Photography News

Light can make or break a portrait. You can have the best camera and lens, but if you don’t understand how light behaves, your images will always feel flat or harsh. The secret isn’t in power settings or expensive gear. It’s in one simple principle that affects every frame you shoot.

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Canon finally shipped the portrait prime you’ve been asking for: an 85mm with speed, modern autofocus, and a body you won’t dread carrying. If you photograph people, you’ll want to know where the Canon RF 85mm f/1.4 L VCM lands against the staples in this focal length.

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Removing distractions from a photo can be the difference between a polished image and one that looks amateur. Clean edges, believable textures, and consistent lighting make or break an edit. Photoshop’s new tools make that process easier, but knowing how to combine them is what takes your work from casual to professional.

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Wind, scooters, and a single compact body on an island built for sun and stone. This video shows how a tight travel setup changes what you shoot and how you move.

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Reflections are something you can shoot all year round but as bright colours and bold shapes make the most interesting reflections, autumn's the perfect season to try this technique.

 

1. Where should I go?

You can head to a picturesque area of landscape where you have reservoirs and lakes by the dozen to pick from. You can also stay a little closer to home and take a walk through your local park after it's rained and use the puddles that have formed as your reflective surface. If you have a pond in your garden and a tree or two that's decorated with autumn colours, you don't even have to walk to the park as you can set your gear up in your own back garden to shoot these abstract style shots.

 

2. Photograph The Wide Landscape

If you head to a national park area you can capture a few wide shots where you include the body of water in the photo with the tree line and rolling hills sitting alongside it. For this, you want an almost mirror-like reflection and this means shooting on a very still day. Better still, do your research and find a lake or reservoir that's sheltered by hills or find one where at least part of it's out of the way of the wind. It helps if you're an early riser too as the air tends to be stiller first thing in the morning than later on in the day. Ripples still a problem? Try using a slightly slower shutter speed to blur them.

You'll need a tripod to stop shake creeping in and a remote / cable release can be handy but it's not essential. You could even start your exposures via a Smart Phone if the camera you're using has wireless capabilities. 

When working with slower shutter speeds by lakes, have a look at the distant trees and other objects that can move in the breeze to see if they've blurred slightly. If you do have a problem with blurry trees, try taking two exposures then combined them when you're back in front of your computer. The first exposure needs to be shot with a slower shutter speed and the second with a quicker shutter speed that won't allow movement to be introduced into your background. 

It's also a good idea to pack an ND Grad Filter as you'll find that the reflection will look darker than the 'real' scene that's creating it. If you line up the darker part of the filter so it sits over the sky and finishes at the shoreline, you'll produce a shot that balances the exposure of the bright sky/surroundings with the reflection.

  3. More Abstract?

Shooting reflections on their own, particularly if the water's slightly choppy, will result in interesting abstract images. You just need strong colours and / or shapes to create shots with real impact and Autumn's oranges and reds are just the shades you need to produce abstract shots that really pack some punch. You can shoot a wider shot of the landscape, as above, then crop in when you're back in front of your computer but it's much easier to just frame up so the water's surface is your main point of focus. Some lenses struggle to focus on moving water so you may need to switch to manual focus so you get a sharp shot.

Just remember to shoot plenty of photos at quite quick intervals as the patterns created by the moving ripples will change quickly.

If you prefer to shoot water flowing and falling over rocks, use a slower shutter speed to blur its motion. As a result, you'll have smooth waves of water that have the autumn shades/colours of the trees dotted along the banking flowing through it.

Are you looking for a full frame mirrorless camera that’s relatively affordable? Then check out the Nikon Z5 II. This entry-level model is more than just a basic camera and offers semi-professional features within reach.

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The camera industry evolves through a pattern of gradual obsolescence where features that once seemed essential slowly fade away as new technologies offer superior alternatives that better serve photographers' actual needs. Here are five features likely on their way out in the next decade.

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The 56mm lens, an 85mm full frame equivalent, has long been the crown jewel for portrait photographers using Fujifilm’s X-mount system. For years, the market has been a crowded battlefield. Fujifilm's own 56mm f/1.2 set the original standard, while the stalwart Sigma 56mm f/1.4 became a legend for its incredible sharpness-to-price ratio. Viltrox also carved out its own territory with the budget-friendly 56mm f/1.7 Air and its older, value-packed 56mm f/1.4.

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The garment industry in Bangladesh has long balanced on a thin line between progress and exploitation. It sustains millions of workers while feeding the global appetite for low-cost fashion, but it also hides deep inequality and danger for those inside the factories. Justin Mott’s latest assignment exposes this uneasy truth, showing what it really takes to tell these stories honestly and responsibly.

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A beautiful image of a rosemary beetle in a garden by simmo73 has been chosen as this week’s featured photo.

The colours are terrific, with the beetle’s iridescence standing out sharply against the soft background. Every detail on its shell and legs is crisp and well defined, showing excellent focus and control.

The close-up view gives a fascinating look at this small garden visitor. The composition works well, keeping the beetle centred while allowing just enough space around it to balance the frame. It’s a simple, beautiful shot that captures the beauty of nature up close and shows macro photography at its best.

Every Photo of the Week (POTW) winner will be rewarded with a Samsung 128GB PRO Plus microSDXC memory card with SD adapter, providing top-tier storage for all your creative needs across multiple devices. But that's not all! In January 2026, we’ll crown our 2025 Photo of the Year winner, who will take home the ultimate prize of a Samsung Portable 1TB SSD T7 Shield, courtesy of Samsung. It’s time to shoot, submit, and showcase your best work for a chance to win these incredible rewards!

 

Rivers make a wonderful subject for the outdoor photographer, yet people rarely set out with the intention to photograph them. Rivers offer an abundance of opportunities from grand sweeping vistas to detailed abstracts to wildlife as well as being fantastic places to enjoy the outdoors. Here are 6 key pointers to help you achieve better river and open water landscapes.

  1. What is the unique character of the river?

As river locations have their own unique character, one role of the photographer is to identify and emphasise this character. You can do this by asking a series of questions when you first arrive at a location:

• Is this a large and impressive river or a small natural bubbling stream?
• Is this a setting people might describe as being idyllic and picturesque or is it more of an urban or industrial setting?
• Is the river clean and pure or dirty and full of litter?
• Does the setting convey a feeling of tranquillity and calm or are there other emotions it sparks and if so what?
• Is the river fast-moving and powerful or more slow and sedate?
• Is the water surface rough and broken by rocks or flat, calm and full of reflections?

 

2. Shutter speeds

Give some consideration to the shutter speed you will be using. Don’t just stop down to a small aperture for good depth of field and accept the shutter speed. Increase the ISO a little if you need to as the shutter speed can be a big influence the character of the image you create.

Long shutter speeds give smooth water and reflections, which all add to a sense of calm and tranquillity. Fast shutter speeds freeze the water and can really emphasise the feeling of power and strength in the water.

 

 

 

3. Use a remote shutter 

With the remote shutter, you could position your tripod in a shallow part of the river to get a shot with a different angle without having to be stood for a long time in the cold water. Obviously, you need to be very careful if you want to try this as you don't want your camera or yourself going for a swim! The remote control is also useful when photographing wildlife that lives around the river as you'll be able to set your camera up and move away, increasing your chances of shy wildlife coming back to the spot your camera is in.  
 

4. Make the most of the weather

The weather conditions, time of day and time of year all help in determining the type and quality of light you will have to work with. It may sound obvious but you can’t do too much about these factors so look to create photographs that make the most of the light you have available.

Immediately after a rainstorm, when the weather breaks can also produce magical lighting. The clearing rainstorm in the image above produced very dramatic lighting, despite being shot at midday. The rain also helped swell the river to give a great cascading effect over the rocks.

The weather condition that is one of the best for adding mood and character is mist and fog. Rivers in autumn are often great locations for mist early and late in the day. Such conditions tend to be best around sunrise and sunset, often catching the colour of the early morning sun. Look for the larger slow-moving rivers located in open fields as these often give rise to the best mist.

 

 

5. Consider the time of day 

Early morning and late evening light is probably what most photographers think of as being the best light. Typically the sky is colourful and with larger, slower-moving rivers, this great light will be reflected making the river appear to glow. Shutter speeds will be longer at this time of day which also helps smooth out the surface of the river. This is probably the best lighting conditions to create a mood of calm and tranquillity. It’s not always easy to organise yourself to be out photographing at this time of day but it is immensely rewarding in terms of images and the sheer pleasure of watching a sunset or sunrise.

Midday light, at least outside the winter months, tends to be a little harsh and it can be difficult to reflect the character of the river in its setting. If however, the river is in an urban landscape this type of lighting can still work well at it can be used to emphasise the unattractive elements. Also, if the river is strong and powerful you can use the bright lighting to freeze the action. If you find yourself trying to work under harsh lighting conditions that don’t suit your location, try to seek out wooded areas where there is plenty of shade or focus in on capturing detail shots.

Autumn is also a great time of year to photograph rivers and streams in woodland areas. Trees will be changing colour making for vibrant scenes. Leaves will be falling into the river, often gathering in pools around rocks. Here be on the lookout for opportunities to shoot swirling patterns caused by leaves caught in the river's current. With longer shutter speed this slow movement can be recorded as a swirling pattern. Consider using a polarizing filter to give a longer shutter speed but also to emphasise and saturate the vibrant autumn colours.

 

6. Think about where you stand

The direction in which you shoot the river can also have a huge impact on the character of you convey in your photograph. Shooting across a river tends to create a rather static image that flows in on one side of the composition and out on the other. If you have to compose with the river flowing horizontally across the image try to include something in the foreground of the frame to create a feeling of depth to the image.

Often large areas of the riverbank are nothing but grass. In these situations, there is little to hold the viewer's attention. Try to find locations where there is something to include in the foreground such as rocks and reeds.

Shooting along the river from its bank offers more potential especially where the river tends to bend and meander. Long straight rivers are less photogenic but can offer some potential. Look for long stretches where the perspective of the river can be emphasised using a wide-angle lens. The best positions, however, tend to be on bends as this lets you show off the bend and lead the eye into the image. Curves are more photogenic and pleasing to the eye than straight lines. Bends also allow you to position yourself so you look like you are shooting from in the river. This can further be enhanced by a long lens to ensure there is no foreground. When doing this though remember to include a point of interest to focus the viewer’s eye and attention.

Masking can make or break a landscape photo. It’s what lets you balance a bright sky against dark terrain or fix strange color casts without ruining the rest of the frame.

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Caring about validation can feel like weakness, especially in creative work. But when you’re learning photography, ignoring feedback can freeze your progress. Skill grows through friction, through seeing what others see in your images and understanding why something works or doesn’t. Confidence without calibration just becomes delusion, and the camera won’t forgive it.

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Wildlife photography often comes down to reach and sharpness. You need distance without losing detail, and that balance usually means testing limits—optically and technically. The OM SYSTEM M.Zuiko Digital ED 50-200mm f/2.8 IS PRO lens aims to hit that balance, but how well it holds up once you start adding teleconverters is what separates an ideal setup from a compromise.

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Thanks to its warm, golden colours and varying weather, Autumn is a very photogenic season. However, the different locations you can shoot in coupled with weather and light changes can occasionally make setting the correct exposure tricky. With this in mind, here's a quick check list of ways you can ensure your exposure's correct every time. 

Photo by David Clapp

 

1. Use An ND Filter

Placing an ND Filter over your lens will balance the brightness levels of the ground and sky so that sky detail can still be seen without the ground appearing underexposed.

 

2. Check Your Histogram

Even though digital cameras do have good built-in meters you still need to keep an eye out for burnt-out highlights as you'll lose detail in these areas. A good way to check if your image is correctly exposed is with the histogram.

A 'good' histogram that shows an even exposure will peak more towards the middle and get lower to either end. If the graph is occupying mostly the left-hand side it means your image has more dark tones than light (underexposed) and if it’s shifted to the right, there are more lighter tones (overexposed) which means you could have really bright areas that look blown out.

Also, as a side note, when you playback your images there’s an option you can set that makes the highlighted areas 'blink' so you can pinpoint their exact location. Check your camera's manual for the instructions on how to do this. 

 

Photo by David Pritchard. 

 

3. Work On Overcast Days

Overcast days give you the perfect conditions for capturing autumn shots in woods and forests. Why? Well, on sunny days it can be hard to keep contrast to a minimum and you can end up with large areas of dark shadow and patches of bright, dappled sunlight that's broken through the forest's canopy.

 

4. Meter From The Right Spot

Positioning yourself so the yellow and orange coloured leaves can be backlit will add extra punch to your shots, but again, your camera can get confused by the variety of light sources around. As a starting point, you can meter for the mid-tones but it's best to take a meter reading from the leaves to ensure they are correctly exposed. Also, by doing so the background, which you'll want to be thrown nicely out of focus, should appear darker, allowing your subject to 'pop' from the frame.

 

5. Use Exposure Compensation

Mist and fog are common conditions to be shooting in at this time of year but you may find you have exposure problems once out in the field. This is because camera meters are often fooled into underexposing misty scenes so they come out looking very grey, rather than light and airy. You can fix this by using the + compensation option. How many stops you need to move up by will depend on the scene and how many EV steps you can go up by will depend on the camera you are using. 
 

   

You've read the technique now share your related photos for the chance to win prizes: Photo Month Forum Competition  

   

Feeding ducks is something everyone enjoys but next time you head off for your Sunday morning stroll around your local pond, pocket your camera as well as the treats you take for the Mallards and Swans.

 

1. An opportunity to get close to wildlife

As ducks are used to people visiting with goodies they're not usually skittish so getting close to them shouldn't be a problem. Even still, taking along a small bag of birdseed to scatter will keep the ducks in front of you for longer increasing the chances you have of getting a good shot.

Flat banks are the perfect location for photographing ducks as the low angle gives you a shot that has more of a duck's eye view. If you don't want to work hand-held, take along a light-weight tripod or beanbag to sit your camera on.
 

2. Which season is best?

Winter's a great time to head to the water's edge as the sun sits at a lower angle for longer which means you don't have to get up at the crack of dawn for softer light. You'll also get mist rolling over the water – perfect for silhouetting a bird against. For a bit of variety try shooting their reflections or look for interesting behaviour such as fighting or preening activities.

 

3. Need more details?

If you find their feathers are lacking in detail try adding a little fill-in flash. Just remember for birds such as Swans that have lighter feathers you'll need slightly stronger light. This time of year when lakes can be slightly frozen light will be reflected off the icy surface back under the duck, highlighting detail in their plume. For particularly gloomy days switch to a slightly higher ISO so you can use a quicker shutter speed. If you're out when the sky is rather bright keep an eye on your exposure if Swans are around as a white bird against a bright sky may mean your camera underexposes the shot.

For shots of birds in flight make sure you're on continuous focus and get the focus locked on the bird straight away. To freeze their movement in the air or when they're splashing on the water try a shutter speed of around 1/500sec but if you want to be a little more creative try to blur the motion of the wings with a slower speed of around 1/30sec.   

 

Ranking the greatest camera designs in history isn't just about technical specifications or optical performance. It's about identifying the pivotal moments when engineering brilliance, innovative thinking, and perfect timing converged to fundamentally change how we capture and think about photography. Here are five of the most remarkable camera designs in history.

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Blending texture into a photo can turn an ordinary image into something that feels handcrafted and imaginative, giving new life to the photos that never quite clicked, the ones sitting in your library that felt flat but had potential waiting just beneath the surface.

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If you’ve purchased a lovely camera, shouldn’t you buy a lovely, luxurious camera strap for it? That’s a rhetorical question—of course you should! If your camera is your pride and joy—something you’ve aspired to own for a while—and you finally bit the bullet and treated yourself, it’s fitting to give it a beautiful handcrafted shoulder strap. I’ve done this for a couple of my indulgent camera purchases recently, after discovering a surprising number of options when it comes to skillfully crafted leather straps.

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The Viltrox AF 14mm f/4 Air lens takes the idea of an affordable, ultra-wide option and turns it into something serious for both stills and video. You get the kind of coverage that captures everything in front of you without the heavy cost or bulk of most full frame wide lenses. Whether you’re shooting tight interiors, sprawling landscapes, or simply want the space of a wide frame for street work, this compact lens offers real versatility without much compromise.

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