The German Society for Nature Photography (GDT) has announced the winners of its annual member’s competition, the GDT Nature Photographer of the Year 2023.

Each year, the GDT holds a competition for the Society’s members, in contrast to the GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest which is open to all European photographers. That said, the GDT is open to non-German photographers. In this year’s contest, 424 GDT members from 13 countries entered, with nearly 7,000 images submitted.

GDT Nature Photographer of the Year 2023 — Silke Hüttche

German photographer Silke Hüttche has been named “GDT Nature Photographer of the Year 2023” for her image, Scenes of a Marriage. The winning photo shows a pair of birds on a utility pole looking in opposite directions.

“I have this habit of constantly looking for birds wherever I am. So, every time I pass this electricity pole, I look up for there is always some kind of bird sitting there,” Hüttche says.

“As was the case on this somewhat dull day in September 2021 when I glanced up and spotted the kite sitting there on the one end and, shortly after, a second one arriving to settle on the opposite end. This seemed to get exciting — were the two a pair or rivals? Hoping for some action-filled photography, I took out my camera and waited. Initially, my wish was for interaction between them. But they just seemed to have nothing to say to each other and kept looking in opposite directions. In the end, I was fascinated by this scene of perfect symmetry, and luckily both birds remained still for long enough until I had the picture I wanted,” she continues.

Silke Hüttche, a 58-year-old wildlife and nature photographer, is only the second woman to be named the overall winner in the competition’s 51-year history. The GDT hopes that her victory, along with the growing numbers of woman participants, is a good sign that the historically male-dominated genre of nature photography is beginning to better reflect society at large.

Category Winners

The contest includes seven categories: Birds, Mammals, Other Animals, Plants and Fungi, Landscapes, Nature’s Studio, and Urban Nature. Hüttche’s overall winning image took first place in the Urban Nature category.

The winners and runners-up receive prizes sponsored by AC-Foto, the GDT’s long-time partner. For her overall victory, Hüttche received an OM System OM-D E-M1X camera and 45mm f/1.8 lens provided by OM Digital Solutions.

Prize of the Jury

Photographer Dominik Janoschka won the “Prize of the Jury” for his image, Beyond. The image is a double exposure captured in Saxon Switzerland National Park.

All Winning Images

In addition to the winning images featured in this article, the GDT selected the top 10 images for each category. These images can be viewed on the GDT Nature Photographer of the Year 2023 website.

Image credits: GDT Nature Photographer of the Year 2023

After three years of virtual programming, the Art Effect’s PKX Reel Exposure Teen Film and Photography Festival will once again bring its annual showcase of work by the next generation of media-makers to downtown Poughkeepsie. In honor of the event’s 10th anniversary, this year’s festival will be bigger and brighter than ever, with three days of events in and around the Trolley Barn Gallery that celebrate the creativity of young artists from the Hudson Valley and around the world.

The Reel Exposure festival will take place Friday, May 5 through Sunday, May 7, and will be free to the public with a suggested donation. In addition to its traditional photography exhibition and film screenings, this year’s festival will feature a “film race” where teens compete to produce the best five-minute film in 24 hours, a public art installation, community art making, food trucks, and a “Breaking into the Business” media industry panel and brunch.

This year’s jam-packed weekend has been curated by the teens at the helm of the Art Effect’s PKX Festival, a youth-led festival that celebrates teenage creative expression and community art making that debuted last fall. The PKX Festival is part of the Art Effect’s ongoing development of a Youth Arts Empowerment Zone (YAEZ) in downtown Poughkeepsie, which is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts Our Town Grant.

  
Courtesy of The Art Effect” class=”uk-display-block uk-position-relative uk-visible-toggle”> click to enlarge

Courtesy of The Art Effect

“We are so excited that Reel Exposure is returning in person this year. We had such great community turnout and enthusiasm at the PKX Wonderland Festival last fall—combining the teen film and photography showcase with family-friendly community events for PKX Reel Exposure is an amazing opportunity to celebrate an international network of young artists and hyperlocal creativity,” says The Art Effect’s Executive Director, Nicole Fenichel-Hewitt.

Helping youth experience, explore, and excel in the arts has been the cornerstone of The Art Effect’s mission since the organization’s inception in 2018. To that end, the Poughkeepsie-based nonprofit has developed a robust array of initiatives—from art classes to a youth workforce development program, summer camps, regular art exhibitions, and more—as part of its goal to help young people develop their creative voices, shape their futures, and bring about positive social change.

A Three-Day Celebration of Young Artists

This year’s Reel Exposure festival offers the community an exciting glimpse at the creativity and artistic perspectives of young artists in the Hudson Valley and around the world, with several opportunities to get involved themselves.

The weekend will kick off on Friday, May 5 at 5pm with the orientation for the 24-hour Film Race. The competition will be open to youth ages 14 to 21, who can work individually or team up in groups of up to five to create a five-minute film by 5pm on Saturday, May 6. Cost to enter the competition is just $5. Entries will be screened at 2pm on Sunday, May 7th at The Trolley Barn Gallery, with the winner of a cash prize selected by an audience vote.

Also taking place on Friday will be the opening reception at 6pm for the festival’s annual youth photography exhibition at the Trolley Barn Art Gallery. Professional and youth jurors selected photographs from submissions from teens ages 13 to 19 from the US as well as countries across the world. The exhibition will remain on display from May 5 through June 16. At 7:30 pm, there will be a featured artist talk from Hudson Valley-based photographer and filmmaker William Koenig-Vinicombe, followed by the unveiling of a public art installation.

  
Courtesy of The Art Effect” class=”uk-display-block uk-position-relative uk-visible-toggle”> click to enlarge

Courtesy of The Art Effect

Saturday, May 6 will play host to a full day of events. From 12 to 3pm, there will be a community art making activity, as well as local vendors and food trucks. From 5 to 8pm that evening, the festival will screen the entries in its juried film contest. Viewers can expect to see a mix of film genres, including animations, documentaries, dramas, horror, and comedies from teen filmmakers around the world. The screenings will be followed by the film award presentation and a Q&A.

Burgeoning filmmakers won’t want to miss the industry insider panel event, “Breaking into the Business: Insider Info from Film and Media Professionals,” on Sunday, May 7, from 12 to 4pm.

The panel will be moderated by The Art Effect alumna and reporter, Ester Wells, and will feature panelists with experience in all facets of the media industry, including Mary Stuart Masterson, actor, director, and founder of Stockade Works and Upriver Studios; Nile Clark, video journalist and founder of local media company the Goodie Drop; filmmaker Hezues R.; Jasmine Garvin, an alumna of The Art Effect who was recently featured in Peacock’s Poker Face; and Magalie Laguerre-Wilkinson, the Vice President of News Programming at Nickelodeon and Executive Producer of Nick News.

After the industry panel Q&A, the festival wraps up with its final events, the 24-hour Film Race screenings and audience choice awards.

The Art Effect’s PKX Reel Exposure Teen Film and Photography Festival will take place Friday, May 5 through Sunday, May 7. Tickets to the festival are free with suggested donation. Pre-registration for the screening on Saturday and the industry panel Q&A on Sunday is required. Register in advance at Pkxfestival.org.

There is a lot in the latest State of the Photography Industry Report by Zenfolio, but the stats on AI jump off the page in times of heated AI debate. The report says half of working photographers are now happy to include AI in their workflow, with just 11% seeing it as a negative.

This fourth edition of this Zenfolio report is packed with insider insights and valuable information on industry trends from the viewpoint of professional photographers and their businesses. It comes hot on the heels of AI controversy at the Sony Awards, but pros seem to have a different take.

The report was based on a survey of skilled photographers who specialize in portrait, landscape, wedding, sports, and family photography. The respondents were mainly self-employed with more than a decade of experience in the field. This 2023 report covers a range of topics, including marketing, pricing, trends, technology, and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) – which might surprise a lot of you!

So, what were the other highlights of the report? Well, nearly 20% of photographers reported a boost in their businesses from the previous year. However, many are still grappling with the effects of the pandemic and rising inflation. Over two-thirds of photographers reported either slow business or performance that met expectations.

Good news for high-earning photographers though, as those making $100K and above saw an increase in revenue. It seems 40% reported a decrease in revenue, but this is still an improvement from the previous year, where 76.2% reported a negative impact.

Marketing strategies have shifted towards non-paid or organic social media, with photographers relying less on paid ads.

Mirrorless cameras are also challenging traditional DSLRs, with 41% of photographers now choosing this newer option. That’s a significant increase of 50.7% compared to the previous survey. And with 41% of photographers saying they want to spend less time editing, AI may just be the solution they’ve been searching for.

“We’re thrilled to share the findings of our 2023 State of the Photography Industry report. Our goal is to help photographers make informed decisions about their businesses, and this report is full of valuable insights and information that can help them do just that” said Jason Egnal, Zenfolio’s CMO.

If you’re a photographer looking to stay ahead of the curve and succeed in your business or just want to see what other photographers like yourself are doing in their workflows and how they are finding the industry we recommend heading over to Zenfolio.com/SOPI (opens in new tab) to read the full 2023 State of the Photography Industry report and you can also access the previous editions if you’re wanting a bit of a year-to-year perspective.

If you want to follow the AI trend and don’t know where to start, check our guide to the best AI image generators for photographers.

Being a photographer permanently changes the way you travel. One sees the world and every destination in a different way that is fueled by curiosity and wonder. At the same time, it also means carrying more stuff around with you.

Most photographers would agree that often the thought of traveling with not too much stuff in your bag seems impossible especially if they prefer to bring multiple cameras or multiple lenses depending on the purpose of the journey and the requirements of the shoot. On top of bringing all your necessary personal items, your gear and everything necessary to make them work properly often fill up luggage space with barely any room to spare.

Some accessories that have been designed to play multiple roles in your travel essentials list can greatly reduce the amount of gear and accessories that you have to carry around. The most annoying part of traveling with gear is probably having to bring a lot of the same things to be more time or cost-efficient. In addition to choosing smaller cameras and considering walk-around lenses whenever possible, here are some tools that I’ve found to be helpful to lessen the things that you have to pack.

1. A Charger for All Your Batteries and Devices

Perhaps the most annoying item to bring in duplicates is chargers especially if you have a lot of different devices to charge. If traveling purely for the sake of exploring and photographing places, one might say that you would be better off with fewer devices to better enjoy your adventure. However, the truth is that a lot of photographers travel for work purposes which is why planning the accessories that you carry has such an impact on how comfortable you can be when in transit.

One great solution I’ve found is to bring a single multiple-port charger that can simultaneously juice up my devices at once. Gallium nitride (GaN) chip chargers make it possible to deliver more power to multiple devices much faster and in a safer manner. These chargers are equipped with fast charging systems that not only do so quicker but also have Power Delivery and other charging standards that determine the optimal charging rate to prevent damaging and over-charging your devices.

I’ve personally been using Ugreen Nexode chargers for this exact purpose. A single 45-watt charger is more than enough for charging a smartphone and your camera’s batteries simultaneously. With the addition of a tablet, a 65-watt charger should be enough to charge everything while you sleep. For the added heavy needs of a laptop, a 100-watt or 140-watt GaN charger can meet most requirements depending on the specific laptop, and of course, its capability to charge with USB-C ports.

2. A Multi-Port Camera Battery Charger

For photographers, the most basic requirement would of course be one for your camera battery and if one intends to shoot continuously throughout the day, one camera battery wouldn’t be enough. Regardless of whether I’m bringing just one or multiple cameras for the trip, I make it a point to have at least 3 or 4 backup batteries with me. Most camera manufacturers make chargers that only have a single battery slot on them and most of the time seem unnecessarily bulky.

There are a lot of dual-slot chargers for most of the common camera battery types that can be found online but I particularly ended up using the XTAR SN4 charger myself because of the possibility of charging 4 camera batteries at the same time. It does come with its own 45-watt charger however it only has a single port so I pair it instead with one of my GaN multi-port chargers for the purpose mentioned above.

3. Modular Camera Bag Inserts

Whether you are staying at a luxurious hotel or setting up camp on a mountain, most of the time there is a chance for you to leave behind heavier personal belongings while you are out to take pictures. This is precisely when camera bag inserts come in handy. By keeping your cameras and lenses in one, you can easily pull them out and attach straps whenever it’s time to shoot and that should allow you to be more comfortable and even more efficient as you go around to take photos. At the same time, if you simply need to free up some space in your bag to make way for more stuff, you can carry the camera insert/case individually to do so. Peak Design and Lowepro are among some of the brands with multiple size options.

4. Collapsible Backpack

In addition to a removable insert, I’ve found it handy to always have a secondary backpack folded up packed along with clothes. For the same reason above, there might be instances when you just want to carry your camera gear and leave your backpack or luggage behind. The folded-up backpack gives you then the option of placing the insert inside it if you are more comfortable carrying it on your back instead, especially when the weight might shift your balance. The Lowepro Runabout Daypack is the option that I have personally tried and it offers an extra benefit of being moisture resistant along with the fact that it is made of eco-friendly recycled fabric. Another option might be the Nomatic Navigator which conveniently zips up into a compact pad when folded up.

5. A Tripod Just Big Enough for the Requirement

This might not be an entirely new option but more of an important factor to consider in gearing up for your travels. Choosing the right tripod for the trip is crucial in reducing the unnecessary weight that you carry around. If you have ever traveled with a tripod, you probably know the impact it would have on how much other stuff you can carry and the size of the bag you put it in when flying. It is always important to foresee how much you will be using a tripod during the duration of your trip. Some photographers only really bring tripods for self-portraits when seeing new places and this is when compact travel tripods or Gorillapods come in handy.

If you’ll be shooting much more with tripods, specifically to do long exposure shots for landscape photography but at a location where you won’t have to brave strong winds or water currents, carbon fiber travel tripods are the best option. However, if you are using heavier camera gear or facing harsh environments then you would obviously have to bring bigger and heavier tripods to be safe.

Preparing for your photography adventure is crucial especially when you have to limit what you carry on your back while you remain versatile to endure the journey. Having options to minimize what you bring without having to compromise on function makes a world of difference in the overall experience. Being comfortable while you travel most of the time affects not just your experience but also your creativity while shooting which is why having the right tools directly affects the quality of the photographs you bring home.

What other travel accessories and hacks do you have to share?