Photography News

© Hasselblad

 

Hasselblad has revealed the seven winners of the prestigious Hasselblad Masters 2026 competition, chosen from over 108,000 global submissions for their exceptional technical and creative vision. These photographers receive the "Hasselblad Master" title, carrying the distinction throughout their careers, along with a 100-megapixel medium format camera, two XCD lenses, and a €5,000 creative fund, for their work across categories including Landscape, Portrait, and Project//21.

 

From Hasselblad:

Hasselblad is pleased to announce the winners of the Hasselblad Masters 2026 competition. Selected from 70 finalists across the globe, seven photographers have been named the next Hasselblad Masters for their technical mastery and strong personal vision.

Widely regarded as one of the world's most prestigious professional photography competitions, the Hasselblad Masters was created to celebrate creative excellence and bring together established and emerging talent from around the world. This year, the competition received more than 108,000 image submissions from photographers in 160 countries and regions across seven categories: Landscape, Architecture, Portrait, Art, Street, Wildlife and Project//21. 

The finalists were evaluated by the Hasselblad Masters Grand Jury, with public voting considered as part of the overall judging process. The Grand Jury selected one winner in each category based on conceptual strength, originality, creativity, and technical excellence.

Kalle Sanner, Executive Director at the Hasselblad Foundation and Grand Jury Chair, commented, "What this year's Hasselblad Masters submissions demonstrated, with rare consistency, is that the most compelling photography does not simply record, it constructs. Across categories, the strongest work operated on more than one level simultaneously: legible on first encounter, yet resistant to easy interpretation. These are images that require attention, that continue to unfold the longer you stay with them. What unites the winners is a shared understanding that photography's real power lies not in what it shows, but in what it withholds, reframes, and quietly insists upon."

The seven winners earn the title of "Hasselblad Master," joining the distinguished community of past Masters and carrying the distinction throughout their careers. They will receive a Hasselblad 100-megapixel medium format camera, two XCD lenses, and an expanded creative fund of EUR 5,000. The winners will also participate in a collaborative project with Hasselblad, with their work featured in the commemorative Hasselblad Masters book and across Hasselblad's global channels. 

 

THE HASSELBLAD MASTERS 2026 WINNERS

 

© Yudha Kusuma Putera | Hasselblad

ART

Yudha Kusuma Putera | Waste Colonialism (Sapi-Sapi Piyungan) | Indonesia
 
Rooted in everyday life and inspired by its complexity, Yudha Kusuma Putera turns a keen eye toward the social issues that hide in plain sight, exploring the tensions between humans, nature, and the systems we build around us.
 
The winning images are part of a project examining how developed nations export their waste to developing countries, where labour and costs are lower. This logic repeats on a smaller scale too: within cities, landfills are built on the outskirts, kept out of sight and out of mind. At Yogyakarta's Piyungan landfill, a city's waste is sorted by scavengers and consumed by cows, quietly piling up into a second hill. He photographed the backs of these cows stacked together, with their forms mirroring the landscape of trash around them. The work does not seek to assign blame, but to invite collective reflection on the waste we produce, and the futures we are building from it.
 
"On the surface, the images appear direct and unambiguous, and yet they consistently resist easy reading, generating a sense of visual uncertainty that keeps the viewer engaged and questioning. The images do not announce themselves loudly, but reward sustained attention with a slow-building sense of strangeness that is both intellectually stimulating and visually striking," says Kalle Sanner, Executive Director at the Hasselblad Foundation.
 

© Kevin Boyle | Hasselblad

 

ARCHITECTURE

Kevin Boyle | DaySleeper | Movieland | Canada

 
Kevin Boyle was shaped by the open skies and close-knit communities of the Canadian prairies. After the loss of his father, he returned home, only to find the places he once knew hollowed out and silent, their gathering spaces boarded up and left to disappear. For over ten years, his photographic journey has been a profound tribute to the abandoned architecture of North America's local communities.

The winning series is comprised of photographic montages, with each part of the building lit with flashlights and blended in post-production to create an ethereal "portrait" of once important gathering places. Through his lens, these forgotten spaces become vibrant, glowing symbols of community heritage and shared human connection.

"The composition, and the fact that the images are empty of people, triggers our imaginations, taking us back to a time when these buildings would have thrived with the community meeting for evening entertainment. By making this series, the photographer invites us to consider the myriad of small venues that make up the social fabric of small communities," says Sonia Jeunet, Photography Consultant and Education at Magnum Photos.

 

© Svetlana Jovanovic | Hasselblad

 

PORTRAIT

Svetlana Jovanovic | Otherness | The Netherlands

With a psychology background, Svetlana Jovanovic's portraiture is driven by a deep curiosity about identity — how we experience the world, construct our sense of self, and see ourselves through the eyes of others. Her style brings together fine art portraiture and a commitment to visual beauty, believing that the conceptual and the aesthetic are inseparable: each gives the other meaning. 

The winning images are part of Otherness, an ongoing long-term project exploring identical twins and the tension between shared identity and individual presence. While twins share so much, it is the small differences that emerge over time, the subtle ways each person's character becomes visible within the shared image, that lie at the heart of the work. Each portrait is a collaboration, shaped as much by the relationship between the twins as by the photographer's own vision, inviting viewers to reflect on how we define ourselves both apart from, and through, one another. 

"Through precise use of light and composition, this portrait series explores the themes of mirroring and duality. Whether capturing two sides of the same face or the closeness of two kindred souls, the images reveal subtle layers of emotion with quiet precision," says RongRong, Co-founder and Artistic Director at The Three Shadows Photography Art Centre.

 

© Rohan Reilly | Hasselblad

 

LANDSCAPE

Rohan Reilly | Ephemeral Visions | Ireland

Rooted in the discipline of a composer, Rohan Reilly's images strip away complexity to reveal the essentials, which are texture, tone, and stillness. His signature long-exposure technique transforms moving water and shifting skies into silk-like surfaces, while vast negative space and low saturation give his work a poetic, meditative quality that transcends documentation. The process is one of patience and preparation: studying weather patterns, returning season after season, and waiting for the precise conditions that cannot be engineered but only earned. 

This winning series captures a row of poplar trees planted along the banks of the River Po in Italy, which are natural guardians against flooding, now standing immersed in perfectly still water beneath soft, diffused light. What was once a purely functional landscape transforms into something surreal and dreamlike. In this quietly breathtaking scene, the photographer's vision can find its fullest expression: nature distilled to its core, and time momentarily held still.

"A forest of poplar trees could be a monotonous subject. But these photographs are hypnotic objects of meditation, creating something expansive through repetition and ostensible sameness," says Zack Hatfield, Managing Editor at Aperture Magazine.

 

© Panitbhand Paribatra Na Ayudhya | Hasselblad

 

PROJECT//21

Panitbhand Paribatra Na Ayudhya | Dwellers of the Night | Thailand
 
Panitbhand Paribatra Na Ayudhya is a young underwater photographer and scuba diver from Thailand. His work is rooted in a quiet dedication to the ocean, documenting its life, its fragility, and the ecosystems that sustain it, in the hope that what is seen through his lens will not be forgotten.
 
His winning series was captured in the waters of Anilao, Philippines, where pelagic and larval marine life migrate from the depths each night to feed under the cover of darkness. Using slow shutter speeds to capture the elegant motion of his subjects, and carefully chosen coloured lighting to reveal their form and beauty, he illuminates a world rarely seen. For the ribbon eel, a diffused warm light conjures a subtle sunset behind the subject — crowning it as a master of the night. Some of these creatures spend their entire lives in the open ocean, making the pelagic ecosystem as fragile as it is extraordinary.
 
"I'm drawn to the quiet whimsy of these sea creatures. Set against black, the creatures feel almost otherworldly- strange, delicate, and entirely captivating. There's a simplicity to the presentation that allows their inherent oddness to shine, reminding us how unfamiliar and compelling the natural world can be when seen without distraction." says Alex Pollack, Director of Photography at National Geographic.
 

© Gosse Bouma | Hasselblad

 

STREET

Gosse Bouma | Morning Ritual | The Netherlands

Gosse Bouma is a photographer whose work is driven by a quiet pursuit: to offer moments of tranquility in a world that rarely slows down. His distinct style lies at the intersection of urban geometry and natural elements, pairing the hard lines of architecture with the soft, unpredictable textures of weather. Each photograph is infused with the intention of invoking serenity amidst the chaos of everyday life, creating visual experiences that invite stillness and reflection, even if only for a fleeting moment.

His winning series, taken across the Netherlands, turns to the street market as its subject, a space where people of all ages and backgrounds meet, exchange a few words, share warmth, and move on. In capturing these small, unhurried encounters, Bouma preserves something increasingly rare in contemporary life: a genuine sense of togetherness.

"The photographer understands atmosphere, scale and timing. The small lit kiosks within the vast blue urban emptiness create images that feel both intimate and monumental. Here, genuine photographic tension emerges. The series uses colour structurally, not decoratively. Mist, artificial light and architecture form one coherent world," says Aya Musa, Senior Curator at Foam.

 

© Alfred Minnaar | Hasselblad

 

WILDLIFE

Alfred Minnaar | The Forest I Roam | South Africa

Alfred Minnaar's creative process often begins with observation and patience. Rather than simply documenting his subjects, he seeks to understand their behaviour, environment, and relationship with the surrounding ecosystem. Over a decade of global exploration, his fine-art philosophy has evolved from a traveler's passion into a powerful voice for conservation, capturing fleeting deep-sea and wildlife narratives to inspire the preservation of our planet.

The winning images of a tiny goby living amongst coral were created to challenge our perception of scale and encourage viewers to look closer. Rather than focusing solely on the fish, the photographer wanted to use it as a point of reference within a much larger world. By placing the goby within its environment, the reef itself becomes the subject, inviting viewers to imagine its vastness from the perspective of one of its smallest inhabitants.

"The vibrancy of the palette immediately draws you in, and the way the small fish are framed against their environments creates a sense of scale that almost reads as landscape. There's a nice balance here between detail and composition, with the micro subjects holding their own within a larger, almost abstracted environment," says Alex Pollack, Director of Photography at National Geographic.

 

HASSELBLAD MASTERS 2026 GRAND JURY

• Kalle Sanner, Executive Director, Hasselblad Foundation
• Alex Pollack, Director of Photography, National Geographic
• Aya Musa, Senior Curator, Foam
• Paul Lachenauer, Managing Photographer, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Rebecca Swift, Senior Vice President, Creative, Getty Images
• RongRong, Co-founder and Artistic Director, Three Shadows Photography Art Centre
• Sonia Jeunet, Photography Consultant and Education, Magnum Photos
• Zack Hatfield, Managing Editor, Aperture Magazine  

 

For more information, please visit the Hasselblad website.

Us Brits are well known for moaning about the water that often falls from the skies above the UK but even rain should be welcomed sometimes as without it, we wouldn't have cascading waterfall, rivers and streams to photograph. So, to carry on with the watery theme, here's 5 water-based photography subjects you should try and capture with your camera this year. 
 

1. Water Droplets

If you don't have the time to find a river or stream, wait for it to rain and use a macro lens to capture raindrops on a window at home. The upside-down projection of the world outside always make interesting images or wait until the rain stops falling and head outside, into the garden, to photograph the drops of rain that can be found on plants. Focus on the end of a leaf, background blurred, so when the droplet falls you're ready to capture it, pin-sharp. Just remember to use a tripod as the slightest shift in camera position can drastically change the composition and it will reduce the risk of camera shake too.

  2. Waterfalls And Rivers

If you want to have a go at blurring waterfalls or the movement of a river head out on an overcast day it's easier to get the slower shutter speeds you need to make this technique work. Make sure you have your tripod with you when you leave the house and a remote cable release (if you have one) to stop shake ruining your shot and take care when you're metering as your camera can be fooled into thinking the scene's too bright so all your shots could come out underexposed. Bracket a stopover and under or fit an ND filter to stop as much light entering the camera.

There is no right or wrong shutter speed to use when photographing waterfalls as this depends on how far you are from your subject, how much blur you want, the amount of water you're photographing and the speed at which it's flowing. But if you want a starting point, a speed of 1/15sec is a good place to begin. If you're at the coast, this same technique can be used to photograph waves. Once you have your smooth, flowing water shots, set a faster shutter speed, 1/250sec or higher, and make your watery scene seem frozen in time.

For rivers, get down low with your wide-angle lens to demonstrate how the river narrows to the vanishing point or look for higher ground and show it meandering through the scene.

 

 

3. Reflections

Lakes and reservoirs provide plenty of potential for photographing reflections. A sunny day by a calm lake will give you an almost mirror-like image of your surrounding landscape but don't forget to try and shoot somewhere there's foreground detail to prevent the scene looking boring. If you're not near a lake, a puddle or wet pavement will work just as well.

  4. The Sea 

While at the coast you can either use a slow shutter speed to blur the waves or a fast one to freeze them in their tracks. If you go for the fast approach wait until the wave is at a peak and shoot. Slow speeds are great for creating lava-style flows of water as waves break on the beach. 

 

 

5. Water Bubbles

Capturing water bubbles is fun, challenging and can leave with you with a series of abstract shots well worth hanging on your wall. You'll need quick shutter speeds and ideally, work manually to give you more control. 

 

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

As photographers, we're inundated with images all day — ads, social media, billboards. Which ones actually inform our work, and where should we be looking?

 

As a photographer who has worked on brand campaigns, it's sad to see mood boards composed of the same images. I'll receive inspiration images from a client and recognize they came from the same Pinterest board — pulled after someone typed "Running" into the search bar.

What's the point?

[Read More]

Lightroom Classic 15.4 shipped with a duplicate finder, improved AI masking, and smarter culling tools, and at least a few of these updates will change how you manage and edit images day to day. If your library has grown to tens of thousands of files, one of these features alone is worth knowing about. 

[Read More]

7Artisans has built its reputation on cheap manual focus glass, so releasing autofocus lenses puts the company in direct comparison with brands that have been doing this for years. The bar for autofocus in 2024 is high, and whether a budget brand can clear it is a real question. 

[Read More]

Choosing between a $370 lens and a $1,100 lens is easy when the cheaper one wins on almost every technical measure. The Viltrox AF 55mm f/1.8 Evo is a direct challenge to the Sony Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 ZA, and Dustin Abbott's side-by-side test on the Sony a7R VI makes that case in detail. 

[Read More]

Landscape photography has a bias problem. The vast majority of images flooding social media and print focus on sunsets, northern lights, and those much-visited "honeypot" locations where tripod holes wear into the ground from overuse, while whole categories of equally compelling scenes get ignored entirely. 

[Read More]

 

Beachcombers find all sorts of treasures that make perfect photographic subjects. So while you're at the coast, take a walk along the beach to see what interesting objects you the sea has washed up for you to photograph.

 

1. What Gear Do I Need? 

A good zoom lens with a macro feature or good close-focusing ability will help you get in close to the various items washed up onshore. A proper macro lens will get you in even closer.

If you're out with the family at a time when the sun's high in the sky a polarising filter will reduce reflection, glare and boost the colours of the items you discover.

If you need some extra support a monopod is more convenient than a tripod, but generally, as you'll be on the move, it's easier to capture these shots hand-held. It all depends on who you are with and how much time you have got to linger. By the way, if you do use a monopod or tripod, wash the feet when you get home to get rid of the sand and salt.

  2. Safety And The Sea

Before we cover what there's to photograph we need to talk about safety. The sea can be a very dangerous thing and it needs treating with respect. Make sure you know when high tide will be and always be aware of the incoming tide so you don't get swept away or stranded. Broken glass, nails and other sharp objects can be washed up so take care to not cut or injure yourself.

Walking along the coast, searching for washed-up items can become rather addictive and before you know it you'll have been out on the beach for a couple of hours so don't forget your sun cream and if it's particularly sunny a hat!

 

 

3. Follow The Tide Lines

To find the most interesting objects you need to follow the tide lines just after a good storm or strong winds have blown in. head out not too late after high tide to give you the best chance of uncovering some photo treasures before they get picked up or the surrounding sand's spoilt with footprints.

 

4. More Subject Suggestions 

Seashells, fossils, shards of pottery and glass objects, driftwood and large plastic objects thrown overboard all wash up on shore and all have photographic potential. The key is to get in close to photograph the scratches, marks and cracks that make these objects unique. If you find larger items such as driftwood try taking a step back to give the item context. You could even collect lots of smaller items up and shoot a seaside themed still life. Obviously we do not encourage you remove stones, pebbles and the like.

 

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

 

Manfrotto released the ONE Photo tripod, expanding its ONE platform with a model designed specifically for photographers working with stills. The release follows the earlier ONE Hybrid tripod and brings a photography-first approach with precision, stability, and speed for stills workflows.

Designed and built in Italy, the ONE Photo features a non-round leg profile engineered to improve torsional rigidity, producing sharper images when using high-resolution mirrorless cameras and longer lenses while remaining lightweight and portable. The tripod's XTEND mechanism deploys all leg sections simultaneously for rapid setup and height adjustment. A sliding centre column supports precise height adjustments and ground-level shooting, while the Q90 mechanism converts the tripod from vertical to horizontal orientation instantly. This enables overhead, flat-lay, macro, and product photography without disassembly.

The ONE Photo is available in three configurations: the ONE Photo Aluminium Tripod for photographers who prefer to pair it with their own head, the ONE Photo Aluminium Tripod with XPRO Ball Head for general photography, and the ONE Photo Aluminium Tripod with XPRO 3-Way Head for studio and architectural work requiring independent axis control.

All versions support professional accessories via the Easy Link connector system, allowing lights, reflectors, and other equipment to attach directly to the tripod.

 

 

Availability

The Manfrotto ONE Photo range is available now through authorised Manfrotto dealers.

For more information, please visit the Manfrotto website.

 

About Manfrotto

Manfrotto is a global leader in the design and manufacture of innovative camera and lighting support solutions for the imaging industry. For over 50 years, Manfrotto has set the standard in delivering high-quality, reliable products that empower photographers and videographers to bring their creative visions to life.

The fastest way to make better portraits is not to buy a flash, a softbox, and three light stands. It is to learn to see and shape the light you already have. Natural light is free, it is forgiving once you understand it, and it teaches you the fundamentals that every lighting setup later builds on. This guide covers the gear, the camera settings, and the posing and light-shaping basics that get a beginner from snapshots to real portraits, all without a single strobe. 

[Read More]

© Benro

 

Benro has unveiled a new range of support accessories designed to maximise the performance and stability of its aluminium and carbon fibre tripods and monopods. Arriving in the UK in August 2026, the launch features two comprehensive 30-piece precision shim kits for easy gear servicing, alongside three sets of interchangeable rubber and stainless steel spiked feet built to handle everything from smooth studio floors to rugged outdoor terrain.

 

From Benro:

Benro introduces a new range of support accessories designed to keep tripods and monopods performing at their best across every shooting environment. The launch comprises two precision shim kits and three sets of interchangeable feet, giving photographers and videographers a simple way to service, customise and adapt their Benro gear.

 

ALS001 & CFS001 Shim Kits

Designed for the range of current Benro aluminium and carbon fibre tripods and monopods, but excludes Cyanbird and Blackbird, the ALS001 Aluminium Shim Kit and CFS001 Carbon Fibre Shim Kit include shims for every leg and leg-section configuration. Each kit contains 30 shims covering all required sizes – not every shim is used on every model, so leftover shims may remain after servicing. A Shims & Feet Compatibility List is available for dealers / retail allowing them to show clearly which products work with each option.

 

Interchangeable Rubber & Spiked Feet

Benro’s interchangeable feet improve stability, traction and adaptability while maintaining compatibility across multiple tripod series. The RF002 Rubber Feet (3/8″) are designed for 2, 3 and 4 Series tripods, improving grip on smooth indoor surfaces while helping protect floors. The RF001 Rubber Feet (M8 thread) suit 0 and 1 Series tripods with smaller leg diameters. For the outdoors, the SF001 Stainless Steel Spiked Feet (3/8″-16) dig into dirt, grass, ice and uneven terrain to deliver maximum stability on location. All feet are supplied as sets of three.

“These accessories give dealers and customers an easy way to keep Benro tripods and monopods in peak condition and ready for any surface – from studio floors to rugged outdoor terrain.” said Helen Gibbs Benro Marketing Manager

 

Key Features

• Interchangeable feet let tripods adapt to different shooting surfaces
• Rubber feet improve traction and protect indoor flooring
• Spiked feet provide superior grip outdoors and on uneven ground
• Shim kits cover every leg and leg-section configuration (30 shims per kit)
• Multiple thread options support compatibility across Benro tripod series
• Shims & Feet Compatibility List included to simplify dealer and customer selection

 

Pricing (inc. VAT)

• ALS001 – Benro Shims for Aluminium Tripods – £10.00
• CFS001 – Benro Shims for Carbon Fibre Tripods – £10.00
• RF001 – Benro #0 Rubber Feet (M8, set of 3) – £10.00
• RF002 – Benro #1 Rubber Feet (3/8″, set of 3) – £15.00
• SF001 – Benro Stainless Steel Spiked Feet (set of 3) – £15.00

 

Availability: UK stock expected August 2026. Consumer and website launch 5th August 2026.

For more information, please visit Benro's website.

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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 dke (Day 29 - 'The Colour 'Red').

 

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

Battle Re-Enactment

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Day 25

Twilight Photography

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Day 26

Travel Portraits

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Day 27

Living Museums

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  Day 28

City Night Shots

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Day 30

Coastal 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.

Before anything else gets misread, I want to make one thing clear.

[Read More]

Choosing a camera is rarely just about specs. A camera can cost over $6,000, autofocus everything in front of it, shoot at 30 frames per second with pre-capture, and still leave you feeling completely disconnected from your own images. 

[Read More]

Shooting street photography in the rain sounds miserable until you see what it actually produces. Hong Kong in a full thunderstorm gives you reflections, umbrellas, chaotic traffic, and strangers too focused on staying dry to notice a camera in their face. 

[Read More]

For years, the workflow gap between Hasselblad and Capture One was one of those quietly frustrating facts of professional life. If you shot medium format on a Hasselblad but preferred to edit in Capture One, you were stuck converting your raw files first, and every conversion chipped away at the color fidelity and editing latitude that were the whole point of shooting Hasselblad in the first place. That gap is now closed. 

[Read More]

1. What Gear Should I Use? 

To feel connected to the person in the image, you need to get in close without invading personal space the easiest way to do this is with a telephoto zoom. Working hand-held is fine but if you prefer you can use a tripod. 
 

2. Be Polite

If you're not working on a portrait shoot, it's always polite to ask when photographing someone, especially when your focus is their face. After all, you don't want them to suddenly turn around and scowl at you because they didn't know you were taking their picture.
 

3. Eyes Need To Be Sharp

To really pick out the details that make a portrait captivating blur your background and always, always make sure the eyes are in focus. To stop the portrait looking lifeless make sure there's a catch light in the eyes. A small burst of flash or having a light source behind the camera, facing the subject will help you do this.
 

4. Make Conversation 

Most people when they're asked if they can have their photo taken become quite self-conscious and will grin like the Cheshire cat until you've finished. To combat this, you need to talk to them, and this is not only about what you're trying to achieve but also ask them, about their life, what they do etc. Keep this conversation going, giving them pointers, and if it helps, compliments while you snap away. This will help them relax and soon they'll have forgotten about the lens they have pointing their way.

 

5. Give Guidance 

If you can, position your subject at a 45-degree angle and get them to turn their head to the camera as this can produce flattering results. However, directing them to look away, down or up will convey a completely different tone in the image. A sombre expression on a face that's looking away from the camera can appear reflective while someone looking up or into the distance will have a sense of determination and strength.

 

6. Think About Backgrounds 

Your subject always has to be the centre of attention so if you do want to use surrounding scenery make sure it compliments the portrait and isn't distracting. Back-lighting the subject can help with this as you'll get a halo-like effect on your subject's hair and body which will help them stand out from your background. If you're using the sun as your backlight you'll need to bounce light into the image to stop your subject appearing as a silhouette. To rectify this, bounce light onto your subject's face with a reflector or you could use fill-in flash but you'll need to make sure it's stopped down so your portrait still looks natural.

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

Today I'll have a look at an exciting new lens option for filmmakers, the Zhongyi Zone T1 cinema lens. 

[Read More]

Shooting a rocket launch at 1:30 a.m. from Morro Bay, photographing a trip to Maui with a $35 underwater film camera, and spending a week with a Lotus Emira press car on a dry lake bed: Willem Verbeeck packed a lot into the last couple of months, and this video covers all three projects. Each one involved a genuinely different approach to photography, and seeing how the results turned out across such different conditions is worth your time. 

[Read More]

 

Benro has officially unveiled the VT4 Monopod Base, a rugged three-leg locking base designed for fast-paced photography and video production. Built for demanding environments like sports and wildlife, the new base features a wide stance and a unique foot-activated pedal that lets shooters instantly lock their rig upright or tap to unlock it for fluid tracking.

 

From Benro:

Benro introduces the VT4 Monopod Base, a 3-leg locking base with a foot-activated pedal built for photographers and videographers working in fast-moving, demanding environments such as sports, wildlife, events and video production. It enhances stability and control while keeping shooters reacting quickly to unfolding moments.

  Smooth to Track, Instant to Lock

Designed to allow smooth, articulated movement while tracking action, the VT4 instantly locks the monopod perfectly vertical using a foot-activated 90-degree locking pedal when stability is critical. Tap the pedal again to unlock the ballhead for fluid movement. With a wide stance, adjustable tension ball and rugged metal construction, it provides confidence and balance when shooting for long periods.

 

Built for the Long Haul

A wide 54cm (21.25 inch) base spread improves balance during long events or heavy lens use, while two leg stop positions support controlled leg spread for different scenarios. Machined metal leg cutouts reduce weight while maintaining strength, and rubber feet improve traction on indoor floors, turf, pavement and other flat surfaces. The 3/8″-16 thread attaches directly to Benro monopods, or any compatible 3/8″-16 mount monopod.

“Whether you’re following fast action on the sidelines, tracking wildlife in the field, covering long events or stabilising a video rig, the VT4 delivers the balance, control and reliability needed to shoot longer, react faster and stay steady when it matters most.” said Helen Gibbs Benro Marketing Manager.

Key Features

• Foot pedal activates a 90-degree lock, keeping the monopod perfectly upright on flat surfaces during pauses in action
• Tap the pedal again to unlock the ballhead for smooth movement while tracking subjects
• Tensioning knob fine-tunes ballhead resistance to suit your shooting style
• Two leg stop positions for controlled leg spread
• Wide 54cm (21.25″) base spread for improved balance
• Machined metal leg cutouts reduce weight while maintaining strength
• Rubber feet for traction on indoor floors, turf and pavement
• 3/8″-16 thread for direct attachment to Benro or compatible monopods

 

Pricing and Availability

The Benro VT4 3-Leg Locking Base with Pedal for Monopods is officially priced at £95.00 (including VAT).

The consumer and website launch is scheduled for 5th August 2026, while UK stock is expected in August 2026.

For more details, please visit the Benro's website.