Photography News

Walk into any thrift store today and you might see it: a teenager with blue hair and earbuds thumbing through a dusty bin of film cameras, holding up a Canon AE-1 like it’s a time machine. For Gen Z, film was the cool rebellion—the antidote to megapixels and algorithms. They rediscovered what their parents left behind, turned Kodak Gold into an Instagram aesthetic, and made a $50 point-and-shoot worth five times that on eBay.

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There was a time when professionals swore by a format that gave them speed, reach, and reliability in ways nothing else could. A decade later, it’s little more than a ghost in photography’s memory.

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Great pictures aren't enough anymore, at least not if you want to survive as a photographer today. One strong image might once have been the end of the process, but now it feels more like the beginning of a much larger chain of expectations. Content. Reels. Behind-the-scenes clips. YouTube.

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The Hasselblad 907X and CFV 100C medium format mirrorless camera is one of the most unique systems you’ll come across. It takes the retro waist-level shooting style of film cameras and pairs it with modern digital features, all while packing in a massive 100-megapixel sensor. The combination creates a slower, more deliberate shooting process that can change how you approach your work.

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The beauty with photography is you're not restricted with how you can take a photograph. You can play with as many lights as you can afford, add filters, gels and play with numerous other gadgets to alter the look of your photograph. But even though there are all these toys waiting to be played with, one of the simplest ways to change the way your image looks is to get up high.
 

1. Gear Choices

A telephoto lens is useful for pulling distant scenes to you while a wide lens is great when you're trying to get a whole town/city in the shot. A tripod's also handy if you're using longer lenses but not always a necessity and they won't be allowed in some locations. If shooting at night, a camera with good low-light capabilities will come in handy. 

  2. Locations

Don't look for your nearest skyscraper, get in a lift, ride to the top floor and start snapping shots of the city. You'll cause more trouble than it's worth, and there are plenty of other places that don't have huge panes of glass between you and the view.

If you're away you probably have a balcony you can get a few shots from or if your hotel has a roof terrace head up there with your kit and set up somewhere out of the way. Just ask if it's OK to do this first otherwise you could raise a few eyebrows. Look out for observation decks, bridges and even the big wheels that are popping up in cities. These usually take an hour to complete a full circle giving you ample time to get a few cracking shots.

 

3. New Look

Shooting straight down on a building that's been photographed hundreds and hundreds of time will instantly make your shot stand out and it will give you the opportunity to include the nearby streets to highlight the shapes and patterns not usually seen. You'll also be able to see how shadows are elongated and help add texture to your image. If you're not far enough away from the town/city all the buildings could appear to be all on the same level so you'll have nothing that distinguishes between foreground or background interest. To combat this problem look for something you can have in your foreground to help break up the shot.

 

 

4. Not So High

If heights aren't your thing why not try climbing a few steps or even standing on a wall to escape the standard view we usually see in shots. Looking over the bannister of a spiral staircase, for example, works well but it is something that's overdone and a little clichéd so be warned. Try taking a walk up a hill in the countryside near a city and you'll be able to shoot down to capture a cityscape.
 

5. Close-Up Work

Look out for buildings which stand out and use your telephoto lens to home in on them. These could be well-known landmarks, churches or even football stadiums.
 

6. Keep Your Feet On The Ground

If you want a series bird's eye view why not try a spot of kite photography? Some have even tried throwing their camera up in the air to put a unique twist on photography from a height. Although, this isn't something we'd recommend doing! 

   

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When you start out, it’s easy to believe that more lenses, more megapixels, and more gear will make your photos stronger. Over time, you realize the opposite often holds true. The way you see and think while shooting carries far more weight than how much equipment you bring with you.

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A beautiful landscape titled ‘Ridge Light’ by BIGRY1 has been named our latest 'Photo of the Week' (POTW) winner.

The scene carries a strong autumn feel, with warm tones across the hills and a soft golden glow that marks the season. Light breaks through the clouds and falls across the ridge, revealing the rise and fall of the land with striking detail. The contrast between sunlit slopes and shaded valleys builds a sense of depth, while the stone path and fence give the composition order and direction. The superb light and balanced framing create a photograph that reflects the mood of autumn and shows the scale of the landscape.

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!

The Fujifilm GF 50mm f/3.5 R LM WR stands out because it makes medium format shooting far more practical than it used to be. You can carry it on hikes, toss it into a bag for travel, or leave it on a camera at home without it feeling like a burden. That opens the door to using medium format in places you’d normally default to a smaller camera.

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Prime lenses can look similar on paper but behave very differently once mounted. Differences in size, sharpness, and focusing speed end up shaping how you actually shoot.

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In our busy modern lives, it is often complicated to find the time to shoot great autumnal images, considering the amount of research, walking and perseverance that is often involved. Big hitters like the New Forest and The Lake District are often out of reach for city dwellers, especially with a family in tow. So this coming autumn has a go at visiting an arboretum, as they make a brilliant and easy alternative, keeping the kids amused with throwing leaves at each other while you take some breathtaking opportunities to capture autumnal photography.

1. What kit is best?

When it comes to kit, fit a medium telephoto lens to your DSLR as it'll be particularly handy for capturing leaf and branch detail. Make sure you pocket your macro lens too. Don't forget your wellies when you visit an Arboretum as they do get a lot of visitors and the ground gets well-trodden.  

2. Why are arboretums so good as photographic locations?

Right, back to arboretums! As they are collections of trees from various continents, this can be just the ticket to an easy shoot. Horticultural planners include sensational visual displays to attract visitors in their thousands, to places like Westonbirt Arboretum in Gloucestershire to name one of the UK’s favourites. Yet it's not as simple as falling off a log, you need good sunshine and a well-timed visit to get the best from the colours and the day.

3. Any particularly stunning trees I should look out for?

There are two tree species to look out for - Maples and Acers. Most arboretums have these trees in their collection and they feature heavily in annual publicity shots (hence generating a huge car parking revenue each year, vital to the arboretum's upkeep). Westonbirt is not cheap to get in, but consider where this money is actually going.

4. What conditions are best?

It's best to wait for sunshine to give dimension to the trees, but if the day starts a bit flat and dull, all is not necessarily lost. Concentrate on staging some ideas, such as putting leaves on interesting textures or making arrangements of leaves themselves.

Also, try the good old zoom burst technique. Put an ND filter on the lens, set an aperture of f/16 and the ISO as low as possible. This should give a long shutter speed, maybe a few seconds. Set the camera's two-second timer, press the shutter and then zoom into the shot and create a wonderful vortex of colours. It's easy to do and is very effective.   

© OM SYSTEM

 

OM Digital Solutions Corporation has announced the release of the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 50-200mm F2.8 IS PRO. Designed in full compliance with the Micro Four Thirds System standard, this model proudly joins the OMSYSTEM line of imaging products.

This large-diameter super telephoto zoom lens features a constant F2.8 aperture throughout the zoom range with a 100-400mm equivalent focal length that goes up to 800mm equivalent1 (when using the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 2x Teleconverter MC-20), offering truly unique photographic experiences.

This model delivers excellent resolution across the entire zoom range that only the PRO series and its culmination of cutting-edge optical technologies can provide. It is compatible with 5-axis sync IS (up to 7.0 steps2 of compensation) for powerful support during handheld super telephoto shooting. With a maximum image magnification of 0.5x equivalent1, it also offers superb close-up photography capabilities. This high-performance super telephoto zoom lens is designed to meet the demands of photographers across a wide range of genres, from sweeping natural landscapes to fast-moving birds, elusive wildlife to detailed macro shooting. This lens is sold on order basis.

 

Key Features of the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 50-200mm F2.8 IS PRO:

• One-of-a-kind high image quality, large-diameter super telephoto zoom lens offering 100-400mm, F2.8 equivalent with the lens alone, and up to 800mm, F5.6 equivalent when using the 2x teleconverter
• 5-axis sync IS for easy handheld shooting with up to 7.0 steps of shutter speed compensation
• Excellent reliability and operation that supports shooting even in harsh natural environments

 

© OM SYSTEM

 

At OM SYSTEM, we have always been a pioneer in optical design. From the beginning, M.ZUIKO lenses have symbolized precision, quality, and reliability. With a heritage dating back to 1936, we continue to innovate for the photographers of tomorrow. The M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 50-200mm F2.8 IS PRO is a true innovation, offering unmatched range, speed, and portability across a vast array of photographic genres.

 

Pricing & Availability for M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 50-200MM F2.8 IS PRO:

The M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 50-200mm F2.8 IS PRO will be available from 6th October 2025, at a suggested retail price of £2,999

For more information, please visit the OM SYSTEM website.

 

If you're looking for lighting advice, be it for capturing portraits on a sunny day or shooting landscapes in summer, we probably have a tutorial to help you.

 

1. Five Top Tips On How To Control & Work With Natural Light

Natural light is often the only light available to us when we are out shooting. But far from being an untameable beast, there are several ways that you can control it to achieve your desired photo.

 

2. Photographing Low Light Portraits

Working with just one light, or indeed natural light at dusk, is a great way to create moody portraits that can be full of character. It's a perfect technique for shooting subjects who are a little older as low light can really exaggerate lines and wrinkles but don't let this put you off photographing low light portraits of younger members of your family.

 

3. Six Top Natural Light Portrait Tips For Beginners

Get back to basics and make the most of natural light by capturing portraits without flash or studio lights.

 

4. Five Top Tips On How To Use Window Light For Indoor Portraits

Daylight is free and it is wonderful for portrait work as not only is it flattering and photogenic but it's really easy to work with so it's a good place for beginners to start. You don't need a fancy studio, either, as you can pick a location outdoors or simply set-up next to a window in your own home.  

 

5. Three Top Tips On Using Fill-In Flash For Portraits

Fill-in flash can give images that extra bit of 'pop' they need as we explain in this article.

 

 

6. A Basic Introduction To Outdoor Photography: 4 Top Outdoor Lighting Tips

Light's an important tool for photographers and knowing how to make it work to your advantage when capturing photographs outdoors is essential.

 

7. How To Use Built-In Camera Flash Successfully

Flash can give images that extra bit of 'pop' they need and many cameras feature several flash modes for you to pick from so we're going to talk through the various modes available and how they work. 

 

8. Top Portrait Photography Tips That Use Just One Light

With just 1 studio light, the COOPH team demonstrate how you can create different/unique portraits by manipulating how the light falls to enhance portraits and, as a result, greatly improve your overall results. 

 

9. Three Top Tips On Controlling And Using Flare In Your Photos

If you've ever taken photographs with the sun in front of you, you're likely to have experience flare, which probably spoilt your photograph. However, there are several things you can do to remove it or if you're feeling creative, you can use it in your shots to add a little romanticism, mystery and warmth to your work.

 

10. Nine Portrait Photography Light Hacks In 90 Seconds

We've got 9 lighting hacks to share with you which you can use the next time you're capturing portraits.

 

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

One of the most important things we can do when we are engineering our photographs is to control, or to direct, where we want the viewer’s eyes to go—what it is that we want them to see. To do that, we must use the architecture of the image to bring visual interest up in the areas that are most important and find ways to diminish what we either want to hide or at least subdue in interest.

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The camera industry has never been afraid to experiment. Over the years, manufacturers have pushed boundaries with bold ideas, ambitious technology, and sometimes outright gambles. Innovation often comes with risk, and not every product makes it across the finish line successfully.

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Photo competitions offer a fantastic opportunity to showcase your work to an international audience, enhance your portfolio, and, ideally, advance your photographic career. At the same time, the winning images of many competitions often seem intimidating.

Maybe you’ve asked yourself: How am I supposed to capture a moment like this? I don’t live in breathtaking surroundings, I don’t have access to top models every week, and with a job and family, I definitely don’t have months to chase subjects in faraway countries.

After many years of working with competitions such as the...

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Cityscapes in black and white can give you a completely different way of looking at familiar places. Stripping away color emphasizes structure, light, and movement, and it pushes you to think about form instead of surface details. Black and white also makes you notice what’s often overlooked in a busy city frame.

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I recently shot with a brand-new model who had never been in front of the camera before. No prior shoots, runway experience, nothing. Just raw potential and an open mind. Instead of hiding the awkwardness that comes with a first-time model shoot, I did the opposite—I let the camera roll and documented everything, hoping it helps other photographers.

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The 9mm focal length opens creative doors you don’t get with more common lenses. Its perspective exaggeration can give you drama in landscapes and an immersive feel in tight spaces. At the same time, wide angles aren’t easy to master, so having one that balances performance with portability makes the challenge more rewarding. This lens does just that, giving you options without adding weight or cost to your bag.

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The Panasonic Lumix S 100-500mm f/5-7.1 O.I.S. lens is a surprising release. It manages to pack a long focal range into a lens that feels smaller and easier to handle than you’d expect. If you shoot sports or wildlife, you already know how rare it is to find reach like this in a package that won’t demand a huge bag or tripod every time you take it out.

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The beauty of this time of year is that the sun rises at a more reasonable hour so an early morning jaunt to the woods isn't as painful as it was a few weeks ago. To top this already good news off, the chances of you finding mist circling around the trees is a lot higher at this time of year and when you mix this with your rising sun, you have the chance to capture strong beams of light as they burst through the trees.

 

1. Hope The Mist Is Right

You have to have the right type of mist for this - too thick and you won't be able to see the end of your nose let alone a sunbeam but if it's too thin there won't be enough moisture in the air for the light to reflect off. Read up on fog and mist techniques to become an expert at dealing with it. 

 

2. Take A Good Look At The Trees

It can be a little hit and miss but when the right density of mist does appear, you'll be able to capture some cracking shots as long as you have the right number of trees. Too many and you'll have broken, uneven patches of light but if there's too few the light will flood the open spaces leaving you with plenty of light but no beams. Your best bet is to quickly move to several locations to judge what looks the best before setting up camp. We say move quickly as the mist can vanish and the light can change quickly.

This also means you need to work quickly so do be familiar with your camera's controls and how you can adjust apertures etc. quickly to maximise your opportunities. Some cameras have dedicated dials you can assign specific controls to or offer ways you can access a particular setting more quickly.    3. Position Yourself In The Right Place For this to work properly you need to be shooting into the sun. Of course, this means you could have problems with flare but if you position yourself so the sun's hidden by a tree or foliage the light won't be as bright.
  4. Metering Tips

Metering is another tricky subject when you're working with direct sunlight and shadowy areas you don't want to lose too much detail in. To keep as much detail as possible don't meter from the direction of the sun instead, pick an area away from the light then compose your shot.