As photography becomes an increasingly competitive and crowded field, adding new skills can give photographers an important edge. In this exclusive PetaPixel interview, photographer and filmmaker Megan Zabel Holmes shares how becoming a commercial drone pilot has helped her stand out, attract new clients, and turn aerial work into a valuable part of her business.
The Underwater Awards Australasia has announced the winners of the third edition of the photo competition that focuses on marine photographers in Oceania.
New to waterfall photography? Learn how to choose your gear, find great locations, work with changing light, and use your camera settings to capture waterfalls in different ways. We’ll also cover the basics of staying safe around the water and creating that signature silky water effect.
Harvard Art Museums has delved into its extensive photographic collection to put on a thought-provoking exhibition titled The Way We Never Were that questions the postwar narrative in the United States.
David Bowie’s official photographer has transformed his vast archive of images of the legendary singer into an immersive audio-visual experience.
Photographer Thomas Spicher has founded a lens company, Adapted Optics, and built what he calls the "Everyday Lens." It features a 3D-printed body and a simple camera lens salvaged from a disposable camera. It promises to combine the character of a disposable film camera with the build quality and control that modern photographers expect.
Vimeo users probably believe they are the right people to determine what type of account they need. Vimeo disagrees and has begun switching some users to a new, significantly more expensive subscription tier at its own discretion.
This week, Jakob Owens, photographer and owner of multiple studios in Los Angeles and Arizona, got into a bit of an argument with the photography community surrounding image rights and reciprocal sharing. What do you think, is he in the right?
I put DxO PhotoLab 10 to work on a set of my RAW files from Morocco. The new feature I liked most was the Depth Mask tool. On one of my favorite photos from the Sahara, I used it to build a mask based on distance from the camera. That let me adjust the exposure, color, and detail of the distant dunes without painting around them by hand.
If you want to try it, new customers can get 20% off all DxO software through September 7, 2026, with code PetaPixelLD2026.
Blackmagic Design has announced lower prices for its Pyxis 6K models and the Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K. The Cinema Camera 6K, which just recently got phase-detect autofocus via firmware, is down from $2,715 to $1,595. The Blackmagic Pyxis 6K L has dropped from $3,080 to $1,995. The EF version is down to $1,995 as well, from $3,070. The PL one is $2,195, a $1,070 discount. The revised prices are available now through authorized retailers.
"We have been working hard to secure improved pricing on some parts, so we can now pass that on to our customers through a lower price," says Grant Petty, Blackmagic Design CEO. "This price reduction allows even more customers to buy a professional full-frame cinema camera giving them a whole new way to tell their stories. This will be exciting!"
Flickr's MODE Photography Festival is taking place September 18-20 in Minneapolis, Minnesota and the full lineup of speakers and entertainment has been announced. Matthew Rolston, Jonathan Mannion, Steve Sweatpants, and YK join previously announced photographers Sandro Miller, Chris Burkard, Brooke Shaden, Penny De Los Santos, and more, leading dynamic experiences across the festival's seven thematic pillars, Change, Next, Money, Motion, Culture, IRL, and Earth. It sounds like a packed schedule, but it doesn't come cheap. Passes are available now starting at $500 for Flick Pro Interactive, $410 for general admission, and $900 for VIP passes.
Per Pronews in Japan, NiSi is showing off upcoming lenses at the BIRTV exhibition in China, including a 26mm f/0.7 lens. Details are very scarce, but based on its focal length and aperture alone, it's unlike any other lens on the market. There's no word yet on when more information might be coming, but this is definitely a lens to keep an eye on. NiSi also showed off a 50mm T1 lens, which could also be a compelling option.
Earlier this year, Apple announced that it would be dropping the price of its famously expensive $19 polishing cloth to a still expensive, but far more reasonable $9. As it turns out, that wasn't a price cut so much as a product revamp.
Snazzy Labs' Quinn Nelson (who makes his own polishing cloth to compete with Apple's) decided to test the old one versus the new one and found that the new price-cut version is significantly different than the old one. Different, and maybe worse in some ways. It should still do a good job, but not quite as good of a job as Apple's original.
Held at Riga Passenger Port, the Fantadroms Riga International Kite Festival brought some of the world’s leading kite artists to the heart of the Latvian capital. Obviously a really neat opportunity for photos, this is a rare scene anywhere in Europe as the skies above the Daugava River were transformed into a temporary aerial art installation. This was the inaugural event and it took place on August 29. Photographers should keep an eye on this event next year, it looks like a gorgeous visual spectacle.
Photos courtesy of the International Kite Festival “Fantadroms”
Lomography has announced a new, very colorful version of its Fisheye No.2 35mm film camera. The Graffiti edition model is red, blue, and yellow, with graffiti styling all over its front. It is like the other Fisheye No.2 cameras, meaning it uses a 10mm fisheye lens with a 170° field of view to capture photos to 35mm film. It has a built-in flash, no tripod mount, and uses a single AA battery for power. The Lomo Fisheye No.2 Graffiti is $69 and available now.
Foldable smartphones have been a real mixed bag thus far, especially for photographers. While some of them have had great cameras, like 2023's OnePlus Open, many more have made unattractive camera compromises. Xiaomi is teasing its upcoming 18 Fold smartphone, slated for a full reveal on September 7, and it has a triple rear camera setup and a striking design. There's even a lengthy video on Weibo.
Hopefully the new Xiaomi 18 Fold will incorporate many of the camera features of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, a superb smartphone for photographers with excellent image quality.
Welcome to another Film Friday spotlight! This time we’re turning our attention to a film that is simultaneously quite popular but still somehow underappreciated: Kodak Gold 200.
Manfrotto has announced the ONE Video, rounding out its ONE System tripods with a dedicated professional video option.
SmallRig has announced the Nano Power Bank Series, a set of smaller power banks that look more like offerings from UGreen or Anker but with mounting points that make them more tailored to working photographers and videographers.
Adobe Camera Raw 18.6 arrived recently, bringing a rather interesting new Glow feature in its Effects panel that could easily fly under the radar. With this new tool, photographers can easily create an Orton effect or mimic film halation, delivering some pretty cool looks.
This morning, GoPro's founder Nick Woodman published a letter to GoPro's website addressing concerns about the future of the company and how the choice to be acquired by Starman Optical will affect the products the company is best known for.
Over on Japanese crowdfunding site Makuake, photographers can support what is arguably one of the goofiest toy cameras to date. And that's a high bar to clear. The "DV42" is a 24-gram, teeny-tiny camera that, for some reason, is styled to look like a cassette tape.
To celebrate Labor Day, B&H Photo Video has a ton of fantastic discounts for photographers. You can save big on cameras, lenses, and accessories right now. To make it easier to find the best deals, we've picked out 15 highlights for you.
A 17-year-old photographer has beaten 1,200 other entries to win a U.K. photography competition for his superb shot of a small falcon chasing a dragonfly.
A director and comedian has remade Christopher Nolan's summer blockbuster The Odyssey. But instead of shooting it entirely on IMAX cameras, the way Nolan did, Will Norman shot his version entirely on iMacs.
The NFL is oh so close to being back, and while the players have been running drills and pumping iron to keep themselves in shape during the offseason, one rising star has also been pursuing a more cultured pastime.
Lexar has announced Muse, the world's thinnest portable SSD.
RugOne unveiled its new modular action camera-slash-phone, the Xsnap 7 Pro, at IFA 2026 in Berlin.
I have to admit that I don't have a ton of faith in Fujifilm when it comes to wildlife and sports photography. I don't feel like the autofocus performance of the cameras is quite up to par with the competition when it comes to more demanding situations. However, I do think that the glass lineup is excellent, and it just got even better.
Fujifilm has announced the Fujinon XF400mm f/4.5 R LM OIS WR, a new super-telephoto prime lens with an equivalent full-frame focal length of 609mm along with the promise of some of the highest optical performance in the entire XF lens line.
Google has announced that Gemini Spark now works with Google Photos, allowing Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers to manage, edit, and share photos through prompts.
Photographers often know how they want an image to look before they begin editing, but reaching that result can require both changes across the entire scene and adjustments limited to specific areas. Selecting one person in a group, isolating the midground without affecting the foreground or background, or removing dozens of dust spots can take longer than the exposure or color adjustment that follows. DxO PhotoLab 10 introduces new tools that make this process faster while giving photographers …
Ricoh Imaging's Pentax K-1 Mark II DSLR, announced in 2018, has reportedly been discontinued across all major Japanese retailers, which means that there are now no Pentax DSLRs in active production in Japan.
Lexar's sub-brand, Pexar, first made its name in 2024 by making digital picture frames. While frames are still Pexar's primary product, the company is expanding into Thunderbolt 5 docks with the PexarBolt Ultra. While it may seem like a strange departure, a Thunderbolt 5 dock aligns with its parent company's product portfolio.
A massive classic camera fair is taking place this weekend in Ginza, Tokyo, that will feature a huge array of used cameras from across the film and digital eras. Called the 55th World Used Camera Fair, the event runs from September 4 through September 9 on the 8th floor of the Matsuya department store.
True Lens Services (TLS) has rehoused vintage Nikon AI and AI-S lenses for modern filmmakers, delivering classic Nikon optical charm to today's productions.
The 2026 NFL season kickoff is just around the corner, with the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks gearing up for a Super Bowl rematch on Wednesday, September 9. Ahead of the new season, Sony is celebrating how its technology was used throughout the NFL last year and sharing new details about how it will expand this season.
Hohem has unveiled the Eyepic at IFA 2026, introducing what the company calls the "world's first 2-in-1 pocket gimbal camera." The device combines a detachable camera with three-axis stabilization, allowing it to function as a handheld gimbal camera or a wearable camera for hands-free recording.
Nvidia has agreed to acquire New York City-based AI company Hugging Face for a whopping $12,930,300,000.
The new Sony FX5 cinema camera is one of Sony's most exciting video products in years. It is also extremely well-designed, with one notable exception. PetaPixel hoped a third-party would step in and address the issue, and sure enough, it has happened.
There's a time and a place to conduct a photo shoot, and during a tennis match at the US Open ain't one of them.
A Major League Baseball (MLB) game between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Angels was delayed last night in Anaheim after a photographer was hit in the head by a hard foul ball line drive.
Leica has announced the Summicon-M 66mm f/2, which it calls a reinterpretation of the Elcan 66mm f/2 that was developed by Dr. Walter Mandler at Ernst Leitz Canada in the late 1960s.
A feature film about Gerda Taro, the first female photojournalist to be killed while covering war, was given its world premiere at Venice Film Festival this week.
DJI has announced a new flagship 360-degree camera, the 8K-capable Osmo 360 II.
Researchers have developed a $7 smartphone accessory that can detect hidden cameras within five seconds with 94% accuracy.
Norway says it is considering banning camera-equipped smart glasses that can record other people in public spaces without their knowledge.
German electronics company CircuitValley has launched the CHC5 on Kickstarter, which it describes as "the world's first commercially available modular camera system for advanced imaging." The CHC5's claim to fame is that the user can freely swap out the image sensor, rotating through a wide range of sensor sizes and formats.
KEH Camera, best known for buying and selling used gear, is also home to many talented repair technicians. Leveraging KEH's repair expertise, Zeiss Group has named KEH its exclusive authorized repair and service center for Zeiss photography lenses and equipment in the United States and Canada.
Last week, DJI shared a rocket launch video recorded using Osmo Action 6 cameras. As is so often the case, DJI's primary commercial and legal rival, Insta360, is not content to merely watch from the sidelines. Insta360 has its own new rocket launch video, too.
Codex, best known for its specialized media drives for professional Arri cinema cameras, has entered the CFexpress marketplace with new CFexpress 4.0 Type A and Type B memory cards and associated readers.
This week on The PetaPixel Podcast, the team goes through the decades starting in the mid 1900s and examines which camera company was the most influential during that time. That doesn't mean who sold the most, it means who drove the industry in a particular direction.
Camera Intelligence is bringing generative video editing to its AI-native Micro Four Thirds camera, Caira. It is the first mirrorless camera system to incorporate built-in generative video editing capabilities.
The National Audubon Society has unveiled the winners of the 2026 Audubon Photography Awards, a competition that captures the beauty of birds and the challenges they face.
YouTube star and filmmaker Mark Fischbach, better known as Markiplier, is fully aware that the timing looks very bad but is adamant he did nothing wrong and is very concerned about what GoPro's new $285 million merger means for the company's products.
A photographer accused Getty Images of illegally licensing his photographs, only to learn that he never owned the copyrights to them.
A team of scientists filmed a shrimp-like fish walking both sideways and backward in first-ever footage of such behavior in a fish.
A real estate photographer in Alabama had his drone shot down and is now working with authorities, hoping to identify the shooter.
A court has ordered a sports photography festival to reinstate an Associated Press photographer’s image of a soccer game in Gaza after organizers removed it following outside pressure.
