This is a quick bookmark (at least for me) on creation of great HDR images (or should I still call them photographs?). With this HDR Photography tutorial, where the author leads you step by step, you will find out how using Photomatrix (a standalone program that allows to blend several images of different exposures into one with a greater dynamic range) you can create images that until recently were available only to the human eye, which could adjust its sensitivity to various areas of the scene. You have probably seen such images before, but haven't been able to create yourself.
Note: By the way, HDR stands for High Dynamic Range, where the image covers a high contrast scene without loosing details in highlights or shadows (such as photograph of a dark lit room with a window to a bright sunny day. Usually it leads to a lower overall contrast.

Don't forget to update your Lightroom to version 1.2. The update is available at Adobe.com - Photoshop Lightroom 1.2 Update.

The Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom® 1.2 update includes these enhancements:

- Corrections for several issues including XMP auto-write performance, Windows Vista grid display errors, and noise reduction for Bayer patterned sensors
- Additional camera support for the Canon EOS 40D, Fuji FinePix IS-1, Olympus EVOLT E-510, Panasonic DMC-FZ18, and more.

I just bumped into the article called "The Photojournalist’s Secret? Get Closer", where the author stresses the point of being closer to your subject if you want to get a better image. In one of my articles I kind of approached this topic from a different direction - when shooting with a wide angle lens it makes you come closer to your subject and subsequently pay more attention to it (or him/her). And such close proximity tends to invoke thoughts and feelings about your subject, which will reflect in the final photograph and touch its viewer. Thus it will make your photograph more interesting and compelling.

At the Science Fare blog you will find an extensive list of keyboard shortcuts for Lightroom 1.1. It's always good to learn a few and speed up the processing of your photographs.

This technique comes from ages (if I may call it) of film photography. And it was adapted by the digital photography as well. Now, almost every great photograph was created in one way or another with help of this technique - Dodge and Burn.
And I extend my gratitude to Steve Paxton who explained the right way of applying Dodging and Burning in Photoshop. Even if you know a lot about Photoshop, you don't know everything. And for me it's a real pleasure to learn such new tricks and techniques. Before I was using "destructive" way of applying dodging and burning directly to the image layer, which made me uncomfortable and reluctant of using it at all. But now with help of Steve I can use it in "non-destructive" way without fear. Actually, I love dodging and burning - you can create great effects and increase the impact of your photograph!

ThinkCamera has presented a series of tutorials for Skin Retouching. At this moment you will find three parts of this series that first of all will help you better understand the task at hand, the tools and the nature of the skin (in its digital representation). And, of course, several steps on how to retouch a portrait in order to achieve a beautiful result.

I have to say, it's somewhat a new concept for me - tossing your camera to get a nice picture. And what's more that nothing guarantees that you get a good image at all, but you may loose your gear.
OK. I understand that "Camera Toss" is an expansion of panning [with a twist] . Nevertheless, the photographs created by tossing your camera are really nice. There is only one catch - it is to actually catch your camera!
And some good fellows put together a detailed tutorial "Camera Toss: Mini-HOWTO"