Photography News

Fast, reliable autofocus is the dream and the frustration of anyone shooting wildlife or action. When your subject moves, even the best cameras can miss the mark, costing you the perfect moment. Understanding how to take control of autofocus instead of relying on factory defaults can mean the difference between a keeper and a throwaway frame.

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Low f-number lenses have always been a kind of optical myth. You chase them for that magical look in dim light, but the physics behind them is rarely simple. The pursuit of brighter images and faster glass isn’t only about collecting more light. It’s about understanding how light itself bends, refracts, and behaves once it passes through a lens.

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Cross polarising effect is where you use a pair of polarising filters - one on the camera and one on the light source (behind the subject) to show stress in plastic which appears as wonderful multicoloured pattern. It used to be quite difficult as the filter needed for the backlight needed to be large and polarising gels are not only hard to find but also quite expensive. But there is a modern-day solution and it's staring right at you! Your LCD computer monitor. Yes, this can be used as the light source and even though you didn't realise - it has the polariser built-in.

You'll need to use a camera with a polarising filter either attached or positioned in front of the lens. Of course, you'll need a monitor and a steady support will also be useful. A tripod is ideal but it could be something as simple as a pile of books just so long as the camera is set to the correct height.

Some clear hard plastic items - filter cases, plastic cutlery, plastic glasses, cassette and cd cases or geometry sets are a few options - will also be needed as well as something to hold the plastic item steady in front of the computer monitor. Where possible ensure your items are scratch-free as these can spoil the effect. 

 

Step-by-step cross polarisation photography instructions:

1. Turn the monitor on and remove any desktop clutter and change the screen saver to a neutral colour. The other option is to create a plain mid-grey image about 800x600 pixels and call it grey.jpb. Drag this to the web browser to display it and then hit the f11 key to display the browser full-frame without menus. And then hold down the ctrl key and tap the + key until the grey image fills the monitor window.

2. Position the plastic item in front and in the centre of the monitor. A clamp is a useful tool for this but really, whatever you use just has to get the area you want to photograph in the centre of the monitor.

3. Attach the polarising filter to your camera and position the camera in front of the plastic so all you see is an area of the plastic with the grey image totally filling the background. If you can't get close with your camera use the lens at its telephoto setting to fill the frame and avoid edges of the monitor showing. If you still can't get close enough you will have to crop off areas you don't want later.

4. Rotate the polarising filter and watch the colours of the plastic become stronger and the grey goes darker. If you have it set up correctly the grey monitor will go totally black, and the colours in the plastic will be brilliant.

You can use any exposure mode and shooting at the metered setting should be fine. Underexpose a little if you want even more dramatic colours.

For an extra level of abstractness bring a second item even closer to the lens to make the whole image have a multicoloured filter. By experimenting you can often find undiscovered gems.

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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 15 - Fungi).

 

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 9

Landmarks

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  Day 10

British Wildlife

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Day 11

Movement

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Day 12

Mood

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  Day 13

Self Portraits

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Day 14

Coast Out Of Season

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Day 16

Fallen Leaves

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Day 17

Autumn Macros

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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.

Under the Foam by Henrique Casinhas

 

The World Sports Photography Awards returns for its seventh year and is now accepting entries. Canon joins as the official imaging partner, marking a new chapter for the competition.

The Awards acknowledge sports photographers who know how to capture the emotion, strength, and precision of athletic moments. Each year, a panel of judges from sport, media, photography, and branding selects the strongest images.

Canon’s partnership reflects its long-standing connection to sports photography. With decades of experience and technical leadership, Canon shares a commitment to supporting photographers who document the power and intensity of sport.

A new category has been introduced for 2026: the Canon Emerging Talent award. This section is dedicated to photographers under the age of 30 who show strong skill and creativity in documenting sport. It aims to recognise the next generation of talent and give them a platform to be seen.

Richard Shepherd, Product Marketing Senior Manager, Imaging at Canon Europe, adds:

"Canon has a rich heritage of capturing sport’s most iconic moments, and as the camera of choice for the majority of photographers entering these awards, this sponsorship reaffirms our commitment to delivering the robust, reliable, high-speed equipment that empowers them to tell those powerful stories. We are especially excited to introduce the ‘Canon Emerging Talent’ award, which will shine a spotlight on the remarkable skill and passion of the next generation.”

 

The Great Water Ditch by Magdalena Strakova

 

Photographers are welcome to submit up to 10 sports images taken between December 2024 and November 2025. This year's competition includes 24 categories and is free to enter. The deadline is 24 November 2025. Photos that were entered in last year's contest can't be submitted again.

 

Entry Details for 2026 Awards:

• Entries Open: Now
• Deadline: 24 November 2025
  • 13:00 New York City
  • 18:00 London
  • 19:00 Amsterdam
  • 03:00 Tokyo (25 November)
  • 05:00 Sydney (25 November)
• Eligibility: Up to 10 sports images taken between December 2024 and November 2025
• Categories: 24 sports categories
• Entry Fee: None

 

The World Sports Photography Awards has a zero tolerance policy for image manipulation or editing. All entries must be original and capture the moment as it happened. This rule is in place to respect the time, effort, and skill photographers put into their work. For full details about the competition, please visit the official website of the World Sports Photography Awards.

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

  1. Leaves / Trees

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

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

 

4. Birds

 

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

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

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

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

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

 

5. Mushrooms

 

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

 

Quick tips for mushroom photos:

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

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

There's always that one unremarkable place near where you live. A street corner you pass without thinking. A park bench under a tree. An alley behind a strip mall. You've walked by it hundreds of times and never once thought to photograph it. The first time you do, the image will probably be forgettable. The tenth time will change how you see everything.

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Autumn in the Utah mountains transforms the landscape into a mosaic of color, and few capture that transformation like Michael Shainblum. In his latest video, he explores how to find order in chaos, turning the overwhelming range of fall tones into cohesive, striking compositions. The focus isn’t on grand vistas but on patterns, textures, and subtle interplay between color and light.

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Taking professional grade pictures takes time, but it's much easier when you have the right teachers and the right tools. For the next five days, there's an incredible photography deal offering incredible education and tools for 96% off.

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These days, everyone’s chasing algorithms like it’s The Hunger Games, posting reels with audio that sounds like a toaster crying in reverse. And why? So a robot can “boost your engagement”? It’s a waste of time (because it is). So let’s get something out of the way. This isn’t a “how to beat the algorithm” article, because trying to “beat” the algorithm is like trying to out-yell a jet engine with a kazoo. You’re not going to win. And frankly, that’s not the point.

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When you spend hours outdoors, balancing wildlife, landscapes, and macro work, the last thing you want is to lug a heavy setup. The right camera should disappear in your hands, letting you focus on movement, light, and timing.

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Choosing between the Fujifilm XF 23mm f/2 R WR and Fujifilm XF 27mm f/2.8 R WR pancake primes isn’t just about focal length. It’s about how you see, move, and shoot. Both are small, light, and sharp, but each pushes your composition in a different direction.

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Some photographers will use brackets to optimize flash placement. Some will leave it on the hot shoe and forget about it. At times, I will even have an assistant hand-hold a strobe close to the lens—but what if you’re not able to do that? How can you still get a flash look that’s direct and punchy, yet cleaner by having the light higher than the lens? That’s where this technique I’ve picked up comes in. It may not be the most elegant solution, but it works.

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A 200mm f/2 telephoto lens isn’t for casual shooting. It’s heavy, demanding, and built for moments when you want striking compression and clean separation from the background. If you shoot portraits or cinematic close-ups, lenses like this turn ordinary scenes into something surreal. That’s why understanding what makes this one special can save you from spending on the wrong kind of “dream” glass.

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    The colours of Autumn are really what make our images sing and one way to exaggerate the golds, yellows and reds is with backlight. Plus, it'll really make the intricate pattern of veins stand out and focus the viewer's attention.   Backlighting, where the light comes from behind your subject towards your camera, can make semi-translucent subjects such as Autumn leaves really 'pop' from the frame. Colours tend to glow more and the detail found in leaves, such as the veins, really stand out. Plus, if you can position your subject against a darker background you'll enhance the effect. Just make sure your lens is shielded to prevent flare with a lens hood, your hand or use your surroundings to create a cover for your lens. While we're talking about light, it's worth mentioning that you can actually create this effect with the sun to the left or right of your frame, so long as it's at a low angle.    1. Think about lens choice

Working close with wide-angle lenses can give creative results, however, flare will be more of a problem. A macro or telezoom lens is ideal but still fit a lens hood to prevent flare. Do check the frame to make sure the lens hood hasn't crept into the frame though. 

If you find the leaf is silhouetting against the sky just add a little fill-in flash. You can also position the flash behind the leaf to create your backlight if the sun's not playing ball or when at home, use a window or even a lamp as your light source. You just need to place a piece of tape over the leaf's stalk and stick it flat against a window. You won't have to worry about wind blowing your subject around at home either.

  2. Leave space between the subject and the background for good bokeh

Having space between your leaf and its background will help create the distraction-free blurry background we're after. Using an aperture to throw other leaves out of focus can help too.

When it comes to metering it's best to take a reading from the leaves to ensure they are correctly exposed and switching to spot metering will help. If the background's dark you may need to reduce the exposure by about half to one stop to ensure it stays dark. If it's light, open up half to one-stop and bracket if you are unsure. Check your histogram too to make sure your shot is correctly exposed. To make the light around the edge of your subject 'sparkle' you may need to overexpose the shot slightly.

After Autumn gives way to Winter you can use this backlighting technique to enhance the sparkly appearance of frost and ice which works particularly well when working with plants. 

 

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

 

1. Autumn Wide-Angle Landscapes 

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

  2. Focus On A Single Tree This Autumn

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

 

3. How To Photograph Abstracts

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

 

4. Top Tips On Photographing Reflections

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

 

  5. 10 Top Tips For Taking Better Photos Of Trees

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

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

 

6. Add An Interesting Sky

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

7. Play With Back Light

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

  8. How To Photograph Fallen Leaves

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

 

  9. Top Tips On Photographing Birds

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

 

10. Capture Photos of Dew Drops

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

 

11. Shoot Sunbeams On Autumn Days

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

 

12. Still Life Photography Can Be Autumn-Themed

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

 

 

13. Top Tips On Using Lens Flare Creatively 

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

  14. Top Frost Photography Tips

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

 

15. How To Use Paths And Roads In Your Photos

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

  16. Top Halloween Photography Tips 

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

   

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

In the first article, we explored five cameras that had the right vision but arrived at the wrong time, from Sony's Mavica prototype to the Contax N Digital. These machines predicted the future of photography but couldn't convince the market they were right.

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The Sigma 135mm f/1.4 DG Art lens isn’t just another telephoto prime. It’s a lens that opens creative doors through its rare blend of focal length and wide aperture. You notice it right away: the way it isolates your subject, softens the background, and transforms an ordinary portrait into something cinematic. That level of control over depth and compression makes this lens a serious tool for refining your look.

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Even a successful career isn’t always champagne and roses. But the lessons one learns on the downslope can often be just as important, if not more so, than the rewards gained at the top.

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Zeiss brought back its most coveted portrait prime with a clean-sheet design for mirrorless, and the results hit where it counts. You get the classic Sonnar look, with crisp focus falloff, smooth backgrounds, and rich color, without lugging a studio-only brick around town.

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