The Ocean Photographer of the Year Overall Winner, Yury Ivanov
Oceanographic Magazine has announced the winners of the 2025 edition of the Ocean Photographer of the Year competition—and it’s another stunning collection of images showcasing the beauty beneath (and above) the waves. This year’s overall winner—the “Ocean Photographer of the Year”—is Yury Ivanov. His beautiful shot of a pair of amphipods hanging out on some coral isn’t only technically very challenging, but also rather unusual—these “ladybugs of the sea,” measuring just 3mm in length, are not photo subjects that typically attract awards.
The winners of the other nine awards were equally deserving. They included Marcia Riederer, who was crowned “Fine Art Photographer of the Year” for the same elegant dwarf minke that recently took Gold in the Australian category of the Underwater Awards Australasia; and Takumi Oyama, who earned the title “Wildlife Photographer of the Year” for his fantastic behavior shot of a yellow pygmy goby releasing newly hatched larvae into the water column from her mouth. We were particularly excited to see DPG’s own Matt Sullivan clinch the “Ocean Portfolio Award” for a breathtaking collection of 10 images—some of which you may well recognize from Matt’s recent articles.
Head over to the winners gallery on the Oceangeographic Magazine website to see all the recognized photos. Congratulations to all the worthy winners and runners-up!
Fine Art Photographer of the Year, Winner, Marcia Riederer
Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Winner, Takumi Oyama
Adventure Photographer of the Year, 3rd place, Alex Dawson
Conservation (Impact) Photographer of the Year, 2nd place, Daniel Flormann
Conservation (Hope) Photographer of the Year, 2nd place, László Földi
Human Connection Award: People and Planet Ocean, Winner, Craig Parry
Young Photographer of the Year, Winner, Aaron Sanders
Welcome to our weekly community wrap-up. It’s been another great and exciting week on the Light Stalking forums with some great photography by the community. Members have been submitting high quality photos the past few weeks, which makes it even more exciting.
Here is the Photo Of The Week that is judged by Federico every week. This week’s photo of the week is by Patrick and you can read what Federico had to say about this photo in the link here – Photo of the Week – September 19th
First Place: The Ghost in the Machine – Copyright Patrick
The weekend photography challenge from last week was “Unseen Beauty” and members had their creative take on the theme with very interesting shots – some of them are shared below.
Copyright David C
Copyright Patrick
Copyright Michael
Copyright Tersha
Copyright Patrick
Copyright Pat Garrett
Copyright Pat Garrett
Copyright Patrick
Copyright Robert Apple
Copyright Tersha
Gonna get things moving round here – Copyright Patrick
Copyright Tersha
This week, we have a new challenge that has some very beautiful submissions already. Join the challenge here – Light Of The Ordinary
Here are some amazing shots from the past week that we thought were great and should be included here:
How do you improve? – Rob started a very interesting discussion on how photographers may fall into a few different groups. Join it here.
Steve started a discussion on Magnetic Filters. Join over here to participate.
If you are someone who captures images with your smartphone, we have a Mobile Photography Challenge where you can post your mobile photos and also check out the works by other photographers. The images must be captured and edited on a smartphone. Join to submit the photos over here.
There are also some members’ picks that are featured. These can be chosen by any of the members and are put in a whole new thread of their own and called out as being a great addition and shot for the forums. Check out those stunning captures here.
Patrick started a thread late last year – “Community Inspired Photo Story Challenge” – capture a story in 3 to 6 photos that hold personal significance and post them with a brief description. While that thread was started to be completed within a week, it has been open with ongoing submissions for the past year and is still open where members can post their stories.
Here are some throwdowns to follow and post your own photos, or you can start your own throwdown too.
2025 Reflections Throwdown – a unique way to capture your own reflection, whether abstract or otherwise. There are many beautiful images to go through for some inspiration.
Filmmaker Xander Ferreira on location with the Sigma 135mm T2, one of several Sigma Cine prime lenses used in this project.
One of the greatest decisions you’ll ever make as a filmmaker heading into the field is choosing your camera rig. It’s not just about gear — it’s about committing to a creative mindset, a visual language. Like a warrior sharpening their blade before battle, your lens choice prepares you to engage with what lies ahead. And in the world of documentary filmmaking, where unpredictability is your constant companion, your gear needs to be as resilient and refined as your vision.
Recently, I had the privilege of joining the visionary Japanese brand, The Inoue Brothers, on a two-week odyssey across Ghana and South Africa. Our mission: to discover artisans whose ancient crafts would form the heart of a socially impactful new collection. It was a journey into the tactile, the sacred, and the raw — the very essence of storytelling through image.
Satoru and Kiyoshi Inoue being filmed with the Sigma Cine 24mm T1.5 FF
From the sprawling, chaotic arteries of Accra’s Kantamanto Market to the humid, emerald depths of South Africa’s Limpopo rainforests and savannas, we were chasing moments — those ephemeral truths that live between hands that weave, eyes that sculpt, and communities that create. Joining me on this extraordinary journey? A carefully curated set of four Sigma Cine prime lenses.
Into the Labyrinth: Kantamanto Market, Accra
The hustle of Ghana’s street markets called for a relatively wide lens — but which one to choose?
Our journey began in Ghana, inside the living organism that is Kantamanto — the largest secondhand clothing market in the world. Tens of thousands of people flowed like rivers through a dense labyrinth of textile and trade. I initially leaned into my favorite lens, the Sigma Cine 35mm T1.5 FF, which to me is the storytelling workhorse. If I had to shoot an entire feature film on one lens, this would be it. It’s intimate, true, versatile, and cinematic.
My favorite overall Sigma CIne lens, the 35mm T1.5 FF.
But Katamanto demanded something wider. The sheer scale of humanity and chaos unfolding before us called for a broader perspective. That’s when the Sigma Cine 24mm T1.5 FF became indispensable. It allowed me to glide through crowds, to duck into alleyways and stalls, and to capture the scale and intensity of human movement. With it, I could place the viewer right there in the midst of the fray — smelling the smoke, hearing the barter, seeing the faces.
The 24mm T1.5 FF allows a filmmaker to compose big scenes in tight spaces, mirroring the feeling of actually being present in those locations.
One particular moment remains etched in my mind: standing on a rooftop, gazing out across Katamanto’s sprawling chaos. I wanted to tell the story from above — of scale, of movement, of patterns. The Sigma Cine 135mm T2 FF was perfect here. It allowed me to follow individuals threading their way through the maze, painting a canvas of human navigation from a distance.
A long lens for long stories.
From the vivid rhythms of Accra, our journey carried us northward to the Tamale region, where the air grew dense with heat and time seemed to slow. We crossed wide rivers by canoe, venturing deeper into a land where centuries of tradition breathed through cloth and ceremony in a place where it felt that time had stood still. In a remote village known for its indigo and kente, we were received with quiet caution by the elders. But as trust and mutual reverence took root, the elders opened a sacred portal — revealing a world where each gesture, color, and woven thread felt guided by an unseen, divine hand. It was as if the very landscape had conspired to show us beauty in its purest, most deliberate form.
The beautiful details of hand-woven textiles are also nicely captured with a longer lens like the 135mm T2 FF.
Into the Trees: Limpopo’s Afro-Montane Forests
Heading further from the cities, we encountered exquisite natural beauty, for which I used a variety of focal lengths including the 85mm T1.5 FF.
We journeyed south into the haunting beauty of the Limpopo province in South Africa. The rainforests here feel ancient and watchful, while the savannas are bountiful with wildlife. Truly the closest thing you could experience from the visceral natural worlds of The Jungle Book and The Lion King. In the ancient afro-montane rainforest, trees towered like cathedrals and mist curled through the canopy like whispers. We met artisans working in the bush — carvers whose hands moved like dancers, beaders stringing stories into color with heartfelt tales of how the project they formed a part of changed their lives.
My kit of Sigma Cine High Speed FF prime lenses accompanied me from the dense city to remote villages.
For these intimate moments, I turned to the Sigma Cine 85mm T1.5 FF. It’s the poet of the kit — rendering shallow depth-of-field closeups with such sensitivity that the viewer could feel the texture of wood being carved, the rhythm of a needle pulling thread. It revealed the sacred in the everyday.
The texture and character of handcrafted tools and materials is depicted perfectly with the 85mm T1.5 FF.
Minimal Rig, Maximum Impact
Given the nature of this shoot — remote locations, constant travel, unpredictable conditions — my rig had to be agile. I ran with a skeleton crew and no focus puller, which meant everything had to be hand-operated. The Sigma Cine High Speed Prime lenses, with their robust build and smooth, long barrel rotation, were ideal. Pulling focus manually felt less like a compromise and more like returning to the purest form of filmmaking — intuitive, reactive, human.
The compact Sigma Cine High Speed Prime line was ideal no matter the location, from dim, cramped interiors to bright, wide-open outdoor settings.
I considered using the Sigma Cine Classic series for their vintage character, but in the end, opted for diffusion filters to get the soft glow I wanted. The T1.5 and T2 primes, with their lighter build and compact size, were the real heroes — easy to pack into a backpack and carry up mountains, yet still delivering uncompromised cinematic quality.
These lenses braved extreme heat, stifling humidity, dust storms, and even sudden rainforest downpours. They never flinched. And that’s the kind of reliability you need when your story demands that you move — fast, light, and with reverence.
No location was off-limits with the Sigma Cine High Speed Prime lenses in my kit. They withstood every environment with no drama whatsoever.
Tools as Philosophy
There’s something deeply philosophical about limiting yourself to a few tools. It forces you to think, to adapt, to find poetry in constraints. Each focal length became a way of seeing — a relationship with the environment and with the people we met. In our search for artisans, we found not just collaborators, but storytellers in their own right. Carvers, blacksmiths, weavers, embroiderers — their craft is their lens on the world. Through Sigma’s High Speed FF Cine Primes, I hoped to do justice to the depth and dignity of their work.
Meeting artists in both bustling and pastoral locations was a journey worth taking, and these lenses were the ideal tools to bring their stories to life.
In the end, this journey wasn’t just about creating content — it was about connection, legacy, and purpose. The Inoue Brothers’ commitment to ethical fashion and social design aligned with a deeper narrative we were there to capture. The Sigma Cine High Speed Prime lenses didn’t just help tell this story — they became part of the story through Sigma’s own commitment to social impact and the support of craftsmanship in the region of Tohoku, Japan.
If you’re a filmmaker drawn to wild locations, intimate human stories, and visceral visual language, there are few companions as dependable, poetic, and robust as these lenses. Trust your tools. Trust your vision. Prepare meticulously and then succumb to intuition.
We’re happy to announce the winner of August’s competition, “The Art Of Reflection.”
For those who don’t know, the Light Stalking Monthly Photography Competition carries a $100 People’s Choice Award and a $100 Overall Winner Award. The People’s Choice Winner is selected by a vote of the community, whereas our guest judge selects the overall winner.
The “Art Of Reflection” Photo Contest
Reflection in photography is a compositional technique where one uses reflective surfaces either natural or manmade, to capture interesting images that may sometimes look very dreamy and even abstract. One’s creative vision and perspective can help to capture reflection photos that may sometimes look like an illusion.
When capturing reflection photos, you can apply it to any genre of photography like landscape, architecture, street, nature, still life, etc. Using the right perspective, angles and powerful compositional techniques will result in compelling and visually appealing images.
The contest theme for August was “The Art Of Reflection” and the photos from the participating members included submissions covering various genre in photography like macro, portraits, abstracts, nature, landscape, still life, etc. The submitted photos portrayed unique interpretations of the theme with images shot using great compositional techniques and under good lighting.
When choosing the winning photos, we wanted to make sure that the decision process was based on a good interpretation of the theme, followed by other factors like light, composition, story, details, creative vision, etc. The results are entirely subjective and there are no losers in any competition as we all know.
Here are August’s winners:
First Place: “The Ghost in the Machine” by Patrick
The Ghost in the Machine – Copyright Patrick
Patrick shared a beautiful photo which is a self portrait with an abstract twist, in which he has used abstract patterns on one half of the frame, while revealing the reflection and part of the subject, which is himself, on the other half. The use of lighting in this photo is quite clever if you look closely. The subject is illuminated from both sides, so that the reflection has illumination on one side and the subject itself on the other.
The colours in the photo are also warm and work well together to give the photo a classic look. The composition is also spot on with a combination of compositional guidelines. Congratulations Patrick on the win and for capturing such a clever and well planned image.
Second Place: “One single leaf” by Tersha
One single leaf – Copyright Tersha
Tersha has captured a photo of a single leaf and its reflection. This is a semi-abstract image with a wonderful choice of colours, composition and background. The leaf itself has a combination of complimentary colours that make the image stand out and visually pleasing.
The composition in this photo is quite interesting where the petiole acts as a leading line drawing the attention of the viewer to the centre of the image and then the various lines all pointing towards the same area. Overall it is a beautiful photo and congratulations Tersha for capturing it.
Third Place: “Admiring Pigeon” by Doug H
Admiring Pigeon – Copyright Doug H
Doug has captured an interesting photo where a pigeon is admiring its own reflection. The moment that Doug has captured is quite interesting and arouses curiosity. There are quite a few elements in the frame that contribute to the composition of the photo and draw the viewer’s attention straight to the subject.
The colours in the photo look quite analogous keeping the contrast subtle but the lines and patterns are strong and make up for it. Congratulation Doug on capturing this interesting photo.
People’s Choice Award Winner
Our monthly photo contests also come with a People’s Choice Award. The winner of this part of the contest receives $100 worth of store credit on Light Stalking which they can spend as they please on our blueprints, drills, courses or Presets.
Spiral – Copyright Tersha
The most popular photo for August, voted by the contestants was “Spiral” by Tersha, which has won the people’s choice award. This is a very simple reflection photo with a good choice of colours. The contrasting subject and background colours makes the image pop. Congratulations on the win Tersha.
We are almost three weeks into this month’s photo contest and still have a few days left to submit photos to our September’s monthly contest. This month, our theme is an interesting one, “The Beauty Of Everyday Life.”
Welcome to our weekly community wrap-up. It’s been another great and exciting week on the Light Stalking forums with some stunning photography by the community. Members have been submitting high quality photos the past few weeks, which makes it even more exciting.
Here is the Photo Of The Week that is judged by Federico every week. This week’s photo of the week is by Patrick and you can read what Federico had to say about this photo in the link here – Photo of the Week – September 12th
Copyright Patrick
The weekend photography challenge from last week was “Perspectives Redefined” and members had their creative take on the theme with very interesting shots – some of them are shared below.
Copyright Patrick
Almost there – Copyright Elin
Copyright Elin
Copyright Michael
A Deconstruction of Light – Copyright Patrick
Copyright Holly K
Teasel – Copyright Tersha
Backsides – Copyright Tersha
Big vs Little – Copyright Pat Garrett
The underneath of a hummmr – Copyright Pat Garrett
This week, we have a new challenge that has some very beautiful submissions already. Join the challenge here – Unseen Beauty
Here are some amazing shots from the past week that we thought were great and should be included here:
Steve shared some compelling sports photography:
Team Sport – Copyright Steve
Run faster – Copyright Steve
3rd Place – Copyright Steve
Steve also shared some stunning reflection photos both in colour and black and white.
The Pool – Copyright Steve
A look Upstream – Copyright Steve
Photo trying to mimic water color painting – Copyright Steve
Tersha shared photos of a rose, birds and a hedgehog from her garden!
Rose – Copyright Tersha
On the feeder – Copyright Tersha
Posing – Copyright Tersha
Hedgehog – Copyright Tersha
Rob shared a beautifully composed photo, captured on a rainy day. More reasons to get out when the weather is not very favourable.
Window to the food – Copyright Rob Wood
David shared an image of an old gate house that looks absolutely stunning.
Old Gate House – Copyright David
Discussions:
How do you improve? – Rob started a very interesting discussion on how photographers may fall into a few different groups. Join it here.
Steve started a discussion on Magnetic Filters. Join over here to participate.
If you are someone who captures images with your smartphone, we have a Mobile Photography Challenge where you can post your mobile photos and also check out the works by other photographers. The images must be captured and edited on a smartphone. Join to submit the photos over here.
There are also some members’ picks that are featured. These can be chosen by any of the members and are put in a whole new thread of their own and called out as being a great addition and shot for the forums. Check out those stunning captures here.
Patrick started a thread late last year – “Community Inspired Photo Story Challenge” – capture a story in 3 to 6 photos that hold personal significance and post them with a brief description. While that thread was started to be completed within a week, it has been open with ongoing submissions for the past year and is still open where members can post their stories.
Here are some throwdowns to follow and post your own photos, or you can start your own throwdown too.
2025 Reflections Throwdown – a unique way to capture your own reflection, whether abstract or otherwise. There are many beautiful images to go through for some inspiration.
Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG | Art LEICA SL2 ISO 50, F1.4, 1/100s
I was incredibly excited to test the Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG | Art, and to make the most of this opportunity, I decided to build a visual narrative around the idea of life’s journey.
The theme, Eventually, Long Ago, explores the concept of timelessness. A grounded, universal feeling that transcends any specific moment or place.
This lens, with its striking optical character and dreamy depth of field, felt like the perfect tool to express that vision.
Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG | Art LEICA SL2 ISO 50, F1.4, 1/160s
Shooting with the Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG | Art was a challenge at first, as I rarely work beyond 50mm. But that limitation quickly turned into an inspiration.
The lens encouraged me to view the world differently. It revealed fresh, exciting compositions and gave me a completely new visual language to work with.
The more I used it, the more I appreciated how it reshaped my creative instincts.
Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG | Art LEICA SL2 ISO 50, F1.4, 1/100sSigma 135mm F1.4 DG | Art LEICA SL2 ISO 50, F1.4, 1/100s
During the shoot, the Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG | Art proved to be more than just technically impressive. It was creatively liberating.
The autofocus was fast, accurate and dependable, even though I usually rely heavily on manual focus. Its performance allowed me to focus more on storytelling and less on the technical side of things.
Shooting wide open resulted in a stunningly shallow depth of field that perfectly isolated subjects and added an emotional, almost cinematic quality to the visuals.
It helped me capture exactly what I set out to create.
Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG | Art LEICA SL2 ISO 50, F2, 1/100sEnjoying the the Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG | Art mounted on a Leica SL2 mirrorless camera.
Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG | Art LEICA SL2 ISO 50, F1.4, 1/100sSigma 135mm F1.4 DG | Art LEICA SL2 ISO 400, F1.4, 1/100s
Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG | Art LEICA SL2 ISO 50, F2.8, 1/500s
Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG | Art LEICA SL2 ISO 50, F1.4, 1/160sSigma 135mm F1.4 DG | Art LEICA SL2 ISO 50, F1.4, 1/100s
Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG | Art LEICA SL2 ISO 50, F1.4, 1/500s, 135mm
On a decades-long solo mission to the edge of space, an astronaut clings to routine as reality begins to fracture and isolation takes its toll… but are they truly alone?
We caught up with Mobley shortly after production wrapped to hear firsthand how the lenses shaped his visual approach and what the experience was like bringing this story to life.
Sigma 28mm T1.5 Full Frame High-Speed Prime between takes.
Low Light Capability
Sigma:
The Sigma High Speed Primes open up to T1.5 and as such, are well-regarded for their performance in low light. Did this play an important role in how you approached the darker, atmospheric sequences in Termination Shock?
Mobley:
There was a specific moment of deep emotion and anguish where our main character Lieutenant Taylor (played by Darian Michael Garey) has a breakdown. When you ask an actor to go somewhere dark and bring that emotion out, you want to make sure to capture as much of their performance as you can on the first few takes, or risk putting them somewhere deep in their head. Even in the darkened room, with a small splash of color on him, you can see the despair, the tears streaming down his face. We couldn’t have accomplished this shot without great low-light performance. This is an issue many filmmakers have, especially when making a thriller or horror, since you want to show what’s in the dark, without fully showing what’s in the dark.
Sigma 28mm T1.5 Full Frame High Speed Prime on Arri Alexa MiniMobley and Steadicam Operator Jesse Mar Ramirez
World Building
Sigma:
Sci-fi demands a visceral sense of atmosphere and immersion. Did the lenses help capture the scale, texture, or detail you needed to sell the story of Termination Shock?
Mobley:
The very first shot we tackled was one of our more lengthy and technical takes, where we track down a long hallway and swing to a closeup of a small object on the ground before sliding back to reveal our actor within the space. Going from micro to macro and back again isn’t easy on just any lens, especially on a space ship set flooded with fog, lights, and debris. So to say that the lenses helped capture the scale and detail would be insanely accurate. It was a very cool moment, everyone holding their breath watching on one of the monitors, wondering what the “look” of the story would be — and after I cut, this wave of excitement and awe passed through the crew. We knew at that moment we had something awesome on our hands..
Mobley Directing Garey along with the Sigma 28mm T1.5 Full Frame High Speed Prime lens.
Creating Isolation
Sigma:
Most of Termination Shock unfolds in close quarters with a single character. Was lens choice a consideration regarding how to capture the astronaut’s psychological state or convey something as abstract as the feeling (or reality) of isolation?
Mobley:
It was one of the biggest considerations we had when building our rig. Using a single character, with no dialogue, can create obstacles or opportunities, depending on how you look at it. Having the correct lenses was pivotal in showing the inner turmoil that our main character never outwardly expresses, and can be the key to encapsulating the feeling of being trapped while something stalks you through tight spaces — we made the best choice going with the Primes.
40mm T1.5mm Full Frame High Speed Prime
Image Character
Sigma:
The High Speed Primes have developed a reputation for their edge-to-edge sharpness and hyper-accurate color rendition. Did the “look” (or even lack thereof) of the lenses contribute to how you and your Director of Photography Eric Payne envisioned the overall look/feel of the film?
Mobley:
From day one when we were building the project I was adamant to shoot on the Primes, and all of our pre-production stills and camera tests were done with them; so it’s safe to say that the lenses not only had a large impact on the aesthetic of the film but shaped the look from the beginning. My DP Eric Payne likes to color correct our projects, and sets the shots up knowing what we are looking for in advance, and it was refreshing to see how close the raw footage aligned with our desired look.
40mm T1.5 Full Frame High Speed Prime on shoulder rig
(Practical) Production Demands
Sigma:
From a production standpoint, how did the build and practical usability of the lenses support your team on set—especially when working in controlled or minimal spaces like a tiny spacecraft set?
Mobley:
Well I can tell you that our cam-op (Jesse Mar Ramirez) definitely appreciated the lighter weight of the Sigma Primes when we went handheld! But honestly, an added benefit was the easy swaps when we were on Steadicam. When you can spend less time balancing the rig and reconfiguring the follow-focus, it takes a lot of stress off the production as a whole. I also can say the close focus listed for each lens was pretty much dead on, so thanks for that.
AC Jeremy Estrada slating for Steadicam operator Jesse Mar Ramirez
Post-Production
Sigma:
In terms of post-production, especially if visual effects were involved, how did the image quality from the High-Speed Primes influence your post process?
Mobley:
I prefer to go practical with my shoots. Nothing looks as good as real, solid, practical effects. Still, it’s hard to do a spaceship computer screen practically when the screens don’t actually work, so we had to go with a larger visual effect footprint than usual. I had always wanted to stay away from the green or blue tint you generally see on spaceship HUDs, and after going through our footage it was highly beneficial for us to go with a more muted and “older” looking graphic instead. Because the ship looks so real and crisp thanks to the Primes, it became a choice to make the special effects look dated and warped to better convey what you would expect after 27 years running non-stop.
Garey between takes. BTS shot on Sigma Aizu Prime 27mm T1.3 LF.
Creative Flexibility
Sigma:
Did having access to a full range of focal lengths in the High Speed Prime set give you more creative freedom in how you framed and told the story? Which focal lengths did the production and your DOP Eric Payne end up utilizing the most?
Mobley:
Absolutely. Being able to craft a story with a full range of lenses is paramount, especially when we want to convey the isolation and turmoil in our main character’s head. Because each “day” in the story is shot differently, we used a variety of focal lengths depending on if we were on steadicam, handheld, or locked off on sticks. That being said, as it generally is on a tightly scheduled film shoot, we ended up relying heavily on the 28, 35, and 50 when we needed to nail a shot. We did capture the final shot of the film on a 35mm Classic though, to give us a bit more flare and ethereal feel to end our journey.
Welcome to our weekly community wrap-up. It’s been another great and exciting week on the Light Stalking forums with some stunning photography by the community.
Here is the Photo Of The Week that is judged by Federico every week. This week’s photo of the week is by Click and you can read about what Federico had to say about this photo in the link here – Photo of the Week – September 05th
Night Cycle – Copyright Click
The weekend photography challenge from last week was framing cityscapes in interesting ways and members had their creative take on some very interesting shots – some of them are shared below.
This week, we have a new challenge that has some very beautiful submissions already. Join the challenge here – “Perspectives Redefined“
If you are someone who captures images with your smartphone, we have a Mobile Photography Challenge where you can post your mobile photos and also check out the works by other photographers. The images must be captured and edited on a smartphone. Join to submit the photos over here. Here are some photos too.
Copyright Rob Wood
Copyright Patrick
There are also some members’ picks that are featured. These can be chosen by any of the members and are put in a whole new thread of their own and called out as being a great addition and shot for the forums. Check out those stunning captures here.
Patrick started a thread late last year – “Community Inspired Photo Story Challenge” – capture a story in 3 to 6 photos that hold personal significance and post them with a brief description. While that thread was started to be completed within a week, it has been open with ongoing submissions for the past year and is still open where members can post their stories.
Here are some amazing shots from the past week that we thought were great and should be included here:
Patrick is working on something different. Join the conversation here.
The Last Piece – Copyright Patrick
Self Reflection – Copyright Patrick
Steve shared a photo from the Saluda River, South Carolina USA. The image looks classic with the black and white treatment and a powerful composition.
Saluda River – Copyright Steve
Tersha shared a beautiful photo of a Long Tailed Tit and the post processing, light were perfect with a distinctive style.
Long Tailed Tit – Copyright Tersha
Steve also shared another fun photo “Long Necked Gremlin scans their domain” that shows how a change in perspective can make a photo very interesting.
Long Necked Gremlin scans their domain – Copyright Steve
Marty had some fun at the beach and shared some very interesting photos of surfers. Check out the discussions and the surfer shots here.
Surfer – Copyright Marty
She also shared a few highlights from her recent trip to Arizona and California here:
Copyright Marty
Here are some throwdowns to follow and post your own photos,, or you can start your own throwdown too.
2025 Reflections Throwdown – a unique way to capture your own reflection, whether abstract or otherwise. There are many beautiful images to go through for some inspiration.
Flowers are colourful and come in all shapes, sizes, textures and colours. They are also used to celebrate important moments in life and as a daily addition to brighten up spaces. If you are a beginner in photography, flowers are great subjects to start with. Whether you have a camera or just your phone, you can use it to capture beautiful photographs of flowers.
If you are someone who prints photos to hang in your space, flower photos truly work as great printed pieces and can add a pop of colour to your space. A basic camera and your kit lens or a 50mm lens or even your smartphone, are all you need to get started with flower photography. You can also capture interesting macros of flowers that can be both abstract and intriguing. In this article,, we have put together a set of tutorials that will help you to master the art of flower photography.
Photo by Zoe Richardson
When photographing flowers, people may not consider it as a very serious subject and approach it without much thought or any other creative techniques in mind. For example for closeup details of textures on the flower you will need to use a narrow aperture and get quite close to the subject and for a photo where you want the flower to stand out from the background you will need to shoot using a wide aperture. This article provides a detailed guide on how to photograph flowers for great results.
Photo by Stux
We cannot imagine a world without flowers, can we? Flowers add a lot of beauty colour and magic to landscapes and gardens. Flowers come in all shapes, colours and sizes and they can be photographed in different ways If you take a little care in terms of light, composition and techniques, and you can create stunning results. This article discusses 8 tips that you should embrace to get the best out of your flower photography.
We would all imagine that flower photos can only be captured with a wide or moderate focal length lens, but there are times when flowers may be high up on a tree or in a location where you may not be able to get close to the flower/s. Besides, using a telephoto lens for flower photography will also help with achieving various looks and effects in the resulting images. this article discusses how to capture great flower photos using a telephoto lens.
Photo by Cristiane Teston
Flowers are attractive and they most of the time attract birds and other critters with their vibrant colours. There is a lot of science behind why certain flowers are evolved to be in terms of their colour size, form and shape. When the colour is removed you can look deeper into the textures and other details of a flower. Here is a collection of black and white flower images with a small write up of what the author feels about black and white flower photography.
Photo by Erik Karits
Have you looked at flowers up close? Observed their intricate details? There are a lot of beautiful textures, and even some forms that can be observed, which can go unnoticed otherwise. Macro photography of flowers is something that will help you to capture these stunning details. If you take care of the lighting, composition and a few other factors, you will have beautiful resulting images and this article discusses those details.
Photo by Rapha Wilde
One of the best subjects for macro photography is flowers. Macro photos of flowers can be captured when in the fields but there are times when the weather may not be favourable, especially if it is windy and in those situations, the flower can be brought indoors to capture its minute details. Unless you have good window light that can illuminate your subject, you may need to use some kind of artificial lighting setup to capture sharp details. This article discusses how to set up a lighting studio to capture macro photos of flowers.
Photo by Danielle Stein
Flowers are brightly coloured and they bring in a lot of cheer to the place they are in. Some flowers are very brightly coloured and they just bring a pop and mood to a spot or surroundings. When capturing or editing flower photos one does not always need to stick to the bright and cheerful style but can also lean towards the dark and moody vibe which works great for flower photography. When capturing images for this style, and during the editing process, some care needs to be taken, which may be slightly different. This article talks about capturing and editing dark and moody flowers or in general flora.
Photo by Charles Smart
Most of the time, we may be photographing flowers in our own garden. When doing so we have a number of opportunities to capture the flowers differently. The tools we use in the garden and other garden features can serve as interesting backdrops or props and this will help to capture interesting storytelling images. This article was written after taking inspiration from my small garden and explains how to capture photos in your own garden for stunning results.
Photo by Sheen
There are many types of flowers on this planet – some big, some small and others very tiny.. There are times when you may come across a field of a particular flower and you may be running out of ideas to photograph in that location. It may look too busy or you may be confused but the right choice of focal length, and composition can help you capture beautiful shots. This article discusses how you can photograph the gorgeous looking sunflowers in different ways. This can also be applied to other flowers.
Photo by Sheen
Here is another article that talks about capturing a particular flower – Dahlias. Dahlias come in a variety of colours, shapes and sizes too and choosing the right combination of colours will work great. If you love dahlias and are interested in capturing their beauty, then this article talks about the different ways these flowers can be photographed, creative post processing including black and white, lens choices and more.
