Photography News

Shooting in harsh midday light near water is a situation where photos fall apart fast. Without a reflector or an assistant, that direct sun creates unflattering shadows and a dynamic range that's nearly impossible to manage in a single exposure. 

[Read More]

Shooting unfamiliar terrain forces you to adapt fast. When the dramatic mountain backdrops you rely on aren't there, the images you make either show your range or expose your limits. 

[Read More]

Booking weddings consistently is one of the hardest parts of running a photography business, and most of the problems aren't about your camera or your shooting skills. They're about how you're running your operation, and the fixes are more straightforward than you might expect. 

 

[Read More]

Shooting the same iconic locations as everyone else is a trap most fall into without realizing it. This video makes a compelling case that the most memorable images aren't the ones that show everything perfectly; they're the ones that leave questions unanswered. 

[Read More]

 

We have plenty of woodlands to photograph and as rain showers are common at this time of year, greens will be more vibrant so now is a perfect time to photograph them. Plus, you can use these tips in Autumn, Winter and Spring, too, giving you a plethora of images to capture. 

 

1. Gear Suggestions

 

You can use a variety of lenses from wide-angle to shorter telephotos, you could even use a compact camera if you so wish. Make sure you pack a sturdy tripod as light can be low in dense woodland areas and, plus you'll need one for macro work you'll find a polarising filter handy as they boost colours and reduce reflections if you happen to be near water. If you're headed for a long-ish walk consider taking a backpack as these bag styles offer plenty of room for outdoor essentials as they tend to have side mesh pockets for water bottles and smaller compartments for guides, food etc. Invest in a remote release or, if you prefer, make use of your camera's self-timer for close up work and have a lens cloth to hand to wipe any smears or smudges off your lens.

 

2. Head For The Woods

 

We're never too far away from trees, in fact, many of us will have them in our gardens or on our streets. But even though we have good specimens close to home, to get really cracking shots, you need to venture to the woods or local gardens. Woods are welcoming for photographers but some gardens and other sites don't allow tripods so check before you lug it all that way. For shots of groups of trees, step back and photograph the whole woodland scene or crop in for a more arty feel.

 

3. Time Of Day

 

Even under the forest canopy light in the middle of the day can cause too much contrast so you're much better off heading out early or waiting for the sun to drop a little. Don't think you should stay in on overcast days either as these are perfect for some close-up photography.

 

4. Patterns And Textures 

 

Single trees look good isolated but if you're in the middle of the woods it's better to get closer. Look lower and you'll be able to add some texture to your images by focusing on the trunk. Make sure you look for patterns in the bark then turn your attention to bigger patterns searching for lines of trees that create strong, symmetrical images.

 

5. Other Objects 

 

Look for man-made objects such as benches or even statues too as these will contrast well against the soft colours of nature.

 

6. Leaves

 

If you have a bright blue sky look up at the canopy and concentrate on the leaves. Greens contrast well against a blue sky or you could crop in and really focus on the details of the veins. Just make sure you're not photographing ones that have been half-chewed by a bug! A 100mm macro lens will get you in close enough but if you want to create more detailed shots try using an extension tube or coupling rings on two lenses.

When you're out looking for leaves don't pick up ones that are too thick as light won't shine through them enough and select ones that have different patterns otherwise your job will get a little repetitive.
 

Photographing Leaves At Home

On rainy days, you can shoot images of leaves in the comfort of your own home. You just need a lightbox or you could use a window and tape your leaf to it. You can shoot one leaf, making the patterns created by the veins your focus or try placing a collection of leaves together to create a busier look. You'll see that backlight highlights the leaves' shape beautifully and really punches the veins out. You'll also find the colour appears to be more vibrant, and as there's no breeze, you can take all the time in the world to frame and get your shot right.

Do clean the leaf with a little water before you photograph it and make sure you dry it gently as you don't want it to split. Finally, once you've shot your images, run them through some editing software to check for imperfections before you hit print. 

 

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

 

Colour management just got more accessible for Mac-based creatives. Calibrite has revealed that its Display Plus HL colorimeter has received Apple approval for use with Apple's built-in display calibration system, a first for any colorimeter on the market. This level of hardware-level precision was previously reserved for high-end spectroradiometers used in dedicated colour facilities, yet the Display Plus HL brings that same capability to working photographers, filmmakers, and designers at a fraction of the cost.

 

From Calibrite:

Calibrite, the leader in colour management solutions trusted by photographers, filmmakers, and colourists worldwide, announced today that the Calibrite Display Plus HL has received Apple approval for use with Apple’s built-in display calibration system.

It is the first colorimeter to achieve this distinction.

The approval enables hardware-level calibration for Apple Studio Display, Studio Display XDR, Pro Display XDR, and supported MacBook Pro models, working natively within Apple’s macOS calibration workflow.

 

Calibration Written to the Display, Not Layered on Top

Unlike profile-based adjustment, Apple’s display calibration system writes settings directly to the display, refining white point, luminance, and colour accuracy at the source. A single calibration session updates every reference mode simultaneously, delivering consistent, reliable colour across the full brightness range, from SDR to HDR content up to 2,000 nits peak brightness.

Until now, this level of hardware-level precision required professional spectroradiometers designed for dedicated colour facilities; instruments priced well beyond the reach of most working creatives. At £309, Calibrite Display Plus HL changes that.

 

"This is a genuinely exciting moment for us at Calibrite. Calibrite Display Plus HL is now Apple Approved for hardware-level display calibration, working natively within Apple’s built-in macOS workflow across the full range of supported Apple displays. Until now, that level of precision required professional instruments priced for dedicated colour facilities. At under £400, Calibrite Display Plus HL brings it within reach of every serious creator on Apple hardware. For anyone serious about colour on Apple hardware, this changes what’s possible, and what’s affordable." -Stefan Zrenner, General Manager of Calibrite

 

Built for Apple’s Evolving Colour Standards

Calibrite Display Plus HL is designed to work with Apple’s latest colour technologies, including Apple CMF 2026, Apple’s next-generation Colour Matching Function that advances beyond the dated CIE 1931 standard, ensuring accurate and dependable results as display technology continues to evolve.

For professionals who require a comprehensive colour management workflow, Calibrite Display Plus HL works alongside Calibrite PROFILER software for ICC profiling, validation, and reporting, providing a complete end-to-end solution.

 

Availability

Calibrite Display Plus HL is available at £309 RRP through authorised retailers and calibrite.com. It is currently on offer at £249 until 30 June 2026.

 

Supported displays include:

• Apple Studio Display (2022 and 2026)
• Apple Studio Display XDR
• Apple Pro Display XDR
• Supported MacBook Pro models (M1-M5 Pro/Max and later)

 

For more information, please visit the Calibrite website.

 

About Calibrite

Calibrite is committed to providing the very best colour control solutions for Colour Perfectionists; photographers, filmmakers, designers, and content creators who love color and demand the very best tools for their colour critical creative workflow. From display calibration to ICC profiling and beyond, Calibrite builds tools for those who demand precision.

 

 

1. What Gear Do I Need?

• Camera – Compact or DSLR
• Camera bag – Keep your gear safe from sand and sea salt when you're not using it. 
• Tripod – Something lightweight and portable will be perfect as it won't take up too much room in the car and your arms won't ache after carrying it around all day.
• Polarising filter – Help reduce reflections and boost contrast.
• UV filter – Protect your lens from scratches.
• Hurricane blower and lens cloth – Make sure your lens is free of sea spray and keep grains of sand out.

  2. How To Protect Your Gear

You might enjoy a day out at the beach but your photography gear won't. Make sure you wipe all of your gear down when you get home and leave it to dry out completely. Spiked feet will stop your tripod slipping into the sand as you're trying to frame up while a UV filter will help stop sand scratching your lens. When you're not using your camera, remember to put it back in your bag and if you're using a DSLR and want to change lenses, try and do it off the beach and out of the wind so sand doesn't get blown where it shouldn't be.
 

 

3. What About Time Of Day? 

The warm light of an evening will give you better results than midday sun or if you're a morning person, get up early when the sun's at a lower angle so your shots will be more evenly lit without large, deep shadows running through them. There will be less people around at this time too as most of the day-trippers will have left if it's later in the evening or not arrived if you're up at the crack of dawn. Don't dismiss shooting a few shots of a busy beach though, particularly if it's a hot weekend and the sand can't be seen for towels and seats.

 

4. Don't Just Look Out To Sea

Sweeping vistas of the ocean and cliffs do look great but do try turning around with your camera and photograph the scene that's unfolding behind you. Just be careful who you point your lens at as there is a chance it will upset some parents who'll want to know why you're photographing their children. Try capturing shots that help tell the story of what happened at the beach – close-ups of sun cream bottles, buckets, spades and dropped ice cream cones make great 'fill-in' shots for photo albums and photo books.

 

 

5. Look For A Focal Point

When you do shoot out to sea try giving the shot a focal point in the foreground otherwise it can look a little empty. Driftwood, rocks and footprints are just three things you could use to add an extra element of interest to your shot. Just check you're using a small aperture before you take your shot to ensure front-to-back sharpness.
 

6. Focus On The Water 

To turn the waves into a smooth, dry ice-like motion you need to set your camera on a tripod and dial down to a slow shutter speed. How slow you need to go will depend on the movement of the waves and how bright it is so some experimentation will probably be needed. If you're struggling to get the speeds you need use a polarising or ND filter to reduce the amount of light entering the lens.

 

 

7. Change Your View

If there's a pier get on top of it to give yourself some height. You'll then be able to get more of the beach scene in shot. If you're using a compact camera that has a tilt-shift mode, getting up on the pier will give you the chance to turn the people sat on the beach into model-like characters. If there isn't a pier try extending the centre column on your tripod to give you more height. You may want to pack a remote release in case you can't reach the camera's shutter button when your tripod's extended. It'll also help reduce the chances of shake spoiling your shot.

 

8. Check Your Horizons

You need to make sure your horizon's straight and try moving its position to draw the viewer's attention to a particular part of the shot. See our previous piece on Horizons for more tips.

 

 

9. Shoot A Sunset / Sunrise

You can't go to the coast without photographing a sunrise/sunset (depending on which coast you're on). Just remember to have yourself at your chosen location an hour or so before sunset/rise and make sure you pack your tripod as working hand-held in these low light situations will only cause shake. For more tips on this, take a look at our previous articles:

• Photographing Sunsets
• Sunrise Photography Advice

  10. Capture Some Close-Ups

Shells and pebbles are just two subjects you can use for a spot of close up photography on the beach. For more ideas and tips, take a look at our previous piece: Close Up Work With Compacts.
 

 

11. How To Deal With Exposure Problems

The problem with sand sat against a light sky is that it can confuse your camera into underexposing the shot so try using exposure compensation to deliberately overexpose the scene. It can be tricky getting the whole scene exposed correctly and bracketing can help, however, if you have subjects that can't stay still, your shots won't line up when you're back in front of your computer.

If you're working with a compact camera switch it to Beach scene mode from the camera's scene mode or picture mode menu. The Beach scene mode will increase the exposure slightly to compensate but also adjusts the white balance to make the sand look more natural.
 

12. Photograph People

To capture your kids running around switch to fast shutter speeds and continuous shooting mode. If you want to slow things down try getting them to do something that'll keep them in one place such as building a sandcastle you'll be able to get some great frame-filling shots of their faces to show their expressions but do zoom out a little too as this will give the shot context. If you find the sun's casting shadows on their face try adding a little fill-in flash and avoid positioning the sun behind you as this will only make them squint. For more tips on shooting portraits at the coast take a look at this article: Holiday Portraits.

 

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

 

There is a specific feeling that I am going to try to describe, and I am not sure I will succeed. It is the feeling of being nine years old in 1996, holding a plastic Kodak FunSaver on a wrist strap, with the flash recycling and the little red ready light blinking on and off, knowing that I had 27 chances to take a picture and that I would not see any of them until my mom got the envelope back from the grocery store a week later.

[Read More]

There was a moment recently when I realized the digital noise became too loud. Influencers and brands constantly talking about the latest technology and how it can improve your image quality. Menus became complicated. Firmware upgrades necessary. Increasingly faster eye-tracking and endless focus modes you never asked for. At some point, you start to miss something simpler—something quieter. Something that feels like photography again. 

Cue film photography discussions.

And that's also when people—typically younger people—start telling you that you need a Leica.

[Read More]

Whether you want to record clean audio, or you want a quite room to enjoy music in, room treatment is imperative and usually extremely expensive. Costco just brought the price way down.   

[Read More]

Choosing between a 35mm and 85mm prime for portraits is one of the most common debates in portrait shooting, and most people assume you need both. This video makes a strong case that a single 50mm prime not only covers the middle ground but can actually outperform the two-lens setup in more situations than you'd expect. 

[Read More]

I realized at some point that most of the photographs I was making came from leaving too early — not physically, but mentally. 

[Read More]

Improving as a landscape photographer has less to do with mastering technical settings and more to do with building the life skills that get you out the door, keep you in the field longer, and make your images mean something when you share them. These aren't camera skills. They're human skills that happen to make your photography better as a side effect. 

[Read More]

Selecting a subject in Photoshop has always required some combination of patience and compromise, but AI depth masking changes the math on that. Instead of identifying edges or colors, it reads the three-dimensional depth of your scene and lets you select based on where things actually sit in space. 

[Read More]

Shooting architecture with a wide angle lens is harder than it looks. Converging verticals, contrast extremes, and the question of what clients actually want from your images all collide in ways that catch a lot of people off guard. 

[Read More]

You all see the classic e-commerce shots on any fashion designer's website, but seldom do you get to see the full behind-the-scenes of what it takes to make them. Recently, I did an e-com photo and video shoot for a brand that I work with. Here is the process, how I lit it, how I shot it, as well as the overall behind-the-scenes look at what goes into a relatively simple shoot like this. 

[Read More]

 

Photogenic lighthouses can be found all around the UK's coastline and many of us are close enough to head out for a day trip where a space for photographing a lighthouse, among other things, can be made. However, not all shots need be taken when there's plenty of light in the sky as silhouettes of lighthouses can be just as interesting as ones that capture textures and colour.
 

1. What Gear Do I Need?

You can use any lens for a lighthouse silhouette, depending on the type of image you are wanting to shoot. With a wide-angle, you will need to get in closer and that means converging verticals although that it not a problem with a lighthouse. However, the top will look rather thin and spindly.

From further away, you can frame the lighthouse along the base of the frame and let a colourful sunrise or sunset sky dominate. With a telephoto, you can retreat even further away so it really depends on the effect you are wanting to get.

It's always a good idea to use a tripod for landscapes as you need to ensure your horizons are straight and it makes it easier to adjust your camera settings too.

 

Always make room for filters as they can come in handy and plenty of camera bags have compartments for accessories such as these, plus they don't take up much room.

 

2. What Time Of Day Is Best? 

Timing your shoot is the key thing here. Of course, you can shoot silhouettes at any time of day, but they often look much better when there is some warmth in the sky, so early or late in the day is best.

Early isn't for everyone, however the advantage of sunrise, though, is that there are not many people around so it depends on the effect you are after.

 

3. What About The Weather? 

You are obviously very dependent on the sky for this technique and you can get good effects in all sorts of conditions – dull, even greyness is when it is not worth the effort.
 

4. Never Look Directly At The Sun 

One word of warning with the sun – you should never look through the camera directly at the sun because you can permanently damage your eyes. For silhouettes like this make sure that the sun is shielded by the lighthouse when you are framing up. Or if you want the sun in the frame, use the camera's Live View feature so you can frame up safely.

 

5. How Can I Create A Silhouette?

Aim a camera at a brightly backlit scene and a silhouette is often the result anyway. Some multi-zone metering systems will try to avoid that, though, and give you more detail than you might want in the shadows. This is easily sorted by aiming the camera up at the sky and using the auto exposure lock to take a reading off the brighter sky. You could use the spot or centre-weight light measurement modes of your camera but multi-segment should work fine too. Recompose and shoot for the perfect silhouette. Or just set -1EV or even -2EV on the exposure compensation dial.

 

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

    Hedgerows divide land right across Britain, including many back gardens, and they're home to a wide variety of wildlife making them a perfect place for outdoor photographers. A hedgerow will give you a huge shot collection of flowers, plants, insects, small mammals and birds from just one location. You just need to know where to look and when.   What Gear Should I Take? 

 

If you're on the hunt for insects and flowers take your macro lens along but if you want to photograph the many birds and small mammals that live in the hedgerow you'll need a telephoto or zoom lens so you can observe and take your photographs from a distance that won't scare them off.

A tripod or even a beanbag will give your arms a rest and stop you shaking the camera when you're working on those frame-filling shots. Use a remote release or if you don't have one make use of the self-timer as this will give you enough time to press the shutter and move away so your movement won't blur your shot. As it's dark and shadowy inside a hedgerow take a reflector out with you to add and direct light into the shot.

If you're going to be working on the ground it's worth taking a gardener's kneeling pad with you to keep your knees dry and a little comfier.

 

Capturing Shots Of Flowers

 

Whatever time of year you do your hedgerow flower photography, if you use your lens' minimum aperture to give your flower shots greater depth of field, remember this will slow your shutter speed down so watch out for camera shake.

 

Top Tips On Bird Photography 

 

If it's birds you're searching for wrens and thrushes are just two of the species you'll find nesting in the dense cover. This can make them hard to spot, but most birds prefer taller, mature hedges where there are plenty of trees around they can perch on so keep an eye out for areas like this. Also, spend enough time around these older, well-developed areas and you may even spot shy blue tits, owls and even bats if you're out late enough. Keep your ears open for bird song too as this will give away even the smallest of birds locations.

If your focus is a particular branch have your lens focused and exposure locked in place so when the bird lands you can quickly snap your shot. You may find continuous shooting's useful and keep an eye on your exposure as a bright sky and a dark subject can confuse the camera into thinking it needs to underexpose the shot.

Make sure you don't disturb any nests and don't trespass! Stick to public paths or better still, your own garden.

 

Shoot From A Bird's Eye View

If you live near a hill or can get to higher ground try photographing a group of fields. The patchwork of colour, particularly towards the summer with rapeseed, separated by rows of hedges makes a great looking photograph. Try doing a year-long hedgerow safari too as the flora and wildlife will continuously change so there'll be ample to photograph.

 

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

Technical proficiency and a good eye are extremely important aspects of success for a motorsports photographer, but so is something many photographers do not want to do—planning. The cover photo would lack interest without the sun rising behind the cars. 

[Read More]

Following the strong reception of its D1 Plus and Pro models, TerraMaster has introduced the D1 SSD Enclosure, and its timing couldn't be better. As AI and machine learning workloads continue to drive unprecedented demand for flash storage, SSD prices have climbed sharply, forcing creators to rethink how they invest in capacity. Instead of committing to expensive, fixed solutions, the D1 offers a more flexible approach to pair with the SSD that fits your budget and your needs. 

[Read More]