Photography News

Sam Abell has pursued a career in documentary photography, spending 33 years with National Geographic. He concurrently taught and authored numerous books, including The Life of a Photograph, Seeing Gardens, and The Photographic Life. In 2024, Sam received the Lifetime Achievement Award from The Photo Society and was inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame. Here, he explains why he shoots in an automatic mode, sticks with shorter lenses, and why Dorothea Lange is his North Star.

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A wide angle lens is a tempting choice at White Sands National Park, and it’s also an easy way to come home with files that look flatter than what you saw. The video tackles that gap between what feels dramatic in person and what actually reads well in a frame.

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Re-editing a 2010 image is a fast way to see how much your taste has shifted and how much today’s tools can rescue a file you once thought was “done.” If old edits look harsh, crunchy, or just strangely loud, this video shows a clean path back to something you’d actually want to print.

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The Adobe Camera Raw Adjustment Brush is one of the fastest ways to shape attention inside a frame without wrecking the rest of the tones. If local light, texture, or color keeps slipping away during edits, this tool is often the missing piece.

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The low position of the sun in winter makes it a perfect time to shoot silhouettes. You just need to find a bright background (the sky's perfect) and the right subject to give you a shot with series impact.

 

1. Pick A Subject

As there are no textures or tones to grab people's attention strong subjects that are instantly recognisable work the best. In winter, wildlife (deer in particular) work well. Even more so if you're shooting on a cold morning when the breath can be seen in the air. The bare, skeletal-like trees that cover our landscape at this time of year also work well as subjects for winter silhouettes. Higher up, turn rolling hillsides into dark shapes that curve across your shot. Fog can help add interest and contrast to the shot and exposing for the lighter, foggy parts of the shot will give you the silhouetted hillsides you're looking for.
 

2. Adjust Your Exposure

You need a bright background for this technique to work and the sky, particularly when there's a colourful sunrise, works particularly well. You can also use a large expanse of water if you live near a lake or the coast too.

To create a silhouette, expose for the brighter background rather than your subject as by doing so your subject will underexpose, appearing very dark if not fully black. Using the spot or centre-weight light measurement modes on your camera should give you the results you're looking for or you can use exposure compensation and select -1 or -2 to deliberately underexpose your shot.

If you're using a compact camera simply point the camera at the brightest part of the scene you're photographing, press the shutter half way down and don't let go of it. Next, re-frame the shot then press the shutter button the rest of the way to take your shot. This should fool the camera into giving you the exposure you want, but you may have to try exposing from different parts of the image to create the silhouette you're looking for.

3. Focusing Tips

You might want to meter from your background, but you don't want this to be your main point of focus. So, to ensure your main subject is sharp, use a smaller aperture to maximise depth of field. You can also try pre-focusing your shot before you set your exposure or switch to manual focus. If you're using a compact camera try using Landscape mode as this will let the camera know you want to use a small aperture so your shot has front to back sharpness.

 

4. The Sun's Position

Try to position your subject in front of the sun when you're framing up as you should never look through the camera directly at the sun as you can permanently damage your eyes. If you want the sun to be in frame, use the Live View feature so you can frame up safely.

  5. Turn Flash Off

If your flash is set to go off automatically make sure you switch it off otherwise it'll light up your subject and you won't get the silhouette you're looking for.

 

6. Framing Advice 

Don't think you have to fill your frame with your subject as a little space around them will leave room for the brighter, colourful background to show, giving your shot more interest and impact. This is where a wider lens comes in handy as you'll be able to get more of your background in shot. Of course, getting close to a shy animal with a wide-angle lens is easier said than done but you could try putting your camera on a tripod and use a remote release to fire the shutter button. Just remember to focus the camera on a fixed spot before you go into hiding. Having said that, if you're using a long telephoto lens to capture your winter wildlife from a distance you should still have plenty of room around your subject for the lighter background anyway.

If you were given a camera as a gift at Christmas or have just decided to treat yourself so you can learn a new skill, you're probably wondering where to start with your new kit. One of the best ways to improve and learn how to use your new camera is to actually get out and use it but we thought it would also be helpful to have a page where photography beginners can find all of our introductory tutorials in one place. So, below you'll find all our beginner photography tutorials written to-date but do also keep an eye on our techniques and features sections as new tutorials are added regularly. 

 

Learn what basic camera settings can help you freeze movement. 

  Digital Camera Settings 

• The Absolute Beginner Guide To Camera Preset Shooting Modes
• What Are Drive Modes?
• Beginner's Guide To Geotagging
• Beginner's Guide To White Balance Mode
• Introduction To Metering Modes
• Quick Beginner Tips About Focus Lock
• Digital Zoom: A Beginner's Guide

 

Learn the basics of aperture. 

  Understanding Exposure

• Creative Aperture / Depth Of Field
• Beginner's Tips: How To Make A Manual Exposure
• Beginner's Introduction To Depth Of Field
• Beginner's Tips: Shutters and Apertures Anyone?
• Beginner's Tips: How To Use ISO
• Beginner's Guide To DSLR Photography: Creative Apertures

 

 

  Taking The Shot

• Essential Beginner Photography Tips: Think About Your Focus
• Creative Children Portraits On A Budget
• Panoramas For Beginners
• Beginner's Tips - How To Capture Motion In Your Images
• How To Make Sure Your Subject Is The Main Point Of Interest
• 5 Tips For Someone New To Portrait Photography
• Beginner's Guide To Sunrise Photography
• Ten Top Tips To Teach Photography Newbies
• Beginner Wildlife Photography Tips
• Beginner Street Photography Tips
• Beginner's Guide On Photographing Children
• Beginner's Guide To Photo Composition
• Understanding Lenses And Focal Lengths

 

 

Seasonal Tutorials 

• Snow Photography Tips For Beginners
• Beginner's Tips For Christmas Photography
• Tips On Using Your Compact Camera At Christmas

 

Learn the basics of lighting objects.

Basic Lighting Tips

• Beginner's Guide to Light Part One
• Beginner's Guide To Light - Part Two
• Beginner's Introduction To Built-In Flash

   

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

ePHOTOzine is delighted to confirm that Samsung will once again support the much-loved Photo of the Week award, celebrating an impressive 11th year of this successful partnership.

Thanks to Samsung’s ongoing commitment, this long-standing collaboration continues to recognise outstanding photography, shining a light on creativity, technical excellence and artistic flair across our community. We’re excited to welcome another year filled with inspiring images.

Samsung continues to inspire the world and shape the future through innovative ideas and cutting-edge technology, and ePHOTOzine is proud to welcome the global electronics brand back as supporter of our prestigious Photo of the Week accolade for the eleventh consecutive year.

We’re pleased to announce that throughout 2026, Samsung will once again reward our Photo of the Week (POTW) winners with its reliable, high-performance memory products. Each weekly winner will receive a Samsung 128GB PRO Plus microSDXC memory card with SD Adapter, providing fast, dependable storage suitable for a wide range of devices.

The Samsung 128GB PRO Plus microSDXC memory card, complete with a full-size SD adapter, is ideal for use with cameras, laptops and more. Compatible with Android smartphones, tablets, action cameras, drones and gaming consoles, PRO Plus is designed to help you capture more, faster and without compromise. With impressive U3, Class 10 read/write speeds of up to 180/130MB/s, transferring and storing large volumes of images is seamless. UHS-I, V30 support ensures smooth 4K video recording, while six-proof protection guards against water, extreme temperatures, X-rays, magnets, drops and wear. The card is backed by a 10-year limited warranty. Further details are available on the Samsung website.

Photo of the Week is selected every week by the ePHOTOzine team. To be in with a chance of winning, simply upload your images to the Gallery.

All 52 weekly winners will then have their images showcased in our POTW forum. In January 2027, the community will be invited to vote by hitting the ‘like’ button on their favourite shots. The ePHOTOzine team will tally the votes and crown the overall Photo of the Year winner, who will take home the top prize: a rugged, ultra-fast 1TB Samsung Portable SSD T7 Shield.

Best of luck to everyone taking part, we look forward to seeing the diverse and inspiring images submitted by our community of photographers each week. Our sincere thanks go to Samsung for its continued and valued support.

 

Ah chargers, the unsung heroes of our camera bags. When Anker sent over their new Nano Charger with the built-in smart display, I was skeptical. A screen on a wall charger? It seemed like a solution in search of a problem. After a week of daily use, I can admit I was wrong. This little charger has genuinely changed how I think about portable power.

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If you're like me, you've accumulated a small graveyard of USB-C hubs and docking stations over the years. There's the one that lives on your desk, the compact one you throw in your bag for travel, maybe a spare floating around somewhere because you forgot you already had one. It's an annoying reality of modern laptop life: the hub you need at home isn't the hub you want to carry, and vice versa. Anker's new Anker Nano Docking Station takes a genuinely clever swing at solving this problem, and after a week of daily use, I think they've nailed it.

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“Photo North festival has something magical - this may sound like a cliche but it's different to other photography festivals. There is an atmosphere of equality, informality and mutual support and of course, a great programme of exhibitions and talks.” Visitor

 

Credit: Anne Worthington/Photo North Festival

From the series, Young Skins

 

Photo North Festival is back.

 

World renowned and emerging artists prepare to exhibit at Photo North Festival #7 13-15 March 2026 The Carriageworks Theatre, Millennium Square, Leeds UK.

 

As the winter ebbs away, the photography industry prepares to shine on the historically proud and culturally vibrant city of Leeds for the seventh edition of Photo North Festival.

Exhibitions by legends of the profession will be on display alongside up and coming photographers against a backdrop of talks, competitions, portfolio reviews, workshops, networking, screenings, book singings, food & drink and more…

 

EXHIBITIONS AND ARTISTS HIGHLIGHTS

 

The Leeds International African Arts Festival (LIAAF)

Guest curators LIAAF are bringing their vibrant celebration of African photography to the festival with an exhibition themed Earthwise- An Exhibition of Creativity, Community Reflections and Renewal, featuring multiple photographic artists including Arteh Odjidja, Tobi Dosumu and Ruth Agbolade.

 

Credit: Soulla Petrou/Photo North Festival

Sophie Ellis-Bextor

 

REWIND by Soulla Petrou

Rewind is a photobook by award-winning photographer Soulla Petrou, showcasing 15 years of work in the UK music scene from 1994 to 2009. Shot mainly on film, it captures the raw energy of a defining era in club and youth culture. ?? images will be exhibited from the book including a pre-famous Gerri Halliwel, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Damon Albarn.

 

Jaywick Sands Happy Club by David J Shaw

Jaywick, Essex, is a village that sits within the constituency of the leader of Reform UK MP Nigel Farage, and will be heavily affected by climate change-related sea level rise. The village has an infamous reputation as ‘Britain’s most deprived area’ with many journalists and YouTuber content creators regularly coming to the village to continue this portrayal.  Made closely with the people the images represent, Jaywick Sands Happy Club aims to reframe the narrative of the village by providing a balanced view of a community in the UK that faces challenges that are echoed internationally.

 

This is Also Motherhood by Carolyn Mendelsohn and the Maternal Mental Health Alliance

Portraits of Mental Health, Strength and Survival. This exhibition reveals the often-hidden realities of motherhood and maternal mental health through portrait photography, still life, and audio. Created by artist Carolyn Mendelsohn in collaboration with 10 women with lived experience. It invites us to look, listen and understand.

 

Credit: Joanne Coates/Photo North Festival

From the series, Greenvoe and the Anti-Idyll

 

Greenvoe and the Anti-Idyll by Joanne Coates

This body of work draws deeply from the poetic vision of George Mackay Brown, particularly his novel Greenvoe, exploring the enduring tensions between progress and preservation in rural island life. Through photography, Coates explores the changing landscapes of Orkney—both physical and cultural—by leaning into the notion of the anti-idyll: the disruption of the pastoral dream and the confrontation with modernity on the margins.

Gurushots global community will host their Art of Photography and Street Photographer of the Year photo-challenge winners. 

 

Smoke and Mirrors by Seamus Murphy

Smoke and Mirrors is a powerful photographic exhibition by award-winning photojournalist Seamus Murphy, featuring an extended photo essay centred on the West Bank city of Nablus. Captured over two periods of time, the first in 2004 during the second intifada while working on the acclaimed Palestinian feature film Paradise Now. This commission allowed Murphy to explore how the carefully staged scenes on the film set often echoed the real-life drama and rituals playing out on the streets of Nablus. The second are photographs from spring 2025, connected by stories from 2004  which reflect on the ongoing realities of occupation and the strength and endurance of the Palestinian people. 

 

Credit: Mike Goldwater/Photo North festival

Tombstoning from Ramsgate east pier. From the series, ISLAND

 

ISLAND by Mike Goldwater

ISLAND is a documentary project about the Isle of Thanet, at the eastern tip of Kent. Thanet, once an island cut off from the mainland by the River Wantsum, is a place of deep history, rich ecologies and shifting human tides. The photographs pay tribute to the beauty, challenge and unique character of this special place. The photographs for ISLAND were taken between 2019 and 2024.

 

Ian Parry Photojournalism Grant

A presentation of work by the 2025 recipient of the Ian Parry Grant, Omar Ashtawy, who is living and working in Gaza. The Ian Parry Photojournalism Grant supports young and emerging photographers as they embark on their career.

 

FOUNDERS

 

Festival co-founder & curator, Peter Dench, says: ‘We recognise people are passionate about photography. Photo North Festival aims to introduce or advance understanding of the medium through our programme of exhibitions - to inspire and engage debate. We have one perfect venue, with headline events and renowned photographers confirmed and the list is growing. The creativity in planning the festival format, talks and screenings is something unique to offer people in the north of England and beyond.’

Sharon Price, co-founder & curator, says: ‘We’ve chosen thought-provoking works that provide relevant social commentary on some quite hard-hitting issues. We also have the beautiful and the poignant, that will appeal not only to enthusiasts seeking to be challenged, but also to those seeking a feast for the senses.’ 

Sharon and Peter have secured the sensational line up to deliver a thought-provoking, lively and inclusive festival that will appeal to the professional photographer, photo-enthusiast, keen amateur and anyone who wishes to engage with the timeless appeal of the medium.

Once again, Photo North Festival promises to be one of the most exciting and engaging European photo events.

13-15 March 2026 -  The Carriageworks Theatre, Millennium Square, Leeds UK.

 For more information about the Photo North Festival, please visit the event website.

    During the winter months, the sun's low and the sunrise isn't quite as early so you can venture out a little later if you wish. Your local news channel or a quick search online will give you the time of the sunrise. You can just stay in one place, shooting a particular view or scene but taking the time to walk a few steps to find the best angle of your subject is always advised. If you're feeling a little more adventurous plan yourself a route that circles back to where you park your car.

 

1. Kit Requirements

When it comes to kit, a tripod is essential when working with low light levels and make sure you pack the wide-angle lens for capturing sweeping shots of the landscape. A longer zoom won't be out of place either, plus pack a range of filters including grads and a polariser. A graduated neutral density filter would be useful in case you find the sky's a lot lighter than the ground. While a polarising filter will reduce glare and deepen blue skies

If you want to shoot wide vistas with foreground detail use your wide-angle lens while telephotos let you pull in detail and are also excellent at putting objects within their environmental context.

 

 

2. Adapt To Your Conditions

Morning light can be cool sometimes so try using the cloudy or shade white-balance settings on your camera to give the shot a little more warmth. You'll also need longer exposures and this is where your tripod will be useful as you don't want shake spoiling your shots. It will also slow you down, making you stand back and evaluate the scene in front of you.

While you're out early, try capturing a sunrise shot. If the sky was clear the night before there's a good chance you'll be able to capture a cracking sunrise but if a little bit of cloud starts to appear don't worry; it will help diffuse the light. As the sky's bright and the ground's dark your camera may struggle to expose correctly but bracketing can solve this or if you just want to focus on the sun try spot metering. Never look at the sun through the lens, though as there is the risk of eye damage. Instead, make good use of your camera's LiveView feature or just compose with the sun shielded behind something solid.

For years, a favorite working lens as a community photojournalist was the Fujifilm XF 90mm f/2 R LM WR.

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A 200mm f/2 lens used to be the kind of gear you only read about, not something you actually consider buying. The Laowa 200mm f/2 AF FF is trying to change that, and the real question is what you give up to get the look at a price that does not feel absurd.

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Sky swaps have been a go-to fix in real estate images when the weather refuses to cooperate. The problem now is that a routine background change can drag you into a compliance mess that most agents are not handling the same way.

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This week marks the return of the Sundance Film Festival to Park City, Utah. The festival showcases dozens of new documentaries, shorts, and feature presentations, as well as a variety of panels of interest to independent filmmakers. According to Adobe, 85% of films at the festival will have used Adobe Creative Cloud tools, so it comes as no surprise that Adobe chose this week to announce new features in its flagship editing program, Premiere Pro.

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Hasselblad just made the medium format question harder in a good way, with the Hasselblad X2D II 100C landing as a real-world tool instead of a studio-only trophy. If you’ve been eyeing medium format but keep hesitating over speed, handling, and file pain, this video circles the exact pressure points you actually deal with.

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A photography niche can feel like the whole game, like you need to pick one lane and lock it in fast. The problem is that a tidy label can push you away from the work you actually want to make, and it can make the business side feel brittle.

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Photo by Joshua Waller

 

1. Look At The Small Details 

The key to this type of photography is to stop looking at buildings as whole structures and focus on the small pockets of interesting patterns and shapes they're made up of. Don't overlook the ugly looking buildings either as most of the time, once you're zoomed in and focused on one part, you'll find they're perfect subjects when you're on the hunt for architectural patterns. If you can't zoom in or use your feet to help you get a frame-filling shot, capture the image anyway as you may be able to crop out the distractions in your editing software once back home. 

 

2. Look Up 

If you find people or clutter are getting in your way move your feet to find a clearer angle or try taking your eyes away from street level altogether – you'll be surprised at what you see. Just watch your shutter speeds if you're working hand-held and make sure you're focusing accurately as you don't want a blurry shot.

 

 

3. Grey Days Can Be Good Days
 

Don't be afraid of cloudy, damp days as these can give your shots a moody feel while a bright blue sky will contrast well against a strong metal frame.

4. Top Ideas Worth Trying 

• Old vs new – Find points where old architecture meets and merges with the new
• Broken/cracked windows – The shapes formed in the glass make interesting patterns
• Metal structures – Fantastic strong, bold and often symmetrical shapes
• Brickwork – Look for strong colours   

 

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

Most discussions about photography describe the work of the photographer through technique, timing, or the ability to react quickly. Yet these explanations do not match what actually gives an image its meaning. If the photograph depends on a choice made before the camera is raised, then the work of the photographer is not the moment of capture but the decisions that make the moment possible.

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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 richmowil (Day 13 - Garden Birds)

 

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 10

Natural Light Portrait

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Day 11

Creative Focus

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Day 12

Outdoor Paths

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  Day 14

Indoor Flower

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Day 15

'One'

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Day 16

Black & White Architecture

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Day 17

Snow

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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.