DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY NEWS FROM ePHOTOzine

Town photography at night is a cool subject as objects that seem mundane in daylight can suddenly take on a whole new feeling/look at night. You can also use a variety of different techniques, too, to capture scenes in more creative ways. 

There's quite a bit to cover on night photography but to get you started, we've got 5 quick but essential pieces of advice. 

[HOOK]position_1[/HOOK] 

1. Gear Suggestions

 

Your DSLR and normal lenses are fine for this sort of work but long exposures are the norm so a good, stable tripod is recommended, that together with a remote release. If you do want a camera that's particularly good in low light, have a read of our 'Top 21 Best Low Light Photography Cameras' list. 

Important non-photographic essentials include suitable clothing, protective kit for the camera, a watch for timing B exposures and a torch – a wind-up head torch is a good idea. It is also taking someone with you, for safety and for companionship during your time when you are hanging around waiting for the exposures to finish.

 

2. White Balance

 

Auto white balance is fine but feel free to try the preset, perhaps incandescent or fluorescent. AWB is fine and colour casts can add to the image anyway.

 

3. ISO

 

In low light, the temptation is to whizz up the ISO scale and shot at ISO1600 and higher. Most cameras cope well at higher ISO levels now but even though this is true, it is still best to stick to ISO100 or 200 and go for high quality and long shutter speeds. By the way, windy days, bridges that gently move, traffic vibration, poor technique, wobbly tripods, can all result in blurred images so watch out for that.

 

4. Buildings And Lighting

 

Office blocks and lit buildings are obvious subjects – and if it is raining, even better, especially, if your chosen location has cobbled streets.

Stop down to small apertures and highlights come as pinpoints of light and that can effective. Including streetlamps can result in flare – if they are in shot, there is nothing you can do about it so just go with the fact. In fact, on rainy evenings with water droplets landing on the lens you can get some graphic flare effects.

 

5. Traffic And Light Trails

 

Light trails of moving traffic is a popular subject and it is easy to do. just find your scene, open the shutter and the moving traffic with its head and rear lights on will record as colourful lines. Popular places to try this technique is on bridges over main roads, roundabouts and busy junctions. Obviously, take great care with traffic and where you place the tripod.

.

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

London Camera Exchange has revealed the winners for its 2026 Photographer of the Year competition following a significant 40 percent increase in participation from the previous year. Retired teacher Sophia Spurgin earned the overall first prize for her spontaneous portrait of a Vietnamese fisherman, securing the top spot among nearly 14,500 submissions. This year’s contest featured a 10,000 pound prize fund and introduced strict authenticity policies to ensure all winning entries represented genuine photographic talent. The awards ceremony took place at The Photography and Video Show in Birmingham where category winners were recognized for excellence in genres ranging from landscape and wildlife to emerging student talent.

 

From London Camera Exchange:

London Camera Exchange has announced the winners of its LCE Photographer of the Year 2026 (LCE POTY) competition. Nearly 14,500 entries were received this year – a 40% increase on 2025, demonstrating the contest’s growing reputation as one of the UK’s leading competitions for photographers of all abilities and experience.

Now in its third year, the free-to-enter LCE POTY competition comprises 14 different categories including the publicly voted ‘People’s Choice’ and ‘Emerging Talent’ dedicated to photography students. The latter category offers a prize for both the photographer and their university or place of study, and celebrates the next generation of photographers.

 

First prize winner:   Sophia Spurgin – ‘Fish Eyes’

 

© Sophia Spurgin / London Camera Exchange

 

The overall first prize winner is UK-based retired teacher Sophia Spurgin with her humorous portrait of a fisherman, captured spontaneously on a boat in Hoi An, Vietnam. Sophia commented, “I was keen to dedicate some time to serious travel photography during a family holiday and had been taking photos of this fisherman at work alongside a local photographer. This was the playful end of the photography session and a genuinely entertaining moment! I especially like that his fishing net is visible in the background, adding context and authenticity to the image.”

Sophia added, “I am absolutely delighted to win the London Camera Exchange Photographer of the Year 2026. Photography has brought me immense joy – not only through the places it has taken me, but also through the wonderful friendships I’ve made along the way. To be recognised in this competition means a great deal, as it shows that my photography resonates with others.”

‘Fish Eyes’ was shot on a Canon EOS R5 Mark II. Sophia was awarded £3,000 in LCE vouchers as the overall competition winner and Travel category winner. She also scooped £500 as winner of the Wildlife category with her stunning image ‘Fighting Foxes in the Rain’.

 

Category winners (£500 vouchers each):

• Action – ‘Saving Lives at Sea’ by David Lyon
• After Dark – ‘Lonely is the Night’ by Hardijanto Budiman
• Birds – ‘A Gazing Owlet’ by Louise Norris
• Creative – ‘Swan Song’ by Brooke Shaden
• Emerging Talent (student award) – ‘Imprint’ by Millie Melvin
• Events – ‘Half a Second Before’ by Jacek Salaga
• Landscape – ‘The Lotus’ by Colin Page
• Macro – ‘Teamwork’ by Dikye Ariani
• Pets – ‘Silent Sentinel’ by Carole-Ann Chambers
• Portrait – ‘Red Rebel’ by John Lynch
• Street – ‘Crossing the Curves’ by Helen Trust
• Travel – ‘Fish Eyes’ by Sophia Spurgin (overall winner)
• Wildlife – ‘Fighting Foxes in the Rain’ by Sophia Spurgin
• People’s Choice – ‘Magical Uphill Lincoln’ by Andrew Scott

The Emerging Talent category for students attracted a significant number of entries, with some outstanding work submitted.

© Millie Melvin / London Camera Exchange

 

This year’s category winner was Millie Melvin, currently studying an MA in Photography at the Royal College of Art, with ‘Imprint’ – a powerful image inspired by an old family photograph and created using botanicals from her garden. Millie, who has aphantasia, uses her images to produce a visual archive, as she is unable to visualise objects in her mind.

Once again, water, wildlife and birds were popular subjects for 2026, with some standout photographs representing the natural world across a full spectrum of themes – from orangutans and ants in action, to owls and ospreys in flight.

 

© Louise Norris / London Camera Exchange

 

This enchanting portrait of a Little Owl chick by Louise Norris secured the top honour in the Birds category, while ‘Teamwork’ by Dikye Ariani – a striking close-up depicting a group of red ants performing a curious acrobatic display – emerged victorious in the Macro genre.

 

© Dikye Ariani / London Camera Exchange

 

Following feedback from previous years, LCE switched the Music category to ‘Events’, and this saw entries double compared to 2025, making it one of the most popular themes. Entries to the Street genre increased by 50%, and Portrait also saw a notable rise to become the 4th most entered category. Landscape remained at the top of the ‘chart’ with almost 12% of all entries.

Designed as a platform to highlight genuine photographic talent, LCE POTY introduced an AI-Generated Imagery Verification and Authenticity Policy this year, ensuring that only authentic photographs were eligible for entry. The competition saw a marked increase in AI-generated submissions. While AI images are becoming progressively sophisticated and difficult to detect, LCE POTY was set up to provide exposure for photographers capturing images of real people, places and events – rewarding them and giving them a stage to showcase their work.

Lee Harasyn, managing director of LCE, commented, “Once again, we were stunned by the quality, creativity and sheer volume of entries. The standard was just incredible. It was also encouraging to see the considerable growth in the number of entries, with more than 30% being new participants to the competition. A particular highlight for the judges was the ‘Emerging Talent’ category, which attracted entries from students across a diverse range of subjects. We look forward to continuing the competition next year, supporting true photographic talent across all genres. Congratulations to all winners and runners-up – and thank you to everyone who took part.”

The LCE POTY Awards were presented in a special ceremony at The Photography & Video Show on Sunday 15 March 2026 at the NEC, Birmingham. A gallery showcasing the finalists’ images, was located close to the show’s entrance and many of the shortlisted images have been included in a special edition commemorative book. Winners received a share of the £10,000 prize fund and a unique trophy to take home. There are also plans to tour the images at other locations around the UK during 2026. 

The competition was generously backed by leading manufacturers including headline sponsors Canon, Fujifilm and OM System, partners Lexar, Nikon and Sony, and affiliates Cewe and Sigma. LCE would like to thank the judging panel – SheClicks founder and journalist Angela Nicholson, Chris George, content director at Future Publishing, and professional portrait and travel documentary photographer Jimmy Cheng – for their expert opinions and help during the tricky process of selecting the winning images.

For more information, please visit the LCE POTY website.

 

Comfy integrates the HitPaw FotorPea API that allows for image enhancement for Comfy users. Users can now benefit from the technology that will help automate and enhance the quality of images. These tools will help restore, enhance, and denoise images, all operating directly inside Comfy.

This integration shows how photography is changing with the help of AI tools to add detail to older, lower-quality, and compressed images. Rather than replacing creative editing, these tools are focusing more on streamlining multiple edits and ensuring overall consistency and clarity. 

For photographers, content creators, and platforms that manage lots of visuals, processing large amounts of visuals with less post-production work can be really helpful.

 

What HitPaw FotorPea Brings to the Comfy Platform

 

HitPaw FotorPea focuses on enhancing photos without changing their overall natural look. Instead of using filters that change the photo more aggressively, the system leans on AI models that have been trained to understand the structures, textures, and minutiae of photos.

Due to Comfy integration, photo enhancement features can now be used within a single workflow. This also means no more exporting images or using other tools to improve the quality of images because improving images has been included in the workflow.

While this functionality aids individual creators, it is particularly useful for teams and services dealing with high volumes of images, especially when the prospect of manual editing is impractical.

 

AI Image Enhancement Integrated into the Core Workflow

 

 

With the integration of AI image enhancer, Comfy now has the ability to auto-enhance different types of images. It uses AI to analyze the images and adjust clarity, noise, and resolution while keeping the textures and features of the people in the images faces as natural as possible.

Most traditional upscaling tools enhance the whole image and result in a generalized view, often causing the person in the portrait to look artificial. HitPaw FotorPea, on the other hand, uses AI realism-based portrait enhancements, meaning they look natural.

 

Key image enhancement capabilities include:

• One-click enhancement for portraits and scenes
• Separate AI processing for faces and backgrounds
• 2x and 4x super-resolution options
• Noise reduction without heavy softening
• Batch processing for large image sets
• API access for automated workflows

The system's features are ideal for mobile phone photography, low-res web images, scanned images, older digital photos, and also for slight improvements to already high-quality images.

 

Model-Based Enhancement for Different Photographic Scenarios

 

The integration does not consist of simply applying a singular enhancement method across all images. Instead, it uses various AI models tailored for particular subjects as well as certain quality levels. This gives the end user more options to choose from when dealing with more challenging photographic materials.

 

Available image enhancement models include:

• Face Clear Model (2x / 4x): Upscales portraits and softens the skin to give a clearer picture and accentuates the surrounding details.
• Face Natural Model (2x / 4x): Maintains the skin texture and facial features to make them look more natural.
• General Enhance Model (2x / 4x): This model is used to enhance general and everyday images, like landscapes, architecture, animals, and many more.
• High Fidelity Model (2x / 4x): This tool is specifically designed for subtle enhancement of DSLR photos, posters, and AI images.
• Sharp Denoise & Detail Denoise Models (1x): Reduce noise in photos taken on mobile devices and cameras, while retaining the original flexible image size.
• Generative Portrait & Generative Enhance Models (1x–4x): Diffusion models that focus on rebuilding some of the details that may be missing because of heavy compression or destruction of the image.

This model selection structure enables photographers and content teams to select the specialized image enhancer AI technique that fits the source material the best instead of using a one-size-fits-all solution.

 

Built for Automation and Platform-Level Workflows

 

A key element in this integration is the API-based design. Rather than putting the tools just as creative editors, Comfy enables automated enhancement as part of broader content pipelines. This gives the value not just to individual photographers but to any platforms, publishers, and services that handle extensive image libraries. With the goal of quality improvement while maintaining smooth, automated workflows, Comfy integrates AI enhancement directly into the platforms.

 

Who Benefits Most from This Integration

 

The Comfy and HitPaw FotorPea integration streamlines work for various users, but some users enjoy better integration benefits, such as:

• Photographers wanting to recover detail of challenging light or old files
• Content creators seeking cleaned-up images without tedious edits
• Media platforms dealing with large quantities of user-generated or old images
• Creative teams desire consistent image quality across all their projects

In all these cases, the advantage lies in achieving improved image quality with minimal effort.

 

A Tool Designed for Modern Image Workflows

 

Today’s image workflows are speedy, multi-source, and often automated. Images come from phones, cameras, scans, and archives and have varying quality levels. Users do not need another complex editor; they need a reliable way to enhance the baseline quality.

HitPaw FotorPea seamlessly integrates with this environment because its AI models focus on realism, detail retention, and efficiency. The Comfy integration removes friction and allows image enhancement in the place where the work already exists.

 

Conclusion

 

The integration of HitPaw FotorPea's API with Comfy exemplifies the increased importance of automation in the contemporary photography world. Focusing on natural results, adaptable models, and the ability to handle larger projects shows how AI tools are becoming more flexible and are now more about improving technical quality than being used for creative purposes. HitPaw FotorPea is at the center of this integration. Its image enhancement models now work with Comfy to provide consistent and workflow-friendly visual improvement.

© Morris Hersko / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards

 

Nikon has officially opened entries for the highly anticipated Comedy Wildlife Awards 2026 for photographers and filmmakers from around the globe to share the humor and charm of the animal kingdom. Building on last year’s overwhelming success, this year’s competition promises even more laughter, creativity, and conservation awareness. With categories spanning mammals, birds, reptiles, aquatic life, and youth divisions, the awards celebrate the joy of wildlife while inspiring audiences to appreciate and protect the natural world. Entrants have the chance to win extraordinary prizes, including Nikon gear and a safari adventure in Kenya, making this year’s contest both entertaining and unforgettable.

 

From Nikon

Nikon is thrilled to announce the return of the world-renowned and delightfully entertaining Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards. Now officially open for entry, the award celebrates the funniest and most heartwarming images from across the globe, showcasing the extraordinary animals we share our planet with.

Following the incredible response to last year's awards, 2026 is set to be even more ambitious and entertaining. By harnessing the charm of witty, offbeat wildlife images and videos, the competition continues to spark meaningful conversations around conservation and promote a deeper appreciation for nature.

To celebrate the launch, the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards has released an exclusive collection of never-before-seen entries from 2025 - each one certain to raise a smile while inspiring photographers and filmmakers alike to take part in this year's competition.

Plus, with a host of spectacular prizes up for grabs - including Nikon cameras and lenses for the Nikon-sponsored categories - top entrants have the chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime safari in the Maasai Mara, Kenya, hosted by the incredible Alex Walker's Serian, along with a beautifully handcrafted trophy. All category winners will also receive a premium camera bag courtesy of ThinkTANK, and a professionally designed website from Amazing Internet.

This year's judging panel brings together a brilliant mix of fresh talent and seasoned experts. Three Nikon Creators - Cameron Whitnall, Hannah Stitfall, and Roxy Hemadani - are joined by Charlotte Kemsley, Regional Director for Nikon in Northern Europe, TV presenter Kate Humble, actor and comedian Hugh Dennis, wildlife photographers Daisy Gilardini and Will Burrard-Lucas, wildlife expert Will Travers OBE, and conservationist Bella Lack.

Joining the awards for the first time are Jamie Smart, an inspiring young wildlife photographer; Will Fortescue, adventurous photographer and safari expert; the witty Climate Comedian Stuart Goldsmith; and Roma Wells, a wild storyteller and nature/travel presenter extraordinaire.

This heart-warming competition is free to enter and open to the public until June 30th 2026. The shortlist will be unveiled in October, with the winners announced at a celebratory awards night in December.

Stefan Maier, Nikon Europe Senior General Manager Marketing says, "We're thrilled to continue our partnership with the Comedy Wildlife Awards, an initiative that has captured the hearts and imaginations of audiences worldwide. These awards showcase how humorous wildlife imagery can entertain, inspire, and bring people closer to nature. At Nikon, we are passionate about empowering photographers and filmmakers to create with purpose, and this collaboration is a wonderful way to celebrate their talent while highlighting the importance of conservation."

The Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards is proud to support Born Free, an international wildlife charity that has been championing compassionate conservation for over 40 years. Founded by Bill Travers MBE, Dame Virginia McKenna DBE, and Will Travers OBE, Born Free works around the world to protect threatened species, defend natural habitats, and ensure wild animals are treated with compassion and respect. Nikon is honoured to shine a spotlight on their vital work and longstanding commitment to keeping wildlife in the wild through this competition.

 

2026 competition entry categories include:

• Mammals Category
• Birds Category
• Reptiles, Amphibians and Insects Category
• Fish and Other Aquatic Species
• Nikon Young Photographer (25 yrs and under)
• Nikon Junior Category (16 yrs and under)
• Portfolio Category
• Nikon Video Category
• Photo People's Choice Award

For more information, please visit the competition website.

 

Spring officially begins this month so we want to fuel you with spring ideas and suggestions so when it does arrive, you'll be ready to head out with your camera. So, here's a list of all the best photographic opportunities this spring you won't want to miss.

[HOOK]position_1[/HOOK]

1. Lambs

 

One of the most notable and iconic features of spring is the abundance of baby animals. The easiest of these to go out and photograph freely are lambs. They are spritely creatures, and so to capture them sharply, use a higher shutter speed as they are liable to move just as you have set up your shot. There is more information on lamb photography in our lamb photography tutorial.

  2. Flowers

 

At the beginning of spring, snowdrops and daffodils will begin to shoot and bloom, providing ample opportunity for some macro and flower cluster shots. Head out to your nearest wooded area to find some wild spring flowers as well as waiting for the flowers in your garden to show.

More tips on photographing spring flowers can be found here: Spring Flower Photography Tips

 

3. The Last Frosts

 

At this time of year, the weather is getting milder, but you'll still be able to capture some frost if you're up and about early enough. Frost looks great when it forms on newly sprouting plants, as the vibrant colour contrasts nicely with the white of the frost.  You can find out more in our frost photography tutorial.

  4. Fresh Vegetation

 

Spring is not just about close-up shots. Take advantage of the blooming colours and fresh greens to create wider landscape shots, or even panoramas, that look more vibrant and alive. ePHOTOzine has plenty of landscape tutorials over in our technique section. 

  5. Sunrise / Sunset

 

You can still capture the sunrise at a reasonable time now and the sun is still going down just after most finish work giving you the chance to capture a cracking sunset too. 

  6. Showers/ Shooting In The Rain

 

Showers are a key part of spring, and they shouldn't put you off getting out with your camera. Some great shots can be achieved in the rain, and more information on how to capture them can be found in our tutorial on shooting daffodils in the rain and in our tutorial on coping with bad weather. 

 

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

 

The ‘Above the Glacier’, a captivating mountain shot by RobTurner, has been awarded our ‘Photo of the Week’ (POTW) on ePHOTOzine this week.

This is an impressive image that shows the full scale of an alpine glacier. The view captures the glacier’s flow, with crevasses and a central moraine line visible as the ice moves between rugged peaks. The tall cliffs and snowy slopes add contrast, while the swirling clouds bring atmosphere and drama to the mountains.

It is a powerful landscape photograph that brings out the raw feel of high-altitude terrain. The drama of the mountain view is hard to miss. A beautiful shot and a very deserving POTW.

Every Photo of the Week (POTW) winner will be rewarded with a Samsung 128GB PRO Plus microSDXC memory card with SD adapter, providing top-tier storage for all your creative needs across multiple devices. But that's not all! In January 2027, we’ll crown our 2026 Photo of the Year winner, who will take home the ultimate prize of a Samsung Portable 1TB SSD T7 Shield, courtesy of Samsung. It’s time to shoot, submit, and showcase your best work for a chance to win these incredible rewards!

Wildlife photography is a subject that all of us can have a go at in some shape or form as everything from pets and garden birds to wildlife in safari parks can be photographed. With so many animals waiting to be photographed, we thought we'd put together a list of our best wildlife tutorials so you can access all of the top tips from one easy-to-find place. 

[HOOK]position_1[/HOOK] 

1. 10 Quick Tips On Photographing Garden Birds

 

Here are 10 basic but essential tips on photographing garden birds you can use to capture awesome wildlife images. You're going to need a telephoto zoom (300-400mm) for capturing frame-filling shots, a tripod and if you have one, a hide so you don't scare the robins and blue tits away. 

 

2. Winter Wildlife Photography Tips

 

Learn how to take great images of winter wildlife with our list of 9 top tips and essential advice which includes knowing how your camera and any other gear you have out with you works before you're outside in your hide. It may sound like a daft statement but knowing how to quickly adjust a setting can make all the difference when you only have a few seconds to take a shot.

 

3. Winter Bird Photography Tips

 

Winter days leave us with a shortage of daylight hours for photography but you don't have to venture far to photograph birds during this season, making them a perfect subject choice. Although, as well as garden birds, the British Isles – with its thousands of miles of coastland, is a haven for wintering waders, with Hooper Swan, Dunlin, Oystercatcher and Knot numbers swelling through the winter months. A visit to the coast can prove very successful through the winter.

 

4. How To Take Great Waterfowl Photos With Ease

 

Feeding ducks is something everyone enjoys but next time you head off for your Sunday morning stroll around your local pond, pocket your camera as well as the treats you take for the Mallards and Swans.

 

5. Photography In UK Wildlife Safari Parks

 

One location that's well worth a visit with your camera is a safari park as there are some excellent ones based in the UK that'll give you the opportunity to capture frame-filling images of Lions and other animals usually seen on an African plane. 

 

6. Why Use A Telephoto Lens For Wildlife Photography?

 

If you're thinking of trying nature or wildlife photography, as well as a camera it's worth investing in a telephoto lens. Why? Well, this is something we cover in this article but first, you need to decide which telephoto lens will work best for you. 

A medium telephoto can be useful for shots taken in and around zoos and wildlife parks but if you're capturing smaller subjects such as birds, even if it's in your own garden, you'll need a telephoto that has much more reach (300mm +). For shots of swans and ducks in the park, a shorter telephoto lens will be fine. 

 

7. Photographing Dragonflies And Damselflies

 

Head to ponds, lakes and rivers and chances are, you'll soon spot Damselflies and Dragonflies which make interesting subjects for a macro image. If you do want to have a go at capturing these flying insects in your shots ideally, you'll need a macro lens but a longer zoom with a macro function at the longer end will also work fine, especially when coupled with extension tubes. Approach slowly, and start taking pictures from a distance so if they do fly off, at least you've got a few images saved to your memory card.

 

8. How To Stop Wire Fences Ruining Your Wildlife Shots

 

Zoos and wildlife parks are great places to get up close with wildlife, but the fences and glass keeping us and the animals safe can cause a few problems for photographers.

Fences often rise above eye level and the tops aren't in easy reach (for good reason) so you can't hold your camera up above it to take your shots. As a result, we often have to take photos with the cage in front of us but this doesn't mean the fence has to appear and as a result spoil the shot.

 

 

9. 5 Common Wildlife Photography Mistakes To Avoid

Wildlife photography is a popular photographic subject, but it's not one of the easiest photography types to master. Subjects are fast, shy and can be tricky to capture, plus precision and patience are a must which means it's not something we can all get right. With this in mind, we've put together a list of 5 common mistakes along with advice on how to avoid them

 

10. Master Swan Photography With These 4 Tips

 

Swans are rather photogenic and you can easily spend half an hour or so taking pictures of these majestic birds. If you're in a particularly rural place where not many people venture and a swan sees you it probably means you won't be seeing it for much longer! But if you're at your local park where people often feed them you'll find it much easier to snap a swan's portrait. Nature reserves do have public hides you can sit and wait in but as we've said if you're in a place where the swans are used to seeing people you can leave your camouflage gear at home.

 

11. How To Capture Top Birds Of Prey Imagery

 

Photographing birds of prey in the wild isn't something that's easy to do, however as the UK is home to some excellent birds of prey centres, photographers have the opportunity to shoot up close with these majestic birds when armed with the right kit and technique. 

 

12. Photographing Lambs

 

Lambs are not only cute, but they're also a sign Spring is well-and-truely on its way so they make us doubly happy. Cuteness and happiness aside, they're great subjects for outdoor photos as not only do they make people go 'ahh' they're also pretty active so you can capture some great action shots as well as images that are a little calmer. 

To set you up for your lamb-themed photography shoot, we've got 5 essential tips to share with you. 

 

13. Perfect Your Pet Photography

 

Some people put their pets before family and have images of their favourite dog sat alongside their wedding, holiday and children's pictures. This might be you too! Of course, you are stuck if you do not have a dog, but the odds are you know someone with one so if you are really keen, finding a subject is not an issue.

 

  14. Butterfly Photography

 

Here we have a few tips to aid you in your pursuit of the perfect butterfly image. Meadows with wildflowers growing in abundance are great places for photographing butterflies but please don't trespass on other people's property. You could also visit one of the many nature reserves or public gardens found right across the UK.

 

15. 7 Essential Zoo Photography Tips

Take your camera along to the zoo for some close-up animal photography. Before you set off, go on the zoo's website, find a map and make a plan. Arrive early to beat the rush and try walking around the opposite way to the crowds to give yourself chance to capture shots without the crush. Feeding times are great photographic opportunities but they're popular with visitors so arrive early.

 

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

[COMMENT_IMG]direct|345537|345537_1773245899.jpg[/COMMENT_IMG]

 

The latest winner of our popular daily photography theme which takes place in our forums have been chosen and congratulations go to Jimev (Day 11 - Close-Up).

 

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 8

Dogs

[COMMENT_IMG]portfolio|189602|3744642[/COMMENT_IMG]

 

Day 9

Church

[COMMENT_IMG]portfolio|70323|2895947[/COMMENT_IMG]

 

Day 10

'Fresh' Theme

[COMMENT_IMG]direct|23199|23199_1773216190.jpg[/COMMENT_IMG]

  Day 12

Lamb

[COMMENT_IMG]direct|336842|336842_1773296907.jpg[/COMMENT_IMG]

 

Day 13

Park

[COMMENT_IMG]direct|332688|332688_1773431460.jpg[/COMMENT_IMG]

 

Day 14

People

[COMMENT_IMG]portfolio|7853|3887078[/COMMENT_IMG]

 

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.

[COMMENT_IMG]portfolio|324638|3914099[/COMMENT_IMG]

 

The latest winner of our popular daily photography theme which takes place in our forums have been chosen and congratulations go to CathTay (Day 24 - 'Balance').

 

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 22

Twilight Photography

[COMMENT_IMG]portfolio|202577|3454186[/COMMENT_IMG]

 

Day 23

Grey Weather Days

[COMMENT_IMG]portfolio|191758|3892592[/COMMENT_IMG]

 

Day 25

Creative Lighting

[COMMENT_IMG]portfolio|349762|3914207[/COMMENT_IMG]

  Day 26

Family Photos

[COMMENT_IMG]portfolio|51734|2135400[/COMMENT_IMG]

 

Day 27

Building Detail

[COMMENT_IMG]direct|345095|345095_1772190805.jpg[/COMMENT_IMG]

 

Day 28

Snowdrops

[COMMENT_IMG]direct|348899|348899_1772360231.jpg[/COMMENT_IMG]

 

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.

 

The national flower of Wales is the Daffodil and as it's St David's day today, where the flower is traditionally worn, we thought it was quite appropriate to kick-off March with a few tips on photographing this Welsh emblem. 

[HOOK]position_1[/HOOK]

1. Focus On One Flower 

Have a look at a clump of daffodils and single out the most interesting heads that can be photographed without too much clutter.

 

2. Plain Backgrounds 

In situations where there are no options to shoot the daffodil without a distracting background, place a piece of card behind the head to remove all the clutter. If you do have a clutter-free dark background in your garden, such as a conifer, you may need to underexpose by one stop using the camera's exposure compensation feature to ensure detail is picked up in the flower's petals. You could also use manual mode if your camera has that option.

 

3. Side-On Shots 

The most obvious way to shoot a single head is from overhead but if you position your camera so you can still see the front of the flower but you're positioned slightly to the side, almost as if you were shooting a portrait, you'll produce a more interesting result.

 

4. Blue Sky Backgrounds 

Try shooting upwards so you can position the head with blue sky behind it for dramatic contrast. Using a polariser will deepen the blue. Alternatively, as a member has previously suggested, use a mirror and photograph the reflection so you can include the sky without having to get low to the ground. 

 

 

5. Get Close-Up

Don't just shoot the whole head, go really close and offset the stamen, placing it in on the left or right third intersection of the photo for a more pleasing balance. Your camera's macro function will help you get closer to the flowerhead or fit a macro lens if your camera uses interchangeable lenses.

 

6. All The Flowers 

If you have a large patch in your garden that's a blanket of yellow get out your wide-angle lens which will still let you get in close but with the added bonus of excellent depth-of-field. The flowers will appear smaller but the convergence will make them look like they're reaching out towards the edge of the frame.

 

7. Remove Shadows 

If it's sunny, consider shading the flower with your hand to reduce the contrast. The overall tone will be more even and longer shadows which can appear on the flower's head will be removed.

 

 

8. Small Apertures 

Focus can be a little tricky so use the smallest aperture you can to stop blur creeping into your image.

 

9. Arty Blur 

Alternatively, use a wider aperture so the back petals fall gradually out of focus, focusing on the tip of the petal nearest to your lens. 

 

10. Giant Softbox

Don't see cloud cover as a bad thing as a light covering of cloud will act as a giant softbox. 

 

 

 

11. Wind Is Not Your Friend

As well as creating backgrounds, a card can be used to shield your subject from the wind. If you have one, you can use a plamp to steady a flower. 

 

12. Water Droplets 

Spray the petals with water so that droplets appear making the petals look fresh and glowing. It'll also add another level of interest to your shot. 

 

13. Use A Reflector

Take a reflector out with you, particularly on dull days, so you can bounce extra light into your shot without having to use your flash. You can make your own reflector from silver foil if you don't own one.

 

14. Cuttings Inside

Take a cutting and place it on a different background for a more graphic result. 

 

 

15. Shoot From Under The Flower Head

Capture your shots from under the flower head, turning it into a strong silhouetted shape against a bright sky.  If you don't want it to appear as a silhouette use exposure compensation and expose one stopover what your camera considers to be correct to give your shots a creative twist without removing detail. 

 

16. Backlit Fun With Old Flowers

Don't throw out old flowers once they wilt. Wait until the head has gone crisp and photograph that against the sun to create backlit effects.

 

17. Creative Effects 

Play around with your shots to achieve various creative effects. This can be done in-camera via Art Filters or during post-production. 

 

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

Spring is a time of new growth, flowers and colour; we lose the beige of late winter and get the fresh spring greens.

Before you go out looking for spring landscapes, take a moment to consider what constitutes spring. Think bluebells, fresh spring growth and new bracken unfurling to open up and cover the dead bracken of last year.
[HOOK]position_1[/HOOK]

Flowers & Trees 

If you're working in a landscape with a carpet of flowers, or wild garlic, try a low viewpoint to emphasise the perspective and to bring the blooms to the fore, while still giving an overall view of the scene. A small aperture, such as f/16 or f/22 will ensure front-to-back sharpness and if you can, check the depth-of-field by using your depth-of-field preview button. As a guide, to ensure maximum depth of field, manually focus the lens about a third of the way into the picture from the closest point to where your lens 'sees' infinity.

If doing spring landscapes in woodland areas, dappled light shining through the leaves helps to emphasise texture, depth and the fresh, spring feeling. For an added abstract style, try a drag landscape, by panning the camera upwards during a longish exposure, to give an impressionist feel.

Get out on a good day, and make the most of the fresh, spring feeling.

To go in tight on details of carpets of flowers, try using a long lens of 200-300mm at a wide aperture. The wide aperture will give a band of narrow focus through the picture for the eye to lock-on, whereas the telephoto compression offered by the long lens will pull the layers of flowers together to portray a denser mass of colour. A polarising filter may help by taking reflections off the petals and intensifying the colours.

Landscapes with trees showing that wonderful fresh green that they only have in springtime really give a sense of season. Wait until the landscape behind them is in the shadow of a cloud, to really make the light greens stand out. Be careful metering scenes like these, as the dark background may fool the meter into overexposure, resulting in lost highlight detail in the leaves of the subject tree! So keep a close eye on your histogram.

Weather & Blue Skies

When you're trying to get across the feeling of a spring day, it pays to pick a good one! Certainly include skies if they are bringing out the feeling of spring warmth, but try to find skies with interesting cloud detail rather than overall featureless blue. If the angle is right, a polarising filter can bring out the blue to great effect. Be very careful when using a polariser in conjunction with a wide-angle lens, as the filter only successfully polarises light at 90 degrees to the sun, a very wide angle of view can often result in one side of the sky showing strong polarisation, whilst the other half shows none. Sometimes a graduated ND filter can have a more even effect on skies taken with wide-angle lenses.
 

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

    1. Lenses For Flower Photography When it comes to kit, a macro lens or telephoto zoom lens with an extension tube won't be out of place and as you'll most likely be working close to the ground try to preview your shots with the help of LiveView if you find that getting your eye close to the viewfinder is difficult. A tripod is always useful when shooting macro work and a waterproof sheet, mat or gardener's kneeling pad will make the experience of working on the damp ground slightly more comfortable.  [HOOK]position_1[/HOOK]  2. Get Down Low 

Ideally, you need to be working at the same height as the snowdrops so be prepared for sitting or kneeling on the damp ground. To get you even closer to the flower heads you'll need to splay the legs on your tripod and, if you can, move the centre column from vertical to horizontal as this will get you closer to the ground. As well as making use of LiveView, switch on the camera's self-timer or use your cable /remote release to help keep your shots shake-free.
 

3. Shot Type One: Plenty Of Depth-Of-Field

Once you're set-up, you'll find you need a small f/stop to get good depth-of-field, which means you need a long exposure and when you look through the viewfinder or use your LiveView, you'll notice how the smallest of breezes will blow the flower which when mixed with slower shutter speeds, will create blur. Try using a simple piece of wire to keep the flower still or you could just wait patiently for the wind to settle down.
 

4. Shot Type Two: Bokeh Backgrounds 

If you find a particularly good specimen that doesn't have anything distracting in the background or foreground, throw the background out of focus, keeping the flower sharp. Take this one step further and completely cut out the steam, leaving the viewer's focus completely on the head of the flower. If the background looks a little too empty try positioning yourself so another Snowdrop sits in the background which you can blur out of focus. For group shots, try to pick out two or three for the centre of your image then create an out of focus frame with the surrounding snowdrops.

 

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

It doesn't matter if you're planning an indoor or outdoor shoot, will be working with a professional model or your children, we have to tutorials that cover all aspects of portrait photography so you'll be ready to click the shutter button as soon as your subject arrives. 

 

1. Urban Portrait Shoot Photography Tips

 

City streets are an abundance of jewelled lights from traffic, shops, and festive bulbs. Their colour and a good bit of sky detail make city locations perfect for urban winter shoots. Dramatic clouds or the subtle gradation of twilight hues make good backgrounds for winter lights but as the light fades and your background turns black, you can turn your attention to the Bokeh effect to really make your urban work shine.

[HOOK]position_1[/HOOK] 

2. Tips On Using Fill-In Flash For Portraits

 

Fill-in flash can give images that extra bit of 'pop' they need when working both inside and out. Adding a little flash can flatter your model's skin, remove deep shadows that can appear in places on the face such as under the nose and it will give your model catchlights in their eyes which is a big bonus. It's also useful on overcast days as it can breathe life into dull portraits. You can also use a 'pop' of flash to highlight foreground interest in landscape shots.

 

3. Natural Light Portrait Tips For Beginners

 

Get back to basics and make the most of natural light by capturing portraits without flash or studio lights. Cloudy days are perfect for portraits as the light's diffused, use a reflector, clean your windows and make sure the eyes are sharp. 

 

4. Winter Portrait Photography Tips

 

Living in the UK, most of the best clothing in our wardrobes is probably winter stuff so why not encourage people to get out and about with their favourite coats, hats and scarves and have fun shooting some outdoor winter portraits.

 

5. Photographing Low Light Portraits

 

Working with just one light, or indeed natural light at dusk, is a great way to create moody portraits that can be full of character. It's a perfect technique for shooting subjects who are a little older as low light can really exaggerate lines and wrinkles but don't let this put you off photographing low light portraits of younger members of your family. 

 

6. Creative Children Portraits On A Budget

 

Just because you don't have an expensive lighting set-up or a studio doesn't mean you can't shoot interesting portraits of your children. To help you out, we've put together a list of quick tips made up of low-cost techniques.

 

7. Fun Portrait Photography Tips

 

Have a little fun on your next photoshoot and capture some expressions that'll put a smile on your face. Taking fun portrait photos doesn't have to be difficult - with a few simple tips, you can create something that breaks the mould.

 

8. Shoot Better Environmental Portraits With These Tips

 

Environmental portrait photography has nothing to do with global warming or looking after the planet. It is all about photographing your subject in their natural environment. This can be anywhere from where they work, where they live, or anywhere where they like to spend their time. It is all about portraying something of the character of your subject through where they are in the photo.

 

9. How To Create Catchlights In Your Portrait Shots

 

A catchlight is simply a light's highlight reflected off the surface of your subject's eyes. They subtly breathe light into portraits by adding a little more depth to the eyes and are something that painters were using in portraits long before photography was a popular pastime.

 

10. Improve Your Close-Up Portraits With Our 6 Tips

 

Our faces may be made up of the same components but the expressions, shapes, lines, tones and marks that decorate them all tell a unique story that's waiting to be photographed.

 

11. Portrait Photography Tips For Shoots Outside

 

Outdoor portraits add levels of interest to a shot you can't always get from an indoor shoot and it's also the perfect excuse to wrap up in layers (on cold days) and strike a pose. To kick-start your outdoor photoshoot, we've put a few easy to understand but rather essential outdoor portrait tips together for you to peruse.

 

12. Indoor Portraits With Window Light

 

Daylight is free and it is wonderful for portrait work as not only is it flattering and photogenic but it's really easy to work with so it's a good place for beginners to start. You don't need a fancy studio, either, as you can pick a location outdoors or simply set-up next to a window in your own home.  

 

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

 

Instead of focusing on a building as a whole, you can pick out detail such as clock faces, windows, gargoyles and other interesting aspects. However, doing so can be a bit tricky as unless you have an incredibly tall set of ladders, a lot can be out of reach but there are quite a few ways you can get around this. 

[HOOK]position_1[/HOOK]  

1. What's In Your Kit Bag?

To get close to detail that's high-up on buildings, you're going to need a zoom lens that has a slightly longer reach. If you're a compact user you'll still be able to capture frame-filling shots if your camera features a longer zoom (20x or above would be good). Having a camera with a vari-angle LCD screen can make it easier to frame your shot when working with a tripod at its maximum height or when you're working hand-held with your arms up above you but it's not an essential feature. 
 

2. Look For Detail 

Most pictures you see of churches, cathedrals and other tall structures show the whole, impressive structure but by cropping in tightly you can highlight the fantastic repetitive detail, make an interesting pattern and shoot detail you don't always notice in the wider shots.

Once you begin to search you'll be surprised at the amount of detail you'll be able to fill your frame with. Of course, there's gargoyles, clocks, windows, spires, sundials and weather vanes, but a little closer to the ground you'll find stone carvings present and sometimes intricate detailed wood carvings on the exterior walls around doorways and above windows.

Filling the frame with repeating patterns such as brickwork or tiles on a roof can create interesting abstract shots. Just fill your frame, watch your shutter speeds if you're working hand-held and make sure you're focusing accurately as blur really doesn't work in this type of shot.

 

3. Roof Access? 

If you can get on the roof or balcony, as well as gaining you a great viewpoint of the city you can often find interesting statues/gargoyles projecting out from the walls. As they don't move they're an easy target and most are so beautifully sculptured that several varied photographs can be taken. However, as not all buildings give you access to their roof, you'll probably end up shooting from the ground where you'll need to use the long reach of your telephoto or zoom lens to bring the detail to you.

 

 

 

4. Magnification 

The problem you have with using lenses with a longer reach is that they magnify objects, which is of course what you want, but this does mean that even the tiniest of movements can create a large amount of blur in your photograph so make sure you have a tripod and stick to quicker shutter speeds when possible. Using a lens which features Vibration Reduction (VR) will further minimise shake. If you're shooting detail such as weather vanes where the sky will be your background fit a polarizer to darken a blue sky and give more contrast to the shot.

 

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

Local parks are one of the best places to find a wide variety of photographic subjects. Plus, you'll be enjoying the outdoors and getting some exercise at the same time so what's not to like?
 

1. Gear Choices 

If you're just going for a quick walk around the park pocketing a compact will be fine but for those who will be taking their camera and interchangeable lenses along, pack your telephoto lens for shots of dog walkers, animals and long shots of the park with your town in the background. For close up work with flowers and leaves pocket your macro lens.

[HOOK]position_1[/HOOK]
 

2. Grey Days Are Good Days

An overcast day, when the light is gently diffused, is the perfect time to capture flowers and foliage. They look even better after a light rain shower as the vibrant greens will jump right out of your frame. If you spot a squirrel while looking through the trees and bushes keep your distance and use a telephoto lens to fill the frame with the cute animal. For those of you who have streams, ponds or even lakes in the park you're visiting why not have a go at duck/swan photography. In most locations, the ducks are used to people so getting close to them shouldn't be a problem. 

If it's a fine day there should be plenty of people for you to snap a few candids of as they pass by. Try shooting from the hip or if someone such as a park warden tidying up really catches your eye, remember to ask them if they mind you taking their photo before you snap away.
 

3. Guide The Eye

Paths and lines of flowerbeds can be used to guide the eye through the image while repetitive patterns such as lines of trees, street lighting and fencing can add symmetrical interest to your shots.
 

4. Go Down To The Woods

If your park has wooded areas you could have a go at capturing beams of light bursting through the trees but this usually means you'll need an early start and shooting on a misty morning is a must.  
 

5. Statues, Water Features & Architecture 

Don't forget that statues, monuments and water features make great photographic subjects and most parks will have one if not all of these on display somewhere. Try looking for glimpses of buildings in your town through the leaves on the trees or gaps in the hedges. The contrast of green or even the golden colours of Autumn later on in the year against the glass and concrete of the town can work extremely well. Then, when you leave the park, find a hill to climb and photograph the patchwork of greens that break up the grey lines of the town.
 

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

 

The German image editing provider Neurapix has expanded its AI technology with a fundamental enhancement: effective immediately, the AI edits even more like a human by taking the context of the entire Lightroom collection being processed into account. The result: even more consistently edited photos.

The goal of many photographers is a cohesive look that runs throughout an entire shoot. Until now, however, editing AIs have analyzed each image individually and applied the desired style to each one separately. Neurapix's new approach also considers the other images within the project, ensuring, for example, even more consistent white balance and more uniform exposure across the entire set.

For users, almost nothing changes in terms of operation: in the Neurapix editing dialog, they can simply check the box labeled "Optimize Consistency" to activate the new AI. The feature is included in the "Neurapix Unlimited" plan. In the “Pay-per-Picture” model, as with all optional features, a maximum surcharge of 1 cent per image applies.

 

"The Best Editing Results Currently Possible"

 

"We asked ourselves: Why doesn't AI work like a human? After all, a human would look at the entire shoot and compare the images with one another," says Nils Sauder, co-founder and CEO of Neurapix. "Accordingly, we developed a completely new AI approach in order to deliver the best editing results currently possible to our customers."

The new feature becomes available automatically after updating the Neurapix plugin. The update is offered via a pop-up the next time Lightroom Classic is launched, or it can be installed manually via the Plug-in Manager.

 

About: Neurapix is a German AI start-up based in Goettingen that was founded in 2021. The company has developed an artificial intelligence that is able to learn a photographer's image editing style and apply it within Adobe Lightroom Classic. This allows photographers to have large numbers of photos edited in their own style, resulting in significant time savings of around 90%. For more information, please visit the Neurapix website.

      

Canon has received eight accolades at the 2026 iF Design Awards, marking thirty-two years of consecutive recognition for the company's industrial design. This year's awards were granted to a range of products within Canon's portfolio, including mirrorless cameras, digital cinema equipment, and industrial printing solutions. These honors reflect the brand's ongoing participation in global design standards and its ability to deliver products across multiple technology sectors.

 

From Canon:

Canon announces that eight Canon Group product designs were recognised by iF International Forum Design GmbH at the iF Design Award 2026. This year marks the 32nd consecutive year in which Canon designs have won iF Design Awards. Canon Medical Systems Corporation's Aquilion Rise CT scanner was selected for an iF Gold Award, the highest distinction.

iF Design Award 2026 Gold winning product

 

  Product name Full-body CT scanner Aquilion Rise (Canon Medical Corporation)

 

iF Design Award 2026 winning products

 

  Product name Mirrorless camera EOS R50 V Compact digital camera PowerShot V1 3D lens RF-S7.8mm F4 STM DUAL Digital cinema camera EOS C400 Digital cinema camera EOS C50 Industrial inkjet label press LabelStream LS2000 Large-format hybrid printe
Colorado XL-series
(Canon Production Printing Netherlands B.V.)

 

iF Design Award 2026 Gold winning product 

 

Aquilion Rise, full-body CT scanner

 

iF Design Award 2026 winning products

 

RF-S7.8mm F4 STM DUAL, 3D lens

 

PowerShot V1, compact digital camera
 

EOS R50 V, mirrorless camera (shown with RF-S14-30mm F4-6.3 IS STM PZ lens attached)

 

EOS C400, digital cinema camera (shown with CN-R85mm T1.3 L F lens attached)

 

EOS C50, digital cinema camera (shown with RF85mm F1.4 L VCM lens attached)

 

Colorado XL-series, large-format hybrid printer

 

LabelStream LS2000, industrial inkjet label press

 

About the iF Design Award

Established in 1953, the iF Design Award is one of the most prestigious design awards in the world. It recognizes outstanding industrial designs worldwide. This year, international design experts judged over 10,000 entries from 68 countries and regions across nine disciplines: product, packaging, branding & communication, service design, architecture, interior design, concept, user experience, and user interface.

For more information, please visit the Canon UK website.

Photo by Daniel Bell.      Why this style of photography works is because, generally, people feel more relaxed out of a studio environment which will produce better photos. Throw a bit of fun into the mix and you'll soon have a collection of images that are unique and interesting.  [HOOK]position_1[/HOOK]  1. Gear Advice 

For environmental portraits, a 14-24mm lens can work well but a go-to lens popular with many photographers is a 70-200mm, which can produce great perspective at the right focal length. When working with families, particularly when shooting a little more candidly, natural light works well but do pack essential lighting accessories such as a reflector. If you find you're out during the middle part of the day, particularly on a sunny day, find shade you can shoot in to produce a more even exposure. 
 

2. Conversation Is Key 

Even if you know the people you are photographing it's still important to talk to them during the shoot as direction and encouragement will always be welcomed. Suggest poses and always get your 'money shots' in the bag early so you can have more fun and also shoot more candidly later on. Good shots to ensure you capture are images of the group as well as shots with tighter framing of individuals or one or two family members together.

Direction doesn't have to come via your voice either. You could kick a ball into a particularly good patch of light or ask children to play with toys in a certain part of the landscape you're working in. Remember that children do have a short attention span so make the posing part of the shoot as quick as possible then leave them to play, capturing candids with your camera as they do. 
 

3. Colours, Backgrounds & Clothing 

Backgrounds that contrast with what your subject is wearing can create vibrant images and don't get too hung up on having everyone in matching shades as a mix of colours adds interest and if they pick their own outfits, they'll be more comfortable. 

 

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

 

Lambs are not only cute, but they're also a sign Spring is well-and-truely on its way so they make us doubly happy. Cuteness and happiness aside, they're great subjects for outdoor photos as not only do they make people go 'ahh' they're also pretty active so you can capture some great action shots as well as images that are a little calmer. 

To set you up for your lamb-themed photography shoot, we've got 5 essential tips to share with you. 

[HOOK]position_1[/HOOK]

1. Don't Trespass

Shooting from a roadside, lay bay or on a public path that has right of way through a field is fine but don't venture on to someone's land without asking permission first.

2. When To Photograph Them?

In some places, lambs are starting to appear in fields now and if the farmer started lambing early, some start in December, they should be starting to become more active which will give you the chance to capture more interesting shots.

Dull days might not be your favourite time to head out into the countryside, however, days like this can give the best sort of light which makes grass appear saturated and you'll be able to see plenty of detail in the lamb's coat.

 

3. Wrap Up Warm

Even though we do get sunny days, it's still rather cool out there and when you're standing around for lambs to move a little closer to you, you'll soon start to feel the cold if you're not dressed correctly. Sheep are generally very wary of people so once they've done a runner, it can take them quite some time to build up the confidence to come and graze near you again.

 

 

4. Find One Subject

If possible, zoom in and focus on just one lamb. Not only will this give you the 'ahh' factor but it'll also give your shot more impact. Your shot must be sharp and exposed well and if you can, use a wide aperture to throw the background out of focus so nothing distracts the eye away from the lamb.

Getting down to the lamb's level can give a more interesting viewpoint, however, you need to pay more attention to the background – posts growing out of heads is never a good look and other items can just be distracting.

If you're subject's slightly older, they'll have more energy and will be braver so are more likely to be jumping around. Adding a small amount of blur to your action shots with slower shutter speeds can work well but don't go too slow as you still need to be able to see what your subject is.

 

5. Group Shots

Singling out one lamb can be tricky in a field full of sheep so if you struggle, go for the group shot instead. Look for interesting patterns and formations the sheep create and if get a small cluster of sheep together, wait until they're all looking your way and snap the shot.
 

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

  Macro and close-up photography allows us to see the world from a different viewpoint and sometimes, shots can be almost magical with what they unveil. Plus, with so many subjects waiting to be captured, you really can put your macro photography skills to the test and, you don't have to venture much further than your own garden either.    To get you started, here are our 10 top tips on capturing images with close-up/macro lenses.  [HOOK]position_1[/HOOK]  1. Make Sure Your Subject Is Perfect

 

When you're working at such close focusing distances any imperfections become more noticeable and they can end up distracting the viewer or spoiling what could be an excellent shot. However, taking the time to look at your subject, making sure the butterfly you're photographing doesn't have a damaged wing or your fungi specimen isn't dirty or had a bite taken out of it, will mean you won't be disappointed when you review your shots on your computer once home.

2. Get Up Early

 

Not everyone's a fan of early starts but if you want to shoot macro photography out in the field, it's something you should get used to doing. Some subjects tend to be less active in the morning, especially when it's still a little chilly, making them easier to photograph and plants, flowers and other foliage are less likely to have had a bite taken out of them early on, too. Mornings can bring a sprinkling of dew which adds another level of interest to your shots and morning light is softer and warmer too.
 

3. Try Backlighting

 

Low, morning light makes it easier to backlight your subjects which can give your macro shots an interesting twist. Objects which are slightly translucent such as leaves, flower petals and butterfly wings look really good when light shines through them from the back. Keep a close eye on your shots though as the light levels can fool your camera into thinking the scene's too bright and it will underexpose the shot. If you do have problems just use exposure compensation to fix it.
 

4. Switch To Manual Focus

 

When working close to a subject, autofocus tends to end up searching backwards and forwards for something to focus on. Eventually, it may focus on the right point but it's much quicker to switch over to manual where you'll be able to focus more precisely. If you're not used to using manual focus it can take a little bit of practice but if you try shooting flowers, fungi and other objects which are less likely to fly or runoff, you don't have to rush so can take your time in getting your focusing spot-on. Then, once you're used to working manually, move on to more tricky subjects such as insects and other wildlife.
 

5. Try Pre-Focusing

 

Some macro subjects such as insects move fast and scare easily so pre-focusing your lens before they come into frame can increase your chances of capturing a good shot. Find something that's of a similar size of your subject and position it the same distance away as your subject will be when it lands.

 

6. Pack A Polarising Filter

 

A polarising filter can be fitted to a lens to ensure the colours captured are the same as the real thing, giving your shots more punch in the process. Attaching a polarising filter to your lens will slow your shutter speeds down, however, so make sure you're using a tripod to stop shake which can spoil your shot when working hand-held.
 

7. Avoid Shake

 

Camera shake is more noticeable when working close to your subject so always use a tripod. If you have one, use a remote release to fire the shutter button so you don't have to touch the camera or if you don't have one, use the camera's self-timer or your Smart Device if you have a camera that'll allow you to control it this way. Making sure your image stabilisation is on and using quicker shutter speeds, which you can get by switching to a higher ISO if you're working in low light, will help keep movement to a minimum but it's still best to fasten your camera to a tripod.
 

8. Windy Days Are Your Enemy

 

As already mentioned, any movement in the frame is exaggerated when working at such close focusing distances so what may seem like a small breeze to you can look like a strong, winter gale blowing through your image.

You can hold your subject in place with plamps etc. or if you're patient, just wait for the wind to stop blowing. You can also try and shelter the plant you're photographing with a make-shift shield. Card works well but if you're out in the field try using your camera bag or even your own body to shield your subject from the wind. Also, using a slightly quicker shutter speed will freeze motion but this isn't always possible, especially when working in darker locations such as woods.
 

9. Get In Close Then Add Some Space

 

By isolating part of a flower, insect or leaf you can create strong, abstract shots. So find detail that interests you and really zoom in close, filling the frame with striking shapes and interesting patterns.

Don't forget to try the opposite too so your subject has some space to 'breath'. Why? Well, it can help give your image context as well as create a sense of scale in your shot. Do keep your background simple if you do this though as you don't want it to distract from your main subject.
 

10. Light Your Shot Well

 

Where possible, try to use natural light, however, there are times when this isn't possible such as working in the woods where light levels are lower or when you're working with subjects that move quickly.

Rather than using your camera's built-in flash which is harsh and often too direct, try using a ring flash which can give a more even spread of light. Watch out for overexposed 'hotspots' appearing on your subject and when using natural light, make sure your own shadow isn't caught in-frame. You may also need to use a reflector to bounce much-needed light into dark areas of the shot. You can buy reflectors, but one made from a piece of card and silver foil can work just as well.
 

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