DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY NEWS FROM ePHOTOzine

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Win 1 of 10 Zoner Studio yearly licenses!

Zoner Studio: The All-in-One photo editor designed for photographers

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by complicated photo editing software - or frustrated by high subscription costs - Zoner Studio is the breath of fresh air you’ve been waiting for. Created for beginners, hobby photographers, and anyone who wants to take their photo editing to the next level at half the cost of the main players. Zoner Studio delivers professional-grade tools in a clean, intuitive interface that makes the entire workflow faster, simpler, and genuinely enjoyable.

What makes Zoner Studio different is its rare combination of power and approachability. You don’t need to be a retouching expert to get great results, and you don’t need to fight your way through endless menus to find basic tools. Everything you need - importing, organizing, editing, retouching, layers, masks, video editing, and exporting - is right where you expect it. Whether you’re editing your first RAW file or batch-processing a full wedding shoot, Zoner Studio guides you from first steps to polished final images effortlessly.

A proper strength is its freedom of workflow. Unlike many well-known editors, Zoner Studio doesn’t force you into a catalog-only system. You can choose the method that works best for you: use the catalog for fast searching and organization, or edit directly from folders without importing anything at all. And here’s an even bigger advantage: your photo library stays fully accessible even after your subscription ends. No lock-ins, no disappearing edits, no unpleasant surprises. Your photos remain yours.

And whether you’re learning the craft or looking for inspiration, Zoner Studio is packed with helpful tutorials, tooltips, guided modules, and educational content that helps you progress. You’ll never be lost or stuck wondering what to do next.

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Today's Prize Win 1 of 10 Zoner Studio yearly licenses!

If you want a photo editor that respects your time, your budget, and your creativity, Zoner Studio is the perfect place to start - and the ideal companion as your skills grow. Whether you’re editing once a month or every day, it’s everything you need in one beautifully designed package.

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As a thanks to all of you who support the site by purchasing Plus Membership, you will receive 2 entries per draw.

Also, a huge thank you to all of our members, old and new, Plus and Free, for being part of our amazing community and to those clients who have supported us this year, through continuing tough economic circumstances. It's certainly been another challenging year, so thanks - we couldn't have made it through 2025 without you!

Wishing you all a lovely Christmas and here’s hoping 2026 will be healthy and happy all round. The ePHOTOzine Team.

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Christmas is a great time of year to try out some macro photography, with loads of trinkets and brightly coloured objects to shoot. Here are some tips for festive macro photography.

  Subjects

As mentioned above, there are many decorative items that appear at Christmas that are ideal subjects for macro photography. Think baubles on the tree, festive garlands, centrepieces and ornaments, like candle holders, tea lights and reindeer statues. Think about the lighting too – if you're going for a festive look, then firelight, fairy lights and candles are the way to go. Look for interesting decorations that have plenty of colour and detail. Don't forget the other decorations that can be found around the house either. Snow globes, bowls of sweets and Poinsettias are all worth a quick photo.

Many ornaments are quite reflective so do check them to make sure your reflection isn't showing in them. This does mean you'll have to adjust your position or move the ornament if you do find your face to be in the shot.

If you're shooting with fairy lights in the background, they will create great bokeh for your image. Alternatively, use the lights as an abstract subject, turning them into circles of colour against dark backgrounds.

  Settings

If your camera has a specific macro setting, then that will be a good starting point. Those using interchangeable lenses should switch to a close-up or specific macro lens to shoot their photographs.

Do check your white balance as photos taken indoors can sometimes have a warm, orange tint to them. If you find this to be a problem switch from auto white balance to one of the other presets or you can manually set your white balance.
 

 

Support

You might need to use a tripod, or a gorillapod to achieve stability in a small space, especially if you are shooting in low light, such as firelight or candlelight for effectiveness.
 

Get Creative

Try setting up your own scene to shoot, rather than just shooting the objects where they are positioned. For example, if your tree is really too full you can take a few decorations off it to create a Christmas still life. The Nativity scene will make a really interesting macro shot too.
 

Turn Your Photos Into Cards

It's a little late for this year, however macro shots you take this Christmas can be used on cards you send out next year.