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The Best Time to Visit Keukenhof Gardens
One my most frequently asked questions each spring is ‘when is the best time to visit the Keukenhof Gardens?’ My answer – that depends… Each autumn, 7 million flower bulbs are planted at the Keukenhof Gardens. The gardens are carefully planned so bulbs blooming early to late in the season. This means there is no … more
Selective Colour in Photoshop
I’ve had a few requests for a tutorial on how to achieve selective colour in Photoshop. As with most things in Photoshop, there are a variety of ways to achieve a similar effect. I will take you through one simple method. I have one caveat. Please use selective colour sparingly. Like most Photoshop effects, it … more
My Favourite Free Texture Resources
Quite a few people have asked where I get all of the texture files I use in my Forgotten Postcard series. While sometimes I shoot my own texture photos, I do have a list of resources in my bookmarks folder. I thought I would share some of my favourites with you. (These are in no particular … more
Ageing a Photo with Texture – Photo Help Desk #2
I chose today’s photo help desk picture because it was something a bit different. Instead of asking me to fix something, the photographer asked me to distress it. I love the look of this old tricycle, and I’m wondering what techniques you would use to give the photo an “antique” feeling. – A.B.
Colour to Black and White Photos in Photoshop – Control Your Camera #2
A few days ago, a friend asked me about the Black and White setting on her digital camera. Did I think using it and other settings, like sepia, was a good idea. Or was it better to take a colour image and change it later in Photoshop. My simple answer was “Don’t use your black … more
My 22 Favourite Photoshop Shortcuts
I use Photoshop just about every day. However, I’m not someone who has every single shortcut memorised. In fact, in many cases I find it faster to keep my hand on my Wacom tablet, than move back and forth to the keyboard. That said, there are a few Photoshop keyboard shortcuts that I can’t live … more
Photo Help Desk Episode 1
Many of you have had questions about what kind of photos to send in to the Help Desk. Several people told me they don’t have any old photos that need to be restored. However your Help Desk photo doesn’t have to be old. What I’m looking for is any photo that you think could be better, but … more
Depth of Field – Control Your Camera Series #1
I remember chatting with a professional photographer, who admitted she rarely changed her camera from the automatic settings. She said she didn’t have the time or inclination to learn about depth of field, apertures and shutter speeds, when the camera would do it all for her. I was pretty shocked. How could a creative person … more
15 Second Photoshop Tip for Adding Contrast
Here is a really quick Photoshop tip to give your photos a little added contrast boost. This tip is highly flexible and can easily be made into an action. Once you see the difference this quick tip can make to your photos, I’m sure you will use it again and again.
Photos Help Your Website Sell
Last week I was doing some on-line research that took me to several different gardening websites. Although I found the information I was looking for, one thing I noticed really shocked me – there were no photos. Of course, as a photographer this is a disturbing thing to see, but moreover I honestly believe a … more
Warm Glow Photoshop Technique
Lets face it. Sometimes we need to photograph a scene when it’s not ‘”golden hour” and the light is flat and boring. There is a quick fix in Photoshop that I sometimes apply to save a photo from the lighting blahs. There are many variations on the warm glow technique so feel free to experiment … more
Submit Your Problem Photo to the Photo Help Desk
We all have piles of them – problem photos. They clutter up our hard-drives and fill up shoe boxes. They aren’t good enough to hang on the wall or even put in a photo album, but they are meaningful to us. Sometimes, a favourite photo has a problem that bugs us – a tear, a … more
Garden Photography Tips for Avoiding Crowds
I’ve just returned from four days of photographing gardens and I’m currently editing hundreds of flower and garden images. This has made me think of some of the issues that arise in garden photography. Photographing a public garden always has challenges. For me, the biggest challenge is usually the crowds of other photographers and visitors … more
ACM Photography Favourite Photo Websites
Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom Adobe Lightroom Killer Tips – Matt Kloskowski’s excellent blog about all things Lightroom. includes videos, downloadable presets and loads of information. Dave Cross On-line – Links to interesting sites and information about all things Adobe. Photoshop Insider – Scott Kelby’s Adobe blog. Jonathan Penney – Not exactly a Photoshop blog exactly … more
Alison Cornford-Matheson is a Canadian photographer living and working in Brussels, Belgium. She specialises in garden and travel lifestyle stock photography. In addition, she is a Photoshop professional and produces digital artwork as fine art prints. Alison is available for assignment work and commissions on request. 
