The Wrekin is a hill in Shropshire that rises 1,335 ft above the Shropshire Plain. The mast on top is a transmitting station.

In an earlier tutorial we showed how layers are stacked on top of each other. Blending modes give us various ways of making those layers blend together and can give very exciting results.

The problem is that in the latest version of Photoshop there are 25 different blending modes which can be a little daunting, so this tutorial goes a little way to explaining what each one does and therefore identifying those that will be of greatest use to a photographer.

Why? Because most of the blending modes are designed specifically for artists and graphic designers rather than just for relatively minor tweaking of an image file. If we know which ones they are we can concentrate on the very few that can help us in our quest to master landscape image editing.

I was just walking down to our local postbox when I noticed that the Youth Hostel Association's logo coincidently mimics the bell tower above it (on the John Rose building in Coalport).

It was only a couple of years ago that millions of pounds were spent stabilising the constantly moving riverbank at The Lloyds, near Ironbridge, Shropshire. Worrying, therefore, to see large cracks appearing already. Hopefully just ground settlement combined with a bit of river erosion - but we will have to see.

A monochrome image can sometimes convey more emotion and be more thought-provoking that one in glorious technicolour. It seems that sometimes the colour 'gets in the way' and destroys the original intention of the photograph.

However, not all photographs work with the colour removed and it is not a foolproof method of rescuing a failed colour image. In fact, it is far better if you go out and take the image specifically for a monochrome conversion rather than just trawling through your files in the hope of finding one that works.

So what makes a good image for conversion? Tonal range. You need an image showing a vast range between the darkest parts and the lightest.

Once you have your image then there are various ways of converting it into monochrome. Many digital cameras have a 'black & white' setting which will convert an image in-camera but the drawback is that you have little control on how the final image looks. Similarly many RAW editors e.g. Lightroom, have a check-box which will convert to monochrome but the same problem applies.

Until recently the most common controllable conversion method with Photoshop was to use a Channel Mixer Adjustment Layer which provides a check-box to convert to monochrome and three sliders to control the output. However, since version CS3, there is now a Black & White Adjustment Layer that includes 6 sliders to give much more precise control over the result.

This tutorial uses an image of a victorian merry-go-round. The age of the subject matter means that it is ripe for a monochrome conversion and there is a good tonal range throughout, particularly in the sky.

The evening of 29th January 2010 presented a large, bright full Moon - an image of which just had to be captured.

I have also added some personal reviews of some of the various photography books that grace my bookshelves.

This horse was named when it was a foal and a little lad was told to go and ride the 'grey one' and thought they said 'Graham'.

What we will do in this tutorial is to keep the subject in focus but create a slight blur to the rest of the image (an effect known as differential focus). To achieve this we are going to use a Photoshop tool called 'Quick Mask' - a very useful selection tool which is, by definition, quick.

As I took the wintery scene I remembered taking a similar shot from the same viewpoint some months previously and so, from memory, tried to obtain the same viewpoint. Back in the digital darkroom a little cropping was carried out and I joined the two images into a diptych (two images linked together) that shows how much colour is sucked out of the landscape under a Winters sky.

Between Jackfield and Broseley lies Corbett's Dingle, named after a past owner of nearby coal and limestone mines. Towards the top of the dingle a brook has been diverted through a pipe to allow access to a grazing field above. As the brook exits the pipe it cascades over a small pile of rocks.

Three images from my photoshoot in North Wales in September 2009:

Llyn Mymbyr Bridge - a footbridge which lies over the outflow of Llyn Mymbyr, close to Capel Curig in Snowdonia.

Llyn Gwynant - nestled between the Snowdonian mountains this image also shows the Cym Dyli hydro-electric power station, Britain's oldest on the National Grid.

Llyn Crafnant - lying where the northern edge of the Gwydir Forest meets the lower slopes of the Carneddau mountains.

Cast-iron windows in the John Rose building in Coalport, Ironbridge Gorge.

It seems that many photographers struggle to understand Layers, what they are and why they are used, but they are probably the most powerful tool available in image editing. Part of the problem is that in image editing there are many different ways of achieving the same thing and so when you read one book or tutorial it differs from another - even though they reach the same goal in the end.

This tutorial is designed to show a few basic examples of using Layers in Photoshop so that you hopefully will understand the principle of how they work and will then be able to build on that knowledge to carry out more complex editing.

You can now also try the 5-minute challenge - a small photographic quiz.

There are specialised (and expensive) lenses that can eliminate this effect but this tutorial is based on Photoshop (CS and above) and uses the 'perspective crop' function to set an independent crop angle on each side of the image.

Illuminations - As part of an annual heritage weekend, the Iron Bridge was again illuminated - but this year LED's were used which, allegedly, only use 50 watts of power.

Race Car - A 1923 Newton race car powers its way around Museum corner at the Vintage Sports Car Clubs 75th anniversary hill climb at Loton Park.