DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY NEWS FROM ePHOTOzine

 

Have you ever taken a photo that looked great in person but somehow did not capture the same feeling when you looked at it later?

Photography is more than simply pointing a camera at a subject and pressing the shutter. It is about understanding light, composition, timing, and perspective, then using those elements to create an image that communicates something. The good news is that you do not need years of experience or an expensive camera to start learning.

For anyone who wants to develop their skills from the ground up, a photography course for beginners can provide a structured way to understand the fundamentals, practise with purpose and become more confident behind the camera.

Photography is also a creative activity that many Australians already enjoy. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), 11.3% of Australians participated in photography during the 12 months covered by the 2025 General Social Survey.

Whether you are interested in photographing family moments, travelling, landscapes, people, products or simply improving the photos you take every day, learning the basics can make a noticeable difference.

 

1. Start by Understanding Your Camera

The first step in learning photography is becoming comfortable with your camera.

If you have recently purchased a DSLR or mirrorless camera, the number of buttons, menus and settings can initially seem overwhelming. Even a relatively simple camera can offer far more control than you may expect.

Rather than trying to memorise every feature, start with the controls you are most likely to use.

Learn what your shutter button does, how to change the shooting mode, how to adjust focus and how to review your photographs. From there, gradually introduce manual controls.

Your camera is simply a tool. The goal is not to know every menu setting. The goal is to understand how the settings you use affect the final photograph.

A structured photography course for beginners can help make this process easier by introducing camera functions in a logical order rather than asking you to learn everything at once.

 

2. Learn the Exposure Triangle

 

One of the most important concepts in photography is the exposure triangle.

It consists of:

• Aperture
• Shutter speed
• ISO

These three settings work together to control exposure and influence the appearance of your image.

Aperture controls the opening in the lens. A wider aperture can allow more light into the camera and create a shallower depth of field, which can help separate a subject from its background.

Shutter speed controls how long the camera's sensor is exposed to light. A fast shutter speed can help freeze movement, while a slower shutter speed can introduce motion blur.

ISO affects the camera sensor's sensitivity to light. Increasing ISO can help when shooting in darker conditions, although higher settings can also introduce more visible noise.

Understanding how these settings interact gives you significantly more control over your photographs.

If you are completely new to the concept, this beginner-friendly YouTube tutorial provides an introduction to aperture, shutter speed and ISO:

The important thing is not to memorise definitions. Take your camera outside and experiment. Change one setting at a time and observe what happens.

That hands-on approach is where the concepts start to become easier to understand.

 

3. Learn to See Light

Photography literally means creating images with light, so learning to recognise light is an essential skill.

You do not always need professional lighting equipment. Natural light can be incredibly effective when you understand how to use it.

Pay attention to the direction of the light.

When light comes from behind your subject, you may create a silhouette or a bright, atmospheric image. Side lighting can emphasise texture and shape, while light coming directly towards the subject can produce a flatter appearance.

The quality of the light also matters.

Soft light can produce gentle shadows and flattering portraits. Hard sunlight can create stronger shadows and more dramatic contrast.

Try photographing the same subject at different times of the day. You may notice that the scene looks completely different in the morning compared with the middle of the afternoon or around sunset.

This is one reason practical exercises are valuable when completing a photography course for beginners. Learning the theory is useful, but seeing how light behaves in real situations is where your understanding develops.

 

 

4. Improve Your Composition

 

A technically correct photograph can still feel uninteresting if the composition does not guide the viewer's attention.

Composition refers to how elements are arranged within the frame.

One of the first techniques beginners can explore is the rule of thirds. Imagine your frame divided into nine equal sections using two horizontal and two vertical lines. Placing your main subject near the intersections can create a balanced composition.

But do not treat the rule of thirds as an absolute rule.

Photography is creative, and sometimes placing your subject directly in the centre produces the strongest result.

You can also experiment with:

• Leading lines
• Symmetry
• Negative space
• Framing
• Patterns
• Repetition
• Depth
• Foreground and background elements

Before taking a photograph, pause for a moment and look around the frame.

Ask yourself what you want the viewer to notice first.

Then consider whether anything in the background is distracting from that subject.

Simply becoming more deliberate about what you include in the frame can significantly improve your photography.

 

5. Practise Focusing Correctly

Focus is another fundamental skill.

If your subject is not sharp where you intended it to be, even a beautifully composed photograph may not work as expected.

Modern cameras provide different autofocus modes designed for different situations.

A stationary subject may require a different approach from a person walking towards you or a fast-moving animal.

Portrait photography also introduces another consideration: where the focus should fall on the subject. In many situations, the eyes are particularly important because they help establish a connection between the subject and viewer.

Do not rely entirely on automatic settings without understanding what your camera is doing.

Spend time experimenting with autofocus modes and focus points. Take several photographs of the same subject and review them afterwards.

This type of repetition helps you recognise which settings work best in different situations.

 

 

6. Understand Different Types of Photography

Once you have learned the fundamentals, start exploring different genres.

You may discover that you enjoy one particular type of photography more than another.

Landscape photography focuses on environments, scenery and natural surroundings.

Portrait photography focuses on people and can involve careful consideration of lighting, posing, expression and background.

Street photography captures everyday moments, people and environments in public spaces.

Food photography focuses on presentation, texture, colour and lighting.

Product photography requires attention to detail, consistency and controlled lighting.

Sports photography introduces movement, timing and fast shutter speeds.

Travel photography combines landscapes, architecture, people, food and cultural experiences.

Trying different genres is a great way to discover your personal interests.

You do not need to decide immediately what type of photographer you want to become. Allow yourself time to experiment.

 

7. Learn to Work With Your Lens

 

Your camera body is only part of the equation.

The lens you use can dramatically affect the appearance of your photographs.

Wide-angle lenses can capture more of a scene, making them useful for landscapes, architecture and some environmental portraits.

Standard lenses can provide a natural perspective and are useful for a broad range of subjects.

Telephoto lenses allow you to photograph subjects from farther away and can be particularly useful for wildlife, sports and certain types of portrait photography.

You do not need a large collection of lenses to become a good photographer.

In fact, working with one lens for an extended period can help you become more creative. Instead of immediately changing lenses, you may start moving yourself, changing your position or reconsidering your composition.

Understanding the equipment you already own is often more useful than constantly buying new gear.

 

8. Make Photography Part of Your Routine

 

One of the easiest ways to improve is to photograph regularly.

You do not need to spend several hours every day practising.

Even a short photography exercise can help.

For example, choose one subject and photograph it from five different angles. The following day, photograph something using only natural light. Another day, practise photographing moving subjects.

You could also set yourself a weekly challenge.

Try photographing:

1. A person.
2. A landscape.
3. A close-up detail.
4. Something using symmetry.
5. A subject with strong shadows.
6. A subject using negative space.
7. A moving subject.

The objective is not to create seven perfect photographs.

The objective is to develop your ability to observe.

Photography becomes much easier when you start noticing opportunities before you even raise your camera.

 

9. Learn the Basics of Photo Editing

 

Photography does not necessarily end when you press the shutter.

Digital editing can help you refine an image and bring out details that were already captured by the camera.

Beginners can start with relatively simple adjustments, including:

• Exposure
• Contrast
• Highlights
• Shadows
• White balance
• Saturation
• Cropping
• Sharpness

The key is moderation.

Editing should support the photograph rather than distract from it.

It is easy to increase saturation, contrast or clarity too far, particularly when you are first learning.

A useful exercise is to edit the same photograph twice. First, make the adjustments you naturally prefer. Then return to the original and create a second version using more subtle changes.

Comparing the two can help you develop an understanding of how much editing is appropriate for the image.

Learning editing alongside camera skills can make your overall photography workflow much more efficient.

 

 

10. Learn From Your Own Photographs

 

One of the most valuable learning resources is your own photography.

After a photo session, do not simply keep your favourite images.

Review the photographs that did not work as well.

Ask yourself:

• Was the photograph too bright or too dark?
• Was the subject properly focused?
• Was the composition distracting?
• Was the background too busy?
• Was the shutter speed appropriate?
• Could I have changed my position?
• Was the light working for or against the subject?

This process turns mistakes into practical lessons.

You will also begin to recognise patterns.

Perhaps many of your photographs are slightly underexposed. Perhaps you often place your subjects too close to the edge of the frame. Perhaps your portraits look better when you photograph them in softer light.

Once you identify these patterns, you can deliberately work on them.

That is one of the benefits of taking a structured photography course for beginners rather than simply watching random tutorials online. A structured learning process can help connect individual techniques into a broader understanding of photography.

 

11. Build Confidence Before Buying More Gear

 

It is tempting to believe that better equipment automatically produces better photographs.

While equipment certainly has an impact, learning how to use your existing camera effectively should come first.

A beginner can take a strong photograph with relatively basic equipment if they understand light, composition, exposure and timing.

Before purchasing another lens, camera body or accessory, ask yourself what problem you are trying to solve.

Do you need a longer focal length?

Are you struggling to photograph in low light?

Do you need faster autofocus?

Would a tripod improve the type of photography you are doing?

Being able to answer these questions makes equipment decisions much easier.

A good photographer learns to work with limitations rather than constantly trying to eliminate them through new purchases.

 

12. Consider Learning Through a Structured Course

 

There are countless free photography tutorials available online, which makes it easier than ever to start learning.

However, having access to information is not always the same as having a learning pathway.

A structured photography course for beginners can bring fundamental concepts together in a more organised way.

Instead of jumping from one unrelated tutorial to another, you can build your knowledge progressively.

This can be particularly useful if you prefer having a clear starting point and want to understand not only what a camera setting does, but also when and why you would use it.

A course can also help turn photography from something you occasionally experiment with into a skill you deliberately practise.

 

13. Develop Your Own Photographic Style

 

As you gain experience, you may start developing preferences.

Perhaps you prefer warm, natural colours.

Maybe you enjoy dramatic black-and-white photographs.

You might prefer minimalist compositions or busy street scenes.

Your style will not appear overnight.

It develops through repeated practice, experimentation and observation.

Look at the photographs you naturally gravitate towards and consider what attracts you to them.

Is it the lighting?

The composition?

The colours?

The emotion?

The subject?

Understanding your own preferences can help you make more intentional creative decisions.

At the same time, avoid worrying too much about developing a unique style when you are still learning the fundamentals.

Your priority should be building strong photographic skills. Your personal style can develop naturally as you gain experience.

 

 

14. Turn Knowledge Into Practical Skills

 

The biggest difference between knowing about photography and being able to photograph confidently is practice.

You can read about aperture for hours, but changing the aperture on your own camera and observing the resulting depth of field creates a different level of understanding.

You can read about shutter speed, but photographing a moving cyclist at several different shutter speeds teaches you how motion is actually captured.

You can read about composition, but physically moving around your subject teaches you how perspective changes the image.

This is why practical exercises are so valuable.

Give yourself small challenges and review the results.

The more frequently you practise, the more natural your camera settings and creative decisions will become.

 

15. Give Yourself Time to Improve

Photography is a skill, and skills take time to develop.

Your first photographs may not look the way you imagined.

That is completely normal.

Instead of comparing your early work with experienced photographers, compare your current work with your own photographs from several months ago.

Look for progress.

Are your images better exposed?

Is your composition more intentional?

Are your subjects sharper?

Do you understand your camera settings more confidently?

Can you recognise good light?

These are meaningful signs of improvement.

The goal of learning photography is not to become perfect immediately. It is to become more observant, more deliberate and more confident with every photograph you take.

 

Start Your Photography Journey

 

Learning photography can open up a creative way to document people, places, experiences and everyday moments.

You do not need to begin with the most expensive camera or a complete collection of professional equipment. Start with the camera you have, learn the fundamentals and give yourself plenty of opportunities to practise.

From understanding exposure and composition to working with light, focusing accurately and developing your own creative style, each new skill gives you more control over the photographs you create.

For those who want a structured starting point, a photography course for beginners can help bring these fundamentals together and provide a clearer pathway for developing practical skills.

Most importantly, keep taking photographs.

The camera becomes easier to use when you stop thinking only about its buttons and start thinking about what you want your image to say.

So, what will you photograph first?

 

As winter approaches we're going to see many more days of rain but this shouldn't stop you taking photographs. Instead, use the weather to your advantage to capture great raindrop patterns on windows from the comfort of your home.

 

1. The Beauty Of Variety

You may not have noticed, but raindrops are not always the same on windows. If it's heavy rain the drops tend to be large and blobby after a short shower the droplets are much neater and the best sort to photograph. They look the type you'd see on a spiders web, all almost perfectly round. Droplets can also act like miniature lenses and present an upside-down image of the background in each concave shape. If you adjust focus you can make these images appear sharper to become part of the creative picture.  But that's another technique!

 

2. Gear Choices

All you need for this technique is a camera with close focus capabilities which covers most types of cameras including compacts. Ideally, the camera should have some form of creative exposure mode that will allow you to shoot at different apertures. It would also help if you had a tripod to steady the camera but this isn't a must as if you find your shutter speed is creeping towards the slow side, just use a slightly higher ISO.

 

3. The Set-Up

1. Choose a window that has interesting raindrop patterns and that is facing a plain background. The background should be a long way off so a window into a garden with trees, grass or a fence at a good distance is ideal. The choice of background can really make a difference; a light background such as a sky will often result in the droplets having a darker more defined outline while a dark background will make the centres of the droplets more prominent.

2. Make sure the window is clean! Any fingerprints or smears will show up. Double glazed windows should be in good condition free of condensation.

3. Set your camera up on a tripod and point it at the window. Make sure the camera back is parallel to the window for the best results.

4. Focus on the drops. You may have to use manual mode if your camera has it because the drops can sometimes confuse the focusing sensor so it misses them. On double glazing, some cameras may be fooled by the closer inner layer so manual focus is a really useful option.

5. Move the camera position to get the best range of drops in the frame and watch the background for change in tone. If there's an area where the tips of shrubs meet the lighter sky and that's in the photo it will spoil the result. Move either up so you just have sky or down so you just have shrubs as a backdrop.

6. Set an aperture to its widest setting so the background is thrown totally out of focus.  If you have a compact with no manual control but with scene modes, try taking pictures at different scene modes and compare the results to see if one throws the background out of focus. This will usually be something like portrait, food or close up mode, not landscape or infinity modes.

 

Check out more Close-up photography tutorials.

You don't have to head to a place that's bursting with beautiful landscapes to shoot some autumn-inspired shots as your own garden can give you just as many interesting autumn subjects to photograph. An even better reason to stay close to home is if the weather suddenly takes a turn for the worse you only have to take a few steps to be back in the warmth, you have your kettle close to hand and you can even continue shooting some subjects from inside your house.

  1. Leaves / Trees

 

You can't talk about photography in autumn without mentioning trees and leaves and it's a subject we'll be looking at a lot over the coming month so keep an eye out for tips on shooting macros, using backlight and much more with Autumn leaves. 
  2. Berries

 

If you have a few plants that give berries at this time of year, they should be ripe by now and ready to photograph. If they're a dark colour, try underexposing your shot slightly to deepen their shade and use a polarising filter to cut down on shine/reflections.
  3. Portraits

 

Kids wrapped up in hats and coats, particularly when they're throwing leaves around, scream autumn. Keep your shoot informal and try not to shoot too many posed shots. In fact, if you're photographing your own children playing around in your garden just leave them to it and shoot candids as they play.

If you don't want the colours of the foliage to take over the shot, longer focal lengths, particularly with a wide to moderate aperture, can help, blurring and giving your background a nice bokeh effect as well as flattering the features of who you're photographing. You can use out of focus foliage as a frame too, adding a spot of colour to the foreground of your autumn portrait shot.

Even though early morning and the later afternoon is a good time to shoot, autumn light tends to be lower all day so you can get away with shooting during the day if you need to.

 

4. Birds

 

Some birds begin to migrate at this time of year which means you may have new species of birds visiting your garden.

Birds are easily spooked so you need to keep still and if you can, be hidden. Try shooting from an open window from your house, set up in your shed or if you have one, use a hide. If you work from inside and are shooting through the glass rather than an open window, make sure your lens is as close to the glass as possible and turn your room lights off to minimise reflections. You also need to be in a position that's quite close to where the birds will land as even though you're using longer lenses, they are really tiny and can look lost among your background if you don't get close enough.

Some cameras can be controlled via a Smart Phone which means you can set the camera up in your garden and head back in to the warmth of the house where you can release the shutter remotely from. 

Make sure you pay particular attention to the tips of feathers, particularly on the tails, as these can easily become out of focus when trying to get the right balance between a blurred background and sharp subject. You may need to switch to manual focus, so you can set the focus point more precisely. Light at this time of year can be low so be prepared to switch your ISO up and remember to use a high enough shutter speed to keep your subject sharp. Most small garden birds move quickly and tend to twitch and turn their heads frequently so you need a quick enough shutter speed to stop the movement becoming blurred.

We have more tips on photographing birds in our technique section. 

 

5. Mushrooms

 

If you have any damp, dark areas in your garden or have a compost bin, you'll find fungi specimens are now springing up. You'll find more whole specimens in the morning but as you're in your garden it's quite easy for you to pop out at any time in search of photography-worthy mushrooms.

 

Quick tips for mushroom photos:

• As well as single specimens, capture mushrooms in an odd group which is more pleasing to the eye and adds interest to your shot
• Contrast white mushrooms with backgrounds of moss and leaves
• Blur backgrounds out of focus
• Look under the mushroom for interesting textures
• Light the underbelly by directing light into the scene with a reflector
• If using wider apertures, check your shot as your subject can end up with parts that are out of focus 

For more, have a look at this tutorial: Fungi Photography Tips.   

 

Here are 16 photography projects for you to tick off your photo list this Autumn. Think we've missed one? Add your suggestions in the comments. You can also find tips related to each subject by clicking on the headings. 

 

1. Autumn Wide-Angle Landscapes 

When the landscape is full of burnt oranges, warms yellows and other Autumnal shades, take advantage of this warm colour palette and capture some autumn-themed vistas with your wide-angle lens.

  2. Focus On A Single Tree This Autumn

When you've captured your shots of forests and national parks, focus your attention on one tree, shooting under the canopy or try using a lonely tree in a wide, sweeping landscape shot of a crop field. 

 

3. How To Photograph Abstracts

Instead of focusing on scenes as a whole, look for areas where you can strip your image back to shape, patterns and form which will give you an image that's still very much Autumn themed but it's different from the norm. Why not go against the rule that everything has to be sharp and create an Autumnal drag landscape? The warm shades of leaves which turn into long lines of colour help create striking pieces that are perfect for wall art. 

 

4. Top Tips On Photographing Reflections

Reflections are something you can shoot all year round but as bright colours and bold shapes make the most interesting reflections, autumn's the perfect season to try this technique.

 

  5. 10 Top Tips For Taking Better Photos Of Trees

When in the woods with your camera kit look upwards and capture a shot of the trees with a wide-angle lens. When you do, you'll produce a shot that looks as if the trunks of the trees are almost falling out of the image due to the effect wide-angle lens have on verticals and the trees will seem a lot taller, too. This technique can produce great results at all times of the year but when you have the orange tones set against a blue sky it's particularly eye-catching. 

You could also apply this technique in towns and cities where parks can be surrounded by tall modern structures that contrast well against the trees. 

 

6. Add An Interesting Sky

Use slower shutter speeds to turn the movement of the clouds to create leading lines to guide the eye through the photograph or how about waiting for a colourful sunset to compose your Autumn scene against? 

7. Play With Back Light

One way to exaggerate the colours of Autumn is with backlit leaves. Plus, it'll really make the intricate pattern of veins stand out and focus the viewer's attention. You can also shoot some Autumn themed outdoor portraits with backlight to make your subject 'pop' from the frame. 

  8. How To Photograph Fallen Leaves

Make the most of the fallen leaves starting to decorate the land and use them in your landscape shots. If you're working by water where leaves are decorating the land surrounding it or are floating along the surface of the water as it flows downstream, experiment with longer exposure times to blur the water's movement.

 

  9. Top Tips On Photographing Birds

Some birds begin to migrate at this time of year which means you may have new species visiting your garden.

 

10. Capture Photos of Dew Drops

As evening temperatures begin to fall the sight of morning dew decorating grass and other plants is something that will become a regular occurrence. As dew can add extra interest to your macro garden shots, it's well worth getting up early and taking some shots of morning dew. 

 

11. Shoot Sunbeams On Autumn Days

When you mix early morning fog with the rising sun you get a recipe for strong beams of sunlight appearing in woodland areas. These beams of light bursting through trees make an early morning rise from your bed covers well worth it.

 

12. Still Life Photography Can Be Autumn-Themed

Pumpkins, leaves, conkers and berries can all be used in still life set-ups when you're looking for something to keep you occupied on a rainy day. Play around with compositions, props and backgrounds to see what interesting still life creations you can create. 

 

 

13. Top Tips On Using Lens Flare Creatively 

 You can use flare in your shots to add a little romanticism, mystery and warmth to your autumn shots.

  14. Top Frost Photography Tips

The cooler evening temperatures and clear nights mean frost will soon be making an appearance once again and it's a great photographic subject for both landscape and macro photography fans. 

 

15. How To Use Paths And Roads In Your Photos

Paths, lines and long roads will always be excellent composition tools but when combined with lines of Autumnal trees your landscapes suddenly become even better. 

  16. Top Halloween Photography Tips 

As well as landscapes and close-up shots of leaves Autumn brings Halloween.  It's a perfect time to shoot some portraits and capture the other fun details of this event. 

   

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

‘Sexy Mantis’

© Diego Perez/Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards

 

The 2026 finalists for the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards have been announced, chosen from more than 10,000 entries from 112 countries. The finalist images include a caiman wearing a wig, a handstanding leopard, a strutting white-tailed eagle and a polar bear appearing to chat with a seagull. The awards work with the Born Free Foundation to support wildlife conservation, and all entries must capture genuine moments, with no AI or digital manipulation permitted.

 

From Nikon:

 

Nikon is delighted to announce the highly anticipated finalists for the 2026 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards. This year’s shortlist features 40 Individual Finalists, 3 U16 Category Finalists, 4 Portfolio Category Finalists and 9 Video Category Finalists – a spectacular collection of mesmerising, feel-good and laugh-out-loud moments that celebrate the wonder of wildlife in all its glory.

Among the hilarious hopefuls vying for this year’s top prizes are a caiman wearing a wig, a handstanding leopard, a strutting white-tailed eagle, and a polar bear appearing to chat to a seagull. The 2026 competition has attracted more than 10,000 entries from 112 countries, the highest number in the Awards’ history.

Entrants are competing for an incredible line-up of prizes, including Nikon’s Z6III full-frame mirrorless camera, Z50II mirrorless camera and the Nikon ZR compact cinema camera. The overall winner will also embark on a once-in-a-lifetime safari with Alex Walker's Serian in the Masai Mara, while other prizes up for grabs include some of the best-selling photography rucksacks from ThinkTANK.

Founded in 2015 by professional photographers Paul Joynson-Hicks MBE and Tom Sullam, the Awards celebrate outstanding wildlife photography through the universal power of humour, while shining a light on the importance of protecting the wildlife and habitats our planet depends on. Authenticity remains at the heart of the competition, with all images capturing genuine moments in the wild and no AI or digital manipulation permitted.

Comedy Wildlife is once again delighted to be working with the Born Free Foundation, an international charity dedicated to rescuing and protecting wild animals from exploitation, while conserving threatened species and their natural habitats for generations to come. An inspiring mission which the Awards are proud to support.

Stefan Maier, Nikon Europe Senior General Manager Marketing says: “Nikon is proud to see the Comedy Wildlife Awards continue to grow in impact, with this year’s competition attracting more entries than ever before. With more than 10,000 hilarious and heartfelt images capturing the character and vibrancy of our natural world, the competition also pulls into focus the vital importance of conservation. Congratulations to all the finalists."

Tom Sullam, Comedy Wildlife Competition Co-founder says: “The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards started very gently, somewhere out on the vast plains of the Serengeti. What began as a small effort to raise awareness of wildlife conservation has grown into something far bigger than we ever imagined. The competition is now truly global, and a decade or so on, we want to make it even bigger, funnier, and more far-reaching than ever.  We use humour to get people to feel empathy towards wildlife, and it's that empathy that creates behavioural change for the better.”

The Overall Winner, Category and Highly Commended Winners will be announced on Tuesday 8th December at a dedicated awards evening in London. This will be followed by a one-week, free exhibition from 19th-13th December, where Nikon will showcase the 2026 Award Finalists at the Gallery@Oxo.

 

'The Secret Kiss'

© Jeetendra Chaware/Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards

 

Competition categories include: 

• Alex Walker’s Serian Mammals Category 
• Spectrum Photo Birds Category 
• ThinkTANK Reptiles and Amphibians Category 
• Fish and Other Aquatic Species 
• Insects Category 
• Nikon Young Photographer (up to 25yrs.) 
• Nikon Junior Category (up to 16 yrs.) 
• Amazing Internet Portfolio Category 
• Nikon Video Category 

 

The Sterna’s People’s Choice Award will be open from 10th December until March 1st 2027 for the public to vote on their favourite.

This year’s shortlist will be reviewed by Nikon Creators Cameron Whitnall, Hannah Stitfall and Roxy Hemadani, alongside Nikon Ambassador Daisy Gilardini. New to the judging panel for 2026 are author and presenter Roma Wells, wildlife photographers Will Fortescue and Jamie Smart, and climate comedian Stuart Goldsmith. Completing this year’s expert line-up are TV presenter Kate Humble, actor and comedian Hugh Dennis, renowned wildlife photographer Will Burrard-Lucas, and co-founder of the Born Free Foundation, Will Travers OBE.

For more information, please visit the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards website.

 

Retouch4me, a developer of AI-powered photo and video editing software, has released Retouch4me Lab, a color correction and visual effects application for the stage between RAW conversion and retouching. Retouch4me Lab brings every frame in a shoot to one consistent color baseline, then gives the photographer the tools to add their own style.

Color in post-production divides into two jobs: repairing the source and applying a style. Presets and LUTs deal with the style. The repair is the manual part, and it grows with the size of the shoot. The most frequent scenario is where lighting changes from frame to frame. Lab automates that stage across a full set of images.

Lab is built to produce color that looks finished. Under-saturated color is one of the signals that an image was left half-done, so the correction stays inside the range a professional would choose manually. Lab's neural networks learned from the work of professional photographers and retouchers, which holds the result to that standard on unfamiliar materials and across different camera systems.

An even baseline is also what makes a personal style transfer. A preset lands the same way across a shoot when the frames beneath it start from a similar place. Lab brings them there, so a photographer's own presets and LUTs behave consistently on every image.

 

Retouch4me Lab includes:

• AI color correction that evens out a full set of images automatically
• Basic correction: exposure, white balance and tone
• Color tools: HSL, curves and a color matrix
• Support for LUTs and saved styles
• Local masks for selective adjustments
• Three optical effects: halation, bloom and chromatic aberration
• An intensity control on every adjustment, with settings that carry from frame to frame

 

 

How Retouch4me Lab works:

• Control. Applying the automatic correction is optional, the automation offers a starting direction, and every adjustment has an intensity control.
• Processing. Retouch4me Lab runs locally on the photographer's computer, so image files stay on the machine.
• Workflow. Retouch4me Lab covers the color stage and works alongside RAW converters such as Adobe Lightroom and Capture One.
   

“In 2013 I built a color grid to simplify color correction for photographers, because every program I opened treated hue, saturation and luminosity as three separate sliders, when in a photograph they move together,” said Oleg Sharonov, co-founder of Retouch4me and creator of 3D LUT Creator. “Lab does that job with AI now, automating the base layer of color correction. It takes a raw shoot and brings every frame to a good starting point. I am looking forward to seeing it make color work simpler for photographers.”

Retouch4me Lab is available now at USD 145. A free demo is at https://retouch4.me/lab

 

About Retouch4me

Retouch4me is a software company that provides innovative solutions for photo and video editing. With neural networks, its software automates manual tasks and delivers natural results, allowing creatives to focus on their artistry. Retouch4me improves the workflows of creatives around the world. Discover how to elevate yours at https://retouch4.me/

 

 

There is no doubt that the general perception of focal lengths has led us to wider and wider lenses being considered mainstream. Much of this shift also has its origins in significant leaps in manufacturing ability and, of course, increased sophistication in lens design. Alongside this, the price also falls and eventually brings things to within a more accessible reach. And here we are with a full frame 20mm f/2.5 L-mount lens, plus the 24MP Panasonic Lumix S9 camera body to try it out on. It makes a stylish looking package, the spec is interesting and the price is within range, so let's see if the images it produces live up to the same standards and our expectations.

 

Panasonic Lumix S 20mm f/2.5 Handling and Features

We have probably long put aside any idea that mirrorless cameras are expected to be significantly smaller than the DSLRs they have been steadily replacing. In general, the lenses are the same size and weight they have always been and the bulk is such that a camera bag is still needed to carry even the basic kit. However, Panasonic is certainly doing their bit here as the new lens is weighing in at a very modest 142g. The 40.9mm x 69.4mm dimensions are chunky, but the use of plastics has kept that weight down. Construction quality is of a high order and the one focusing/control ring is smooth in operation.

 

 

There is no lens hood provided, a shame especially with a wide angle lens. One can be purchased and will need to use the 62mm standard filter thread. The front element is quite small, but not particularly vulnerable. It has a Fluorine coating to repel dust, moisture and grease, and this makes it easier to keep clean. The lens is also dust, splash and freeze resistant. The operational range is from -10C to +40C.

There are a couple of switches around the lens barrel. The first is the usual AF/MF switch and the second is the AF focus lock. This latter button can also be programmed from the choices in the camera menu.

 

 

Closest focus is 0.18m (0.59') for a maximum magnification of 0.15x. This is usefully close, helping to make compositions with dramatic foregrounds so much easier to produce.

Optical construction is 11 elements in 9 groups, including 3 aspheric and 3 ED (Extra Low Dispersion). The lens is also designed to reduce focus breathing, a feature that will be appreciated by videographers. There is no built-in IS, so shake reduction is deferred to whatever camera body is being used.

Thus finally we arrive at the beautifully polished metal lens mount. Reassuringly held in place by 5 screws (where some lenses only have 3), this is all solidly made and looks as if it will offer long service. It is a firm action that will hopefully ease up a little with use. Overall, the lens has little in the way of controls and also little in the way of vices. The lens is a pleasure to use, so now let's look at the technical performance to see if that matches up with the splendid handling.

 

 

Panasonic Lumix S 20mm f/2.5 Performance

Central sharpness is outstanding from f/2.5 through to f/5.6, excellent from f/8 to f/16 and still very good at f/22. The edges are fair at f/2.5 and f/2.8, very good at f/4, excellent at f/5.6, very good at f/8 and f/11, good at f/16 and fair at f/22. Apart from the slight softness at the edges wide open, this is a very crisp and satisfying lens. There is a weakness at wider apertures and close distances, shown in the text images provided, but otherwise a superb result.

 

Panasonic Lumix S 20mm f/2.5 MTF Charts Previous Next

How to read our MTF charts

The blue column represents readings from the centre of the picture frame at the various apertures and the green is from the edges.

For this review, the lens was tested on a Panasonic Lumix S9 camera body using Imatest software (www.imatest.com). Want to know more about how we review lenses?

 

CA (Chromatic Aberration) is well under control. There is virtually no CA at the centre of the image, and even the edges show little sign of colour fringing.

 

Panasonic Lumix S 20mm f/2.5 Chromatic Aberration Charts Previous Next

How to read our CA charts

Chromatic aberration (CA) is the lens' inability to focus on the sensor or film all colours of visible light at the same point. Severe chromatic aberration gives a noticeable fringing or a halo effect around sharp edges within the picture. It can be cured in software.

Apochromatic lenses have special lens elements (aspheric, extra-low dispersion etc) to minimize the problem, hence, they usually cost more.

For this review, the lens was tested on a Panasonic Lumix S9 camera body using Imatest software (www.imatest.com).

 

Some barrel distortion is evident, measuring just -0.74%, another excellent result.

Bokeh is a more aesthetic response and cannot be directly measured, but we know the best results when we see them. Despite the lens being ultra-wide and also extremely sharp, the bokeh remains soft and natural. It is much better in this respect than was anticipated.

Flare is not a problem in normal use. Artefacts can be generated under extreme lighting conditions, but the intrusion into the image is minimal.

Vignetting is minimal, the actual figures are very impressive, especially for such a wide lens.

 

Aperture   f/2.5 -1.1 f/2.8 -0.9 f/4 -0.7 f/5.6 -0.5 f/8 -0.5 f/11 -0.5 f/16 -0.5 f/22 -0.5

 

Panasonic Lumix S 20mm f/2.5 Sample Photos Previous Next

 

Panasonic Lumix S 20mm f/2.5 Aperture range Previous Next

You can view additional images in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own reviews, photos and product ratings.

 

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Value For Money

The Panasonic Lumix S 20mm f/2.5 is priced at £429.00

Looking at currently available L-mount lenses of around 20mm, the following are possible alternatives:

• [AMUK]Sigma 20mm f/1.4 DG DN Art|Sigma 20mm f/1.4 DG DN Art[/AMUK], £899
• [AMUK]Sigma 20mm f/2 DG C|Sigma 20mm f/2 DG C[/AMUK], £659
• [AMUK]Sigma 17mm f/4 DG DN C|Sigma 17mm f/4 DG DN C[/AMUK], £509
• [AMUK]Lumix S 18mm f/1.8|Lumix S 18mm f/1.8[/AMUK], £699

There are even more choices if we also include zoom lenses, but at somewhat higher prices. The new lens is well priced and excellent, so definitely worth serious consideration.

 

 

Panasonic Lumix S 20mm f/2.5 Verdict

In terms of dramatic, sweeping foregrounds and deeply immersive positioning, the ultra-wide lenses are powerful tools that make the photographer seem very much a part of the scene we are observing. This does not just apply to landscapes, but to architecture, street, fashion, even portraiture. It is of course essential that the camera is taken in close, otherwise we end up with just empty foreground and a background reduced in size and stature. As a generality, we need to move in close, then closer...although there are plenty of fine images that break all the rules. A fine example of this is the use of ultra-wide lenses in the trendy Carnaby Street fashion of the “Swinging Sixties” onwards.

The potential is huge, and all delivered in a compact, light and absolutely excellent lens. Without doubt, Highly Recommended.

 

Panasonic Lumix S 20mm f/2.5 Pros

• Outstanding sharpness, especially centrally
• Very low distortion
• Smooth bokeh
• Low CA
• Low flare
• Fast, accurate and virtually silent AF
• Dust, splash and freeze resistant

 

Panasonic Lumix S 20mm f/2.5 Cons

• No Vibration Reduction
• No hood provided

 

 

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The punchy shades of autumn give a photographer the perfect opportunity to capture images with a much more arty feel. For those who enjoy playing around with Photoshop there's a way to turn your autumn forest shots into streaks of bold colour in a few easy steps, or you can create a similar look in-camera if you prefer. If you're out on a breezy day there's a third way you can create autumn abstracts by capturing the movement of leaves. 

 

1. Move Your Camera And Lens

This technique is better known as a drag landscape and we have tips on how to do this in a previous article we published back in the spring. To summarise, you set the exposure going then drag/pan the camera in a particular direction. By doing so the trees will be turned into strong lines of colour that give a twist to the normal autumn shot.

You can also focus in on the leaves and play around with your panning directions to create movement in the image. Moving in a circular motion can work particularly well when you're working with the canopy which tends to have less prominent lines and hard edges. Experiment with the size of the circle you 'draw' as again, this will alter the shapes in the image. 

  2. Create The Look In Photoshop

If you've got a few autumn shots hiding away in your computer's folders you can recreate the look the above technique creates in Photoshop. For step-by-step tips on how to do this, take a look at this tutorial: Abstract Autumn Shots In Photoshop

While you have Photoshop open, why not turn your Autumn drag landscapes into a Triptych too? 

  3. Take Your Images On A Windy Day 

Instead of worrying about wind movement of trees spoiling your shot, take advantage of the weather and emphasise the movement. A long exposure will render the autumn leaves into a creative blur. If you're going for a landscape shot where trees are featured but you do have other parts of the scene you don't want to be so blurred, do make sure you take plenty of images as you don't want to head home and find out nothing was actually sharp in frame. You can then just delete the ones you don't want to keep. You will also have to experiment with shutter speeds to ensure you get movement in the leaves but not in other parts of the image. You could achieve the desired result with multiple exposures, too.    

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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 pamelajean (Day 27 - Mountain Landscape).

 

Daily Theme Runners-Up

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

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

  Day 24

Market Stalls

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Day 25

Motion

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Day 26

Good Weather

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Day 28

Forests

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  Day 29

Arboretum

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Day 30

Autumn Close-Ups

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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.

 

1. Gear Suggestions

• Wide-angle lens
• Polarising filter – Helps boost colour
• ND Grad filter – Balances the exposure of the sky and foreground
• Waterproofs – It rains a lot in the UK!

  2. When To Take Your Shots

Early morning or the end of the day is perfect for autumnal photography as the warm colour temperatures of the setting or rising sun boost the autumnal shades. The end of the day tends to be warmer than early morning too which is good news for those stuck in offices all day. Keep an eye on the weather forecast for the evening before you plan on heading out as a cool night helps the autumn shades develop.

Another advantage of heading out of the door early in the morning or later in the evening is the light is more diffused which means the difference between light and shadow areas isn't as extreme. It's still worth keeping an eye on your histogram, something which can be done in Live View on many cameras which means you can see the histogram display change as the scene in front of you alters or as you make tweaks to the exposure. This not only saves times but is a lot easier than making changes, taking a shot then checking the histogram. 

If the sky's proving to be a problem as it's too light, fit an ND filter to your lens to balance the exposure. Of course, if you're not an early riser and don't fancy heading out after your tea you can use editing software to boost the autumn colours in your shots too.
 

3. Where To Go

The Lakes, Peak District and the Brecon Beacons look particularly impressive during autumn but really you just need to go somewhere that gives you a little bit of height and a few breath-taking views.

 

 

4. White Balance

Switch from auto to cloudy or shade to add an extra level of warmth to your shots that really boosts the autumn shades.

5. Look For Contrast

If you're shooting sweeping shots of a forest canopy from a hillside have a look for spots where the oranges and yellows are broken up with greens. Lower down, shoot at the forest's edge, using the shades of a field to contrast with the orange tones of the forest.

Golden coloured leaves pack some punch when framed against a blue sky but don't dismiss dark skies either as overcast days can give you moody, richer looking images. Rain clouds look great on the horizon and once the rain has passed, colours naturally become more saturated. If there's a breeze blowing have a go at using slower shutter speeds to capture the movement of leaves and branches as they blow in the wind to give your images a more abstract feel.

 

6. Foreground Interest

For sweeping scenic shots, it's important to have foreground detail to add depth and to fill what can be a big empty space in front of the lens. It can also add a sense of scale to a shot but don't fill it too much as your shot will end up looking too busy and it'll be hard for the viewer of your shot to find a single point of focus on.

Large rocks and tree stumps work well as foreground interest or you could try setting up your composition with an object that can lead the eye from the front to the back of the shot. Paths created by walkers, streams, walls, fences and bridges all work well. Just remember to use a small aperture (bigger f-number) such as f/11 to keep front to back sharpness.

If you don't want to shoot wide pick up the telephoto lens and use it to focus on a particular point of interest, using its pulling power to isolate your subject.

Remember: Get out of bed early or be prepared to stay out later if mornings aren't your thing, use foreground interest, keep it simple and think about composition before hitting the shutter button.