Photographer Jack Zhi’s dramatic image of a female peregrine falcon striking a brown pelican mid-flight beat over 23,000 other entries to win the Bird Photographer of the Year 2023 gold award. 

“For four years, I attempted to capture the rare sight of the female falcon attacking large brown pelicans with incredible speed and agility,” Zhi said in a statement Tuesday. “I love the eyes of the pelican in this image, surprised and scared. The action was fast, and over in the blink of an eye. But I’ll remember that moment forever.”

Photographers competed in a number of different categories in the prestigious Bird Photographer of the Year awards — a global competition described as a celebration of avian beauty and diversity.

German teenager Anton Trexler picked up the Young Bird Photographer of the Year award for his image entitled “Blue Hour and Red Moon,” which shows the silhouette of a black bird against an illuminated moon.

Below is a selection of other images that won gold, silver or bronze in various categories from the contest: 

The above image of a blue-footed booby rising with a sardine in its mouth was taken by photographer Henley Spiers. It won silver in the “behavior” catetory.

“In early autumn, a sardine shoal at Los Islotes attracted seabird predators,” Spurs said. “Amid the shoal, I waited patiently for the elusive shot of a blue-footed booby rising with a sardine in its beak. Finally, a crash came down close to me, and I instinctively captured the moment.”

Nicolas Reusens won gold in the “portrait” category with his image of a rare green tanager, which he captured while wandering in a tropical forest. 

“After hours of waiting, I saw the vivid-green bird on a perfect heart-shaped leaf. Its shimmering feathers reflected a dazzling array of colors,” Reusens said, describing his photograph.   

This image of a sword-billed hummingbird, taken in Bogota, Colombia, was captured by photographer Rafael Armada.

The bird has the world’s longest beak proportionate to its size and Armada described the image as capturing the bird “approaching a feeder, with natural backgrounds and lighting.”

Three emperor penguins stand on a frozen mountain in Adélie Land, Antarctica in Clément Cornec’s photograph which won silver in the the “birds in their environment” category of the Bird Photographer of the Year 2023 awards.

Emperor Penguins endure temperatures as low as -40 degrees during the long polar nights, when blizzards can whip up winds to 155mph.

You can click here to see all the award winners from this year’s Bird Photographer of the Year awards.

What is aperture in photography? The term aperture refers to the opening of a lens’ diaphragm – essentially a hole through which light passes to reach the camera. By changing your aperture, you can change and control how much light enters the camera sensor from your lens.

Key to understanding what is aperture in photography, you need to know that the size of the opening is calibrated in “stops” of light – also known as f-stops (more on f-stops here) and this numerical value also describes the ratio of a lens’ focal length (the “f”) to the diameter of the opening. 

Each successive stop is half as bright as its predecessor – which is a bit confusing, so a larger f-number actually means a smaller aperture. Thus f/2 is half as bright as f/1.4, f/2.8 is half as bright as f/2, and so on.

Aperture is one of the three fundamental pillars of the exposure triangle, (the other two being shutter speed and ISO), and it helps to be familiar with how these three elements come together to make up a correct exposure.

What is aperture in photography: the physical side

The concept of aperture can at first be tricky to grasp, but the physical side is simple!

An aperture itself (the opening) is formed by intersecting blades. Different lenses have a different number of blades, and these can move to make the opening larger or smaller depending on the f-stop that you select.

The aperture assembly is located in the barrel of the lens, between the lens elements. A motor opens and closes the aperture each time the shutter is fired. This matches the f-stop set by you on your camera, and the focal length used.

What happens when you change the aperture?

Most lenses use a standard scale of f-stops to indicate the size of the aperture, although as we’ve already mentioned, each lens will have a determined aperture range depending on its design. For example, the best portrait lenses tend to have a wider maximum aperture, along with fast prime lenses.

There are two reasons why you’d want to change the aperture; to let in more or less light for your exposure, and to control the depth of field. A wider aperture will let in more light and give you a more shallow depth of field, while a narrow aperture lets in less light but means more of a scene will be in sharp focus.

The cheat sheet above explains when and why you would use narrow and wide apertures, either to let in more light to the sensor in low-light conditions or to use depth of field creatively to blur the background of your image.

Aperture explained at a glance

• Aperture is calibrated in f-stops.
• A smaller, narrower opening gives more depth of field. 
• An aperture of f/22 is narrower than f/4.
• Your maximum or widest aperture is determined by your lens.

Use the handy cheat sheet above to see this all for yourself. And make sure to keep us bookmarked for more great photography cheat sheets, along with all our general photography tips

A new touring exhibit at the Elkhorn Valley Museum will feature an exhibit of ag-centered photography by Minnesota-based National Geographic Ag photographer R.J. Kern.

Kern’s “The Unchosen Ones” will open Friday, Sept. 8, and remain at the museum through Saturday, Oct. 28.

“The Unchosen Ones” depicts the bloom of youth and the mettle of the young people who grow up on farms. The photographs are centered on 4-H competitors who did not win grand champion and the life lessons and skills they learned from 4-H.

Inspired by master landscape painters of the 19th century, Kern embraces the heightened expressivity of natural and artificial lighting techniques. To draw sharper connections between traditional and modern farming routines, he adopts both historical and current photographic processes.

“Agriculture is a vital part of our region’s culture and history, an exhibit exploring 4-H and the life skills learned therein seemed like the perfect fit for our museum. We are also looking forward to the interdisciplinary concepts of this exhibit and hosting the artist. This now becomes a place where, history, art and science all converge,” said Libby McKay, the museum’s executive director.

Kern is known for his photographs exploring identity, culture and philosophical questions about nature and heritage through the interaction of people, animals and landscape. His work has been exhibited throughout the United States and in Canada, China, England, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Japan and Norway.

The opening reception for the exhibit is set for 5-7 p.m. Friday and will feature an artist talk from Kern at 6 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.

The opening weekend for the exhibit also will include several presentations and workshops by the artist himself. Including a Pinhole Photography workshop for those in fourth grade and older, a presentation on being a National Geographic photographer, a presentation on the history of ag photography and a demonstration on historical photography methods and iPhoneography.

The museum was able to receive funding support from Humanities Nebraska, a statewide, nonprofit organization helping Nebraskans explore what connects us and makes us human, with additional funding from the Nebraska Cultural Endowment, which is allowing the museum to offer these programs to the community for no cost.

“The best camera is the one that’s with you,” photographer Jay Maisel famously once said. And for millions of people around the world, that camera will be the one on the back of the iPhone in their pocket – for now, anyway.

With the launch of the Vision Pro headset, Apple will set loose the most significantly different camera imaging system it has ever made. The company’s ‘Spatial Computing’ wearable will include an advanced camera array capable of capturing 3D stills and videos; these clips and shots add greater depth to an image over traditional ‘flat’ 2D media, according to Apple, leading to more immersive recreations of those moments captured in time.

Apple’s serious about this 3D photo and video push — there’s a dedicated camera shutter hardware button on the Vision Pro, and the headset’s WWDC 2023 reveal showcase had a whole section dedicated to capturing what Apple’s calling spatial video and spatial photos.

“Apple Vision Pro lets users capture, relive, and immerse themselves in favorite memories with Spatial Audio,” says Apple of the feature. 

“Every spatial photo and video transports users back to a moment in time, like a celebration with friends or a special family gathering. Users can access their entire photo library on iCloud, and view their photos and videos at a life-size scale with brilliant color and spectacular detail.”

But the staged WWDC clip of a father capturing videos of his kids while wearing the headset was the most derided part of an otherwise impressive Vision Pro unveiling, and a slightly dystopian view of distanced parenting norms to come. It looked and felt creepy, and circling back to Jay Maisel, it’s hard to imagine people taking the Vision Pro (with its slight battery life) out and about with them each day. Those looking to take spatial photos of their beach-side holiday will be wary of toting their $3,499 headset down to the sand — and would end up with some very interesting facial tan lines if they did.

Look at the Meta Quest headsets: Despite millions of sales, how many have you seen in public? If Apple expects 3D video and photography libraries for Vision Pro to swell in size, something else is going to have to take that media-capturing burden.

That’s where the rumored iPhone Ultra might just come in.

An Ultra camera shake up

For months, there’s been speculation that the iPhone 15 Pro, expected to launch at the next Apple event on September 12, 2023, will in fact be called the iPhone Ultra, in keeping with the premium Apple Watch Ultra wearable launched last year (and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 likely to arrive next week).

Despite many leaks in support of this assertion, it’s a theory that’s fallen out of favor, with the Ultra now expected to be an even more premium iPhone that will launch next year above the current iPhone range. So you’ll end up with a 2024 launch line-up that looks like iPhone 16 < iPhone 16 Pro < iPhone Ultra.

Rumors circulating on Chinese social media site Weibo, as first spotted by MacRumors, point to an advanced 3D photography array being present on the upcoming 2024 handset. In addition to the wide, ultra-wide and telephoto camera lenses, alongside the LiDAR scanner and True Tone Flash on the rear of an iPhone (not to mention the rumored Periscope lens the iPhone 15 Pro Max is said to have), another 3D-focused lens would be required.

What form that takes remains to be seen, but it could necessitate yet another camera bump on the rear of the handset, one spaced far enough away from a partnered lens to create natural and believable depth when two images are combined.

It’s a delicate art to pull off.

“3D photography hasn’t really taken off for a couple of reasons,” explains Mark Wilson, pro photographer and TechRadar.com News Editor.

“It’s still widely seen as a gimmick, which is understandable given that most people’s experience of it was those old View-Master toys. There are also unflattering parallels with 3D TV. But tech limitations have also restricted it to being a low-quality experience,” Wilson told iMore. “Stereoscopic photography goes back to the 1800s, but we’re now seeing major advances like NeRFs (neural radiance fields) that could take 3D captures to a new level.” 

VisionOS, the underlying Spatial Computing software platform, has some example spatial photos to examine in its earliest beta release, presumably taken with the headset’s own camera system. Developers with early access have revealed how the headset takes two HEIC images from slightly varying positions to match the distance between a user’s eyes; it presents them in tandem to create the 3D effect. Presumably an iPhone Ultra camera array would be able to replicate this method.

3D — the undead zombie of entertainment technology

The elephant in the room is that this would be far from the first attempt at making a 3D-media-capturing phone — it’s just that there’s never been a successful one. To my memory, LG was first out of the gates with the LG Optimus 3D back in 2011, which featured a 3D screen and interface as well as the ability to capture 3D stills and three-dimensional video up to 720p in resolution. It was a flop, but a valiant one given the resurgence of interest in 3D TV at the time.

Then there was of course Amazon’s Fire Phone, released in 2014. Its take on 3D was slightly different: Rather than capturing 3D imagery, it used its 3D sensing cameras to present a 3D, head-tracked interface on the phone screen itself. It’s perhaps the biggest smartphone failure of all time, with Amazon selling just a few thousand handsets and resulting in part of a $170 million write-down for the company.

It’s not a like-for-like comparison, but I bring up the Fire Phone despite its functional differences to help emphasise a point: 3D, in all its forms, has never amounted to more than a bit of a fad. Whether it’s the Avatar-led cinema boom, or the Nintendo 3DS’s glasses-free 3D screen, visual media makers are on what feels like an eternal cycle to present 3D as the next hot ‘new’ thing every few years.

Now it’s Apple’s turn to take it for a spin.

“The Apple Vision Pro is a promising step for the 3D viewing experience, but a lot more needs to be done,” Wilson said. 

“Apple needs to make 3D photography a point-and-shoot experience by adding next-gen LiDAR scanners and extra sensors to its iPhones and iPads. It also needs to open up spatial capture to third-party apps. If that’s all combined with more affordable, approachable headsets or glasses, then 3D photography could well have a revival. 2D photography won’t go away as an art form, but I could see 3D captures becoming an important way to capture our memories in more powerful ways.”

As only a function of a wider immersive ‘Spatial Computing’ ecosystem, it stands a better chance of long-term survival than other examples of 3D media, perhaps. But to feed that application of Vision Pro fully would require a significant change for iPhone photography. 

If the premium nature of the iPhone Ultra is true, you could be looking at needing a $1,500 phone to fuel the 3D library of your $3,499 headset — and that just doesn’t scream ‘mass adoption’ to me. Given the yo-yoing fortunes of, and interest in, 3D video and photography over the years, I’m not convinced that should be the core photography play any eventual iPhone Ultra should take. But it may prove the inevitable direction to get a 3D ecosystem off the ground.

While the world’s best athletes were performing on track, 12 participants had the unique opportunity to capture them up close as part of the inaugural World Athletics Photography Workshop, held during the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23.

The photographers – attending from around the world – had a range of photography backgrounds. For some, it was their first time being at a world event, while others had more experience in photographing athletics. However, one thing they had in common is that they had all captured sporting events before.

The photographers arrived in Budapest five days prior to the start of the competition, to gather all the necessary knowledge they needed to succeed during the upcoming nine days of action. The workshop was opened by mentor Joel Marklund, an award-winning photographer who assisted the workshop attendees during their whole stay.

Participants of the first World Athletics Photography Workshop with mentor Joel Marklund (© Joel Marklund)

“We had the theoretical courses at the beginning of the programme and then we moved into more practicality,” said Marklund. “First, we showed them what a good athletics photo is. What to think of when it comes to positioning, light and background, and what kind of moments to look out for. It is one thing to see that, but it is very different to get out there in reality and get it.”

The participants also attended a number of sessions on photo operations, archiving and ethics in the stadium. Moreover, they had the chance to meet the representatives of Sony, Nikon and Canon, and discuss future technology with them. Throughout the World Championships, the photographers were given the opportunity to shoot with these brands’ equipment.

“It was a really good experience that I had the chance to try and use different equipment from different companies and take pictures I have never had the chance to before,” said George Foteinakis, a participant from Greece.

Even as the World Championships started, the lectures didn’t end. In breaks from photographing the competition, presentations covered a range of topics including agency work and the portrayal of women in sport, from guest speakers of Getty Images, Reuters and AFP, ending with Q&A sessions.

Given the high temperatures in Budapest, the photographers had one extra thing to cope with. However, thanks to Paolo Emilio Adami – Medical Manager at World Athletics – they were able to learn how to protect themselves from the heat and how to adapt to the warm conditions.

The attendees also had assignments to do, including submitting the best 20 pictures they took after each day of the competition, which was followed by one-on-one and group feedback sessions with Marklund. As the Swedish photographer explained: “These constant feedback sessions were quite good because they could improve, and we were able to reshape what they were doing and give them directions. I think through this, they learnt a lot.”

Participants at the end of the World Athletics Photography Workshop

However, the biggest surprise arrived on the last day of the World Championships, when participants had the pleasure of meeting Blanka Vlasic – the two-time world champion high jumper – and had the chance to talk to her about the relationship between athletes and photographers. Vlasic highlighted some of her favourite memories and pictures captured during her career and even gave advice on how to achieve better relationships with the competitors.

After receiving his diploma, Erick Barasa of Kenya said: “For me, the biggest learning was that before you position yourself, you have to think about the outcome. Emotions are more important than actions. You have to look for something hidden in the picture. Being exposed to people like Joel Marklund, I now look at things differently. After the World Championships we are better photographers in every way. This was an eye opener.”

As the World Championships came to an end on 27 August, the first World Athletics Photography Workshop also concluded. One thing all the participants agreed on was that the experience had given them life-long memories and connections. They learnt how to think differently when approaching a picture.

Because often the best photos capture moments that none of the other photographers saw.

Laura Szondi for World Athletics

Laura Szondi is a Hungarian freelance journalist who participated in the AIPS Young Reporters Programme held in Innsbruck during the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships this year.

Editor’s Note: Call to Earth is a CNN editorial series committed to reporting on the environmental challenges facing our planet, together with the solutions. Rolex’s Perpetual Planet initiative has partnered with CNN to drive awareness and education around key sustainability issues and to inspire positive action.

A breathtaking image of a peregrine falcon attacking an enormous pelican with its bright orange talons won top prize in this year’s Bird Photographer of the Year competition.

The contest, in its eighth edition, celebrates the beauty of birds while also raising awareness of the mounting pressures they face. Photographers from all over the world entered more than 20,000 images into the competition, all vying for the £5,000 ($6,280) grand prize.

US photographer Jack Zhi, who took the winning image in southern California, says he had waited for four years to capture the rare moment when a female falcon pounced on a brown pelican more than double its size.

“During breeding season, a female peregrine falcon fiercely protects her young, attacking anything that comes near the nest,” he explained in a press release. “The high-speed chase made it challenging to capture a close-up shot with a long lens.”

But finally, he succeeded. “The action was fast, and over in the blink of an eye. But I’ll remember that moment forever,” he said.

Other photographers were recognized for artistic and atmospheric shots, such as an image of a blackbird silhouetted against the moon taken by 17-year-old Anton Trexler, which won Young Bird Photographer of the Year. There were also awards for comedy shots, like that of a hungry heron attempting to squeeze a very large fish into its beak, captured by Antonio Aguti.

Birds on the brink

The competition organizers hope that the striking images will not only promote the talent of photographers, but also the importance of birds and their protection. Nearly half of the planet’s bird species are in decline and one in eight species is threatened with extinction, according to the latest State of the World’s Birds report published by BirdLife International.

“The astonishing caliber of these photographs underscores a vital message: let us champion the cause of conservation, so that future generations can marvel at the real-life inspirations behind these extraordinary images,” said Will Nicholl, director of Bird Photographer of the Year, in a press release.

Profits from the competition support various conservation projects through the award’s own charity Birds on the Brink. The winning images are also published in a coffee table book each year.

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A spectacular sight indeed as the peregrine falcon photo took the crown for the Bird Photographer of the Year 2023.

In the prize-winning image taken by Photographer Jack Zhi, from the US, the falcon is seen tackling a brown pelican that ventured too close to its nest.

This dynamic and dramatic image taken in Southern California is a “rare sight” that captures nature at its finest moment.

“For four years, I attempted to capture the rare sight of the female falcon attacking large brown pelicans with incredible speed and agility,” said Mr Zhi.

“I love the eyes of the pelican in this image – surprised and scared. The action was fast, and over in the blink of an eye. But I’ll remember that moment forever.”

Will Nicholls, director of Bird Photographer of the Year, said each image is “not merely a testament to the immense talent of our photographers, but a poignant reminder of the breathtaking beauty of birds.”

“The astonishing calibre of these photographs underscores a vital message: let us champion the cause of conservation, so that future generations can marvel at the real-life inspirations behind these extraordinary images,” he added.

Photographers competed in eight different categories in the adult competition, including a Conservation Award, Portfolio Award, and Video Award.

The Young Bird Photographer of the Year 2023 was awarded to German photographer Anton Trexler,17, for his striking atmospheric image of a blackbird silhouetted against the moon.

Here is a selection of images that were awarded gold, silver or bronze, with descriptions by the photographers.

Blue-footed booby – Baja California Sur, Mexico

Taken by Henley Spiers.

“In early autumn, a sardine shoal at Los Islotes attracted seabird predators. Amid the shoal, I waited patiently for the elusive shot of a Blue-footed Booby rising with a sardine in its beak.

“Finally, a crash came down close to me, and I instinctively captured the moment,” Spiers said.

A mother’s love – Great Grey Owl Strix nebulosa, Zhejiang, China

Taken by Qiuqing Mu.

“A Great Grey Owl adult was hunting in a wheat field, and a juvenile flew to the edge of the field to be fed. Suddenly, the parent caught some prey.

“I quickly pressed the shutter and captured a heartwarming moment between the parent and the next generation,” Mu said.

Glistening Green – Tanager Chlorochrysa phoenicotis, Mashpi Amagusa Reserve, Ecuador

Taken by Nicolas Reusens.

Mr Reusens said: “Venturing into the tropical forest, I was excited to spot the rare Glistening – green Tanager. After hours of waiting, I saw the vivid – green bird on a perfect heart-shaped leaf. Its shimmering feathers reflected a dazzling array of colours.

“I captured every detail, grateful for this magical moment amid the lush jungle backdrop.”

Parenting Goals – Emperor Penguin Aptenodytes forsteri, Antarctica

Taken by Thomas Vijayan.

“Before capturing this image, I spent two days observing these penguins, lying flat on the ice to avoid scaring them. Waiting for the chick to appear, I finally got this touching shot of parental love,” Vijayan said.

“I trekked eight hours a day on soft snow to reach this colony and even made friends with some penguins.”

Flying Sword-billed Hummingbird Ensifera, Bogotá, Colombia

Taken by Rafael Armada.

Armada said: “The Sword-billed Hummingbird, common in the Andean forests, has the world’s longest bill relative to its size. This bird’s unique bill, adapted to feed on flowers with long corollas, makes it a vital pollinator, as bees and butterflies can’t reach the nectar and so don’t pollinate these plants.

“This image captures the bird approaching a feeder, with natural backgrounds and lighting.”

A moment of prayer – Great Grey Owl Strix nebulosa, Helsinki, Finland

Taken by Arto Leppänen.

“During winter migration, owls from northern Finland often head to the south where they can find more food due to less snow. This Great Grey Owl chose a cemetery with abundant voles as its hunting ground,” Leppänen said.

“While hunting, the owl would often stop on tombstones or other structures to observe the area. Keeping a safe distance, I followed the owl and managed to capture a fleeting moment when it landed briefly on a beautiful angel statue.”

More Fish Please! King Penguin Aptenodytes patagonicus, Saunders Island, Falkland Islands (Malvinas)

Taken by Levi Fitze.

“When observing King Penguins, I was struck by how their behaviour sometimes resembles that of humans. This juvenile constantly begged until the annoyed adult walked away.

“However, the fact that the juvenile was more massive than the adult suggests good parenting overall,” Fitze said.

Saturday Sept. 9 is the date for the annual Sunrise Lighthouse Photography cruise aboard the Balmy Days out of Pier 8, Boothbay Harbor. Mike Leonard is the host photographer again for this year’s cruise which will include seeing the local lights at daybreak. Burnt Island, Cuckolds, Ram Island lights, and this year, Pemaquid Light.

Getting to see Pemaquid Light from the ocean and in the early morning should be a wonderful photo opportunity.

Tickets are still available by going online to the Balmy Days website or by calling directly at 207-633-2284.