Photography News

Shooting a landscape and making it feel like a landscape are two different things. Steve O'Nions makes that case convincingly, and his approach to doing it with a Holga and fiber-based darkroom prints is worth paying attention to. 

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

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1. 10 Quick Tips On Photographing Garden Birds

 

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

 

2. Winter Wildlife Photography Tips

 

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

 

3. Winter Bird Photography Tips

 

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

 

4. How To Take Great Waterfowl Photos With Ease

 

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

 

5. Photography In UK Wildlife Safari Parks

 

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

 

6. Why Use A Telephoto Lens For Wildlife Photography?

 

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

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

 

7. Photographing Dragonflies And Damselflies

 

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

 

8. How To Stop Wire Fences Ruining Your Wildlife Shots

 

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

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

 

 

9. 5 Common Wildlife Photography Mistakes To Avoid

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

 

10. Master Swan Photography With These 4 Tips

 

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

 

11. How To Capture Top Birds Of Prey Imagery

 

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

 

12. Photographing Lambs

 

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

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

 

13. Perfect Your Pet Photography

 

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

 

  14. Butterfly Photography

 

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

 

15. 7 Essential Zoo Photography Tips

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

 

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

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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 CathTay (Day 24 - 'Balance').

 

Daily Theme Runners-Up

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

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

  Day 22

Twilight Photography

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Day 23

Grey Weather Days

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Day 25

Creative Lighting

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  Day 26

Family Photos

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Day 27

Building Detail

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Day 28

Snowdrops

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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.

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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 Jimev (Day 11 - Close-Up).

 

Daily Theme Runners-Up

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

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

  Day 8

Dogs

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Day 9

Church

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Day 10

'Fresh' Theme

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  Day 12

Lamb

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Day 13

Park

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Day 14

People

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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.

 

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

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1. Focus On One Flower 

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

 

2. Plain Backgrounds 

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

 

3. Side-On Shots 

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

 

4. Blue Sky Backgrounds 

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

 

 

5. Get Close-Up

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

 

6. All The Flowers 

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

 

7. Remove Shadows 

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

 

 

8. Small Apertures 

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

 

9. Arty Blur 

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

 

10. Giant Softbox

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

 

 

 

11. Wind Is Not Your Friend

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

 

12. Water Droplets 

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

 

13. Use A Reflector

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

 

14. Cuttings Inside

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

 

 

15. Shoot From Under The Flower Head

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

 

16. Backlit Fun With Old Flowers

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

 

17. Creative Effects 

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

 

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

Most photographers assume street photography workshops are only for established names with large followings. If you've spent years working the streets, you already have what people will pay for. The question is whether you're ready to structure that knowledge into something teachable.

 

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Culling is the least glamorous part of any photographer's workflow, and it is also the part most likely to quietly devour your evening. Whether you are trimming a 3,000-frame wedding or whittling down a portrait session, the process of deciding what stays and what goes can stretch from minutes into hours if you let it. The frustrating part is that slow culling rarely produces better results. More often, it just produces more indecision and a nagging feeling that you cut the wrong frame.  

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Choosing between the Fujifilm X-T5, the Fujifilm X-E5, and the Fujifilm X-T50 is harder than it looks on paper, because all three share the same 40-megapixel sensor, the same X-Processor 5, and the same in-body image stabilization system rated up to seven stops. The spec sheet won't make the decision for you, but the real-world differences between these three bodies absolutely will. 

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Wedding days move fast and small mistakes feel big. The way you prepare before you walk out the door decides how calm and clear-headed you’ll be when the pressure hits. 

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Cheap point-and-shoot cameras are back, and models like the Camp Snap Pro, Flashback 135 V2, and Rewind Pix sit right at the $100 mark. If you want a simple camera with a real flash and no screen to distract you, these three are getting most of the attention. 

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Choosing a mirrorless camera for landscape work means weighing resolution, dynamic range, and stabilization against real shooting conditions, not just spec sheets. The Sony a7 V lands in a crowded space, but its 33-megapixel partially stacked sensor and 7.5 stops of in-body image stabilization make it worth a closer look before you dismiss it as just another incremental update. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Weather & Blue Skies

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

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

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

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

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

4. Shot Type Two: Bokeh Backgrounds 

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

 

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In recent years, NAS devices have quietly regained relevance, particularly among photographers and small creative teams. This resurgence is driven not only by concerns over cloud storage costs and data ownership but also by improved affordability and the accessibility of modern NAS technology. The TerraMaster F2-425 Plus enters this space as an affordable flagship hybrid NAS, combining high-speed networking, NVMe expansion, and a more approachable setup experience—features that were once reserved for far more expensive systems. 

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The ProArt P16 pairs a stunning 4K OLED display with desktop-rivaling performance in a surprisingly portable package. Here's what two months of real-world use revealed. 

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The Tamron 35-100mm f/2.8 Di III VXD steps into a space that barely existed before. You get a constant f/2.8 aperture, useful reach to 100mm, and a body that doesn’t weigh down your bag. 

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The Fujifilm X100VI has been one of the most talked-about compact cameras in years, partly because it took so long to get into people’s hands. If you’ve been holding out for one, the real question isn’t about hype, it’s about whether the changes actually affect how you shoot. 

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Shooting a first wedding carries real weight. You get one day, no redo, and a long list of moments that will not wait while you figure things out. 

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You don’t need a detailed plan to come home with strong images. Rick Bebbington proves that during a three-hour walk through Punta Arenas, Chile, where he ignores the obvious shots and trusts instinct instead. 

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

 

1. Urban Portrait Shoot Photography Tips

 

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

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2. Tips On Using Fill-In Flash For Portraits

 

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

 

3. Natural Light Portrait Tips For Beginners

 

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

 

4. Winter Portrait Photography Tips

 

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

 

5. Photographing Low Light Portraits

 

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

 

6. Creative Children Portraits On A Budget

 

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

 

7. Fun Portrait Photography Tips

 

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

 

8. Shoot Better Environmental Portraits With These Tips

 

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

 

9. How To Create Catchlights In Your Portrait Shots

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

11. Portrait Photography Tips For Shoots Outside

 

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

 

12. Indoor Portraits With Window Light

 

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

 

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