I’ve just been looking at my photos from a recent trip to the Grand Canyon and I’m thoroughly unimpressed. Why do photographs of beautiful scenery never do it justice? Alex Robinson, Suffolk

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You can take a great landscape photograph if you know how to compose the image. Most people just point the camera at what they are gazing at and press the button. Painters don’t just paint what is in front if them; they compose a picture. The answer is composition. Toomuchrose

It’s most likely the camera you are capturing the scene with. I recommend you try using a Grand Canon. Photofitter

Beautiful scenery gives me (and maybe you) a tremendous sense of light, space, colour and freedom, a feeling that life is worth living, that I’m on top of the world (specially if I’m on a hilltop), of harmony and wellbeing and balance, if only for a moment. And I have a sense of movement and being in nature, too. That’s a lot to ask of a photograph, especially if it only manages a limited range of colour and brightness, is taken near midday, with none of the golden tones of sunrise or sunset, and has a limited depth of focus. A photo compresses space and depth and panorama into a flat rectangle. What’s remarkable is that photos can impress and be beautiful, given all the constraints. But they can, just like paintings. LetsJustLookAtThis

Photography really struggles to capture the sheer scale of geographical features such as the Grand Canyon. Possessing the skill to take breathtaking photographs is the reason professional photographers still exist, especially when everyone on the planet owns a phone with a camera and believes they’re a photographer! Even with a wide-angle lens on a DSLR, or the widest view on a phone camera, you can’t begin to fit the entire scene into the frame, so you have to decide which small section to photograph. Some photographers use extreme ultra-wide-angle lenses or join together multiple photos, physically or digitally, to create a panorama of the entire scene, but unless the final prints are huge, the effect is generally disappointing.

Choosing a viewpoint well in advance and a time of day with dramatic light can make a huge difference. Go for early mornings or evenings, when the shadows are longer and colours glow; avoid harsh, direct midday sun. Take a look at how the great photographers such as Ansel Adams or artists such as David Hockney approached the Grand Canyon for a bit of inspiration and food for thought. James1000

Ansel Adams certainly did justice to landscape photography, mainly by using cameras with large- or medium-format sensors (film or plate negatives) and lenses with long focal lengths, often tiltable to correct for foreshortening of tall, distant objects. All these features are minimised in modern cameras, although correction to a degree by in-camera AI is possible. Of course, he also printed in black and white. Modern professional landscape photographers either use versions of the older technology, or have learned to use processing tools such as Photoshop to modify their images. You have to decide what your image is for, and whether adapting your kit or technique is going to be worth it … daibeaver

Neither photographs nor paintings do a scene justice. The smells, the sounds, the breezes, the changing of the light and the effect of the viewer’s movements are all included in the appreciation of the scene. That said, a good landscape picture can evoke memories of a visit and with it recall the emotional effect on the viewer. It can also be an artistic expression in its own right, conveying the visual components in a manner that invokes an emotional response entirely without context. RollyW

Photography is a skill and an art form. Most of us are not skilled artists, as is evident from our holiday snaps. We wouldn’t expect to match the artistry of a Michelin chef or an old master portrait painter, who have built on their talent with years of study. Why do we all expect to be able to take fantastic photographs? Randomusername222

I’ve done a fair amount of photography in the south-west of the US and the Grand Canyon is notoriously challenging because it is so vast. Your eye manages – or think it manages – a sense of perspective and therefore awe (although once in a while you’ll see a plane flying down in the canyon and suddenly realise that your own perspective is bewildered by the size, too).

The three tips for taking pictures in the GC are: go for golden hour – all my best pictures of it are taken at sunset or sunrise; there are some phenomenal light effects; make sure you get some images of specific features or lines of sight, rather than the canyon as the whole (which almost never captures what you’re seeing); and, if you can, get something in it that gives a sense of perspective. This is also really hard with the Grand Canyon, because people on the other rim will be completely invisible. I also always buy some postcards as a backup. Use what photos you did take to remind you of the feeling, and enjoy having seen a wonder, like Everest, that can’t be captured on film. You’ve been there!

“Dimension means nothing to the senses, and all we are left with is a troubled sense of immensity.” (Clarence Dutton on seeing the Grand Canyon.) Thomas1178

A camera, however expensive or sophisticated, is an incredibly simple device compared with the human brain. Our eyes can take in an incredible amount of information in 3D; that allows the brain to build up a complex picture that a camera with a shutter operating at, for example, 1/200th of a second can’t possible do. It’s impossible to capture in a single picture what our eyes are seeing over a period of time. ChrisGC

A good view is rarely a good photograph. I think a photographer’s best art lies in finding and isolating something that others miss. PascalsFire

Because all the best viewpoints are blocked by hordes of narcissists taking selfies. ShrinkProof

A full moon sitting perfectly symmetrically between the ancient spires of King’s College Chapel was Martin Bond’s last daily photo of Cambridge – 13 years after he started a creative project that has been viewed all over the world.

Bond, whose posts on social media under “A Cambridge Diary” have attracted a following of 100,000 people, set out in 2010 to celebrate Cambridge’s everyday moments by taking an atmospheric portrait shot of the city every single day of the year.

Born and bred in the city, he wanted to portray a different side than the one most tourists see – while trying to rekindle the love local people feel for their home town.

On Tuesday, Bond shared his 5,000th consecutive daily picture and announced that it would be the last one after extending the project from one year to 13.

“I feel a bit sad – I’m going to miss doing it. And I’m worried I might spend the day in bed now,” he said, having not been able to leave the city for more than one night since the project began. “The power of capturing everyday moments reminds us that we’re human. There’s a connectedness that we sometimes take for granted or are not aware of. All I’m really doing is just tuning in to those little personal moments and interactions that happen thousands of times over, in every street, because they chime with me and I think they will chime with others.”

He initially focused his camera lens entirely on “real people living real lives” in Cambridge to encourage his followers to notice the beauty in scenes they might otherwise pass by.

He said: “For about a year, I deliberately avoided taking pictures of the colleges. But after a while, I realised that actually I couldn’t ignore the architecture, because it is pretty phenomenal.

“So I thought, as well as trying to show people from outside the city that there is another beautiful side to Cambridge, I should try to show the people who live here that there is a more secret and perhaps different way of looking at the buildings they are so used to. And that might rekindle their love affair of where they live.”

Bond’s work is highly regarded across Cambridge’s often rigid “town and gown” divide, with locals who discover they were featured in a daily portrait telling him it is “a badge of honour”.

One of his all-time favourite shots is from March 2020 – on the first day of lockdown – when he captured the late head porter of the university’s Peterhouse college, Gerald Meade, watering daffodils. “For me, it was so reassuring. It was a classic British ‘keep calm and carry on’ moment – a sense that, even in this madness, some things will be maintained and somehow, it’s going to be alright,” Bond said.

The portrait, he added, was proudly displayed during Meade’s funeral service – and is now hanging in the college porter’s lodge.

This month, Bond published his first photographic book, Town and Gown, with 365 images chosen from the first seven years of his diary, and he is planning to sift through the estimated 25,000 photos he has taken since 2010 to curate two others. “There are some which, at the time, I thought didn’t make the grade. But now I look at them again and think: that’s a much better picture than the one I chose for that day.”

But, he said, there was one portrait he had never taken during his “very personal” project: a selfie.

He added: “Of course, every picture is, in some way, about me, because I’m framing it. I’ve seen something that has struck a chord with me and I’m framing it at the exclusion of everything else.

“I can’t think of anywhere better to live.”

Back in July, photographer Steve Haining and model Ciara Antoski broke the Guinness World Record for the deepest underwater photoshoot. At 32 feet underwater, it was a mind-boggling feet. Now, the pair have outdone themselves with an even more daring stunt. Haining and his team went back to the waters of Tobermory, Ontario—Canada’s shipwreck capital—and held a portrait shoot at nearly 100 feet.

This achievement was once again awarded the Guinness World Record. “The photoshoot took place at the bow of the Niagara II Shipwreck, which sits at a depth of 30 meters (98 feet),” they write. “The entire attempt underwater including cleanup, equipment removal and safety stop lasted just over 30 minutes, while photoshoot itself was 16 minutes long.”

Having earned worldwide attention from their original attempt, which took place during the pandemic as a tongue-in-cheek response to the closure of pools, they set out to try again. This time they wanted to go deeper with the help of an extra boost. After Fujifilm hired Haining as their underwater DOP, the company asked him and his team what they were up to. “We explained that we were planning on going back to Tobermory one day to do another photo shoot,” Haining told DIY Photography. “We wanted to continue the series. Fujifilm asked us the details and how deep we would go the next time. We picked a number 100 feet (30 meters)… 100 feet, can we do it? The response we got from the Fuji team was amazing, and we knew right then that we had to do it again sooner rather than later. We had our eyes set on a shipwreck that’s at exactly 100 feet.”

But with a deeper setting came new technical challenges. Haining previously relied on AquaTech’s underwater housing for his camera, which are only rated for 30 feet. Despite this limitation, he wanted to test out the gear. Lighting company Nanlite also caught wind of the project and provided Haining with lights for the shoot. These were also only rated at 32 feet, but the company was curious if they would still work, or if they would survive the deep climb at all.

In the end, Haining and his team, which include Mareesha Klups and Mario Medarevic, made the most of what they could acquire. They spent several weeks warming up prior to the date of the shoot. And while the summer lighting certainly helped fight the loss of yellows and oranges at such depths, they went with a bright red dress for Antoski, which cuts a dramatic picture over the rusty tones of the Niagara shipwreck and the chilly blue of the water.

You can see more pictures from this breathtaking photoshoot, below. To stay up to date with Haining, follow him on Instagram.

See more images of Steve Haining’s Guinness World Record for the deepest underwater photoshoot.

Watch the behind the scenes for this photoshoot in the video below:

Steve Haining: Website | YouTube | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Steve Haining.

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In my last article, I talked about using the new Nikon Z f for portrait photography. But a large part of my job involves covering action-filled events like the X Games or Red Bull events. So I am expected to have gear that can keep up with the dynamic moments of the amazing athletes. So with that in mind, I wanted to see just how well the Nikon Z f would work as an action sports camera. 

First off, thanks to the implementation of the Expeed 7 processor, the Nikon Z f has the same autofocus abilities as the Nikon Z 9. It can shoot at 14 fps in RAW and 30 fps in JPEG. It also supports filming at 120p. On paper, these features make the Nikon Z f a great action sports camera for any growing amateur and even professionals. The full-framed sensor of the camera also helps, even though it is only a 24.5MP sensor. 

To see how all these features work in the real world, I invited my parkour friend Corky out for a quick session. We went to a couple of well-known spots at the base of TOKYO SKYTREE. It was a great shoot, and here’s what we did and how I felt trying out various aspects of the Nikon Z f.

Autofocus: Portraits vs Action 

The first aspect of the Nikon Z f I tested was the autofocus capabilities the Expeed 7 processor provides. I did a few portraits to start the shoot. Just like in the previous test shoot, the auto eye detection of the Nikon Z f was bang on. There were no problems at all. 

But when it came to capturing the action, we faced a few challenges. At our first spot, I set the autofocus to “all-area” to see how well it would pick up and track Corky. The camera picked him up well, but when he was running up to do his backflip off some stairs, the camera seemed to get confused between his shirt and the trees behind him. It’s no big issue if you anticipate it, but it’s less than ideal. Once I realized that the camera was getting confused, I just let go of the shutter and refocused. After I did that, the camera picked him up right away, and we got a cool shot.

What I found most interesting was that, compared to the all-area focus when taking stills, the constant auto-focus tracking worked perfectly on both times I shot video.

Even with my Nikon Z 9, I almost never shoot action using the all-area autofocus. I prefer to shoot with a smaller focus box that I can move around the display depending on the composition I want. So that is how I set the camera when shooting action at the next couple of spots. Then I had no problem keeping the focus throughout Corky’s quick moments. 

Shooting RAW or JPEG

When taking photos of quick action, many people like to use a camera’s burst mode to capture the trick with perfect timing. The Nikon Z f’s 14 fps RAW is slower than the Nikon Z 9, but it was fine for most of what we were doing. A couple of times, though, I did feel it was a little slow for capturing the timing of some of the really quick movements. But the 30 fps JPEG worked great at these moments. 

In my professional work, I always shoot RAW photos, so I’m not sure how much I would use the 30 fps in JPEG. But it might be useful for beginners and semi-pros who are shooting an action sport they may not be used to. And actually, I am quite happy with the quality of the JPEGs I captured with the Nikon Z f.

Video Quality

On the video side of the Nikon Z f, shooting on 120p at 1080 resolution looks great, and the slow motion is amazing. Of course, having 120p at 4k or something else a little bigger than 1080 would be better. But this camera is probably not geared toward people who would want that anyway. And for its price and size, there have to be compromises along the way. The majority of the videos I produce are at 1080 resolution, so it’s fine for my needs. It’s a feature I would definitely make use of if I decide to buy this camera.

If you want 4k at 60p, that’s also pretty decent for some minor slow motion. But as I mentioned in my previous article, the video will be at a DX crop. It’s not a deal-breaker, and it still holds up well in my opinion, but it doesn’t quite match the level of video quality I can get with my Nikon Z 9.

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The Verdict

So, would this replace my Nikon Z 9 as my go-to action sports camera? No, not for action sports and event shootings. But would it be a great second camera to have alongside my Nikon Z 9? Absolutely, for sure! I also believe it would be an excellent entry-level camera for amateur photographers. The price point is reasonable for what it offers. Also, Nikon has an impressive lineup of both F-mount and Z-mount lenses that can be paired with the Nikon Z f for amazing results.

In the end, I am looking forward to picking up this camera to complement my Z 9 for work. I also see it as a more compact option when out in the street or just doing fun shoots with my friends.

The Nikon Z f was provided by Nikon for the test shoot.

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Author: Jason Halayko

Jason Halayko is a professional photographer specializing in action sports and portrait photography. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.

* Lhapa Dondrup is perhaps the shortest photographer in China’s Xizang.

* Standing less than 1 meter tall, the wheelchair-bound Tibetan has brittle bone disease.

* His physical disability has not stopped him from chasing his photographer’s dream.

* For him, photography is more than just a way to make a living.

by Xinhua writers Huang Yaoman, Jiang Fan and Lyu Qiuping

LHASA, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) — Lhapa Dondrup is perhaps the shortest photographer in southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region.

Standing less than 1 meter tall, the wheelchair-bound Tibetan has brittle bone disease, which leads to frequent fractures. He is now 22 years old, despite doctors once predicting that he would never live beyond 20.

However, his physical disability has not stopped him from chasing his dream of becoming a photographer.

“Photography reminds me of the time when I was confined to bed during childhood. Lying in bed, I found that the rays of light through the window were so beautiful,” Lhapa Dondrup recalled, adding that photography is his way of holding onto the beautiful moments in life.

Lhapa Dondrup takes photos during a wheelchair basketball training session in Lhasa, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, Nov. 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)

Sunday marks Human Rights Day.

Lhapa Dondrup was born into a farming family in the rural area of Lhasa, the regional capital. His mother died when he was young, so he was adopted by relatives.

Suffering from frequent fractures, he was diagnosed with brittle bone disease at 5 years old. During second grade in primary school, he had an accident that almost killed him.

“I accidentally fell down, resulting in broken ribs, which pressed hard against my organs,” Lhapa Dondrup recalled.

Concerned about his safety, his adoptive parents asked him to drop out of school. Long periods at home left Lhapa Dondrup feeling depressed, considering himself a burden both to his family and to society.

In 2018, he was offered to study at the Lhasa care center for people with disabilities, a development that gave him renewed hope.

“My family didn’t allow me to go because of their fears concerning my health condition. So I lied to them, promising to return following a brief visit. But I stayed and studied there for three years,” he said with a smile.

At the center, Lhapa Dondrup not only learned Tibetan calligraphy and Mandarin writing but also chose to learn photography and video editing, both of which he enjoys.

In his words, photography is all about light, with a photo capturing the light at a particular moment.

He believes his photographs are unique. “Because of my height, my point of view is lower than that of other people, so I hope to capture a peculiar type of light in life from my own angle,” Lhapa Dondrup said.

In 2021, Lhapa Dondrup met Jole, a disabled entrepreneur who started a business for Tibetan calligraphy training and stationery sales. Of the 42 employees hired by his company, 27 have disabilities.

Lhapa Dondrup (1st, R) takes photos during a wheelchair basketball training session in Lhasa, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, Nov. 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)

Inspired by Jole, Lhapa Dondrup asked to join the company.

Jole said Lhapa Dondrup is full of enthusiasm and ambition. “Most importantly, he didn’t give up on himself, so I hired him,” said Jole.

Jole supports Lhapa Dondrup’s photography dream, giving him company cameras and encouraging him to pursue his dream. Caring people have also donated photographic equipment and taught him about photography.

Lhapa Dondrup is responsible for taking promotional photos for the company, as well as online operations. He earns 2,500 yuan (about 351.5 U.S. dollars) as monthly basic pay, excluding bonus, and receives 600 yuan from the government as a subsidy for people with disabilities.

This aerial photo taken on Dec. 2, 2023 shows Lhapa Dondrup practicing the operation of a drone in Lhasa, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)

Last year, Lhapa Dondrup bought new clothes and shoes for his adoptive parents with his own salary to celebrate the Tibetan New Year.

“My parents were so happy, and I felt proud and confident to be supporting myself with my own hands,” he said.

According to a white paper issued last month, a basic multi-tiered social security system has been established in Xizang. The surveyed urban unemployment rate has remained below the national average and the number of families with no one in work has been steadily reduced to zero, the paper said.

For Lhapa Dondrup, photography is more than just a way to make a living. In his spare time, he takes pictures of pet animals and people in Barkhor Street, a famous scenic and shopping area located at the heart of Lhasa. Driving a motor tricycle, he travels as far as possible.

Lhapa Dondrup is pictured in front of Potala Palace in Lhasa, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, Dec. 2, 2023. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)

Next year, he plans to go to Beijing to visit his sister studying there.

“I want to take my camera to Tian’anmen Square and get some photos there,” he said.

(Video reporters: Purbu Tsering, Huang Yaoman, Lodro Gyatso; video editors: Zhang Nan, Wei Yin, Yu Jiaming, Jia Xiaotong, Lin Lin.)■

Helder Matias and James Lai first met while working together at West Camera on Queen St. W. In the last two or so years, the pair started talking about opening their own film lab — and so Memento Film Lab was born.

The store, which opened in June 2023, offers physical and digital film prints, photo development and even has certain cameras for sale.

“A lot of places in North America, the film labs died out. Whereas we still had West Camera and Downtown Camera, all these great labs that managed to go through the slump,” Lai says.

“And we got our photos developed there. We learned through them and that’s how we got here today.”

The store can perhaps best be described as having an open concept kitchen-style. You can see most of the processing equipment and cameras right when you walk in.

One of the rooms is actually a gallery. Each month Matias and Lai develop photos from those in the community around a given theme. 

The film development process itself only takes about 20 minutes from taking the roll out of the camera to getting physical prints.

“We want this place to be the go-to film lab in Toronto,” Matias told blogTO, “And I think we’re working our way towards that, and people can feel that when they come in here.”

Most of the processing equipment required to process film is no longer manufactured, but they were able to get most of it through companies that sell refurbished models, a lab that shut down earlier this year and what they say is a robust film photography community in Toronto.

According to Matias, some of their equipment is among the last in Toronto. 

Their dark room, which they called a work-in-progress, consists of two processors, one for colour and one for black and white. Lai told me that when they first acquired the equipment, neither was working — so they had to cobble together the parts to get the machines in order.

There’s also their wet lab, where they develop colour photography and certain prints.

So far, they say, the reception to Memento has been very positive. While a film photography store in 2023 may seem anachronistic to a lot of people, Matias points out that he worked at West Camera for five years, and during that time he “saw how busy that place got.”

Matias and Lai kept talking about the strong and passionate photography community in Toronto — and through Memento, they’re able to see much more of the city than they would otherwise.

“We can get an idea of the pulse of the city. If it’s Caribana, you can see Caribana. We see the protests a lot right now,” Lai says. “You just feel what’s happening in the city vicariously through the eyes of the photographers.”

Memento Film Lab is at 216 Ossington Ave.

An artist’s atelier (that’s the French word for studio) is a place of creativity and expression, with no one being the same. It is a sacred place to an artist, and one most people are not privy to, but when we do get a chance to peek behind that curtain, it provides an insight into their creative practice, and in turn who they are as an artist. 

Belgium photographer Stephan Vanfleteren does just this in his new book Atelier. It presents 12 years of photography all taken in his photography home studio. A mixture of natural and artificial lighting has helped capture photography that resembles a combination of paintings by Dutch master painters and contemporary photography. The book is a masterclass in natural and artificial lighting, as he captures a wide range of subjects for personal and commercial projects. 

• See our guide for more information on the best photography lighting kit

Not tied down to one particular genre of photography, Atelier’s range of subjects include portraits, self-portraits, still lifes, and documentary – all captured with the same respected treatment and with Vanfleteren’s characteristic style. Much like Irving Penn’s masterful series Small Trades or Richard Avedon’s In the American West, Vanfleteren keeps the backdrop in his studio consistent, with only the subject as the variable. Keeping the same curtained background throughout allows the subject to become the message, highlighting greater importance and demanding more observation of it. ‘Vanfleteren connects to the traditions of old and contemporary masters but remains faithful to his characteristic style.’ 

Vanfleteren’s studio is at his home and enables him to capture both natural sunlit and artificially lit images in the same space. Throughout the book, there is a mixture of lighting techniques, but the style remains the same, often making the source of light undeterminable. Still lifes feature more in this book than any other that Vanfleteren has produced, including work from his new series Nature Morte, currently on exhibition at Galerie Rabouan Moussion in Paris (until December 31, 2023). 

I have been a huge fan of Vanfleteren for many years, collecting his previous publications Surf Tribe and Flandrien, and studying them as a source of photographic education. His portraiture is gripping, connecting the viewer to the subject with unwavering grace, much like statues frozen in time.  

Along with the beautiful images in Atelier, there are texts written by Dutch poet and novelist Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer, and by Stephan Vanfleteren himself. The words offer further insight into Vanfleteren’s process, and how he came to create his home atelier. 

Available in several language editions, Atelier by Stephan Vanfleteren is published by Hannibal Books and is available now at the price of €70 (that converts to around $75 / £60). This photography book would make the perfect gift for any portrait photographer.  

You may also be interested in our guides on the best coffee table books, the best photography lighting kit, and the best camera for portraits.