Photography News

 

Mountain photography, both on and off these magnificent natural structures, is something photographers can capture images of all year round, but there's something about the Autumn and Winter seasons which add an extra level of 'wow' to these landscape shots. For your next venture up a mountain or to one of our many national parks where mountain ranges decorate the horizon, here are 8 pieces of advice that'll have you capturing breathtaking mountain shots in no-time at all.

 

1. Safety First 

This can be a tricky subject in winter as you need to ensure you remain safe at all times. Walking in snow is one thing but mountains tend to also be covered with ice and have erratic weather conditions. Before you set off, know your ability, wear the right clothing and take the right walking equipment including phone, compass and map. You should also carry a whistle which can be used to attract attention if you need help.

2. Pack Your Filters

Don't leave home without a UV filter as not only does it protect the lens from the elements but it will cut the levels of UV which are often high in the mountains, especially in sunny conditions.

If it’s sunny and there’s snow use a polarising filter. The polariser is a great tool to help control glare and light reflection from the snow. Take care not to over polarise a blue sky in the mountains, though.

The ND Grad filter is essential for reducing the contrast difference between the sky and ground. Landscape photographer Robin Whalley tends to carry a 2 stop and 3 stop (0.6 and 0.9) wrapped in a filter cloth and placed in his pocket when photographing mountain landscapes.

 

 

3. Lens Choices 

The lens choice for shooting in the mountains is wide-angle. A longer lens can also be useful for picking out details, but a zoom will probably allow you to capture the best the mountain has to offer. When using longer lenses, don't forget that you need a tripod that can support their weight.

 

4. Capture Distance And Height 

When shooting from the mountainside or summit the best approach to composition is to emphasise distance and height. Use a wide-angle lens and include something to act as foreground interest. Lenses wider than 24mm can be used successfully but the feeling of distance and height tends to diminish the wider you go.

 

 

5. Use Small Apertures 

The need to include foreground interest as well as keep the distant hills in good focus probably means you need to stop your lens down to quite a small aperture, perhaps f/16.0 or smaller. If you are also using filters, for example, a polariser you might find slow shutter speeds a problem. Robin Whalley says: "I used to use a walking pole and place the camera lens through the hand loop to support it, giving me a few extra stops of stability. Now I use a monopod which doubles as a walking pole and which I have used successfully with shots with over 0.5-second exposure."

 

6. Creating The 'Wow' Factor When shooting from the mountain you want the viewer to gain a sense of the place, so when they look at the shot they almost feel like they were actually there with you. To do this, as well as using a wide-angle lens, use a panoramic composition as this will help the viewer appreciate the scale of the location but again, it doesn’t emphasise the dramatic height of the mountain, something we'll discuss further down the page.      

 

7. Correct Exposures 

If you are shooting in snowy conditions, you should also watch out for the cameras light meter being fooled into underexposing the scene. Check your histogram regularly after shots and use your cameras exposure compensation adjustment if necessary to increase the exposure.

 

8. Off The Mountain 

This option is far more accessible to most people and can provide equally if not more impressive images. When people think of dramatic mountain scenery, it’s often shots taken of the mountain from a normal altitude that they think of.

When shooting off the mountain the best lens is a long telephoto, probably in excess of 100mm. This may seem counter-intuitive but wide-angle lenses seldom give the most drama. They will emphasise the foreground but diminish the background, almost making it shrink into the horizon. The telephoto lens in contrast will emphasise the size of the mountain and allow you to focus in on the rugged details. 

In summary, decide on your approach, on or off the mountain, then use the right equipment to give a composition that will best connect the viewer with the scene.

Threads of Time is an exploration of legacy and lens. It is a collaborative project between kesi artist Jingwei and photographer Jing Huang, presented at the Leica Gallery in Amsterdam. I went along to see how this collaboration was woven together in a gallery setting.

 

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Panasonic's Lumix L10 puts a Micro Four Thirds sensor and a fixed zoom into a body small enough for a jacket pocket, and it sells for $1,500. A fixed-lens camera at that price asks you to give up a lot of flexibility, so how it holds up after months of daily use tells you more than a launch-week impression can.

 

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Every year around late summer, my inbox and DMs start filling up with some version of the same question: "What actually happens at Sony Kando?" 

It's a fair thing to wonder. From the outside, Kando looks like a mystery box. A few hundred creators disappear to some beautiful corner of the country for a few days, flood everyone's feeds with incredible work, and then go quiet. There are no badges for sale. There's no public schedule. If you weren't invited, you're left watching from the outside, trying to figure out what the whole thing even is.

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An f/2.8 zoom usually costs more, weighs more, and takes up more room in your bag than its f/4 counterpart, and the price gap between the two versions of the same focal range can run to hundreds of dollars. A wrong choice in either direction tends to end the same way, with a second purchase or an expensive lens that keeps getting left at home.

 

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Ask whether the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 or the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1100 makes better prints, and you'll get answers about gamut volume, D-max, and how many centuries pigment inks last. Those figures steer where hundreds or thousands of dollars go, yet they say surprisingly little about how a print looks once it's framed and hanging.

 

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Fisheye lenses have usually forced a choice between a circular image and a frame-filling one. Sony's FE 8-14mm f/3.5 G does both in one small zoom for $1,600, so deciding to buy it comes down to how often you'd actually use a lens this specialized.

 

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A good support is a particularly important tool for landscape photographers. Even if you're a compact camera user you should consider purchasing a tripod. If you're still not convinced that fastening a tripod to your rucksack isn't a good idea when you're off on your walk, have a read of our ten reasons why we believe you should.

 

1. Use longer lenses more comfortably with a tripod

If you planning on taking some long as well as wide lenses out with you they tend to be more prone to camera shake so having a tripod will keep your shots sharp. However, if you do want to work hand-held make sure you don't use a shutter speed that's lower than your focal length. Some take this further and say your shutter speed should be at least double the focal length you're using.

  2. Easily adjust height

If you have a sky that's bursting with colourful sunset shades and want to make more of a feature of it, adjust the height of your tripod so more sky is in frame than land. We know you can just raise your hands up higher but holding your hands up in the air isn't very comfortable and any movement, even a small sway, could add unwanted blur to your shot. If you do want to adjust the height, make sure you pull all the legs out to their maximum length before using the centre column. Why? Well, even though it's easier to adjust than three legs, the support won't be as sturdy.

  3. Create slower shutter speed images easily

If you're planning on taking photos that turn the movement of waterfalls, rivers and waves into smooth, dry ice-like textures, you'll need slower shutter speeds. The problem with slower shutter speeds is they're not a great choice when working hand-held as you have to stay very still to stop shake and if you don't, blur will creep into your shot. However, stick your camera on a tripod and you can set shutter speeds that are many minutes long and shake won't factor into it. While we are talking about shake, try using a remote release or the camera's self-timer to fire the shutter to stop any small movement that you moving your hand away from the camera may create.

 

 

4. Create multiple exposures

If you're shooting a scene where the camera can't handle all of the different exposure levels present, you may want to try shoot a series of separate shots that each focus on the dark, middle and light parts of the image which are then combined to create one balanced exposure. If you're unsure whether the location you're at will work better with HDR, take a few sample shots and have a look at the areas that are in shadow. If you think there's detail that's lost in these darker areas that will improve your photograph then have a try at HDR.

A tripod is essential for this type of photography as the smallest of movements can adjust your framing which means your shots won't line up when you try to merge them together. As a result, once you've framed up, lock your camera's position, ensuring all screws are fastened tightly and that all leg locks won't come loose.

  5. Create smooth panoramas

If you want to shoot some landscape panoramas, having a tripod will help keep your shots steady and make them easier to stitch together once back in front of the computer. Start at either the left or right of the image, whichever you're more comfortable with, and allow for some overlap between each frame. It's always worth doing a 'dummy run' so you can make sure everything you want in the scene can be captured and to double-check you have enough overlap between each shot. It is important that focus is not adjusted during the panorama so take care not to touch the focus barrel once you have focused and set your white-balance manually so you don't have to make small tweaks to individual shots once back home. For scenes with details much closer to the front of the frame you'll need to use a panoramic head.

 

6. Take your time to compose properly

We know it's been said quite a few times but it doesn't hurt to mention it again, particularly to those who are new to landscape photography. What are we talking about? Well, the actual process of setting up your tripod, putting your camera through it and looking through the viewfinder does take some time and as a result, it slows you down and makes you think more about the shot you're taking. If you didn't have a tripod with you it would be very easy to take your camera out of its bag, fire off a few shots quickly and move on to a new location without really giving much thought about composition and the overall shot you're trying to achieve.

 

  7. More stability in windy weather 

If you find the weather turns a little blustery you'll need a sturdy tripod as unlike us photographers, they're better at balancing so won't get blown and pushed around as easily. If you find you need a little more weight and your tripod features a centre column hook, you can hang a bag of stones or other weighty objects off it to balance the tripod. For lighter tripods, use your body as a shield from the wind. Sticking spiked feet into the ground will also help keep the tripod still.

 

8. Set up low angle landscapes

For something a little different, adjust your tripod legs so you can shoot lower to the ground. This can give foreground detail more emphasis, really changing the feel of your landscape shot.

  9. Set up in water, use a remote trigger 

Sometimes you have to get your feet wet to get the shot you want but trying to stand upright in water that's moving on what can be slippy rocks is hard enough on your own, without a camera in your hands. To minimise the chances of you dropping your camera in the water, put it on a tripod. If the tripod doesn't have to be too far in the water you could also use a remote release/cable to fire the shutter from the water's edge rather than getting in yourself. Do make sure your tripod won't topple over and if you have them, use spiked feet to bed the tripod into the floor. If you're shooting at the coast, remember to clean your tripod after dunking it in the sea as saltwater will rust it.

  10. Capture images with low light minus movement blur

Shooting at sunrise, sunset or during the night so you can capture a sky full of stars, requires the use of slower shutter speeds, which, as mentioned, means you'll have to use a tripod as working hand-held can result in shake spoiling your shot. You can try nudging your ISO up to quicken your shutter speed but not all cameras produce good-quality shots when higher ISOs are used so the safest option is to take your tripod with you so you can use longer shutter speeds.

 

Photo by Joshua Waller

 

City life's not for everyone but as the sun begins to set find yourself a vantage point where you can see most of the city skyline and you'll soon have a photograph that may make you rethink your dislike for cities. One of the best times for photographing city skylines is when the sun's begun to set so there's still a touch of blue in the sky but the light's not too harsh so make sure you're on your chosen vantage point well before sunset. 

 

1. Gear Choices

Pack a wide lens for capturing the big picture and a telephoto for singling out individual buildings and pulling distant objects towards you on your evening jaunt. Taking a tripod with you is advised but do leave your flashgun at home and turn your on-camera flash off as if it fires, it can ruin your skyline shot.

Most cameras, even compacts and smartphones are capable of producing night shots of decent quality but if you're planning on using much lengthier exposure times, you'll want to pack a more advanced camera. 

 

2. Where To Stand With Your Kit

While on holiday (if you have a room with a view) make use of the balcony to give you a high vantage point of the city. You'll also find buildings with observation decks, bridges to stand on and if you're in a city such as Sheffield which has the peak district on its doorstep, try heading for the hills to give you a sweeping shot of the whole city. From high locations you'll be able to capture patterns you can't see at street level such as the lines street lights form as they turn on or the shapes created as city dwellers switch on their lights at home. Street lights look particularly good twinkling against the deep blue sky still lit by the setting sun. Just be careful where you meter from as you don't want the sky or building lights to 'blow out'. Keep an eye on your histogram and take a reading from a darker part of the frame. Another option is to take multiple exposures of the same view so you can combine them to create a shot with a balanced exposure where there's not under- or over-exposed areas in the image. 

 

3. Taking Photos Through Glass

If you've got to capture your image through glass do check for marks and smudges that will spoil your shot. If you can't remove them, experiment with your aperture to see if one particular f-number will remove them from the shot. You'll also need to put the lens as close to the glass as possible and cup it with your hand, a cloth or whatever else you have that will reduce the amount of interior light reaching your lens. If you don't, you'll end up with reflections and flare could spoil your shots. 

 

Photo by Joshua Waller

 

4. Depth Of Field 

You'll want to use an aperture that gives your shot plenty of depth of field, around f/8 is a good place to start, and try to stick to lower ISOs where possible. You may find you need to adjust this to increase shutter speeds but if you're using a tripod, longer exposures won't be an issue. If you have it available, the depth of field preview button can help ensure your shot is sharp from front to back. 

Foreground interest can add another level interest and 'fill' empty space that can occur when focusing on subjects in the distance. However, do make sure it's not stealing the spotlight and pulling the viewer's attention away from the skyline. 

 

5. Shoot Silhouettes 

Silhouetted cityscapes are popular subjects and they work well against a plain but bright background. Even though they're a little clichéd sunsets do work well particularly if it's one that's rich with colour. To create your silhouette you need to expose for the background and not the buildings you want to silhouette. You may need to fool your camera when it comes to metering as using the camera's automatic metering won't always give you the silhouette you're after. Try half-pressing the shutter button while focused on the brightest part of your scene before moving back to frame the shot but this means your camera will focus on this and not your subject. Manual focus or using a smaller aperture can combat this problem. Talking of manual focus, you should consider using this even when not shooting silhouettes as it'll always produce better results, plus auto-focus tends to struggle as light levels fall. 

 

6. Shots At Street Level

As well as getting up high working at street level can work well in the evening too. Try using long exposures (20-30 seconds) to set the dark sky and buildings against the streak of lights that come from the traffic as it moves through the city streets. You could even combine multiple traffic streak shots to increase the sense of speed and movement in your city shot. Another way to add a creative twist to your city skyline shots is by incorporating reflections from rivers, lakes or even wet pavements after it's rained. 

 

7. Tall Buildings & Straight Horizons

Pay attention to your horizon and the angle of the buildings as you don't want them to be slanting to one side of the image. A tripod with a spirit level can be handy although many cameras now have these or gridlines built-in. When home, check your city shots for distortion but this is something that can be easily fixed in image editing software. Playing around with the colour balance can enhance and evoke mood, too so don't be afraid to experiment with this. 

 

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Anyone who shoots regularly ends up with the same problem: a stack of external drives, each holding a pile of different projects, but none of them labelled well enough to trust. Finding one file often means plugging drives in one at a time until you get lucky. And knowing whether a project is safely backed up in two places usually means guessing, which is why so many photographers keep everything on the Mac far longer than they should, unsure what can be deleted and what can't.

Niklas Fischer, the developer behind Tusk, knows the feeling. "I've never had a drive crash or break, so that was something I didn't worry about too much. What was worse for me was the anxiety when I wanted to delete files from my Mac. I was often not sure which files were safe to delete and wanted one app that shows me exactly where a project lives, instead of plugging in drives one by one to check."

 

 

Tusk is that app. Released in August 2026 after a two-month public beta with photographers and video editors, it combines two jobs that have usually needed two separate tools: backing files up, and keeping track of where they went. "There are great tools like NeoFinder and Carbon Copy Cloner that each do cataloguing or backup well," says Fischer. "Before Tusk, nothing did both."

The setup is short. You pick a project folder, choose one or more backup destinations (external drives, NAS, Google Drive, Dropbox or S3-compatible storage such as Backblaze B2), and Tusk copies everything across, verifying each file with a checksum. From then on it watches the folder and backs up new and changed files as they appear, so a fresh export lands on the backup drive without you doing anything.

 

 

Every file gets a status per destination, and that status stays visible after the drive is ejected. Open a project from two years ago and Tusk shows which drive holds the master files, whether that copy was verified, and when it was last checked. Search covers the whole catalogue, whether the drives are connected or not.

 

 

That catalogue is also what makes it safe to free up space. Once a file has verified copies elsewhere, Tusk lets you delete the local copy. It checks the physical backups first and blocks the delete if anything is missing or unverified. Restore brings files back from the fastest connected copy in one click, for a whole project or a single folder.

 

 

Photographers with years of existing backups do not need to start over. Point Tusk at a drive that already holds your archive, select the folders, and it catalogues and verifies them in place, without recopying. A second drive with partial copies of the same shoot can be brought in the same way: Tusk matches what is already there and copies only what is missing. On a shoot day it can also offload a memory card to two or more destinations in a single pass, with a checksum report at the end.

Fischer built the first version as a command-line tool for his own course recordings. "When talking to other photographers and videographers, I realised that I'm not the only one struggling with this problem. I then decided to turn it from a terminal tool into a real desktop app, in close collaboration with some of my videographer and photographer friends."

Everything Tusk knows about your files stays on your Mac. No signup is required, and neither your files nor the catalogue is uploaded anywhere. Cloud backups go straight from your Mac into your own accounts. Tusk is focused on project-level backups, so it does not replace whole-Mac backup software such as Time Machine or Backblaze, and it runs on macOS only.

Tusk is available now from tuskbackup.com for macOS 12 and later, on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, as a signed and notarised download (it is not on the Mac App Store). A 14-day trial starts on first launch with no signup or card. A licence is a one-time purchase of $79 (USD); at launch, the first 100 licences are offered at $49. It covers up to five Macs and includes one year of updates, and the app keeps working after that.

The teal peaks and orange haze of the "Cosmic Cliffs," the Carina Nebula image that helped introduce the James Webb Space Telescope to the world in July 2022, do not exist. Not those colors, anyway. Almost none of the light Webb recorded is light your eye can see, and every filter used for that particular image sits in the infrared. The moment you understand why, the picture gets more impressive rather than less.

 

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Compact fixed-lens cameras have been getting more and more popular in recent years, and the Leica Q series holds a spot at the top of that category. While the Q3 is already more than a couple of years old, there are some updates to the camera that make it more enticing.

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The 50mm is the lens most people buy first because it's the cheapest prime in the catalog, and plenty of them spend the first few months shooting it wide open just to see the background melt. Fewer people learn to see at that focal length, and the habits that work at 28mm or 35mm tend to fall apart once you move to something tighter.

 

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Whenever I've photographed weddings, world events, landscapes, or anything else, it's not been uncommon for other photographers to come up and start a chat about gear. And as someone who's worked for a major camera company and taught photography for almost two decades, I've always been happy to engage in talks about megapixels, autofocus, and dynamic range. 

But then the other day, when photographing the 9/11 Tribute in Light in New York City, it happened, and it hit me: I don't really think about this stuff anymore. I haven't for a long time.

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Classic camera design keeps showing up on new releases, but the vintage look in your photos comes from the glass, not the body. Cheap, older lenses can deliver a character that no retro-styled body will fake for you.

 

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© Nikon

 

Nikon has introduced the Z5IIC, a full-frame mirrorless camera combining accessible operation with excellent image quality. The 24.5-megapixel camera features touchscreen control, a portable flat-top design, and autofocus that recognises fish, people, pets, vehicles and birds. In-body stabilisation and ISO up to 64000 handle low-light shooting, with the camera available from October 2026 at £1,349.

 

From Nikon:

 

Sales Start Date: October 2026

Recommended Retail prices:

• Z5IIC Body - £1,349 (UK), €1,649 (ROI)
• Z5IIC Lens Kit (w/ 24-50mm) - £1,609 (UK), €1,959 (ROI)
• Z5IIC Lens Kit (w/24-200mm) - £2,049 (UK), €2,479 (ROI)
• Z5IIC Lens Kit (w/24-70 f/4 S) - £1,879 (UK), €2,279 (ROI)

 

Nikon announces the Z5IIC, a powerful beginner-friendly full-frame mirrorless camera that lets people shoot with confidence from day one. By pairing familiar touchscreen operation with acclaimed Nikon Z technology and flexible creative features, the Z5IIC makes it easy to achieve stunning photos and video in any light. Even if it's someone's first full-frame mirrorless camera, they'll feel in control from the very first shot.

With its streamlined, flat-top design, the Z5IIC is a truly portable full-frame camera that meets people where they're at and stays with them as their skills grow. The 24.5 MP FX image sensor and powerful EXPEED 7 processor ensure stunning full-frame image quality that goes beyond everyday smartphone photography.  Colours, textures, and details won't get lost in low light, backlit scenes can be captured in all their glory, and in-camera image stabilisation keeps handheld shots sharp. Focusing on subjects as they move, even in dim light, is beautifully simple thanks to an intelligent autofocus system that can recognise people, pets, vehicles, and birds, and the Z5IIC is the first Nikon Z camera to recognise fish as well.

Touchscreen operation makes controlling the Z5IIC feel instinctive, while the high-resolution Vari-angle monitor unlocks all the angles and provides a clear view of the frame. To attain beautiful results quickly, 15 scene modes optimise settings for different subjects and moods, and Nikon's Imaging Recipes and Film Grain feature make it simple to experiment with the look of photos and video in-camera. Meanwhile, automatic firmware updates simplify keeping the camera up to date and, wherever someone's interests lie, there's a NIKKOR Z lens ready to capture the beauty they see.

Zurab Kiknadze, Product Manager, Nikon Europe says: "With Z5IIC, we wanted to make full-frame photography feel effortless and approachable, without compromising image quality or creative freedom. It's a camera you can pick up and take anywhere as you grow your skills. Wherever you're at in your creative journey, you can trust it to deliver great-looking images and video."

 

© Nikon

 

Summary of key features: Z5IIC

 

Stunning full-frame image quality: a 24.5-MP FX sensor with wide dynamic range renders richer detail, deeper colours, and smoother bokeh.

Simple, intuitive operation: familiar touchscreen control and a high-resolution Vari-angle screen make it simple to capture photos and video from creative angles.

15 scene modes: from vivid sunsets and neon nightscapes to playful pets, scene modes optimise camera settings to suit different subjects and moods for beautiful results.

Superb portability: the streamlined flat-top design makes it easy to slip this full-frame camera into a bag, and right back out again. A well-shaped grip provides a comfortable, confident hold whether carrying the camera or shooting with one hand.

Intelligent autofocus: people, pets, vehicles, birds, and now even fish. Multi-subject detection and sensitivity down to -10 EV1 lets the AF system focus reliably on subjects, even after dark.

Powerful in-body image stabilisation: up to 7.52 stops of in-camera Vibration Reduction keeps handheld shots steady, and Focus Point VR keeps subjects sharp anywhere in the frame.

Brilliant low-light shots: ISO sensitivity goes all the way up to ISO 64000 for stills and ISO 51200 for video. Intelligent noise reduction ensures clear results even at high ISOs.

Fast burst speeds: photographers can shoot at up to 14 fps to capture active subjects, then select the perfect frame or keep the whole sequence.

Richly detailed 4K video: video shooters can upload high-quality footage straight from the camera, or record 4K/60p3 footage in N-RAW and edit it later.

Nikon Imaging Cloud: Z5IIC users can experiment with colour by downloading image recipes from Nikon, RED, and Nikon creators straight to the camera.

Film Grain: recreates the nostalgic look of analogue film by adding a grainy effect to photos or video, and it can be paired with Imaging Recipes.

Rugged build: a tough yet lightweight magnesium alloy frame protects the Z5IIC, and the camera is sealed to keep dust and moisture out.4

NIKKOR Z lenses: a world of new perspectives and creative possibilities awaits with Nikon's wide range of interchangeable full-frame mirrorless lenses.

For more information, please visit the Nikon website.

 

FOOTNOTES:

1 In Photo mode using Single-servo AF (AF-S), Single-point AF (centre), at ISO 100 equivalent and a temperature of 20°C/68°F with a f/1.2 lens.

2 Up to 7.5-stop VR based on CIPA 2024 Standard. Yaw/Pitch/Roll compensation performance when using the NIKKOR Z 24-120mm f/4 S (telephoto end, NORMAL mode).

3 4K/60p video recording is available in DX crop mode.

4 Complete dust- and drip-resistant performance is not guaranteed in all situations or under all conditions.

© Sony World Photography Awards / World Photography Organisation

 

Organisers of the Sony World Photography Awards have revealed the jury panel and official exhibition dates for the landmark 20th edition. Set to return to London’s Somerset House from 15 April to 3 May 2027, the flagship showcase celebrates two decades of global visual storytelling. Independent curator Monica Allende returns as Chair of the Jury alongside a distinguished panel of international gallery directors, curators, and editors who will oversee the 2027 competition.

 

From Sony:

 

• Judges for the 20th edition of the Sony World Photography Awards announced
• 2027 exhibition opens at Somerset House, London from 15 April – 3 May 2027
• 2026 travelling exhibition is open in Milan until 4 October, in Johannesburg until 22 January 2027, and opens in Berlin on 8 October

 

The Sony World Photography Awards announce today the jury and London exhibition dates for the landmark 20th edition.

In their two-decade-long history, the Sony World Photography Awards have become the definitive reference point for contemporary visual storytelling, honouring the remarkable creativity and dedication of photographers working today. A celebration of the stories and images shaping our culture, the Awards show the diverse possibilities of the medium.

Organised by Creo, the Awards form the core part of its photography programming strand, the World Photography Organisation. Sony supports the Awards to give an international platform to artists working in photography, and to push forward the global discourse on the medium today.  

 

2027 JUDGES

 

Following the success of the 2026 edition, which received over 430,000 images, and now entering their second decade, the Awards are open for entries and free to all photographers. For the landmark 20th edition, the Awards welcomes back Monica Allende as Chair of the Jury for the Series competition and curator of the London exhibition at Somerset House.

Allende is accompanied by a panel of specialists in the visual arts from across the globe, all contributing their unique expertise, insights and perspectives. The 2027 jury comprises: 

 

Series Competition:

• Monica Allende, Independent Curator and Photography Consultant, Chair of the Jury, UK
• Santiago Escobar-Jaramillo, Photographer & Editor at Raya Editorial, Colombia
• Peipei Han, Director of Exhibitions, Fotografiska Shanghai, China
• Candice Jansen, Manager, New Archival Visions Programme, University of the Western Cape, South Africa
• Amanda Renshaw, Independent Curator, Writer and Publishing Consultant, UK
• Pauline Vermare, Phillip and Edith Leonian Curator of Photography, Brooklyn Museum, USA

 

Single Image & Youth competitions:

Maja Dyrehauge Gregersen, Managing Director, Copenhagen Photo Festival, Denmark

 

Student competition:

Menno Liauw, Founder and Director of the FUTURES Foundation, Netherlands

 

NEW IN 2027

 

The 2027 edition broadens the Awards’ range through new categories across the competitions, presenting expanded opportunities for fresh perspectives on visual storytelling. The Series (previously Professional) and Single Image (previously Open) competitions are re-named, further defining and clarifying their scope. Photographers are welcome to enter different projects to both competitions, enabling those with diverse portfolios to enter work from across their practice, be it a series or a striking single photograph.

 

New Series competition Category

Histories: This category invites photographers to explore how histories - personal, cultural, and collective - shape our world today, from traditions and everyday rituals to the events and forces that have left their mark on nations and peoples. This category is for projects that engage, explore, or re-examine the past, as well as work that looks at the contemporary through a historical lens. We welcome archival and found image interventions that revisit, re-contextualise, or breathe new life into the past. 

 

New Single Image competition Category

Animal Portraits: This category celebrates the beauty, personality, and spirit of animals through portraiture. Judges are looking for images that capture the subject’s expression and character, from beloved pets to majestic wildlife and marine life, to reptiles and insects; portraits that honour and showcase the remarkable diversity of the animal kingdom. 

 

2027 LONDON EXHIBITION AND 2026 TRAVELLING EXHIBITION DATES 

 

The Sony World Photography Awards 2027 exhibition begins its international journey at Somerset House, London, from 15 April to 3 May 2027. A fixture of the cultural calendar in London, the acclaimed exhibition, curated by Monica Allende, features a selection of winning and shortlisted images from the 2027 Awards, as well as special presentations by the Photographer of the Year 2026 Citlali Fabián and the Outstanding Contribution to Photography 2027, to be announced in November.

The Sony World Photography Awards 2026 is currently on view in Johannesburg, South Africa (until 22 January 2027), at the Roger Ballen Centre for Photography, marking the Awards’ debut presentation in South Africa. The exhibition then continues to travel to other destinations: 

• Milan, Italy, 10 June - 4 October 2026
• Berlin, Germany,  9 October 2026 - 7 February 2027
• Matera, Italy, 14 November - 10 December 2026
• Bisceglie, Italy, 12 - 30 December 2026 

 

2027 DEADLINES AND PRIZES 

 

The Sony World Photography Awards opened to submissions on 1 June 2026. Full competition and category descriptions can be found at worldphoto.org.

Deadlines for submission to the four competitions are as follows:

• Series: 12 January 2027 16:00 GMT
• Single Image: 5 January 2027 16:00 GMT
• Student: 27 November 2026 16:00 GMT
• Youth: 5 January 2027 16:00 GMT

All category winners of the Series, Single Image, Youth and Student competitions receive Digital Imaging equipment from Sony. The prestigious Photographer of the Year receives a cash prize of $25,000 (USD) as well as a solo presentation of their work as part of the Sony World Photography Awards exhibition in London the following year. The Single Image Competition Winner and the winner of the Sustainability Prize each receive $5,000 (USD). All winning and shortlisted photographers’ projects are exhibited at the annual Sony World Photography Awards exhibition in London, and will then tour internationally. The winning images are also published in the annual Awards’ book, sold at the exhibition and available online. Series competition category winners and finalists are invited to Insights, a day of tailored sessions with leading industry figures in London. Coming from commercial, curatorial, and institutional backgrounds, these experts offer the photographers specialised guidance on expanding their network and practice. 

For more information about the Sony World Photography Awards and upcoming announcements and events, please visit worldphoto.org.  

 

Previously, we've spent some time looking for interesting shop fronts to photograph but now we want you to lift your eyes a little higher in search of a good shop sign and pay more attention to what's actually on display in the windows. 

Displays in shop windows are designed to grab our attention and steer us towards the entrance of the shop in hope we'll part with our money. Some stores, particularly at Christmas, spend hours planning and then preparing their window displays. A lot of thought goes into how to use the space, what colours the mannequins should wear and how they should be posed making them an interesting photographic project as you walk down the High Street.
 

1. What Gear Do I Need?

A medium zoom lens will get you close to the signs without you having to borrow some ladders off a window cleaner and it'll also work for capturing shop windows too. You'll also need to carry a tripod if you plan on returning later in the evening when the neon's get switched on. It'll also help if you have a camera that performs well in low light and if you don't want the street reflected in your shot take a polariser along as well.  

 

2. Have A Walk Along The High Street

There are lots and lots of shops on the High Street which means you don't just have to settle for the first shop you come across. Spend some time really looking at the displays paying attention to the colours, poses and other items they use to really make the window stand out. Remember, a more interesting display will give you a better-looking image so a short observation walk is worth it. See if you can find shops that aren't chains. In Sheffield, there are several retro clothing stores and a joke shop which always have unique and sometimes entertaining window displays. Fancy dress shops are another one that's almost guaranteed to have a loud and amusing window display to photograph.

 

3. Minimise Reflections

Unless you want a photo that shows the display as well as what's happening on the street, which can work well sometimes, you'll need a way to minimise the reflection. Stepping further away from the window and using your zoom lens to fill the frame can help but the simplest and if you're on the edge of a road also the safest way to do it is to fit a polarising filter. This will reduce the reflection and give you a clear shot of what's inside. If you find the sun causes glare just move your feet to remove the problem or if that doesn't work come back later on when the sun's changed position.  

 

4. Work From A Higher Level

When it comes to signs when you stand on the street and look up at them, it's fine when you're looking for the nearest bakery but in your photos, it won't always work. To combat this, just step a little further back or better still find something to stand on that will give you a little more height. You could try holding the camera above your head but this won't help you with framing unless you have a camera that features a vari-angle LCD screen. 

 

5. To Zoom Or Not To Zoom? 

If a sign's particularly interesting or amusing zoom right in and fill the frame with the sign. Or are you going to put them into context showing some of the street or the shop front in the shot? If you do include the store pop on a polariser so you don't catch your reflection in the windows. This works particularly well with old buildings or with unique stores that have displays that will add to the image.

Standing at one end of the High Street quite close to the buildings looking up will give you the chance to capture several signs all in one shot or try waiting until the sun's began to set and photograph the many neon signs that decorate our streets. Just watch for camera shake as you'll be using slightly longer exposures and take a look around your image to see if there's any flare from some of the lights. Having said that, this can work well sometimes, especially on wet evenings.  

In busy towns and cities, you'll find plenty of signs, often grouped together, along the tall buildings that line the streets. If possible, find a higher spot, as you do when shooting a cityscape, and use a wider focal length to capture the signs and buildings in one image. They can look busy, but the bright signs and bustling surroundings will really sum up the feeling of a busy city. 

 

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

Wedding photography has always seemed safe from AI, since someone still has to stand in the room with a camera when the vows happen. That assumption gets shakier every year as editing, culling, marketing, and even business planning shift onto software anyone can pick up for the price of a cheap subscription.

 

[Read More]

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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 kenwil (Day 22 - River).

 

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 17

Night Architecture

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Day 18

Cats

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Day 19

Textures

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Day 20

Safari

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  Day 21

Ducks

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Day 23

Mist / Fog

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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.