The proper use of depth-of-field effects is an important component of all great outdoor photographs, and we often use camera settings and techniques that accentuate a main subject by limiting the zone of sharpness to soften backgrounds and deemphasize other areas within the frame.

There are other scenes, however, that call for maximum sharpness from front to back. Images like this are difficult (if not impossible) to capture in the camera with a single shot unless you own some very specialized gear. However, It’s easy to get the job done with a simple focus-stacking technique in Lightroom or Photoshop.

Instructor Matthew Gehly specializes in wildlife and landscape photography, two popular genres where this post-processing technique can prove especially valuable. In barely five minutes he demonstrates how to capture multiple images, each with a difference focus point, and combine them to create a single, spectacular photo with sharpness all the way from here to there.

Gehly’s subject is a beautiful landscape in a forested area with an interesting, covered bridge spanning a bubbling brook. As he explains, you’ll want to begin in the camera by strategically focusing on three different places as you strategically capture a trio of shots with the camera locked down atop a sturdy tripod so the composition doesn’t shift even slightly from one photo to the next.

It doesn’t really matter whether you work from front to back, or back to front. Once you have the necessary photos, the next steps involve opening your post-processing software, adjusting the photos appropriately, and merging them into a natural-looking composite “for stunning depth for field.”

The simple process is far easier to understand while watching Gehly illustrate how it works, so we’ll avoid slowing thing down by providing our usual summary. The bottom line is this: Once you get the hang of this transformative technique you’ll want to add it to your everyday workflow.

Gehly’s YouTube channel is a great source of how-to videos on various Adobe techniques, so be sure to pay a visit and explore.

And speaking of combining multiple images, don’t miss an earlier tutorial we featured with another post-processing expert who demonstrates how he merges two or more photographs with different framing into one eye-catching masterpiece with a straightforward Photoshop compositing technique.

The proper use of depth-of-field effects is an important component of all great outdoor photographs, and we often use camera settings and techniques that accentuate a main subject by limiting the zone of sharpness to soften backgrounds and deemphasize other areas within the frame.

There are other scenes, however, that call for maximum sharpness from front to back. Images like this are difficult (if not impossible) to capture in the camera with a single shot unless you own some very specialized gear. However, It’s easy to get the job done with a simple focus-stacking technique in Lightroom or Photoshop.

Instructor Matthew Gehly specializes in wildlife and landscape photography, two popular genres where this post-processing technique can prove especially valuable. In barely five minutes he demonstrates how to capture multiple images, each with a difference focus point, and combine them to create a single, spectacular photo with sharpness all the way from here to there.

Gehly’s subject is a beautiful landscape in a forested area with an interesting, covered bridge spanning a bubbling brook. As he explains, you’ll want to begin in the camera by strategically focusing on three different places as you strategically capture a trio of shots with the camera locked down atop a sturdy tripod so the composition doesn’t shift even slightly from one photo to the next.

It doesn’t really matter whether you work from front to back, or back to front. Once you have the necessary photos, the next steps involve opening your post-processing software, adjusting the photos appropriately, and merging them into a natural-looking composite “for stunning depth for field.”

The simple process is far easier to understand while watching Gehly illustrate how it works, so we’ll avoid slowing thing down by providing our usual summary. The bottom line is this: Once you get the hang of this transformative technique you’ll want to add it to your everyday workflow.

Gehly’s YouTube channel is a great source of how-to videos on various Adobe techniques, so be sure to pay a visit and explore.

And speaking of combining multiple images, don’t miss an earlier tutorial we featured with another post-processing expert who demonstrates how he merges two or more photographs with different framing into one eye-catching masterpiece with a straightforward Photoshop compositing technique.

If you’ve never taken a deep dive into the menu, you may be surprised that the camera offers a choice of three Shutter modes; namely, Mechanical, Electronic, and Elect. 1^st-Curtain. I’s important to understand when to select one mode over another, and that’s what you’ll in this quick explainer from the Stormcabbirds YouTube channel.

Many of you purchased a new mirrorless camera specifically because you wanted the benefits of a silent electronic shutter with no mechanical sounds that can easily scare off subjects when shooting wildlife in the field. Or maybe your genre is indoor performance imagery where being discreet is super important.

Some photographers even think of Shutter mode as a set-it-and-forget-it affair, choose Electronic, and never consider the other two options again, If so, they’re in for a big surprise in the following video from a British veteran who specializes in everything from travel, street, and bird photography.

According to our instructor there’s a second big surprise: The Electronic Shutter mode isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. He put is like this, “There are benefits and drawbacks to each of the three Shutter modes depending on your subject.”

As mentioned above, the headline feature of an Electronic shutter is it’s completely silent operation, plus the fact there are no moving parts to induce camera shake—especially valuable for both macro and wildlife photography. And there are the ultra-fast burst that aren’t available with mechanical shutters.

Unfortunately all this versatility comes along with a few problems and limitations in certain situations, and you’ll earn exactly what they are. The discussion takesa similar approach to demonstrating the pros and cons of the other two Shutter modes in the menu that you probably won’t ignore in the future.

There’s much more to learn on the Stormcabbirds YouTube channel, especially when it come to bird photography tips, gear, and techniques.

Be sure not to miss the other camera-setting guide we featured recently, explaining why a combination of Shutter Priority and Auto ISO modes is a game-changing technique for capturing subjects in motion during everchanging light.

If you’ve never taken a deep dive into the menu, you may be surprised that the camera offers a choice of three Shutter modes; namely, Mechanical, Electronic, and Elect. 1^st-Curtain. I’s important to understand when to select one mode over another, and that’s what you’ll in this quick explainer from the Stormcabbirds YouTube channel.

Many of you purchased a new mirrorless camera specifically because you wanted the benefits of a silent electronic shutter with no mechanical sounds that can easily scare off subjects when shooting wildlife in the field. Or maybe your genre is indoor performance imagery where being discreet is super important.

Some photographers even think of Shutter mode as a set-it-and-forget-it affair, choose Electronic, and never consider the other two options again, If so, they’re in for a big surprise in the following video from a British veteran who specializes in everything from travel, street, and bird photography.

According to our instructor there’s a second big surprise: The Electronic Shutter mode isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. He put is like this, “There are benefits and drawbacks to each of the three Shutter modes depending on your subject.”

As mentioned above, the headline feature of an Electronic shutter is it’s completely silent operation, plus the fact there are no moving parts to induce camera shake—especially valuable for both macro and wildlife photography. And there are the ultra-fast burst that aren’t available with mechanical shutters.

Unfortunately all this versatility comes along with a few problems and limitations in certain situations, and you’ll earn exactly what they are. The discussion takesa similar approach to demonstrating the pros and cons of the other two Shutter modes in the menu that you probably won’t ignore in the future.

There’s much more to learn on the Stormcabbirds YouTube channel, especially when it come to bird photography tips, gear, and techniques.

Be sure not to miss the other camera-setting guide we featured recently, explaining why a combination of Shutter Priority and Auto ISO modes is a game-changing technique for capturing subjects in motion during everchanging light.

Shooting environmental portraits in the middle of the day can be sort of a nightmare and often results in unflattering shadows, squinting subjects, and washed out details and skin tones. Today’s five-minute tutorial from the Patrick’s Boudoir Photography channel will help you use harsh midday light as a creative tool.

Patrick’s straightforward lessons typically involve simple techniques for capturing indoor b&w boudoir photos with soft available light streaming through a large window. Today’s episode is a rare departure as he’s shooting conventional environmental portraits in color under lighting conditions than many of us would avoid.

He describes the lesson like this: “Whether you’re just starting out or want to elevate your portrait game,  I’ll show you how to overcome the most common mistakes photographers make in direct light and reveal three powerful tips for creating flattering outdoor portraits in any lighting condition.”

This five-minute video is another installment of Patrick’s popular 6-Week Photography Challenge and he provides practical advice for the real-world challenge at hand—without the need for expensive gear or an experienced model. So here’s the scenario: You’re shooting outside, the weather is perfect (at least for a day at the beach), the sun is shining overhead, but the portraits you make aren’t flattering.

One of Patrick’s solutions for dealing with strong, direct sunlight is to “position a subject so that the sun is behind them, rather than lighting them from the front. This creates softer, more even illumination on the face and adds a beautiful glow to the hair.” Your photos may not be perfect, but at least this is a start for the superior techniques follow.

Simply put, “the most flattering portraits happen when you find a bit of shade and move a few steps out of direct sunlight” like under the overhang of a building or next to a big tree that provides a bit of indirect light. At this point the video is only at its midpoint and Patrick has more simple advice to impart.

You can find boudoir-specific tips and techniques on the Patrick’s Boudoir Photography YouTube channel,, so pay a visit and explore.

And don’t miss the related tutorial we featured with another experienced pro who demonstrates how to experiment with lenses of different focal lengths to capture mesmerizing portraits with whatever look you have in mind.

Shooting environmental portraits in the middle of the day can be sort of a nightmare and often results in unflattering shadows, squinting subjects, and washed out details and skin tones. Today’s five-minute tutorial from the Patrick’s Boudoir Photography channel will help you use harsh midday light as a creative tool.

Patrick’s straightforward lessons typically involve simple techniques for capturing indoor b&w boudoir photos with soft available light streaming through a large window. Today’s episode is a rare departure as he’s shooting conventional environmental portraits in color under lighting conditions than many of us would avoid.

He describes the lesson like this: “Whether you’re just starting out or want to elevate your portrait game,  I’ll show you how to overcome the most common mistakes photographers make in direct light and reveal three powerful tips for creating flattering outdoor portraits in any lighting condition.”

This five-minute video is another installment of Patrick’s popular 6-Week Photography Challenge and he provides practical advice for the real-world challenge at hand—without the need for expensive gear or an experienced model. So here’s the scenario: You’re shooting outside, the weather is perfect (at least for a day at the beach), the sun is shining overhead, but the portraits you make aren’t flattering.

One of Patrick’s solutions for dealing with strong, direct sunlight is to “position a subject so that the sun is behind them, rather than lighting them from the front. This creates softer, more even illumination on the face and adds a beautiful glow to the hair.” Your photos may not be perfect, but at least this is a start for the superior techniques follow.

Simply put, “the most flattering portraits happen when you find a bit of shade and move a few steps out of direct sunlight” like under the overhang of a building or next to a big tree that provides a bit of indirect light. At this point the video is only at its midpoint and Patrick has more simple advice to impart.

You can find boudoir-specific tips and techniques on the Patrick’s Boudoir Photography YouTube channel,, so pay a visit and explore.

And don’t miss the related tutorial we featured with another experienced pro who demonstrates how to experiment with lenses of different focal lengths to capture mesmerizing portraits with whatever look you have in mind.

We often discuss the virtues of patience when shooting in the field, and why it’s advisable not to move from one location to the next until you’ve exhausted all the possibilities of your first stop. And this sometimes means capturing a nice shot, followed by another and another as your exploration continues.

Sure, it’s great to return home with several usable images, but have you ever considered combining two or more photos of the same scene to create one eye-catching masterpiece? This tutorial from the popular Photoshop Café YouTube channel explains how easy it is to use simple Lightroom tools to create a natural-looking composite.

Colin Smith is a notable photographer, author, trainer, and post-processing specialist with over 4K avid subscribers to his instructional YouTube channel. In the next six minutes he walks you through a straightforward process for merging, aligning, and masking different photos to achieve a final result’s that far more impressing than the sum of its individual parts.

In other words, don’t limit your choice to this photo or that photo, because the best approach may be this shot and that shot. Smith is working with two images in Photoshop, but rather than opening them and combining them you’ll see how to handle both tasks at once by clicking on the File tab atop the screen, selecting Scripts from the first dropdown you see, and then the Load Files Into Stack option from a second list of tools that appears.

As Smith says, “this is where we open multiple photographs and rely upon Photoshop to automatically load them into separate layers.” The two seascape photos at hand each depict an impressive wave crashing ashore in different parts of the frame, and Smith’s simple goal is to add impact by creating a well-composed composite that includes both of the attention-grabbing waves.

This technique is simple to achieve for Lightroom users of all skill levels and has broad applications for anyone who shoots in the great outdoors. The Photoshop Café YouTube channel is a rich resource for all things Adobe, so make sure to pay a visit and explore.

We also recommend watching the tutorial we featured with another post-processing expert who demonstrates why Tone Curve tools are Lightroom’s “magic window” into photographs with precise contrast.

We often discuss the virtues of patience when shooting in the field, and why it’s advisable not to move from one location to the next until you’ve exhausted all the possibilities of your first stop. And this sometimes means capturing a nice shot, followed by another and another as your exploration continues.

Sure, it’s great to return home with several usable images, but have you ever considered combining two or more photos of the same scene to create one eye-catching masterpiece? This tutorial from the popular Photoshop Café YouTube channel explains how easy it is to use simple Lightroom tools to create a natural-looking composite.

Colin Smith is a notable photographer, author, trainer, and post-processing specialist with over 4K avid subscribers to his instructional YouTube channel. In the next six minutes he walks you through a straightforward process for merging, aligning, and masking different photos to achieve a final result’s that far more impressing than the sum of its individual parts.

In other words, don’t limit your choice to this photo or that photo, because the best approach may be this shot and that shot. Smith is working with two images in Photoshop, but rather than opening them and combining them you’ll see how to handle both tasks at once by clicking on the File tab atop the screen, selecting Scripts from the first dropdown you see, and then the Load Files Into Stack option from a second list of tools that appears.

As Smith says, “this is where we open multiple photographs and rely upon Photoshop to automatically load them into separate layers.” The two seascape photos at hand each depict an impressive wave crashing ashore in different parts of the frame, and Smith’s simple goal is to add impact by creating a well-composed composite that includes both of the attention-grabbing waves.

This technique is simple to achieve for Lightroom users of all skill levels and has broad applications for anyone who shoots in the great outdoors. The Photoshop Café YouTube channel is a rich resource for all things Adobe, so make sure to pay a visit and explore.

We also recommend watching the tutorial we featured with another post-processing expert who demonstrates why Tone Curve tools are Lightroom’s “magic window” into photographs with precise contrast.

Macro photography offers a unique way to explore the small world around us—often while traveling no further than the backyard. So if you have a lonely close-up lens lurking in the back of a cabinet, and are unsure about the necessary techniques, look no further than the beginners guide below.

Instructor Trey is an expert are capturing tiny subjects that often go unnoticed, and he’s sympathetic to the plight of new photographers who find the genre confusing. He summarizes today’s episode like this: “I’m going to explain some tips and concepts to consider and provide you with a better understanding of macro photography and its challenges.”

Trey covers a wide range of topics from where to find the “best bugs” to composition and focusing. There’s also a description of the most appropriate camera settings to use and the equipment he recommends. The only problem you may have after watching this 12-minute primer is that macro photography is so much fun that it’s difficult to stop.

This behind-the-scenes lesson does more than bring you up to speed on the necessary tips, tools, and techniques because Trey illustrates his advice with images that are both beautiful inspirational. So take a close look, dust off your macro lens, and get out there and create some close-up magic of your own.

Once you’re done watching, head over to the Xx7trey YouTube channel where there and many how-to videos to be found for macro photographers of all skill levels.

And on a related note, don’t miss the tutorial we featured earlier with another accomplished pro who explains how combining your camera’s Shutter Priority and ISO modes can be a gamechanger for when shooting photographs with movement.

Macro photography offers a unique way to explore the small world around us—often while traveling no further than the backyard. So if you have a lonely close-up lens lurking in the back of a cabinet, and are unsure about the necessary techniques, look no further than the beginners guide below.

Instructor Trey is an expert are capturing tiny subjects that often go unnoticed, and he’s sympathetic to the plight of new photographers who find the genre confusing. He summarizes today’s episode like this: “I’m going to explain some tips and concepts to consider and provide you with a better understanding of macro photography and its challenges.”

Trey covers a wide range of topics from where to find the “best bugs” to composition and focusing. There’s also a description of the most appropriate camera settings to use and the equipment he recommends. The only problem you may have after watching this 12-minute primer is that macro photography is so much fun that it’s difficult to stop.

This behind-the-scenes lesson does more than bring you up to speed on the necessary tips, tools, and techniques because Trey illustrates his advice with images that are both beautiful inspirational. So take a close look, dust off your macro lens, and get out there and create some close-up magic of your own.

Once you’re done watching, head over to the Xx7trey YouTube channel where there and many how-to videos to be found for macro photographers of all skill levels.

And on a related note, don’t miss the tutorial we featured earlier with another accomplished pro who explains how combining your camera’s Shutter Priority and ISO modes can be a gamechanger for when shooting photographs with movement.