It's been a while since I posted a work-through of a particular photo. My processing techniquye and style has probably evolved quite a bit since then, so I thought it time to do another one.

This example is slightly different in that I'm going to use two versions of the same image, to blend together for a correct and balanced exposure. The image below is probably not the best example of when and why to blend two images together - the image below is more so just to show the technique….

I’ve been using a Canon 5D Mark III since their release in 2013 (I think it was?!), along with a 17-40mm F4 L Canon lens. I’ve never been happy with that lens - it felt like a reduction in quality from where I had previously come (I was using a Canon 450D and a Sigma 10-20mm f4-5.6). I found the 17-40mm was never as sharp as I expected from an L lens, it suffered badly with distortion and chromatic aberration….

What is a Graduated Neutral Density (GND) filter? How would I use one?

GND filters are a square or rectangular filter.

They are 50% dark grey, and 50% clear.

The dark grey half will reduce the brightness over the area it is positioned, whilst maintaining an exposure for the clear part.

GND filters are useful for sunset photography as they darken out a bright sky…

A common question people ask me about my photos is if the colours are real. The answer is always yes. I very rarely adjust the colours in my photos, and if I do, it is generally a white balance correction (e.g eliminating a green/blue cast in the shadows) or a contrast adjustment….

recently posted about which lenses can be the best for landscape photography - http://wp.me/p3zwhm-51 The general consensus is that wide angle lenses can be the "best" for landscape photography. They exaggerate depth, alter perspective and create that "wide open space" effect that works for those great views!

I know I haven't posted my "one's that got away" (my unseen photos) from November and December - that's because things with Christmas have been SO hectic I've not had time to take any photos, really. I think I only posted around 5 shots on Facebook for the month of December (usually around 30).

Professional landscape photographer's always talk about the "light" in their photos. For me, I agree. To achieve an exceptional landscape photograph, you need to be able to use the light - and wait for the "right" light.

It's hard to explain how to use the light. You kinda learn, over time, how to see it. What to look for, and why it looks different….

A few of you who follow me on Facebook or Flickr will see I've had a couple of recent attempts at taking photos of the stars. This was all sparked by me hearing about the Perseid Meteor Shower. I've never heard of it before this year - it is an annual shower, that provides regular and spectacular meteors for us viewing down here on Earth. Every year it peaks around the 11th of August, and I decided to try and catch my own meteor on camera.

The biggest mistakes made by beginners starting out in landscape photography, are in composition. In my opinion, it is one of the most important things to get right "in camera". Composition (aside from a little cropping) cannot be fixed in post processing. Nothing you do on the computer is going to change how you arranged the scene in the viewfinder.

Tweaks can be made, of course - e.g. cloning out intrusive branches or straightening the horizon but generally, composition must be right at the time of the shot.