:

    • How do you improve? – Rob started a very interesting discussion on how photographers may fall into a few different groups. Join it here.
    • Steve started a discussion on Magnetic Filters. Join over here to participate.

    If you are someone who captures images with your smartphone, we have a Mobile Photography Challenge where you can post your mobile photos and also check out the works by other photographers. The images must be captured and edited on a smartphone. Join to submit the photos over here. Here are some interesting photos captured on a smartphone:

    Copyright Rob Wood

    Michael shared a very interesting photo that he shot when waiting at the doctor’s office.. He said that he started chuckling when he saw the sharp’s box and empty glove box looking like some little medical elf winking and laughing at him.

    Copyright Michael

    Patrick’s urge for chocolate and therefore a visit to the shop gave him an opportunity to capture this photo on his way back home.

    Copyright Patrick

    There are also some members’ picks that are featured. These can be chosen by any of the members and are put in a whole new thread of their own and called out as being a great addition and shot for the forums. Check out those stunning captures here.

    Patrick started a thread late last year – “Community Inspired Photo Story Challenge” – capture a story in 3 to 6 photos that hold personal significance and post them with a brief description. While that thread was started to be completed within a week, it has been open with ongoing submissions for the past year and is still open where members can post their stories.

    Here are some throwdowns to follow and post your own photos, or you can start your own throwdown too.

    • Trees That Go Bump In The Night – Robert has started a throwdown and invited members to share their unusual photos of trees (Not Your Normal tree photos)
    • 2025 Reflections Throwdown – a unique way to capture your own reflection, whether abstract or otherwise. There are many beautiful images to go through for some inspiration.

    Patrick shared a very compelling reflection image:

    Copyright Patrick
    • Your Pets – Share photos of your pets here.
    • Rob started a new throwdown – “Abstract Flowers” – a very interesting one and it has some very creative and absolutely stunning shots already. You can participate here and we have shared some images below.
    Copyright Rob Wood
    Copyright Robert Apple
    Copyright Patrick
    Copyright Marty E
    Copyright Tersha
    Copyright Steve
    Copyright Frogdaily

    And, there are images posted in the Shark Tank forum where members request for constructive criticism/feedback on their photos.

     If you’d like to join in with our members, feel free to join us on the forums.  We’d love to see you there, and we are a friendly bunch.



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  • Capture Authentic Portraits With These Tips, Lighting Techniques, Styles And Poses

    Capture Authentic Portraits With These Tips, Lighting Techniques, Styles And Poses

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    Portrait photography is a genre in photography where the photographer captures the subject’s personality and story. In order to capture effective portraits, the photographer needs to make use of the right light, background, props, attire and poses, as long as they are not candids where instant moments need to be captured. 

    Portraits can be captured in any environment under any light situations and it depends on the story and mood you are trying to capture in the image. Here are a number of resources that cover everything you need to know about capturing authentic portraits, from lighting to different styles and types of portraits.

    Photo by Amir Geshani

    Portrait photography may seem like a boring genre for some people who have not actually shot portraits or gotten deep into that genre. When it comes to portraits, there are a number of types of portraits that you can actually shoot and in many creative ways. It’s not just a couple of types like professional, candid, wedding, event, etc. This article talks about 23 different types of portraits you can try today.

    Photo by Jason D. Little

    Most photographers rely on natural light for their photography and this also applies to a lot of portrait photographers. Natural light is beautiful and if you have a good understanding of light, you can manipulate natural light to your advantage to capture stunning portraits. This article provides tips that will be useful for natural light portrait photographers.

    Photo by Leonardo Toshiro Okubo

    Professional photographers mostly tend to shoot portraits in studios because they can have full control over the lighting, background and other elements that contribute to the process. It also saves the photographer from scouting for locations which in itself can sometimes be a tedious task. Shooting portraits in a studio also requires taking care of a lot of things and this article provides a ton of tips for shooting studio portraits.

    Photo by Aloha Lavina

    When we talk about natural light, we immediately think of grand landscapes, outdoor architecture, wildlife, outdoor, sports, nature photography, etc. Portraits can also be shot under natural light and they look really stunning if the light is used wisely. If there are times where your subject may require light to fill in shadows etc., you can use reflectors to fill in light. This article talks about the art of capturing natural portraits using reflectors.

    Photo by Warren Wong

    Portraits can be shot either indoors or outdoors depending on the time of day, purpose of the shoot, the results that you are looking to achieve, the weather and so many other factors. When capturing portraits outdoors, care needs to be taken when choosing the location and the type of light (golden hour, overcast, midday, night, etc.). This article discusses some secrets to capture perfect outdoor portraits.

    Photo by vahid kanani

    Portraits that have a black background can look very professional and lend a certain mood to the overall image. In order to get a black background in portraits, you can either choose a black background and use the light settings effectively to keep the background dark. Or, you can make use of the contrast between the light and dark and make the background dark, no matter what the colour. This article discusses how you can capture a portrait with a black background.

    Photo by Tanja Heffner

    In photography, shooting with available light is a skill as it requires a good understanding of light and some creative thought on how available light can be used for the best images possible. The same applies when capturing portraits – they do not always require additional or artificial lights and can be shot beautifully with available light if well planned. This article discusses how to use available light for good portrait photos

    Photo by Cottonbro

    There are times, especially indoors or outdoors when the sun is behind the subject and you need some light to bounce off something onto your subject for better illumination of your subjects in portraits. This is where bounce light comes in handy to fill in areas that are dark or need better illumination. Light can be bounced off walls, ceilings, reflectors, etc., and this article talks about some simple ways to bounce light to capture better portraits.

    Photo by Timothy Dykes

    There are times when the available light is just not enough to capture sharp details and the right colours in your portraits. If you shoot portraits often, then it is good to have a speedlight to improve the quality of your photos. With a single speedlight, there is a lot that you can achieve. This article talks about using speedlights to capture some of the best portraits.

    Photo by Samarth Singhai

    Having a camera, a good lens, location, subject and maybe a speedlight cannot help with capturing the best portraits all the time. In order for your portraits to be powerful and effective, you need to make use of compelling compositional guidelines that can take your portraits to the next level. Effectively placing the eyes and taking care of other factors when composing a portrait is important and this article talks about some fundamental composition techniques for portraits.

    Photo by Pablo Heimplatz

    Couple portraits are something that are most sought after in the field of portrait photography. Capturing couples in their candid moments can portray the bond or connection that they have with each other, but it is also good for experienced photographers to know some classic methods for posing in order to get the best results. This article talks about poses for impressive couple portraits.

    Photo by Kinga Cichewicz

    If you are someone who loves to capture portraits but are nervous to be in front of other photographers, or to capture photos of other people, you can capture your own portraits, which is self portrait. When capturing self portraits, you are working with yourself and you are both the subject and the photographer. You have the freedom to capture your personal moments without worrying about the fact that you have to pose in front of someone else. This article discusses how you can capture storytelling self portraits.

    Photo by Taya Iv

    Portrait photography does not have to be done with posed subjects, looing into the camera in a perfect location. There are times when you may have limited resources and space, but portraits can always be captured using the available light, simple props lying around the house and sometimes some DIY filters or hacks. This article talks about 10 ways in which you can elevate your portrait photography.

    Photo by Brad Starkey

    If you are a street photographer, you can also capture stunning and powerful street portraits. Streets are full of moments, stories and colours and it is a great place to capture candid moments of people going about their daily lives. The right location, good use of light and some observational skills along with some patience will yield great street portraits. This article discusses tips on capturing stunning street portraits.

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  • Why We Should Train Ourself To See In Layers

    Why We Should Train Ourself To See In Layers

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    When we first start out in photography, be it with a smartphone or a full size camera, we tend to capture exactly what is in front of our eyes. We are, by default, taking pictures 5 to 6ft above the ground, straight on with a subject more than a few meters away.

    Modern cameras tend to flatter us with their amazing technical capabilities, great colour, spot on exposure and tack sharp focus. We see those first images and we are wowed by them.

    If you have been doing photography for a few months or years, I urge you to go back and take a look at them. There is one thing that may well stand out above all others. They look flat, very two dimensional.

    Now, I can hear a few people screaming at me right now, “of course they are flat, they are photos”. But they are missing the point.

    Whilst every photo will always be two dimensional, that doesn’t exclude us from purveying a sense of depth in them. In fact, adding depth to your images will make you a better photographer and your photos more engaging.

    But how do we do that? We do it by training our eyes to see the layers around us. Let me explain.

    What Are Layers?

    Every scene we photograph is three dimensional. Even if we are photographing a painting in an art gallery, it will have three dimensions. The thickness of the paper and the frame gives us that third dimension.

    Good photos will consist of three main layers, the foreground, midground and background. Each will be distinct from the other, separated by a camera technique or compositional element. Going back to our early photographs we will see that we do indeed have those three layers. However, what we have not done is separate them sufficiently.

    The San Diego Skyline and tour baot seen from Coranado
    This image has layers but they are flat and not well defined . By Jason Row Photography

    By isolating those layers we not only add depth to our image but we also create visual storytelling. We are leading the eye of the viewer through the image, to the subject. That subject doesn’t have to be in the background, it can equally be in the midground or foreground. However, by using visual separation, we create depth and draw the eye to the subject.

    Colourful Tuk Tuk on the streets of Bangkok's Chinatown at night
    This image has multiple layers that are linked, drawing your eye through the photo. By Jason Row Photography

    In the above image, the subject is in the midground. The shallow depth of field has separated the background of the street and the foreground, the rails. Our eye is naturally drawn to the subject, the image tells a story and it also has depth.

    How Do We Learn To See Layers

    It’s actually not that difficult and there is a pretty good chance you are already doing it. If you have ever shot a photo with leading lines, you have isolated at least the foreground and background, and if there is a subject on the leading lines, a midground too.

    When preparing to photograph a scene, make a conscious decision to look for the layers. In the example below, the foreground is the nearest building to the bottom right. The roofline of this creates a leading line into the midground, the two bridges and associated buildings. The background is the modern concert hall. Despite a deep depth of field all three layers are clearly defined. The light trains of the morning traffic serve as a connection between the layers.

    The Tyne Bridges in Newcastle at sunrise with the Sage Centre in the background
    Another example of layers being subtly linked. By Jason Row Photography

    Depth of field is a powerful tool in isolating layers. A wide aperture allows us to bring the eye to one single layer, whilst a deep depth of field, such as the bridges example above, can show multiple distinct layers.

    In the image below, the shallow depth of field brings our eye purely to the foreground layer. However, the composition clearly shows a midground – the sea and a background, the rising sun. The image has a distinct three dimensional feel whilst only concentrating on a single layer.

    Flowers tied to a railing in Whitely Bay, England. Shot with the rising sun
    Background, midground and foreground but it’s clear which one to concentrate on. By Jason Row Photography

    Next time you are out shooting, before you even raise the camera, look for the layers. They could be rocks in the foreground, a treeline in the background, perhaps people in the midground. Start to train your eye to look for those separations and you will soon see that every scene that you shoot has layers.

    Up until now we have been concentrating on physical layers, however they don’t have to be.

    Layers Do Not Have To Be Physical

    Light and shade are the fundamentals of photography. They are also fantastic tools for adding depth and layers to our images. Look at the image below. Whilst the lighthouse is the obvious background and a physical element, the foreground and midground are much more about two things. The light and shade on the grass and the motion of the grass in the wind. Both draw the eye through the image to the distant lighthouse.

    Herd Groyne Lighthouse framed by grass blowing in the wind
    Although containing physical layers, the wind is adding depth to this image. By Jason Row Photography

    The best images will have multiple layers that use both the physical and the conceptual combining together to lead the eye through the image as well as tell a story. This is illustrated in the image below.

    Corfu Castle, cannons and passing yacht demonstrating many layers in photography
    Multiple layers bring depth to this image. By Jason Row Photography

    The physical elements are the walls and cannons. The cannons are the foreground, the walls, the midground. The light and shade works as a leading line to the frame but also as a way of providing definition between the midground and foreground. The frame itself reveals the background. The combination of these gives the image a very three dimensional feel.

    In this last image below, we also have very defined layers created both physically and by light and shade.

    The C2C monument and Roker Lighthouse at sunrise demonstrating multiple photographic layers
    Using light and shade to create layers. By Jason Row Photography

    The monument to the right is in complete shade but clearly defined as a foreground. The hole through the monument leads our eye to the background which is the lighthouse. However, the walking figure to the left of the shot draws our eye to the midground and helps hold the whole image together.

    As mentioned earlier, layers are everywhere. Every scene we shoot has layers. Our task is to define them and isolate them. This can be through depth of field, light and shade or through composition such as leading lines. When we do, our images become so much more three dimensional and in turn, more interesting and engaging.

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  • Benevolent Demons in the Night: A Living Tradition

    Benevolent Demons in the Night: A Living Tradition

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    It is December 31, the last night of the year. Snow is falling, and I can hear thunder in the distance.

    I’m following a group of namahage as they go from house to house, pounding on doors and growling like primeval beasts.

    In my hands, I’m holding the new Sigma 35mm F1.2 DG II | Art lens, attached to my Sigma fp L camera.

    I’m in the north of Japan, on the Oga Peninsula in Akita Prefecture, where the tradition of the namahage is still alive. Each year on December 31, young men in masks and costumes visit houses across dozens of villages to scold unruly children and ward off misfortune.

    They take on the role of spirits to bring rich harvests, plentiful catches, and good luck. In Akita, the namahage have been active for hundreds of years.

    I was finally able to accompany a group of them in the Shinzan area thanks to an acquaintance of mine.

    After sunset, young men gather in the town’s community center and spend a while chatting in a small room usually used by seniors to play mahjong.

    Then, when the time comes, they put on the kede, costumes made from straw, and the namahage masks, sprinkled with sacred sake, before heading out to the Shinzan Shrine. This is where they begin their tour.

    I had already been using the original Sigma 35mm F1.2 DG DN | Art lens for many years.

    To me, 35mm is the best focal length for documentary shoots.

    With 35mm, I’m able to capture a scene in its entirety but I can also get up close to my subjects and focus only on them.

    With the Sigma lens, the beautiful bokeh and shallow depth-of-field of the F1.2 aperture allow me to give subjects a vibrant sense of presence without having to get too close and produce videos and photos that leave a strong impression.

    Compared to its predecessor, the new Sigma 35mm F1.2 DG II | Art is even more compact and lightweight, which made it ideal for a project like this where I need to move and act quickly.

    The bright F1.2 aperture also made it possible to take photos at night without the use of a flash or other additional equipment. In the darkness, the flashlights that the namahage were carrying to illuminate the path in front of them provided all the light I needed.

    During my documentary shoots, I always try to capture situations as naturally as possible, without interfering or letting my presence be felt.

    This lens, with its bright F1.2 aperture, can render even faint light just the way our eyes perceive it. It was the perfect choice for photographing dynamic, moving subjects in dark conditions without affecting the situation.

    Each year, the number of young people dressing up as namahage dwindles in each village. Likewise, ever fewer households welcome their visits, and most of those that do will only greet them at the front door instead of letting them into the house.

    Having accompanied the remaining namahage in Shinzan amid heavy snowfall this year, I could share in their struggle to cover all houses in the area with so few people.

    At the last house we visited, we were greeted by an older couple. The husband was in poor health, and they had been waiting for the namahage to visit and bless their home. By that point, the namahage had been served sake at each house they visited that night and had trouble speaking clearly, but I won’t forget the couple’s delight when they finally saw them approach their home.

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