Dust spots and blobs are often an inevitable part of our travel images. They will inevitably appear even after the most thorough sensor cleaning as we change lenses or simply zoom in and out (check our previous article on how to clean your camera's sensor at home). Luckily, Lightroom 5 provides a great tool for getting rid of those "dust bunnies" from your best travel and landscape shots. In this tutorial we will guide you through 4 easy steps to make your images impeccably clean with the help of Lightroom's Spot Removal tool.

Sunsets are among some of the favourite photographers' subjects. When the sky turns red and orange and everything around seems magic, even the most worldly-wise photographer finds it hard to resist taking a photo or two. For truly captivating photos of sunset some preparation is needed: this is where the notions of "golden hour", "blue hour", "civil twilight" and "nautical twilight" come into play. I recently had a chance to witness a spectacular sunset from the top of the Dom Luis I bridge in Porto, Portugal, and here is what came out of it...

Almost every little European town has its own secret. So does Oostduinkerke in Belgium, where I was recently to see and photograph a unique Shrimp festival that included a demonstration of traditional shrimp fishing on horseback, a shrimp parade, a fishing contest, a folklore market and of course the tasting of local dishes made of shrimps. While traveling towards the seaside with the festival program in hand, I could not even imagine what fishing on horseback might look like... And eventually the whole day on the beach of Oostduinkerke among horses, fishermen, seagulls and of course shrimps turned out into a wonderful photographic surprise!

Every city has its secrets: hundreds of years of history unfold in front of you as you scout the streets in search of the best images. Knowing the background of a building in front of you may fuel a great deal of inspiration and help you compose a stronger image with a story. One of the ways to get to know the location better is to take a walking tour with an experienced local guide. You may find, however, that during such a guided walking tour there is not enough time for a proper photographic exploration as the group moves quickly from one location to another. Not all is lost though. Here are 9 tips on how to make the most of a guided tour and get some great architecture photos along the way.

Getting the correct exposure of a highly contrasted scene can be tricky to handle, especially if you are taking some photos on the go and do not have time to stop and think twice about the camera settings. There are various ways to adjust the exposure, such as using exposure compensation or center weighted metering. In some situations, however, every moment counts, and you may need a quick and easy solution to get your image right. This is where the exposure lock button on your DSLR camera may prove helpful. Let's see how to quickly and easily adjust the exposure on the go without touching any of the camera settings other than the exposure lock.

While most of travel photography is usually about documenting the people you meet and the things you see along the way, or the events that happen to you and around you, there is a way to cross the line and to turn your documentary travel photographs into fine art. How to do it? Think abstract! Learning to see shapes, patterns and colours through your camera lens is not only good training for your creative eye, but also lots of fun!

For our friendly critique #4 we decided to go for the portrait of an elephant about to enjoy its bath in Miami Zoo, by Nancy Bettencourt. This is a tightly-cropped portrait, where one can see only half of the elephant's head, and a spray of water, motion blurred from a slower shutter speed, against a dark background. The close up portrait allows the viewer to explore the elephant's skin texture with all its dots and wrinkles, as well as anticipate the coming refreshing shower.

Have you ever wondered why some of your images are not as sharp as they should be? Or have you noticed that the more you zoom in with that nice new lens of yours, the trickier it is to get sharp images? If the answer is yes, then you definitely need to master shutter speed vs. focal length rule for those razor sharp photos and no more camera shake! It may sound more complicated than it really is, so let's see how that rule of thumb works...

In previous posts, we discussed various composition rules and ideas that can be used as a good starting point for an aspiring photographer. Once you master these rules and your eye is set to easily recognize various composition ideas through the camera lens, you may also realize that these "rules" are only guidelines and can also be broken. This is where the fun begins! Let's have a look at some examples of how to break the rules and unleash your creativity!

In the previous article we discussed various composition rules and ideas to help you gain more confidence in photography. Knowing how to use the many technical features of a camera is one thing, developing your photographer's eye to actually recognize a good composition is another, and dare I say, is more important. Since there are more ways of composing a stronger image than fits in one article, here are some more ideas for a good starting point in your photographic explorations.

Paris is widely known as a multicultural city. Traditions and celebrations of various ethnic communities that have long become a part of Parisian life make locals and visitors feel like they are traveling without even leaving the city. Of course, such festivals and celebrations are a great way to practice street and travel photography, and capture some vibrant images! One of the most popular annual events is Chinese New Year, celebrated in February, and this year I decided to experience it through my camera lens. Dragons, Chinese Lanterns, dancing lions, firecrackers, illuminated lanterns... let the celebrations begin!

While the Seine river separates the left bank from the right bank of Paris, multiple bridges link the two parts of the city and provide a great subject for photographic exploration. There are 37 bridges within the city of Paris, 4 of which are pedestrian, and some others are rail bridges. Remember that often the best spot to capture a beautiful bridge is from a bridge next to it, so get your maps ready!