Photography News

 

Historical ruins such as churches, castles and abbeys decorate our countryside and seaside towns but you'll also find a few smaller, but still impressive ruins closer to home. Walls, arches and columns are still dotted around a few towns and villages which are still photogenic even if there's not much of the structure left to photograph. If you're off on your travels, have a look online and at local tourism centres to find out what ruins are near to where you're staying.

 

1. What Gear Do I Need? 

For general shots of the building and the surroundings you'll need a wide-angle lens but take your longer zoom along too for getting in close to interesting architectural detail. A tripod's handy but if you want to travel light, try taking something smaller such as a tabletop tripod and use a wall to help you steady your shot. If there are any windows left in your building of choice a polarizer will reduce reflections and the blue of the sky will be enhanced giving your image more contrast.

 

2. Do Your Homework

Many of our abbeys and other ruins are now looked after by the National Trust or English Heritage so you could be charged to walk around them, they'll have specific opening times and there may be restrictions if you want to use your images commercially so it's worth a quick look on the internet or a chat on the phone to find out everything you need to know. That way you won't waste your petrol money.

 

 

3. Take A Walk

The first thing you should do when you arrive is stretch your legs on a walk around the ruin. This will give you the chance to scout for interesting detail and look for the best angle. Don't just stand and photograph the first pile of rubble you see as this won't give your viewer any clue into what the building is or what it was used for. Look for areas that have a more definite shape and if you can, parts where nature hasn't completely taken over. Of course, some walls look great with roots growing through them and it can really emphasise how ruined the building is, so keep that in mind.

 

4. Look Closer

Look for unique parts that make the building stand out from any other and if the outside isn't very interesting you could always take a peek inside to see if the hidden details give more of an idea of what the function of the building was. If the building still has an inside watch your exposures and check your histogram before you move on to make sure it's OK. Try shooting inside out through a broken window or use a long corridor to lead the viewer's eye through the image.

Signs are a direct way to explain more about the building you're photographing and they can often be quite interesting in their own right with features such as peeling paint and rusty bolts worthy of a quick photograph.

 

5. Tall And Wide

If you're working with a particularly tall building converging verticals may be a problem but by shooting from a height this can easily be rectified. Steps, hills or shooting from another building are all ways you can correct the distortion or you could try stepping further back which gives you the opportunity to use the surroundings to give the building context.

If the grounds really do add to your image try shooting a panorama. Some cameras come with this function built-in but if yours doesn't just shoot several images moving from right to left or left to right and stitch them together with specifically designed software when you get back to your computer.
 

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L-R: Ian McKellen, Love, London, 2023; Chappell Roan, Fashion: Chanel Haute Couture, New York City, 2025; Isaac Julien and Queen Conch Shell, London, 2023; Miriam Margolyes, Clapham Cream Teas, London, 2023 / Image Credit: National Portrait Gallery

 

The National Portrait Gallery has announced full details of Tim Walker's Fairyland: Love and Legends, a landmark new exhibition from acclaimed British photographer Tim Walker. Running from 9 October 2026 to 7 February 2027, the show brings together 250 specially created portraits made over five years, capturing Queer activists, storytellers, performers and icons including Ian McKellen, Chappell Roan, Isaac Julien and Miriam Margolyes. Curated by Susanna Brown, the exhibition traces over fifty years of Queer history and culture, from the campaigners of the Gay Liberation Front through to today's changemakers, before closing with a bold exploration of fashion, performance and fairy tale reimagined through a Queer lens.

 

From National Portrait Gallery:

Today the National Portrait Gallery reveals details of a major new exhibition created by renowned photographer Tim Walker, presenting a body of new work celebrating Queer culture and life. The project is the result of five years of connecting with Queer people and their allies in Britain and beyond and marks a decisive shift in Walker's artistic focus.

Walker rose to prominence in the 1990s with his unique style of fantastical photography. Since then, his fashion pictures and portraits have graced the pages of magazines such as Vogue, Vanity Fair, W, Love, Another Man and i-D. He has published seven books and staged solo exhibitions at museums around the world, while his short films and projects with musicians have won international acclaim.

Curated by Susanna Brown, the exhibition engages with the historical gallery setting, presenting both unsung heroes and established giants of Queer history. Designed by Walker's longtime collaborator Shona Heath with support from the National Portrait Gallery, Walker spotlights some 250 activists, social workers, nightlife performers, musicians and superstars in a spectacular display. Tim Walker's Fairyland: Love and Legends purposefully reclaims the word 'fairy' for Walker and his sitters, resisting homophobia and transphobia with his original blend of wit, joy and sensitivity.

The exhibition opens with portraits of trailblazers who spent the 1970s and 80s bravely advocating for the right to love. They include founding members of the Gay Liberation Front and Stonewall, among them Olivette Cole-Wilson, Andrew Lumsden, Lisa Power and Tom Robinson. Walker memorialises his own 'queeristocracy' in a style inspired by sixteenth-century portraits of Tudor aristocracy by Hans Holbein the Younger and Nicholas Hilliard.

 

L-R: Andrew Lumsden (1941–2023) (after Nicholas Hilliard), London, 2023; Olivette Cole–Wilson and Blackbird, London, 2025; Sunil Gupta, London, 2023; Jill Nalder Holding a Photograph of Dursley McLinden (1965–95), London, 2023. / Image Credit: National Portrait Gallery

 

A further group of Queer changemakers, such as Ted Brown, Caroline Paige, Gilli Salvat and Peter Tatchell, are shown alongside storytellers who made Queerness visible in the late 20th century, including James Ivory and Sarah Waters. Walker invited each sitter to bring a meaningful object to their portrait session: author Jane Cholmeley presents the original shop sign from Silver Moon Women's Bookshop, founded in 1984; photographer Sunil Gupta holds his camera; and filmmaker Isaac Julien clasps a conch shell, a motif from his pioneering 1989 film Looking for Langston. Walker then photographed those working today for a better future, among them Liz Carr, Shon Faye, Francis Lee, Lady Phyll, E-J Scott, and Kae Tempest. Nearly all these portraits are set against deceivingly simple white backgrounds, in a style reminiscent of the work of Richard Avedon, whom Walker assisted in the 1990s.

 

L-R: Lady Phyll, London, 2024; Kae Tempest, London, 2023; Francis Lee, Ode to Edward Carpenter, London, 2023; Shon Faye, London, 2025 / Image Credit: National Portrait Gallery

 

The exhibition pays tribute to the many people who came together in solidarity and action in response to the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s. Walker's photographs of nurses and healthcare professionals who developed effective treatments for the disease are displayed alongside musicians who soundtracked the era, including Marc Almond, Holly Johnson, and Jimmy Somerville. Walker explains, "The brilliance of their music boomed despite the fear of mortality and discrimination. I wanted to bring that disco to the ward, to celebrate the tireless work to spread awareness and pursue proper care and solutions."

A room at the centre of the exhibition is dedicated to large-scale portraits of post-punk collective the Rebel Dykes, inspired by Karlheinz Weinberger's photographs of 1960s biker gangs. These are accompanied by a short film in which the women reflect on the importance of community and their campaigns for nuclear disarmament, environmentalism, sex positive feminism and HIV solidarity.

 

L-R: Aphra and Jo Barwick, Siobhan Fahey and Emily Witham, East Sussex, 2024; Maartje Convens and Marin Céleste, Camfield Place, Hertfordshire, 2022; Paul O'Grady (1955–2023) and Julian Clary as the Glitter Queens, with Harry Browse, Rae and Liam Elias as the Glitter Boys, London, 2022 / Image Credit: National Portrait Gallery

 

The second half of the exhibition looks at the transformative power that fashion, makeup and performance have long held for Queer people. It features portraits of designers Jean Paul Gaultier and Michaela Stark, drag performers Paul O'Grady, David Hoyle and Midgitte Bardot, personalities Alan Carr and Sue Perkins, and actors Ncuti Gatwa, Hunter Schafer, Fiona Shaw and Ben Whishaw, among many others. International music stars and icons Björk, Lady Gaga, Boy George, Frank Ocean, and Chappell Roan are also pictured.

 

L-R: David Hoyle, Prawn Cocktailed, London, 2023; Ben Whishaw in Crystal Prism, London, 2020; Fairyland Parade, Joe Sweeney, Matthew Keller, Harry Keita, Bolly Illusion, James Corbin, Oliver-Bijan Daryoush, Jack Newman, Yos Clark and Joseph O'Rourke, London, 2023; Alex Gorey and Matías Montes (after Yannis Tsarouchis), London, 2021 / Image Credit: National Portrait Gallery

 

The exhibition climaxes with a room of staged erotic scenes which subvert fairy tales and nursery rhymes through a Queer lens. Walker contextualises these works saying, "the greatest thing I learned from the activists, storytellers and performers who make up Fairyland is how essential eroticism and humour are. It's the very heart of what we're talking about when we talk about Queerness. A place where you can desire and be desired. A place where you can be whoever you want to be."

"The Fairyland exhibition is me finally placing myself in the queer realm with confidence and greeting all the other friends who live here. Just as I learned from the queer artists who came before me, some of whom I'm lucky enough to have met and photographed here, Fairyland is me saying you are not alone. I want visitors to the exhibition to remember that your difference is your power. It is a precious and beautiful thing." 

Tim Walker, Photographer

 

"This is the most ambitious and important project of Tim Walker's career. He takes exhibition visitors on a journey that begins with protest and outrage and ends with joy. For some visitors, the content will resonate with their own lived experiences, for others it will broaden their understanding of unfamiliar subjects. It's been an honour to collaborate with him and to witness the creation of this powerful and uplifting body of work."

Susanna Brown, Exhibition curator

 

"Tim Walker's Fairyland: Love and Legends takes us on an extraordinary journey through half a century of history. It is a vivid tapestry of Tim's many inspirations and influences and presents lavish, fantastical scenes alongside intimate and singular portraits. This timely exhibition is both deeply personal and profoundly universal and we are proud to host it at the Gallery."

Victoria Siddall, Director of the National Portrait Gallery

 

The exhibition is accompanied by a new book featuring contributions written by Travis Alabanza, Susanna Brown, Russell T Davies, Shon Faye, Lisa Power and Joelle Taylor.

For more details, please visit the National Portrait Gallery website.

 

1. Why Photograph Vertical Lines?

Lines going up and sometimes out of the frame can convey a sense of growth, strength and power as well as create interesting patterns within your images.
 

2. Shoot Portrait Or Landscape?

Switching from landscape to portrait mode lengthens the frame you're working with, emphasising the length/height of the vertical lines. Turning the camera back around to horizontal format works well when you have multiple vertical lines going through the frame as you'll be able to get more in the shot and it can help create the impression that the objects you're photographing are so tall that you can't fit them all in the frame.
 

3. Straight Lines

Make sure your vertical lines run parallel to the sides of your frame as wonky, slopping lines will mean your shot lacks impact. Keep an eye out for converging verticals too. If you find you're having a problem with them try and work from higher up to put you more in line with the object you're photographing, switch to a focal length that's not as wide or you can take the shot and adjust the photo in Photoshop or another similar piece of editing software later on.

 

 

4. Framing

Putting a vertical line in the centre of the frame will cut your image in half which does create a strong impact and maybe something you like, however most of the time it's best to position the object/shape more to the left of right of the image.
 

5. Get Repetitive

Repeating patterns and symmetry works well when you have multiple vertical lines in your shots. Just remember to have a play around with the orientation of the shot to see which way emphasises the pattern you're trying to create more.
 

6. Adds Depth

When you have lots of the same object in a line, take a line of trees along a path, for example, you can stand at the top of the path, point your lens down it and you'll see the trees, or whatever lines the edge of your shot, create depth as they vanish towards the back of your image. Just remember the items creating the vertical lines need to be of roughly the same height.

 

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Ask around and you will get a confident answer: bigger pixels are better. They gather more light, so they produce cleaner images with less noise, which is why the low-megapixel low-light specialist supposedly beats the high-resolution body when the sun goes down. It is one of the most repeated ideas in photography, and it is mostly wrong. Not entirely wrong, which is what makes it stubborn, but wrong in the specific way it is usually meant. 

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It usually starts a few nights before a shoot. You start checking weather forecasts, cloud-cover percentages, and sun angles. You try to judge the likelihood of fog. You pack your bag with the gear you need for the anticipated conditions. You have locations planned out. You know exactly where the car will be parked and what the light should do. You feel prepared. But have you just planned too much?

 

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A 135mm f/1.8 full frame autofocus lens for $690 undercuts every rival on the market by a wide margin, and until recently, a lens this fast at this focal length simply didn't exist at this price. For portrait and event shooters chasing that tight, wildly out-of-focus look, the math suddenly changes. 

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There is a certain kind of photography that does not begin with a plan, a map, or even a clear idea of what you are looking for. It begins the moment you realize you are already lost and you decide, consciously or not, to keep going anyway.

 

Mexico City is generous in that sense. It does not need to be persuaded to swallow you. You just step slightly off your mental grid of safe streets and familiar corners, and it starts to rearrange you from the inside. Not dramatically. More like a slow reprogramming of attention.

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A window and a dark room are enough to shoot a portrait good enough for the New York Times. No strobes, no modifiers, no expensive gear, just daylight and a few decisions you learn to make on purpose. 

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London rewards the photographer who stops rushing from landmark to landmark and instead learns a handful of spots inside out. The same corner shifts completely between a July afternoon and a January noon, and knowing when to show up matters as much as knowing where. 

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A lens can hit every spec on your wishlist and still leave you flat when you actually shoot with it. The Sigma 15mm f/1.4 DC is a case study in that gap between numbers and feeling. 

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1. Heading To The Beach?

A popular destination when on your travels abroad or even just for the weekend when the sun's showing its face in the UK is the beach which is full of photographic potential. Even though you may enjoy yourself by the sea it's not a place that's great for your camera and other photography gear. Grains of sand can get into parts of your camera it shouldn't be in and it can scratch your lens if you're not careful. A UV filter will help stop sand scratching your lens and is a less expensive option than replacing your glass. When you're not using your kit, make sure you store it in your camera bag and if you want to change lenses, try and do it off the beach and out of the wind.

If you're planning on taking a tripod and use it in the sea, make sure you wipe it down when you get home and leave it to dry. A lens cloth can also be handy for wiping sea spray off your gear.

2. Check Temperatures

If you're venturing somewhere that's going to be particularly hot then make sure your camera equipment (memory cards, batteries etc.) will operate to the best of their ability still. You can usually find information on operational limits of specific products on manufacturers' websites and in manuals.

 

3. Going Inside And Out

An air-conditioned room or vehicle may be good for you to cool down in but if you have your camera out and take it from a cool to warm environment you'll end up with a fogged-up lens as condensation will have formed. Either ensure your gear's in your bag or just wait five or ten minutes for the lens to clear. You can wipe the lens with a lens cloth, but this could cause smears and marks that'll spoil your shot so look at your lens carefully before hitting the shutter button. If moisture gets inside your lens, ensure the outside of it is dry then leave the lens to dry out before using it.

 

4. Think About You

As well as looking after your gear, don't forget to look after yourself. It may seem obvious now, but it's easy to get away with taking photos and the small things such as reapplying sunscreen and having a drink of water can be forgotten.

 

 

5. Viewing Screens

Previewing your shot on your camera's LCD screen can be difficult when outdoors in sunny conditions. You can adjust the brightness of most screens, but this doesn't always solve the problem. You can use LCD hoods (flip-up caps) that shade screens from glare and as an additional benefit, they also protect the screen too.

 

6. Avoid Hot Parts Of The Day

Again, seems obvious and it's not always easy to do as you could be on an organised excursion, for example. However, getting up early or staying out later does have it's advantages as the light's usually better and you'll be able to avoid crowds at busy tourist sites. Don't forget your lens hood if you're heading out during the day as they can help reduce the amount of light reaching your lens.

 

7. Find Some Shade

Ideally, you should not take photographs when the sun is too high in the sky, particularly for portraits as people can end up with deep shadows under their eyes and nose. If your subject's wearing a floppy hat this will shade the face, and help create the shade you need. If not, find a shaded area that won't cause the light to appear dappled. Instead, find a shaded spot where the light's more even and they won't end up squinting.

If you're photographing a family member or a stranger who's given you permission to shoot, you can try using flash to add extra light that'll even out your scene. A touch of flash will also help create catchlights in your subject's eyes but it's much easier to just position your subject so they're facing the light source and/or use a reflector to bounce the light into your shot.
 

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

Recently, I had the chance to try out the new Wacom MovinkPad Pro 14. It wasn't that long ago that I experimented with Wacom's One 13 Touch. Although the MovinkPad Pro 14 isn't built specifically for photographers, the upgrade in my experience over the Wacom One Touch was significant. As an adventure guide and photographer, I travel to a minimum of four continents a year, and the portability of the MovinkPad Pro 14 really does draw me in past the drawbacks of pushing it outside its native operating system or purpose.

 

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I love street photography; it’s fun. Everyone can do it because you don’t need to spend a lot of money to travel to far-off destinations. If there are no big cities nearby, no worries, we can do it in our local towns. Perfect!

 

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The Develop module in Lightroom, as the name suggests, is where you "develop" your images and to quicken the process up, there are several keyboard shortcuts available which allow the user to access and edit tools with a few key combinations - improving the speed at which you can process your images - and greatly improve your workflow.

 

As there are quite a few keyboard shortcuts we'll be breaking the list up into parts and we're starting with 19 basic but essential shortcuts for photo editing. 

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  1. Undo - Ctrl + Z 

If you want to go back a step as you don't like a particular edit, press Ctrl + Z on your keyboard to save you time moving your mouse, clicking the 'Edit' tab and selecting 'Undo'. 

 

  2. Auto Tone - Ctrl + U

If you want Lightroom to have a crack at balancing your exposure this is the tool for you. With the click of two keys on your keyboard the Exposure, Contrast, Highlights, Shadows, Whites and Blacks sliders are adjusted by the software to create a more balanced exposure. The results can be quite good but you can always use the keyboard shortcut we've just talked about to undo the changes if you don't like them.

 

  3. Auto White Balance - Ctrl + Shift + U

Again, this allows Lightroom to adjust settings automatically for you. This time, the Temp and Tint sliders are tweaked. You may not like the way your image looks after the automatic changes but you can always press Cntrl + Z to go back a step. 

4. Increase/Decrease Selected Slider In Small Increments - Arrow Keys

When making changes to a particular adjustments option you can use your mouse to adjust the slider's position, increasing or decreasing the effect as a result. You can also write a value into the numeric box at the side of it but for more control, make use of your keyboards arrows. Left and down decrease the effect while the up and right arrows increase it. It also means your focus stays on the image rather than having to look where your mouse is positioned on the slider then flick your attention back to the image to see how it looks. 
 

5. Increase/Decrease Selected Slider In Larger Increments - Shift + Arrow Keys

This works the same way as the above controls, but the increments at which the sliders/figures can be altered is increased. 
 

6. Move Up And Down Through Basic Panel Settings - . (full stop) + , (comma)

The Basic Panel Settings section is where you'll find options to edit white balance alongside other tonal adjustments. You'll probably find you flick between a few of these options so instead of moving and clicking your mouse to select a different slider, just use the full stop and comma keys to circle through the various options available. 

7. Select White Balance Tool - W

To quickly access the white balance tool (looks like a pipette) from any module, just press 'W' and it will instantly be selected to make quick and white balance adjustments. 

8. Select The Crop Tool - R

The crop tool is a really useful function that can be accessed from any module with the 'R' key. In Lightroom, the crop tool combines as a handy rotational tool, too. Press 'R' again to deactivate this option. 

9. Select The Spot Removal Tool - Q

The Spot Removal tool has various useful features including the ability to remove dust spots and fix skin blemishes. It's found under the Histogram tab but can be quickly accessed by pressing 'Q'. 

10. Select The Adjustment Brush Tool (from any module) - K

The Adjustment Brush allows you to make a variety of changes to your images in a much more precise way. For example, you may want to brighten someone's teeth without changing the exposure of the whole shot. To access this tool quickly, press 'K'. 

  11. Select The Graduated Filter Tool - M

The Graduated Filter in Lightroom is a very useful tool for balancing exposures (simulating the effect of a graduated ND filter photographers place in front of their camera lenses) and can be selected by pressing 'M' on your keyboard. 

12. Increase/Decrease Brush Size - ] / [

These controls work with various tools in Lightroom and are a quicker way to adjust the size of the brush you're working with rather than having to move your mouse to select and move a slider. [ decreases the brush size while ] increases it. 

 

13. Increase/Decrease Brush Feathering - Shift + ] / Shift + [

To alter how hard/soft the brush you're using is you can use two commands: Shift + [ to decrease the feathering and Shift + ] to increase the feathering. 

  14. Rotate Photo - Ctrl + ] Ctrl + [

To quickly change to orientation of the image you have selected use Ctrl + ] to turn it clockwise and Ctrl + [ to turn it counterclockwise. 

15. Zoom In / Zoom Out - Ctrl +  / Ctrl  -

When you want to work on a particular area of a photo you can use Ctrl + to zoom in then press Ctrl - to zoom back out. 

16. View Before And After Left/Right - Y

To compare your edited shot with the original side-by-side press 'Y'. 

17. View Before And After Top/Bottom - Alt + Y

To compare your edited shot with the original one above and one below press 'Alt + Y'. 

 

18. View Before And After In A Split Screen - Shift + Y

To compare your edited shot with the original on a split-screen so you see the original on one half of the shot and the edited version on the other half-press 'Shift + Y'

19. Edit in Photoshop - Ctrl + E

There may be times when you need to take a photo into Photoshop to finish the edit and to do this quickly without having to save your image and reopen it again, you can press Ctrl + E in Lightroom and it'll be opened in Photoshop automatically. 

 

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

For years the honest answer to "is the phone camera good enough?" came with an asterisk. Good enough in nice light. Good enough if you did not zoom. Good enough until the sun went down. I have carried an iPhone 17 Pro Max since launch weekend, and after nine months of pointing it at nearly every situation I run into, the asterisk is mostly gone. This is the first iPhone where the answer to "can it handle that?" was just yes, across reach, dark, wide, close, and the kind of dramatic sky I cannot stop photographing. 

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Almost every consumer camera you have ever bought came with a spec sheet, and that spec sheet left out the one number that most directly describes how good the sensor is at its actual job: catching light and turning it into signal. It told you the megapixel count, the ISO range, the frame rate, the buffer depth, the number of autofocus points. It did not tell you the sensor's quantum efficiency, and Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, and the rest of the consumer camera business have quietly settled into never printing it. 

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A full frame pancake lens that costs around $200, mounts autofocus, and shrinks a Sony body down to something that reads as a point-and-shoot sounds like it has to give something up. The Viltrox 26mm f/2.8 EVO Edition FE gives up a little, but far less than the price and size suggest. 

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A bride carried her late father's 1970s Rollei to her wedding, handed it to a brother, and asked him to shoot whatever caught his eye. When the scans came back weeks later, the first frame wasn't the wedding at all. It was her mother and father, standing together more than two decades earlier.

 

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A growing wave of AI-generated animal videos is spreading across social media, and researchers say these fabricated clips are quietly reshaping how the public understands real wildlife. The concern is not just that the videos are fake, but that they present impossible or invented behavior as if it were documented fact.

 

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NASA just put a photo of the Statue of Liberty Nebula in front of a global audience, and the image came from astrophotographer Logan Carpenter. The picture ran as the Astronomy Picture of the Day on July 20, 2026, spotlighting a glowing star nursery roughly 9,000 light-years away.

 

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