DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY NEWS FROM ePHOTOzine

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Win £500 to spend with MPB

Win MPB Vouchers Worth up to £1,000 this Christmas

This festive season, MPB is giving creators the chance to upgrade their gear in a way that’s simple, secure, and sustainable. We’re sponsoring three special ePHOTOzine prize draws, with MPB vouchers worth up to £1,000 up for grabs. Whether you’re a photographer chasing golden-hour light or a filmmaker capturing winter stories, this is your moment to unwrap something amazing.

The Prizes

• Day 1: A £1,000 MPB voucher to spend on the camera or lens you’ve been dreaming about
• Day 3: A £500 MPB voucher to help you step up your creative game
• Day 9: A £250 MPB voucher that’s perfect for adding the finishing touch to your setup

Used Gear, Done Better

At MPB, we believe used doesn’t mean second-best. It means smarter. We make buying, selling, and trading photo and video gear simple, secure, and sustainable. Every week, thousands of creators trade in their old gear and upgrade to something new-to-them.

• Buy better: Save money and shop gear that’s been checked by experts and backed by warranty
• Sell smarter: Get an instant quote, ship for free, and get paid quickly with no hidden fees or hassle
• Shoot sustainably: Give great gear a second life and help reduce waste in the creative industry

Find out how to sell your gear or start exploring our latest arrivals at mpb.com.

Creativity for Every Kind of Creator

Whether you’re a professional with a packed kit bag or just starting out, MPB is built for you. Our platform connects photographers and videographers across the world, creating a community that values creativity and sustainability in equal measure.

We’re passionate about helping people find the right tools the right way. Gear that inspires creativity, captures stories, and makes a difference. Because when your tools fit your vision, your ideas come to life.

Visit MPB

Today's Prize Join the Giveaway

Don’t miss your chance to win an MPB voucher worth up to £1,000 this Christmas. Enter the ePHOTOzine/MPB giveaway to start the new year with your dream setup.

Shop used. Shoot better. Win big with MPB.

Visit MPB

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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Photo by Emma Kay

 

 

What better excuse do we need as photographers than a blanket of snow for wonderful photographic opportunities? When photographing snowy landscapes it's important to get a few techniques right to ensure you capture everything at its best.
 

Let's start with the ideal conditions, a snowy landscape and blue skies – perfect, but can you get anything wrong on days like this?
 

Adjust your white balance accordingly

Firstly, metering – "intelligent" camera metering systems (matrix, evaluative) are getting better at coping with bright (or dark) scenes, but most will still lead to a degree of underexposure, leaving your whites looking dull but more importantly, your shadow details blocked up.

Keep a close eye on your histogram and expect to have to adjust your camera's meter reading. Ideally, your histogram should end just at the right-hand axis, anything less than this will indicate underexposure.
 

Consider a tripod for steady shots

Secondly, tripods – although on a bright sunny snowy day, high shutter speeds are easier to attain, when going for great depth of field, particularly early or late in the day, shutter speeds can drop slightly and cold hands are not good at holding cameras still. If you're using a carbon fibre tripod, they don't get as cold to the touch as aluminium, but if you're using an aluminium tripod, try wrapping the legs in pipe insulation to give a warmer surface to the touch, or better still, go to a sports shop and get either racing bike handlebar tape, or tennis racquet grip tape; either will give you a warm grip with much less bulk.

 

Look for good leading lines

Thirdly, how to shoot – I know this sounds a bit basic, but sometimes the most obvious things are overlooked. With the ground often covered in a plain white layer, try looking for good “lead lines” - things that will take your eye into the picture; in the Lakes, dry stone walls, or lake edges are ideal. Now – an important point – if you walk up to a wall, or lake edge to take a photo in one direction, then you walk along it's length and turn round to take a photo back the other way, you will have spoiled the “return” view with your own footprints! So I tend to look carefully from a distance, approach to my first photo point, after taking the picture, I retrace my steps and take a wide route around to my second viewpoint, so the view back remains pristine. Obviously, this only applies when the show is fresh, so the other important point is – when it snows, get out as soon as you can, before it's covered in other people's footprints.

Don't forget details too, a few blades of grass can be just as effective as a simple image as a whole vista, so be careful not to overlook the minimalistic approach. Splashes of colour in a monochromatic view can add enormous impact, too. Also remember, that even in snowy weather, communities keep working, so look out for farming activity in fields too, to add a human – or livestock scale to the picture.
 

What if the weather's a bit bleak?

So – what if the weather's not so ideal? I was once out in blizzard conditions just below Watendlath, the same rules of exposure, composition etc. all apply, but you will find that as the background – as well as the sky will simply disappear in a haze of white, strong, graphic foreground shapes can produce striking pictures – often more effective in black & white, almost creating the effect of a pen-and-ink drawing. Keep a very close eye on how strong foreground elements react with each other – try to prevent too much overlap, which will otherwise tend to confuse the composition.
 

Make sure you dress appropriately

Most important of all, look after yourself, photography isn't the most active of winter pastimes, so wear plenty of layers to trap air and keep you warm, a hat is essential – 33% of body heat escapes through the head, and although gloves are a pain while photographing, reach a compromise that works for you – either fingerless, or gloves that you only take off while you frame and take the shot. I discovered hunting gloves a few years back, which have a slot in the forefinger and thumb of the right glove, allowing them to be pulled back for access to the shutter and control dials, without the rest of your fingers freezing. If you're planning a long spell, hot drinks are worth taking with you.

Article by John Gravett - www.lakelandphotohols.com
 

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The latest winner of our popular daily photography theme which takes place in our forums have been chosen and congratulations go to altitude50 (Day 23 - HDR)

 

Daily Theme Runners-Up

If you didn't win this time, keep uploading your images to the daily competition forum for another chance to win! If you're new to the Daily Theme, you can find out more about it in the Daily Theme Q&A. 

Well done to our latest runners-up, too, whose images you can take a look at below.

  Day 24

Still Life Photography

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  Day 25

Abstract Landscapes

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Day 26

Children

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Day 27

Groups

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  Day 28

Low Light Photos

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Day 29

Indoor Portraits

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Day 30

Christmas Markets

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You’ll find the Daily Themes, along with other great photo competitions, over in our Forum. Take a look to see the latest daily photo contests. Open to all levels of photographer, you’re sure to find a photography competition to enter. Why not share details of competitions with our community? Join the camaraderie and upload an image to our Gallery.