Photography News

Every portrait carries evidence of how it was lit, from the edge of the shadow under the chin to the bright spot on the tip of the nose, and once you can read that evidence, you can tell a beauty dish from a softbox without ever seeing the set. That skill turns any image you admire into a lighting diagram you can rebuild in your own studio, garage, or spare room.

 

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The zoom lengths on compact cameras keep growing and even though this makes more photographic subjects accessible to compact users, it does bring one problem and that's camera shake.

Manufacturers do install modes and features to help combat the issue, such as the shake reduction, but there are still a number of things that you can do to ensure your images are sharp every time.

 

1. Use A Support

When you think of a camera that sits on a tripod your first thoughts will probably be of a DSLR but just because you're using a camera with a body much smaller than a DSLR doesn't mean you shouldn't use a support. This can be a tripod, monopod, something smaller such as a Gorilla Pod or even a beanbag. 
 

 

2. Use Your Camera's Self-Timer

Even when you're using a support the small action of pressing the shutter button can still move the camera slightly and cause shake. As a result, when shooting a static subject you can use your camera's self-timer function so there's a delay between you pressing the shutter button and the exposure beginning. 
 

3. Increase The ISO

As longer shutter speeds mean the camera has to be held still for longer periods of time, shake can be a problem, particularly when working hand-held. To increase the shutter speed you can switch to a higher ISO but do take care when increasing ISOs as noise will be introduced at some levels. Where possible, try to stay below ISO400. If long shutter speeds are a must, always use a support as working without one will just result in shake spoiling your shots.
 

4. Check The Image On Your LCD

As images can be previewed on the built-in LCD screens available on compact cameras it means that shots can be checked for sharpness before leaving the location you're shooting in. However, it's not always that easy to tell if a shot is sharp by just checking the screen so if your camera has the option, it's always worth using the zoom magnifier when previewing to get a closer look at the shot. 

 

 

5. Edit In Post Production

You can slightly sharpen images in various pieces of editing software but don't overdo it as the shot won't look right. Boosting the contrast a little can help as well, but again don't go too mad with it. There are ways to reduce noise, too if high noise is a problem. 

Every photosite on your camera's sensor is colorblind. A 61-megapixel full frame sensor is a grid of roughly 61 million tiny light meters, and each one reports a single number: how much light it collected during the exposure. It records the brightness and nothing about the color. Left alone, your sensor would only ever hand you a grayscale image.

 

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Datacolor continues to invest in the ongoing development and enhancement of its SpyderPro software. Following the major feature upgrade introduced last year, its flagship display calibration solution now receives another significant enhancement: Deep Calibration mode. This new technology delivers an even higher level of color accuracy and elevates display calibration to a standard previously associated primarily with professional reference and proofing solutions.

In November of last year, Datacolor introduced the largest software update in SpyderPro's history. Key additions included 3D LUT export for calibrating external video monitors, support for modern display technologies such as OLED, QD-OLED, Mini-LED, and Apple XDR displays, the introduction of Device Preview Plus for simulating content appearance on smartphones, tablets, printers, and other output devices, as well as the integration of Content Credentials to increase transparency in digital content.

With the introduction of Deep Calibration, Datacolor takes the next important step forward in display calibration technology.

 

A New Standard for Color Accuracy

 

SpyderPro's existing Standard Calibration already delivers outstanding color accuracy, achieving an average Delta E00 of 1.26. A Delta E value between 1 and 2 is widely recognized throughout professional image editing, photography, and graphic design as the benchmark for color-critical applications.

The new Deep Calibration mode improves this result to an average Delta E00 of 0.83. This enables SpyderPro to surpass the Delta E00 1.0 threshold, below which color differences become virtually imperceptible to the human eye. Such performance is typically associated with high-end reference displays and professional proofing workflows.

 

How Does Deep Calibration Work?

 

The new calibration mode utilizes a significantly higher number of measurement points across the entire grayscale range. This allows color deviations to be detected and corrected with much greater precision.

 

Key benefits include:

• Improved red-green neutrality
• Reduced blue-yellow color casts
• Higher white point accuracy
• Enhanced grayscale precision
• Cleaner shadow detail
• A more comprehensive calibration report

 

In extensive comparison tests across a wide variety of displays, including OLED, Mini-LED, XDR, and traditional LED-LCD monitors on both Windows and macOS systems, Deep Calibration delivered measurable improvements on every display tested. On average, grayscale accuracy improved by 30%, while some displays achieved improvements of more than 50%.

 

Speed or Maximum Precision? The Choice Is Yours.

 

With the introduction of Deep Calibration, SpyderPro now offers two calibration modes designed to meet different workflow requirements.

 

Standard Calibration

• Professional color accuracy
• Average Delta E00 of 1.26
• Fast calibration process

 

Deep Calibration

• Advanced measurement methodology with significantly more measurement points
• Average Delta E00 of 0.83
• Approximately 30% higher accuracy

 

Users can now choose whether they prefer to achieve excellent calibration results quickly or require the highest possible level of color precision for the most demanding workflows.

 

Free Upgrade for Existing SpyderPro Customers

 

The new Deep Calibration mode is provided free of charge to existing SpyderPro owners as part of the latest software upgrade. Users of Spyder, SpyderX, or SpyderExpress can upgrade to SpyderPro via the Datacolor website and take advantage of these advanced calibration capabilities.

With the introduction of Deep Calibration, Datacolor once again demonstrates its commitment to continuously enhancing its products and delivering meaningful value to customers long after purchase through powerful software updates. For photographers, videographers, content creators, designers, and prepress professionals, this new feature unlocks a level of color precision that until now has only been achievable with significantly more expensive reference-grade solutions.

 

About Datacolor

Datacolor, a global leader in color management solutions, provides software, instruments, and services that ensure the accurate reproduction of colors in materials, products, and images. Leading brands, manufacturers, and creative professionals around the world have trusted Datacolor's innovative solutions for more than 50 years to consistently achieve the right color. The company provides sales, service, and support in more than 100 countries throughout Europe, the Americas, and Asia. For more information, visit www.datacolor.com.

- Partner Content -

 

macOS 27 Golden Gate has just arrived in September, but recovery software has not moved at the same pace. If camera footage, project clips or exported videos disappear from a Mac or memory card, these five tools cover very different recovery jobs — from simple deleted-file scans to fragmented camera video and unfamiliar file formats.

Losing video is rarely a small problem. A single deleted MOV may contain an entire interview, while one formatted SD card can wipe out a day's shoot. The best video recovery software for Mac should therefore do more than find files: it needs to work with current Macs, recognise common camera storage, preview results where possible and give you a safe way to recover to another drive.

 

macOS 27 Has Changed the Mac Recovery Picture

 

Apple released macOS 27 Golden Gate on 14 September 2026. Golden Gate is available only for Macs with Apple silicon, while Intel Macs remain on earlier macOS versions. That means older utilities need a closer compatibility check before you depend on them.

There is another change worth knowing about. Apple's macOS 27 release notes say that if Rosetta was already installed, it is not automatically restored after the upgrade. Rosetta itself is still available, but an older Intel-only utility may not launch until the translation layer is installed again. That is relevant to free tools such as PhotoRec, whose official macOS download is still offered as an Intel 64-bit build.

For MacBook data recovery, the storage device matters just as much as the operating system. Deleted footage on an SD card or external hard drive may still be recoverable if its blocks have not been overwritten. Deleted data on an internal Mac SSD is a harder case because TRIM can make those blocks unavailable to recovery software. 

 

Before You Install Any Recovery Software

 

Recovery software cannot undo new data written over the old footage. Before choosing an app, stop using the storage device that held the missing video. If it is a memory card, remove it from the camera. If it is an external drive, disconnect it until you are ready to scan.

On a Mac, check Trash and any backup before starting a full recovery scan. Videos managed through Photos may also have another copy in iCloud or another synced library. If Time Machine was enabled, check the relevant backup or local snapshot. If the file is no longer available through any of those routes, this guide to recover permanently deleted videos covers the broader options across Mac and other devices.

Avoid installing the recovery app onto the same drive that contained the missing files, and never save recovered footage back to that source during the first pass. Both actions create new writes. For a failing or unstable drive, a byte-for-byte image or clone is preferable because it lets you work from a copy rather than repeatedly reading the original hardware.

If the footage came from a camera card, there is no need to repeat every SD-card recovery step here. ePHOTOzine already has a dedicated guide on how to recover deleted videos from SD card.

 

How We Chose These Mac Video Recovery Tools

 

We compared current Mac recovery tools on the things that decide whether footage comes back, rather than on feature-list length: product documentation, Mac compatibility, free-tier limits, video-specific features, disk-imaging options, file-system support and pricing.

Video recovery also needs a slightly different test from ordinary document recovery. Large camera files are often fragmented, so finding a MOV or MP4 signature is not always enough to rebuild a playable clip. Preview matters, as does the ability to work from an image when the source drive is questionable. And for photographers using newer cameras, support for an unusual file type can matter more than the total number of formats printed on a product page.

For a wider comparison beyond video, this current round-up of mac recovery software covers more general Mac data-loss scenarios.

 

Best Video Recovery Software for Mac: Five Picks

 

Tool Best For Latest macOs publicly listed Free recovery Starting paid price Disk Drill 6 Camera, drone and fragmented video macOS 27 Golden Gate Scan, preview and protected-file recovery; standard deleted-file recovery requires PRO $89/year PhotoRec Completely free signature-based recovery macOS 27 via Homebrew; official Mac download is Intel 64-bit Unlimited Free R-Studio for Mac Advanced scans, disk images and complex storage macOS 26 Tahoe on current download/help pages Demo has recovery limits $79.99 DMDE Low-cost recovery and disk imaging Not stated by version Up to 4,000 files from one selected directory per request $20/year Data Rescue 6 Unusual or unsupported file types Mac version available; check current OS compatibility before use Up to 1 GB for new users $79 for 30 days

 

1. Disk Drill 6 — Best for Camera and Drone Footage

 

Disk Drill 6 is the most video-focused general recovery app in this group. CleverFiles lists full support for macOS 27 Golden Gate, and the Mac version works on current Apple silicon hardware. Its normal scan can recover deleted files from APFS, HFS+, exFAT, FAT and other file systems, but the more relevant feature for ePHOTOzine readers is Advanced Camera Recovery.

 

 

That mode is designed for video recorded by cameras, drones and action cameras, where a large clip may be split across non-contiguous areas of a memory card. Instead of treating the file as one simple block, the software attempts to reconstruct the fragmented recording. That is particularly useful when a conventional raw scan finds an MP4 or MOV but produces a file that will not play correctly.

Disk Drill also lets you create a disk image of a memory card or drive before scanning it, so you can work from a copy rather than repeatedly accessing the original storage device. On Mac, the free edition can scan and preview recoverable files, and it can restore data protected in advance by its recovery-protection features. The important catch is that recovery of ordinary unprotected deleted files requires PRO on macOS. 

Ideal for: photographers and videographers recovering footage from SD cards, action cameras and drones, especially when fragmented video is a concern.

Platforms and pricing: Mac and Windows. On Mac, scanning and preview are free; full recovery of standard lost files requires a paid licence.

 

2. PhotoRec — Best Free Option

 

PhotoRec is the answer if the budget is zero. It is open-source, has no recovery-volume limit and uses file signatures rather than depending on a healthy file system. That makes it useful when a card has been reformatted or its directory information is badly damaged.

The trade-off is usability. PhotoRec runs in a text-based interface, and signature recovery does not normally preserve the original filenames or folder structure. A card with hundreds of clips can therefore come back as a large collection of generically named files that you need to inspect afterwards. There is also no polished preview workflow comparable with the commercial apps above.

macOS 27 adds a compatibility wrinkle: CGSecurity's current 7.3-WIP Mac download is labelled Intel 64-bit, although the page notes that M1 Macs can run it. On Apple silicon, the cleaner route is Homebrew: brew install testdisk installs PhotoRec and TestDisk, and Homebrew currently provides a Golden Gate bottle for Apple silicon. This makes PhotoRec a viable free Mac video recovery option on the newest OS without relying on the vendor's Intel archive.

 

 

Ideal for: technically comfortable users who need free video recovery software for Mac with no recovery-size cap.

Platforms and pricing: macOS, Windows and Linux. Free and open-source.

 

3. R-Studio for Mac — Best for Advanced Recovery

 

R-Studio is less friendly than Disk Drill, but it gives experienced users far more control over how a scan is performed. The Mac edition supports APFS, HFS+, HFSX, exFAT, NTFS and several Linux and Unix file systems, and it can work with disk images, damaged partitions and RAID layouts. For a mixed studio environment, that breadth can be useful.

Its raw-file search can also be extended with user-defined known file types, which helps when a standard signature database does not cover a format you need. That said, this is still general-purpose Mac data recovery software rather than a dedicated camera-video reconstruction tool. If the main problem is a fragmented action-camera clip, a specialised camera mode may be the better first attempt.

 

 

Compatibility deserves a note this year. R-Studio's current download page and system-requirements documentation list macOS 26 Tahoe, while its main product information has not yet been fully updated to macOS 27 Golden Gate. The application is a native Apple Silicon build, so this looks like a documentation lag rather than a technical barrier — but if you have already upgraded, run the demo before you buy.

Ideal for: advanced users dealing with disk images, complex partitions, RAID or several file systems rather than one straightforward deleted clip.

Platforms and pricing: separate Mac, Windows and Linux editions. R-Studio for Mac starts at $79.99 for a permanent licence.

 

4. DMDE — Best Low-Cost Recovery Option

 

DMDE sits in an unusual place between free recovery utilities and expensive professional software. Its interface is dense, but the free edition is much less restrictive than many commercial trials: it can recover up to 4,000 files from one selected directory per request, and DMDE says there is no limit on how many times you repeat that operation.

For video work, that can be enough when a card contains one shoot folder and you only need a manageable set of clips. DMDE supports APFS, HFS+, exFAT and FAT among other file systems, offers raw signature recovery, and includes free disk-imaging and cloning tools. That last feature is useful when you want to preserve a card or questionable external drive before experimenting with scans.

The catch is the interface. DMDE exposes low-level disk and partition tools alongside recovery functions, so if you are not sure what an option does, do not randomly click it. Express is $20 for one year and Standard is $48 for a perpetual licence. For users comparing low-cost data recovery software for Mac, it offers more actual free recovery than most scan-only trials.

 

 

Ideal for: users who want a capable free tier, disk imaging and low-cost paid recovery, and do not mind a technical interface.

Platforms and pricing: macOS, Windows, Linux and DOS. Free edition available; paid options start at $20.

 

5. Data Rescue 6 — Best for Unusual Camera File Types

 

Data Rescue 6 earns its place for a FileIQ feature. If Deep Scan does not recognise a particular file type, FileIQ can analyse several healthy samples of that same type and look for a repeatable pattern that Data Rescue can use as a custom file module. The documentation recommends at least three sample files.

That can be useful with less common camera outputs, proprietary containers or a new workflow that is not yet in a recovery tool's built-in signature database. It is not magic — FileIQ does not work with every file type, and a learned signature cannot restore data that has already been overwritten — but it gives you another route when the problem is recognition rather than the storage device itself.

Data Rescue also includes a clone workflow, which fits the safer approach of working from a copy when the source drive is unstable. Its current Mac pricing gives new users up to 1 GB of recovery for free. The Standard licence is $79 and provides unlimited recovery for 30 days, while the Professional tier is sold annually.

 

 

Ideal for: photographers dealing with an unsupported or unusual file type for which they can provide healthy sample files from the same camera workflow.

Platforms and pricing: Mac and Windows versions are available. New Mac users can recover up to 1 GB free; Standard costs $79 for 30 days of unlimited recovery.

 

What "Free Video Recovery for Mac" Really Means

 

The word “free” is unusually slippery in this category. Some apps are free to download but charge before they write a recovered file to disk. Others let you restore a small amount of data, which may be fine for documents but almost useless for a 4K video clip.

PhotoRec is the clearest example of genuinely free Mac video recovery: there is no paid edition and no recovery-size cap. The cost is time and convenience. You work in a text interface and may lose original names and folder structure.

DMDE takes a different approach. Its free edition limits each recovery request to 4,000 files from the active directory rather than imposing a small gigabyte allowance. For a memory card with a few hundred clips, that can be surprisingly practical.

Data Rescue 6 gives new users up to 1 GB, which is enough to test the recovery path or retrieve shorter clips but can disappear quickly with high-bitrate footage. Disk Drill's free Mac edition is strongest as a diagnostic tool for unprotected deleted files: scan, filter and preview first, then decide whether the files are worth paying to restore. R-Studio also offers a demo, but its restrictions make it more useful for evaluating what the software can see than for recovering a full video archive.

So if you are searching for Mac video recovery software free of charge, look past the download button. The useful question is how much data the app will actually write back, whether preview is available before payment, and whether the free tool can handle the file system and camera format involved.

 

Why a Recovered Video Sometimes Won't Play

 

Finding the filename is only half the job. Video files are large, and cameras often write them across multiple areas of a card as recording continues. A basic raw recovery scan may recognise the beginning of an MP4 or MOV but fail to rebuild every fragment in the correct order. The result can have a plausible filename and file size yet still refuse to open, freeze after a few seconds or show damaged frames.

This is why trying another recovery engine can make sense. Different tools reconstruct files differently, and a camera-specific recovery mode may succeed where simple signature carving does not. If the source card is valuable, create an image first and run those experiments against the image rather than repeatedly scanning the physical card.

There is also a point where recovery ends and repair begins. If recovery itself worked but the MOV or MP4 still will not open, an open-source tool untrunc can use a healthy reference clip — ideally from the same camera — to rebuild parts of the damaged container. On macOS it is more technical than the five apps above and may need to be built with Homebrew dependencies, so it is not a general recovery pick. But it is a useful free option when the file exists and the remaining problem is playback rather than deletion.

 

When Mac Video Recovery Software Won't Help

 

There are two cases where continuing to scan is usually the wrong move.

The first is permanent deletion from an internal Mac SSD. Modern SSDs use TRIM to tell the drive which blocks are no longer needed. Once those blocks have been cleared or made unavailable, a recovery app cannot recreate the original video from nothing. Backups and local snapshots become much more important in that scenario. The same issue appears repeatedly in a recent Mac recovery discussion, where users point back to Time Machine, local snapshots and the limits imposed by TRIM. The thread is anecdotal rather than formal documentation, but the practical lesson is sound: internal SSD recovery is not the same as undeleting a file from an SD card.

The second is physical failure. If a hard drive clicks, repeatedly disconnects, disappears from Disk Utility, becomes unusually hot or produces severe read errors, repeated DIY scans can put more stress on it. If the footage is important enough to justify professional recovery, stop using the device and get the hardware assessed before it deteriorates further.

 

Which Mac Video Recovery Tool Should You Try First?

 

It depends on where the footage was and what you are willing to spend.

Deleted clips on an SD card or from a camera or drone: start with Disk Drill, which handles fragmented footage best of the five. No budget at all: PhotoRec, accepting the Terminal and the lost filenames. Somewhere in between, with a real free allowance: DMDE. Reformatted volumes, RAID or a drive you need to image first: R-Studio. A file type nothing seems to recognise: Data Rescue 6 and FileIQ.

And if the loss was on your Mac's internal SSD, check your backups and snapshots before you run a single scan.

You write a prompt. Adobe edits your photo accordingly. The AI Assisted Editor, released August 31, 2026, as part of Photoshop 27.10, lets you edit images simply by describing what you want in plain English. Just type what you want, and the AI figures it out. You'll find out what happened when I let it loose on my Milky Way photos.

 

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Golden hour and blue hour can make almost any street corner look like a finished photograph, and that polish can hide whether anything is actually happening in the frame. If most of your keepers come from warm evening light or city glow after sunset, the gray months ahead are a good test of what you can find without that help.

 

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If you shoot APS-C and want a bright telephoto zoom, your options have been thin, and on most mounts they haven't existed at all. Sigma's new 50-120mm f/2.8 arrives for Fujifilm X, Sony E, and Canon RF at a size and price that make it a realistic addition to a small kit.

 

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Reflections in shop windows and glass doors are among the most common things you'll try to clean up in post, and Adobe's latest Lightroom update promises to make its one-click fix more reliable. When that tool still misses, a newer generative feature in Lightroom can take over, as long as you control what it changes.

 

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Laowa's two new Aksen Ultra Macro APO lenses cover everything from life size to 10 times life size. At that scale, depth of field shrinks to a sliver, light drops off as you zoom, and the gear around the lens decides as much about the result as the glass does.

 

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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 BydoR9 (Day 6 - 'Orange' Colour).

 

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 1

Autumn Landscapes

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Day 2

Autumn Abstracts

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Day 3

Spider's Web

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Day 4

Gardens In Autumn

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  Day 5

Rainy Days

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Day 7

Autumn Reflections

[COMMENT_IMG]portfolio|41843|3539373[/COMMENT_IMG]

 

Day 8

Creative Indoor Shot

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Day 9

Landmarks

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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.

 

Britain is full of wildlife, and autumn's a great time to get out and capture a few shots of the small mammals, birds, deer and other creatures that can be found here.
 

1. Birds

As we head towards winter it gets harder for birds to find natural food so by placing feeders in your garden with different types of food in (fat and nuts) you'll be able to attract different species of bird that you can photograph. An important side note to remember is to not remove the feeders when you've finished as the birds may have become reliant on your garden as a source of food.

Capturing shots of these small, shy creatures isn't as easy as dashing out into your garden with your camera and snapping a quick shot. You need to place branches near feeders to give you more natural-looking shots, wait patiently and quietly for your subject to land and you'll need to know your gear well before heading out onto your lawn. Long lenses are essential if you want to capture frame-filling shots and for pin-sharp images, a tripod is a must.

For more in-depth tips on photographing birds, take a look at these articles:

• Photographing Garden Birds
• How To Photograph Birds In Your Garden
• Tips On Photographing Garden Birds
• Tips On Photographing Robins

  2. Spiders And Webs

Spiders seem to be everywhere at this time of year and they make great photographic subjects themselves (if you don't mind getting close) but for those who like to keep a bit more distance, have a go at photographing their webs instead. They're very photogenic on a frosty morning or after it's rained. For more tips, take a look at this technique: Spider Web Photography.
 

 

3. Mammals

Many of the mammals, big and small, are shy so long lenses, patience and the ability to stay hidden are generally a must when photographing them.

Squirrels, who'll be on the hunt for food at this time of year, are a popular photographic subject but do take something waterproof with you when heading out to photograph them as you can end up laying on the damp ground to get a shot of them foraging for food. Using bait is a good way to attract squirrels and you can place it in front of less busy backgrounds so you capture a better-looking shot. Fore more squirrel photography tips, take a look at this article: Photographing Red Squirrels.

It's mating season for deer which means there are plenty of action shots waiting to be captured of males fighting. Their antlers look particularly impressive at this time of year and their shape can look great when silhouetted against the morning light. Throw in some mist and autumnal shades and you have the recipe for a successful wildlife shoot starting to come together. You will need a long lens so you don't spook them and it's safer for you to work with quite a bit of distance between you and your subject anyway. Remember to approach from downwind and if you have it, camouflage clothing will help you blend in with your surroundings more.

October to December is breeding season for a lot of seal colonies around the shores of Britain and this is when they come to shore, making locations like Donna Nook on the east coast very popular with wildlife photographers. If you are planning a trip to photograph pups and their mothers please always put the animals' welfare first and respect the location you're photographing. You'll generally need a telephoto lens to capture a decent image, although some seals can be found close to paths. Take a monopod if you're planning on walking and don't always shoot from a standing position as getting low down will give your shots a better perspective.

For more seal photography tips, take a look at these articles:

• Photographing Seals
• Seal Photography  

One company photographs roughly 30 million children a year. Not over a decade. In a single school year. A kid sits on a stool, a stranger says "chin down, eyes up here," a strobe fires, and the whole thing is over in the time it takes to sneeze. Multiply that by tens of millions and you have the largest sustained portrait operation the world has ever run. 

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I love exploring photography in all its forms, and that extends to novelty cameras. When I saw the Godox C100, which looks like it belongs in the 1990s, I had to try it as a new way of making images. It has no rear screen, so you can't perfect your composition, and you can't check a shot after you take it either.

 

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Burst shooting costs nothing per frame, so after a big day in a new place, it's easy to come home with thousands of files and an evening of culling ahead. That math feels free until you notice how much of your attention went into pressing the shutter and how little went into looking at the place you traveled to see.

 

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An f/2.8 telephoto zoom is usually the heaviest lens in an APS-C bag, and the Sigma 50-120mm f/2.8 DC OS Contemporary is built to change that. If you shoot Fujifilm, Sony, or Canon crop bodies, a stabilized fast zoom at this size fills a spot that has mostly gone to much bigger glass.

 

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Preserving Nature as Preserving Ourselves

© Damir Faizulin/LOBA 2026

 

The winners of the 2026 Leica Oskar Barnack Award (LOBA) were revealed at the World of Leica in Wetzlar, Germany. Damir Faizulin took the main prize for his series on nature and daily life in the mountains of Dagestan, while Laila AnnMarie Stevens won the Newcomer Award for her Clayton Sisterhood Project. The inaugural LOBA Women Grant went to Valentina Sinis, who will use it to continue her long-term project in Iraqi Kurdistan.

 

From Leica:

 

The results are in and the recipients of the three awards have been announced. The winner of the main Leica Oskar Barnack Award (LOBA) is Damir Faizulin, whilst Laila AnnMarie Stevens was honoured in the Newcomer category, and Valentina Sinis was delighted to receive the LOBA Women Grant. The awards ceremony was once again a highlight of the Celebration of Photography, held on the evening of the 8th of October at the World of Leica in Wetzlar.

The two winning series from the 46th LOBA edition impressed the five-person jury, who made their selections from over 400 entries. Nominations for the main category were received from over 130 experts hailing from around 50 countries and spanning the wide spectrum of the international photography scene. The Newcomer Leica Oskar Barnack Award was selected in collaboration with 28 institutions and universities from 18 countries, and the LOBA Women Grant was awarded for the first time based on an open-submission application model. Numerous proposals were received describing compelling projects. 

The LOBA, first awarded in 1980, is now among the most renowned and highly endowed photography prizes worldwide. The Main Prize LOBA winner is awarded €40,000 and Leica camera equipment worth €10,000, while the winner of the Newcomer Award receives €10,000 and a Leica Q3. The LOBA Women Grant is endowed with €10,000, and the selected applicant also receives a Leica Q3 camera, as well as professional support during the implementation and production period.

 

Damir Faizulin: Preserving Nature as Preserving Ourselves 2026 Leica Oskar Barnack Award Winner

 

In his award-winning series, the Russian photographer draws our attention to the nature and way of life in the mountains of Dagestan in the North Caucasus of southern Russia. Faizulin illustrates the threats to the delicate balance between the inhabitants and nature in his images. He documents current developments and the emerging tourism industry, modern architecture and the neglect of established structures and culture, while at the same time celebrating the region’s beauty.

“I first visited Dagestan as a tourist in 2020 and immediately felt a connection to its cultural fabric, the meaning of the moment and my personal interest in the region. I had a strong feeling that the region was about to undergo rapid change, and I wanted to document these developments. This is why, in 2021, I moved to Dagestan to explore the region in greater depth. It’s important to me that a photograph does not simplify reality, but rather helps us recognise its complexity.” - Damir Faizulin

Damir Faizulin was born in Uzbekistan in 1986. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, his family moved to Russia. Until the age of 33, he successfully pursued a career as a martial artist and professional wrestler. He then attended photography workshops with the documentary photographer Dmitry Markov in Kaliningrad. He has been working on independent projects since 2020, and the LOBA is the first international competition in which he has participated.

  Laila AnnMarie Stevens: Clayton Sisterhood Project 2026 Leica Oskar Barnack Award Newcomer

 

The American photographer is inspired by her longing for memories of her ancestors, which is reflected in her black-and-white series examining contemporary queer kinship structures and the continuing legacy of strong, self-confident black women. The focal point of her work is the way of life created by the photographer’s two sisters and four nieces, who moved from Queens, New York, to a shared house on a plot in Clayton, North Carolina.

“When selecting these images, I wanted the works to reflect the various ways in which connection is expressed across generations. It’s incredibly encouraging to have my work recognised in this way. Taking into account the current political climate in the United States, where so many rights relating to autonomy, care and visibility are being actively challenged, this award has given me high hopes.” - Laila AnnMarie Stevens

Born in South Jamaica, Queens, New York, in 2001, Laila AnnMarie Stevens started working with the New York Times at the age of 20, having her pictures published in the ‘Metropolitan’ section. Since then, her work has appeared in various other major publications. She studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and gained a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography and Media.

 

Valentina Sinis: The Last Butterflies 2026/2027 LOBA Women Grant

 

By winning this award, Italian photographer Valentina Sinis will be able to continue her long-term project in Iraqi Kurdistan. Her series focuses on Kurdish women who have left their homeland to join the armed resistance. In a new chapter, the photographer will explore how the struggle shapes and transforms ties to land and family, as well as a sense of belonging, through portraits, landscapes and images of abandoned places. The human cost of the female fighters’ commitment will also be explored. The results of this new chapter in her body of work will be presented at LOBA next year. Photographer Valentina Sinis, originally hailing from Italy, lives and works in China, Iraq and Italy. Through her extraordinary work, she sheds light on everyday realities and the lives of people who are not usually covered in the media. Her photographs have already been published in many international newspapers and magazines.

“The Last Butterflies powerfully depicts the new role that women have been playing in war for some time now. The images show how they are joining together to fight for their country without men, in a clear and moving depiction. It’s important that Valentina Sinis is able to continue and complete this project.” – Karin Rehn-Kaufmann 

 

Quotes from the 2026 LOBA Jury:

 

Karin Rehn-Kaufmann: “On behalf of the entire 2026 LOBA jury – Jane’a Johnson (Scholar and Curator, Curatorial Assistant, The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, USA), Celina Lunsford (Artistic Director and Curator of the FFF, Fotografie Forum Frankfurt, Germany), Paolo Pellegrin (Photographer, Italy) and Gu Zheng (Professor, Fudan University School of Journalism, Shanghai, China) – I offer my heartfelt congratulations to the winners.”

The jury engaged in “intense discussions, and that is precisely where the strength of the process lies”, explains Karin Rehn-Kaufmann. “These were fascinating discussions – about the photographers’ integrity, their stories and, of course, their visual work”, adds Celina Lunsford. “The quality of the work was high, as were our expectations.” Jane’a Johnson also shares this view: “The discussions were lively, respectful and in-depth. Each of us brought our own unique perspective to the table. The atmosphere was very friendly, and by the end, we all felt a strong connection.” Commenting on this year’s cohort, Rehn-Kaufmann emphasises: “As is so often the case, I was impressed by the wide spectrum of themes. The visual styles were also diverse, ranging from classic documentary approaches to poetic, experimental narrative styles. This year’s selection struck me as being particularly multi-layered and nuanced. It was less about making quick visual impact and more about encouraging long-term exploration and depth of photographic research.”

“The significance of this prize cannot be overstated”, emphasises Jane’a Johnson. “It is a real financial boon for photographers, providing access to high-quality equipment and forging a link to the legacy built by some of the most significant photographers ever to pick up a camera.” Consequently, the LOBA is now recognised as one of the world’s leading awards: “Whenever I’m at a photography festival or conducting research, the leading photographers are always familiar with this prize”, notes Celina Lunsford, adding: “Nowadays, the shortlist also acts as an excellent overview for curators, festival directors and editors.” 

 

Comments on the Two Winning Series:

 

“Damir Faizulin’s series Preserving Nature as Preserving Ourselves impressively illustrates just how closely the well-being of humanity is linked to the state of our natural environment. Using calm, unhurried and occasionally humorous visual language, he sensitively addresses one of the most pressing issues of our time with a nuanced approach. His photographs invite us to reflect on our responsibility towards nature, encouraging us to reconsider our relationship with the environment. The visual coherence of the series is particularly compelling. Combining documentary precision with poetic visual language, Faizulin’s method creates photographs that are both moving and thoughtprovoking. It’s precisely this balance between thematic relevance and emotional depth that makes the work so special.” - Karin Rehn-Kaufmann

“With the Clayton Sisterhood Project, Laila AnnMarie Stevens has created an intimate and authentic body of work. Its focus is on community, belonging, and female solidarity. Telling a story of resilience and the power of community, she approaches her subject with warmth, respect and sensitivity. The series highlights just how important solidarity and connection can be as sources of strength and hope.”  - Karin Rehn-Kaufmann

Exhibition and catalogue: The 2026 LOBA Catalogue is being published to accompany the exhibition at the Ernst Leitz Museum. It presents the entire 2026 LOBA Shortlist alongside their complete photo series, interviews and background information. Following the show in Wetzlar, the 2026 LOBA exhibition will be displayed at various Leica Galleries and featured at photography festivals.

Further information about this year’s winners is available at: www.leica-oskar-barnack-award.com

If you've ever packed a camera for a bike ride, you know the body is rarely the heavy part, since a couple of lenses with any reach can fill a bag faster than the camera itself. The OM System OM-3 and the Micro Four Thirds format offer one answer to that weight problem, and a long ride along the Northumberland coast puts that answer to a practical test.

 

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- Partner Content -

 

CleverFiles has updated its Disk Drill photo recovery software with broader support for Panasonic RW2 files and faster, more stable TIFF detection. Available for Windows and macOS, version 6.3 also brings improvements to DNG detection and Advanced Camera Recovery, including changes for photographers who shoot video.

 

Expanded Panasonic RW2 Support for RAW Photo Recovery

 

RW2 is Panasonic’s RAW image format, used to store camera originals for processing in a compatible editor. Disk Drill already supported RW2; version 6.3 adds recognition of additional variants, extending compatibility within the format.

For photographers trying to recover deleted RAW photos, the change is relevant when an earlier version did not recognize their Panasonic files. If the image data remains on the card or drive, scanning with 6.3 gives the software a chance to identify the newly supported variants.

 

Faster, More Stable TIFF Detection

 

Disk Drill 6.3 improves TIFF detection speed and stability during scanning. The change applies to identifying TIFF images on the scanned device, including edited photographs saved on external drives and other project storage.

TIFF files often contain work completed after the original capture, such as retouching or preparation for printing. The update therefore covers both camera originals and saved edits, with faster detection for photographers searching through a collection of missing TIFF images.

 

Other Changes That Matter to Photographers

 

Disk Drill 6.3 also improves DNG detection and fixes an issue that could prevent some DNG files from being found.

The update includes several further improvements relevant to photo storage and recovery:

 

• Faster DeepFAT32 scanning. The updated scanning method improves speed on FAT32 volumes, a file system used on some memory cards and removable drives.
• Better thumbnail generation on Windows. Improved thumbnails help photographers recognize images in the results before opening individual previews.
• Corrected preview rotation on Windows ARM. The release fixes an image rotation issue in the preview window on ARM devices running Windows 11 Home.
• A fix for scanning byte-to-byte DMG backups. Disk Drill addresses an issue affecting scans of these disk images, which provide another way to work with a copy of a storage device.

 

Both platform releases also add RWL recovery within Advanced Camera Recovery. RWL is a separate RAW format associated with Leica cameras.

For photographers who also shoot video, Advanced Camera Recovery is designed to reconstruct fragmented camera files, whose data may be stored in separate locations on a memory card. The module also supports photos and audio from supported devices.

Version 6.3 improves reconstruction of Insta360 files and adds a choice over whether ACR should attempt to recover corrupted files or skip them. These changes give users more control over a camera recovery scan, alongside broader improvements to the module’s performance and stability.

 

Availability and Free Recovery Options

 

Disk Drill 6.3 is available for Windows and macOS, with free scanning and previews on both platforms.

On Windows, the free edition includes up to 100 MB of data recovery. The allowance applies to total file size, so the number of photographs it covers depends on the selected images. Disk Drill PRO enables recovery beyond that allowance.

On macOS, saving unprotected files found through a scan requires PRO. The Windows walkthrough below shows how to review and recover photographs.

For photographers choosing the best photo recovery software for a particular job, a free scan offers a way to assess the results: check whether the missing images appear and preview supported files before purchasing.

 

Disk Drill Overview: Finding and Recovering Lost Photos

 

The following Windows walkthrough covers RW2 and TIFF recovery from a connected storage device. For readers looking to recover deleted photos from SD card storage, CleverFiles also provides a detailed guide to recovering photos from memory cards.

 

Scan the Storage Device

 

Install Disk Drill on your computer, keeping the installation off the device containing the missing photographs. Connect your SD card through a card reader, or plug in the external drive you want to scan. If Windows asks to format the device, dismiss the prompt.

Open Disk Drill and locate the device under Storage Devices. Check its name and capacity so you select the correct one. Choose the physical card or drive.

 

Selecting a storage device in Disk Drill.

 

Click Search for lost data, and select Universal Scan when the scan-method dialog appears.

 

Selecting Universal Scan to search for lost photos.

 

Allow the scan to finish, then click Review found items. You can review results during scanning, but waiting until completion gives you the full set to examine.

 

Find and Preview RW2 and TIFF Images

 

Select Pictures to narrow the results to image files. To locate Panasonic originals, enter rw2 in the search field and look through the matching files. If necessary, use the file-size or date filters to reduce the list further.

Select an RW2 file and open its preview. Look for the subject and composition you recognize, then check the displayed file information. When several shots look similar, inspect them individually before choosing which ones to save.

 

Previewing RW2 photos in Disk Drill.

 

Clear the RW2 search before looking for TIFF images. Enter tif to find filenames containing either .tif or .tiff, then select a result to preview it. Check that it is the version you need if the drive contains several exports of the same photograph.

 

Previewing TIFF images in Disk Drill.

 

Review the Deleted or lost and Reconstructed groups, rather than relying on a single results folder. Mark the photographs you want using the checkboxes beside them. Your selection can include both formats, allowing you to recover deleted images together.

 

Recover the Selected Photos to Another Drive

 

Click Recover and choose a destination on a different physical drive. For photographs lost from an SD card, a folder on your computer is suitable. If you scanned the computer’s internal drive, use an external drive with enough free space.

 

Choosing where to save the recovered photos.

 

Confirm the destination and let recovery finish. Open the saved RW2 files in an application that supports RAW files from your Panasonic camera, and inspect the TIFF images in your photo editor. Check the full images for missing areas or visible damage. For a layered TIFF, also check that the expected layers are available before returning the file to your editing workflow.

 

What Affects Whether Photos Can Be Recovered?

 

Stop using the card or drive as soon as photographs disappear. Deleting a file usually marks its space as available for reuse; new data can overwrite the image data still there. Setting the device aside preserves the opportunity to recover deleted photos.

The cause of the loss also matters. A missing folder or an unreadable file system can leave the underlying image data intact. An interrupted write, however, may produce an incomplete photograph because some data never reached the card. A guest article on Larry Jordan’s website explains why photos become corrupted on SD cards, including interrupted transfers, power loss, and faulty media. These situations help explain why recovering a missing file and repairing a damaged image are different tasks.

Disk Drill can also create and scan a byte-to-byte backup, letting you work from a copy of the storage device. If a card is physically damaged or repeatedly disconnects, consult a recovery specialist before further attempts.

When the cause is unclear, a data recovery community can be a place to ask for help assessing the symptoms. A useful post should include the card or drive model, its reported capacity, what happened before the loss, and any steps already attempted. Describe whether the photographs disappeared, stopped opening, or became inaccessible along with the entire device. Those details make it easier to distinguish a file problem from a storage problem and discuss an appropriate next step.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Will Recovered RAW Photos Retain Their Lightroom Edits?

Lightroom Classic normally stores adjustments in its catalog, and may also save them in XMP sidecar files. Reconnect the recovered RW2 to its existing catalog entry to regain access to those edits. If the catalog is missing, look for the matching XMP file or a catalog backup; the RAW file alone does not contain adjustments stored elsewhere.

 

Can Recovered Photos Have Different File Names?

Yes. Recovery may preserve names and folders when the original file system records are available. Files identified by their internal signatures can receive generated names. This does not itself indicate image damage. Embedded capture dates and camera information may still help you organize the recovered photographs.

 

Can Photos Be Recovered After a Quick Format?

Often, yes. A quick format may replace file system information while leaving image data available for recovery. The outcome depends on how the device handled formatting and whether the data remains readable. Formatting that erases the underlying data has a different outcome, so a successful recovery cannot be assumed from the word “quick” alone.

Canon and Nikon shooters have had autofocus 85mm f/1.2 lenses for years, while anyone on Sony E-mount or L-mount has had to settle for f/1.4 or give up autofocus entirely. The new Sigma 85mm f/1.2 DG Art changes that, and it asks a fair question of anyone who already owns a good f/1.4 portrait lens.

 

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