Black-necked cranes are pictured at the Caohai National Nature Reserve in the Yi, Hui and Miao Autonomous County of Weining, southwest China’s Guizhou Province, Feb 10, 2023. Photo:Xinhua
Black-necked cranes are pictured at the Caohai National Nature Reserve in the Yi, Hui and Miao Autonomous County of Weining, southwest China’s Guizhou Province, Feb 10, 2023. Photo:Xinhua
Black-necked cranes are pictured at the Caohai National Nature Reserve in the Yi, Hui and Miao Autonomous County of Weining, southwest China’s Guizhou Province, Feb 10, 2023. Photo:Xinhua
Black-necked cranes are pictured at the Caohai National Nature Reserve in the Yi, Hui and Miao Autonomous County of Weining, southwest China’s Guizhou Province, Feb 10, 2023. Photo:Xinhua
Black-necked cranes are pictured at the Caohai National Nature Reserve in the Yi, Hui and Miao Autonomous County of Weining, southwest China’s Guizhou Province, Feb 10, 2023. Photo:Xinhua
Black-necked cranes are pictured at the Caohai National Nature Reserve in the Yi, Hui and Miao Autonomous County of Weining, southwest China’s Guizhou Province, Feb 10, 2023. Photo:Xinhua
Black-necked cranes are pictured at the Caohai National Nature Reserve in the Yi, Hui and Miao Autonomous County of Weining, southwest China’s Guizhou Province, Feb 10, 2023. Photo:Xinhua
Black-necked cranes are pictured at the Caohai National Nature Reserve in the Yi, Hui and Miao Autonomous County of Weining, southwest China’s Guizhou Province, Feb 10, 2023. Photo:Xinhua
Grey cranes fly at the Caohai National Nature Reserve in the Yi, Hui and Miao Autonomous County of Weining, southwest China’s Guizhou Province, Feb 10, 2023. Photo:Xinhua
Black-necked cranes fly at the Caohai National Nature Reserve in the Yi, Hui and Miao Autonomous County of Weining, southwest China’s Guizhou Province, Feb 10, 2023. Photo:Xinhua
Black-necked cranes fly at the Caohai National Nature Reserve in the Yi, Hui and Miao Autonomous County of Weining, southwest China’s Guizhou Province, Feb 10, 2023. Photo:Xinhua
Black-necked cranes are pictured at the Caohai National Nature Reserve in the Yi, Hui and Miao Autonomous County of Weining, southwest China’s Guizhou Province, Feb 10, 2023. Photo:Xinhua
Black-necked cranes are pictured at the Caohai National Nature Reserve in the Yi, Hui and Miao Autonomous County of Weining, southwest China’s Guizhou Province, Feb 10, 2023. Photo:Xinhua
Black-necked cranes fly at the Caohai National Nature Reserve in the Yi, Hui and Miao Autonomous County of Weining, southwest China’s Guizhou Province, Feb 10, 2023. Photo:Xinhua
An image without a story is like a blank sheet of paper that doesn’t have any value.
Designing compositions with narratives can be challenging for beginner photographers who are just getting started on this career path. However, working on themed photography projects can help them improve their skills. Such projects can teach them to design consistent compositions with engaging storylines.
This article provides the top 15 creative ideas for photography projects for beginners. You will also get some basic knowledge of essential photography gear and photography tips that will help you with your photography project.
Keep reading to learn!
What Are Photography Projects?
Photography projects are groups of photographs arranged while maintaining a particular category, style, subject, theme, technique, or equipment. The projects can be anything the photographer can imagine working on as long as they convey a story.
For instance, the theme can be street, vintage, or landscape photography; the subject can be children, fruits, flowers, pets, or vehicles; the equipment can be a telephoto, zoom, or film camera; or the style can be lifestyle, portrait, or fashion photography.
However, a photography project doesn’t need to meet only one specific criterion. A photographer is free to incorporate multiple criteria into their project, such as street photography of pets or vintage photos of vehicles.
Working on these projects can be a great way to create a unique collection of photographs that reflect the photographers’ interests, passions, and creativity. Therefore, regardless of the type of project, the photographer’s goal is to establish consistency within the series.
What Are the Benefits of Photography Projects?
Photography projects assist photographers in determining their niche and developing their individual photographic approach. If you are a beginner photographer, you can challenge yourself with photography projects. You can try out one week or one-month-long projects to learn photography basics. However, you can try out the 52 weeks photography project for in-depth learning.
How else can a photography project help you besides teaching you the basics of photography? Let’s learn what other benefits photography projects offer.
Asset for the portfolio
A portfolio is very important for a photographer to establish a photography career. It is the source for showing potential customers their best work. Besides, working on photography projects allows photographers to add more value to their portfolio while giving viewers an idea of their area of expertise.
Improves skills and creativity
Working on photography projects requires creativity to make the project theme or subject unique and eye-catching because hundreds and thousands of other photographers may be there working on similar projects.
However, along with creativity, the photographer needs to have certain skills, such as editing, sequencing and designing, to include their own visual style in their projects. Hence, in the process of creating something extraordinary, photographers’ skills and imagination get polished and result in producing stunning images.
Explore diverse niches
Photography projects are a great source for experimenting with different types and styles of photography. Besides, it helps beginner photographers explore diversified niches and test their abilities and strengths.
The numerous difficulties that come with photography projects also encourage photographers to step outside of their comfort zones and create extraordinary work they may have never imagined they could create one day.
Participate in competitions
Photography competitions are a hotspot for budding and professional photographers. Photographers worldwide participate in different photography contests to showcase their work, establish their names, and build connections.
Photographers can use their photography projects to participate in contests and get their work validated by experts and other photographers. This will help the photographers’ work be recognized and boost their confidence. Moreover, photographers can get funding for their future projects too.
Publish a photo book or participate in an exhibition
Photography projects can be used for commercial purposes too. Many photographers put together their photography projects to publish photo books. Since people enjoy watching stories unfold through images, these photo books are popular among photography enthusiasts.
Furthermore, photographers can use images from their projects to participate in exhibitions. They can put their work on display for viewers, and if the image manages to grab their attention, it might end up being purchased.
Top 15 Beginner Photography Project Ideas
Following are the top 15 photography project ideas for beginners that you can try for your upcoming photography projects.
1. Self-portrait photography
Finding subjects can be difficult at times, so why not use yourself as a subject and take self-portraits for your project?
Self-portraits can be a good theme to create your personal story. You can take pictures of yourself from various angles. For instance, mount your camera on a tripod, set a timer, and give your desired poses. Also, you can use reflective surfaces, mirrors, or still water to capture your reflection.
However, self-portraits are not limited to capturing your face and body. You can create artistic self-portrait compositions by photographing specific body parts, such as the eyes, half-face, hands, legs, or other gestures, expressions, or emotions.
2. Your furry friends (Pet) photography
Pets like cats, dogs, hamsters, ferrets, or birds all have their own charm. People love to see pet photographs as they are mostly candid and genuine. So, shooting pets can be a fun photography project for beginners.
Similar to humans, pets’ eyes are a gateway to their souls. Their eyes express their playful nature and emotions the most. Hence, when shooting pets, keep the focus on their eyes. Make sure to ensure their comfort as well. Use their favorite snacks or toys as a treat to keep them calm and happy.
Moreover, it would be best if you photographed them in natural light. To capture their natural activities, try to maintain silence and take pictures from a distance.
3. Panoramic photos
If you are interested in photographing landscapes, consider using the panoramic photography technique for your project. Although telephoto or wide-angle lenses can capture distant landscapes or wide-angle images, they cannot provide the same field of view as panorama photos. Hence, working on panoramic photography projects can give your project a unique perspective.
The shooting process for panoramas is different from other photography types. You have to position your camera vertically for the best results and maintain the level of the camera. For that, you must use a sturdy tripod.
Besides, panoramic images require the merging of multiple images. Therefore, you have to shoot each scene in such a way that one-third or 15–30% of the scenes overlap with the adjacent scenes to ensure there are no gaps in your images. Also, moving the panning direction from left to right makes merging easier for photo stitching software.
4. Sunrise & Sunset photos
Sunrise and sunset photography can create a fantastic project theme for landscape photography enthusiasts. The location’s position, the cloud’s structure, the foreground elements—everything together- make every sunset and sunrise photograph unique.
When shooting sunset or sunrise, select a location from which you will get an unobstructed view of the horizon. It’s best to shoot from the top of a hill or mountain because you can use the mountain, trees, or ocean as your foreground element to make the image aesthetic.
Want to add some drama to your sunset or sunrise photographs?
Use manual camera settings, such as manual focus, high aperture for greater depth of field, fast shutter speed, medium ISO, etc.
Make the foreground elements or clouds underexposed.
Shoot in bizarre weather like a sky filled with storm clouds.
Design the composition according to the rule of thirds.
5. Cityscapes
If you have a wide-angle lens, telephoto lens, or drone, you can try shooting cityscapes for your photo project. The diverse skylines, streets, lakes, rivers, hovering skyscrapers, bridges, and expressways are all part of the cityscapes that give a different aesthetic to the photographs.
You can experiment with different vantage points to make the location unique. For instance, you can shoot from street level, the top of a building, or along the waterfront. Especially at night, when the entire city is lit up, the city lights stand out against the dark sky, and the reflection of the city along the waterfront appears the best.
Moreover, cityscapes look their best in all types of photography, whether it be abstract, during the golden hour, in bad weather, at night, or during the day. All you need to do is ensure that the image is clear of all distractions to shoot breathtaking cityscapes.
6. Water photography (Rain, River, Ocean, etc.)
Despite having no shape or color, water can captivate people with its various forms of beauty. The movement or flow of water, its interaction with light, and its location make all the difference.
You can use rainfall, ocean waves, spring flow, or reflections of sunlight on the water to design different themes and create amazing stories. For example, shooting raindrops can be a great macro photography project for beginners.
Some creative ideas for water photography are-
Water droplets on a glass
Dropping objects on still water to create a splash effect
Waves crashing against a seawall or on the shore
Hair flipping in a pool, river, or beach
Spring water flowing down hills
Reflection of sky or landscape in still water bodies
Note: Use a waterproof shield or plastic bag to protect the camera from getting damaged. In case the lens gets wet, keep a microfiber cloth nearby to wipe it off.
7. Food photography
If you can’t decide on the subject or theme for your project, go for food photography. This can be an excellent photography idea at home, as you neither have to travel long distances like landscape photographers nor stay awake for the whole night to shoot the sunrise.
Natural lighting is best for photographing food. But if you have a strobe light, you can use that too. Just make sure to keep the background simple. To give the food items a pop of color, you can use their key ingredients as props.
You can also try the following to make the images more tempting:
Angles and vantage points
Flat lay shots
Low angle shots
Side shots
Macro or close-up shots
45° shots
75° shots
Add motions
Splashing
Sprinkling
Food in the air
Dripping or melting
Composition style
Center framing
Rule of thirds
Rule of odds
Golden triangle
However, if you don’t want to deal with the hassle of cooking or spend money on fancy tableware, you can photograph food items at restaurants.
8. Black & white photography
If you want to hit the emotions of your viewers with your project, black-and-white photography can be a great initiative. This vintage-style monochrome photography technique makes the viewers nostalgic and gives them the feeling of traveling to the past.
Moreover, the different shades of gray help to bring the viewers’ focus to the subject, shapes, texture, etc.—without causing any distraction. You can shoot in the camera’s black-and-white mode or convert your images to black-and-white with the help of photo editing software.
9. Abstract photography
If you’re looking for unusual photography ideas for your project, try abstract photography. People love to see mysteries. And mystery is a key component of abstract images. However, it can be challenging because maintaining visual balance, proportion, appropriate lighting, angle of view, and other elements is essential, along with using a lot of creativity.
You can try capturing motion, experimenting with everyday objects or places, or shooting through objects such as glass, water, or objects with different shapes. Abstract photography ideas can come anytime and anywhere. Since it is not possible to always carry a camera, you can try phone photography.
10. Photograph house plants & flowers
Do you need ideas for indoor photography projects for beginners? Try out photographing house plants. You can document the growth of your house plants, like the first time you planted them, how they sprout, bear flowers, and so on.
You can also search around your neighborhood, the gardens of your friends and family, or flower fields to look for different types of flowers. Photograph them during the golden hour or take macro shots with water droplets on the petals or leaves to give them a unique perspective.
11. Extreme weather conditions
Unexpected dramatic events result from extreme weather conditions, such as thunderstorms, wildfires, tornadoes, snowstorms, sandstorms, etc. Photographing such weather conditions is highly recommended if you want to add thrill to your photography project.
Usually, these visuals are rare for ordinary viewers. That’s why it’s an effective source for making people stun with dramatic, jaw-dropping natural calamities.
12. The sky is the limit
Photographing the sky can be considered an easy photography project for beginners. Every day, different patterns of clouds form. Depending on the lighting, the beauty of these clouds appears differently. You can combine sky photography with cityscapes, landscapes, weather, and other types of photography.
The golden hour is the ideal time to capture dramatic sky photography. During this period of the day, the sun remains closer to the horizon, giving the sky a yellow, orange, and red look, which multiplies the beauty of the sky tenfold.
13. Shadows or silhouette photography
Shadow photography can be combined with other photographic styles, such as self-portraits, abstracts, or black-and-white photography. You can create an entire series of shadow images for your projects, be it by photographing your own shadow on the wall or using patterns created using grids, fabric, or fences.
You can add mystery to your self-portraits by casting shadows on your face or creating silhouettes, which will only make the shape of your body visible. This photography style is also suitable for architectural photography. The change in the position of the sun creates different shapes and patterns. You can use them to give the images a unique perspective.
14. Find Cobwebs
One of the most intriguing forms of natural architecture is spider webs. These webs can be a good subject for both macro and mobile photography ideas for beginners.
These fascinating webs can be found in different sizes and patterns. However, only the web could look flat and dull. So, to give the webs an intriguing abstract effect, keep an eye out for webs that have trapped insects or other elements like dew, sunlight, etc.
15. Everyday moments
Lifestyle photography or photographing everyday moments can add a slice of life to your photography project. You can capture genuine moments with family members, friends, pets, or fun times with siblings.
Photographing daily moments can work as an excellent photography project to do at home for beginners. It can keep you motivated to shoot regularly and improve your photography skills. Besides, you can preserve these precious memories for the future.
If you prefer visual learning, here is a video with tips. You can watch it here:
Essential Pieces Of Gear Every Beginner Photographer Needs
Photography can be a lengthy process at times. Hence, carrying some essential photography equipment can help prevent casualties in emergency situations.
Let’s check out what equipment do you need as a beginner photographer.
The all-rounder 50 mm lens
The best lens for a beginner to use when starting with photography is the 50mm lens. The focal length of this lens falls somewhere between a wide-angle and a telephoto lens.
It is appropriate for almost all types of photography, including candid, landscape, street, panorama, and portrait shots. Therefore, you won’t need to swap lenses between shoots if you have a 50mm lens.
Memory card
It takes several attempts to capture the perfect image. Besides, high-resolution images take up a lot of space. Therefore, carrying an extra memory card is essential because you wouldn’t want to go through all of your photos and delete some of them to free up space.
Flash or manual flash
Images may not turn out exactly as you had hoped due to a lack of light. That’s why it’s a good idea to bring a portable strobe or manual flash along with your photography gear to meet your lighting needs. The benefit of using a manual flash is that you can control the light intensity despite your camera settings.
Card Reader
A card reader helps move pictures from the camera to your hard drive or computer faster than a USB cable. Besides, you don’t have to worry about your camera’s battery running out or not using the camera during the image-transferring process.
Flash Drive or hard disk
Carrying a flash drive or hard disk is important for photographers whose projects require extensive travel over a long period of time. You can keep a backup of your photographs in case your memory card gets damaged or pictures get deleted accidentally.
Essential photography tips for beginners
The following are some helpful photography tips for beginners photographers that will help them with their photography projects.
Use an existing camera or phone
The success of photography depends on a photographer’s ability to design effective compositions. Therefore, as a beginner, you should practice taking photos with whatever camera or smartphone you own rather than investing in a high-tech camera.
No matter how advanced your camera or lens is, keep in mind that your photos won’t turn out well until you have mastered the fundamentals of photography.
Experiment with and without flash
Flash is a great way to add more light if the composition’s frame is too dark. However, the improper use of flash can sometimes cause a washed-out effect on the images. Also, if the flash directly hits your subject’s eyes, it can cause a red-eye effect. So, take photos with and without flash to see which one looks best.
Try something innovative
Usual or straightforward photographs are boring. They lack elements that can stimulate the viewer’s attention or emotion. So it’s important to think differently and try photographing from a different perspective. You can experiment with various vantage points, angles, and compositional rules, which viewers usually don’t get to see on their own.
Try to use an ultra-wide, macro, mid, or long-range lens
You can experiment with different categories of lenses, such as taking close-up shots with a macro lens, landscape shots with a wide-angle or telephoto lens, and so on. As a beginner photographer, you should start sharpening your lens with techniques while experimenting with different lenses.
Try to use natural light
Whether your photography project is based indoors or outdoors, natural light is always the best light source. Although you have complete control over the position and intensity of artificial lights, there is no substitute for the realistic feel that comes from natural light. Hence, make an effort to use natural light whenever you can.
Spend time with other photographers
Every photographer has some knowledge to offer. Meet with other photographers and spend time with them to learn about their photography techniques. You can collaborate with them to explore the various photography techniques they have expertise in and practice with their gear. This will strengthen your networking while also assisting you in developing your skills.
Final Verdict
Every type of photography requires certain equipment, location availability, the photographer’s level of expertise, and so on. Considering all these aspects, we have stated the above photography project ideas.
Hopefully, this article has helped you generate ideas for your photography project. Remember, whatever theme you choose, complete it in a fun-loving way.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) – An art collector who has amassed nearly 700 pieces of a collection has donated them all to be on display at the Grand Rapids Art Museum.
“It’s such a joy,” said Judy Glickman Lauder said about the collection.
“I never meant to be a collector, but they started piling up in my home and I had no more drawer space and no more wall space and, so everything went on long-term loan to the Portland Maine Museum of Art with the idea that I would bequeath it,” she explained.
Lauder fell in love with black-and-white still images when she was a child. Her father was highly skilled photographer, and she was always around it. Fifty years ago, she started collecting them.
Her collection grew so vast over five decades that in September of last year, she donated it on a long-term loan to Portland Museum of Art. On Feb. 11, part of that collection will be on display in Grand Rapids, the first time it has traveled.
“In the collection, you’re going to see moments of history. You’re going to see Robert F. Kennedy at his height and the electricity that he created. You’re also going to see people standing by a railroad track watching the train, carrying his body from New York to Arlington to DC,” Lauder said. “There’s fun, there’s quirkiness, there’s joy, there’s fashion, there’s celebrity, there’s beauty, a lot of beauty, and there’s also a lot of social consciousness, a lot of civil rights, Holocaust.”
The GRAM will be home to 145 pieces of the images in the exhibition, called Presence: The Photography Collection of Judy Glickman Lauder until April 29.
It will showcase works by 70 artists, including famous photographers such as Berenice Abbott, Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, Danny Lyon, Sally Mann, Gordon Parks, and James Van Der Zee, as well as critical contributors to the history of photography such as Irving Bennett Ellis, Graciela Iturbide, Lotte Jacobi, and Alma Lavenson.
Lauder also has her own photography on display in the exhibit. She spent three years in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Germany, France, and Bulgaria capturing Holocaust concentration camps, former ghettos, train tracks, and the surviving heroes of the Holocaust.
“It was an amazing, uplifting experience for me, but it also shows that we can make a difference,” Lauder said. “It shows the depths, ’cause I’ve done so much with Holocaust, but it also shows that man can make a difference. We don’t have to be bystanders.”
Lauder said that photography is similar – a single image can tell a story, history, a movement and can make a difference.
“As human beings, we go the whole gamut and photography captures that,” Lauder said. “It’s humanity, we relate to it.”
The exhibit is arranged in a series of thematic sections, including portraiture, joy, delight, serendipity, the urban experience, civil rights, labor issues, the Holocaust and nature.
“The Grand Rapids Art Museum’s presentation of Presence offers a thoughtful and nuanced perspective of the world through the eyes of some of the best-known and most influential photographers of the past century,” GRAM Associate Curator Jennifer Wcisel said. “The exhibition … offers a unique perspective that will excite and challenge our audiences to see and think about the world differently.”
Lauder said it is impossible for her to pick a favorite from her nearly 700-piece collection, but there are pieces in the display at the GRAM that are turning points for her like the first one she bought 50 years ago: Jerry Uelsmann’s “Small Woods Where I Met Myself.”
“I love coming here to Grand Rapids and seeing the exhibit in a whole new environment and just reliving and re-seeing these images,” Lauder said.
The exhibit opens on Feb. 11 and runs through April 29. For more information, visit the Grand Rapids Art Museum website.
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NUDITY IS “so strong and pure”, says Monica Bellucci, an Italian actress and model. “The moment you photograph a naked body, for some reason, you always get the picture”. She is speaking in “The Man and the Beauty”, a forthcoming documentary about Gian Paolo Barbieri, a Milanese fashion photographer. Ms Bellucci has been something of a muse to him since she began modelling in 1989 and he photographed her nude several times.
“Working with Gian Paolo is special, unique”, she continues, emphasising the “environment of total trust” between them. “He looks at you in a way that [makes] you feel at the same time enhanced and respected.” In the film, she lies in a pool of water during a shoot for a GQ calendar in 2001, wearing a dress that resembles cling film. Later, Mr Barbieri plunges into another tank and fusses with equipment to secure the perfect shot.
It is this attention to detail that helped Mr Barbieri secure his reputation as one of the greatest living fashion photographers. He is part of a generation of artists such as Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton and Irving Penn who blurred the line between fashion and fine art. Over the course of his decades-long career he has captured fashion legends and celebrities—Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren, Donatella Versace and Vivienne Westwood, to name a few—in striking black-and-white portraits (pictured, below). Many of these images are on display at “Gian Paolo Barbieri: Unconventional”, a retrospective of his work at 29 Arts In Progress Gallery in Milan. It also marks the first time that several of his colour photographs are being exhibited.
From the day he picked up a camera, irreverence and inventiveness have defined his approach to photography. His earliest attempts were taken on the terrace of his family home in Milan: a young Mr Barbieri styled his friends as characters from novels, paintings and films such as “Sunset Boulevard” (1950), using fabrics pilfered from his father’s textile factory. He is mostly self-taught, with the exception of a stint in 1958 shooting starlets on set at Cinecittà, the film studio in Rome where “Cleopatra” was made.
Cinema was a source of inspiration for the photographer, whose work draws on Italian Neorealism and the dramatic lighting of film noir. He particularly admired the Italian film-maker Federico Fellini; the women in Mr Barbieri’s photographs give off the same mix of sophistication and sex appeal as Anita Ekberg in “La Dolce Vita” (1960).
After a short apprenticeship in Paris with Tom Kublin, a photographer at Harper’s Bazaar, Mr Barbieri returned to Milan in 1962 and opened a studio there. His work was published in Novità the following year, which later became Vogue Italia. This was the start of the relationship with Condé Nast that launched his career in high-end fashion and he began collaborating with brands such as Armani, Valentino and Versace.
In “The Man and the Beauty”, couturiers such as Domenico Dolce, Stefano Gabbana and Giuseppe Zanotti highlight Mr Barbieri’s creativity. He sought to raise the bar in fashion advertising, experimenting with neon lights in his shots. His image on the cover of Vogue Italia lit up newsstands in 1976 (pictured, below). In 1998, he hand-coloured a black-and-white photo that was inspired by the classic Rita Hayworth film “Miss Sadie Thompson”, imitating a technique popular with photographers in the 1950s.
One of the most memorable images in the exhibition depicts Yasmeen Ghauri, a model, in the Seychelles in 1993 wearing clothes by Gianfranco Ferré, another designer. She is standing in front of a dramatic backdrop that Mr Barbieri fashioned from enormous Ravenala madagascariensis leaves (pictured, top). Nowadays such a scene would probably be created on Photoshop. Fashion photography today is mostly digital; several luxury brands have shot global campaigns on iPhones in recent years. The deft, meticulous approach that Mr Barbieri pioneered feels all but forgotten. Then again, without his vision, fashion houses may never have realised the power of creative advertising.
The photographer has shied away from the self-portrait during his career. Now 88 years old and suffering from Parkison’s disease, the documentary is one of the few times he has stood in front of the lens. He is a reluctant subject. “I do not love being the focus of attention,” he says. All the same, the film and exhibition are important tributes to his towering influence on his field. ■
“Gian Paolo Barbieri: Unconventional” is showing at 29 Arts In Progress Gallery in Milan until April 22nd. “The Man and the Beauty” will be released on streaming platforms in Europe in spring.
Visiting mountainous locations has been a popular practice for decades (or even longer in some cases), and for good reason. The mountain landscape has always held a special place in the hearts of mankind, partly due to the ease of returning to our simpler roots during mountain visits. As a nature photographer, the call of the mountains and meadows is simply impossible to resist.
But that can’t be all there is to the lure of the mountains, right?
The appeal of mountain areas is complex, with many factors and unique circumstances playing an important role in convincing people to keep visiting again and again.
Let’s explore what makes mountain scenery and visits to mountainous sites such a popular piece of natural life.
Cloud shadows flow across the face of the scarred peaks of Colorado’s Maroon Bells Wilderness. Glimpses of jade boulders on the lakebottom are seen through the veil of gold radiated by the autumnal aspens on the shore. Fine Art Limited Edition of 50.
Why Do People Like Mountains?
Providing a pleasant change from the standard environment people usually spend their days navigating through is one of the most effective ways the mountains lure in people looking for a quick escape. For myself, everything about the mountains stirs wonder and joy in my soul, from the majestic mountain views and sprawling meadows of wildflowers to the fresh air, solitude and feeling of closeness to the sky.
Here are some other elements, for example, that provide mountain visitors with pleasant experiences that make the entire trip worthwhile.
The whites and ingidos of an alpine meadow of lupine mirror the crags and glaciers of Mount Rainier National Park’s eponymous peak. The highest summit in the Pacific Northwest, the dormant volcano slumbers peacefully beneath the quiet grandeur of a midsummer sunset. Fine Art Limited Edition of 100.
The Simple Joy of Mountains
For people who live in urban or semi-urban areas, there’s a special joy that comes from taking a trip to the mountains. Whether you’re planning on spending a few days or only a couple of hours away from home, visiting the mountains can be an effective way to unplug from the day-to-day hassles of life.
Taking a break in nature frees visitors from the fast-paced world they’re used to and provides them with a sense of peace. The noise pollution of the city is gone, they’re not being constantly jostled by the people around them, and the lack of buildings and sidewalks provides a welcome change of scenery.
Dappled light kisses the peaks of the Rocky Mountains and illuminates the autumn leaves of an Aspen grove like matchsticks in the wind near Ridgway, Colorado. Fine Art Limited Edition of 50.
Tranquil Isolation
In addition to taking advantage of a simpler way of life, even if only for a short time, the tranquility and isolation significantly enhance the lure of the mountains.
People who spend time in the mountains can experience a completely different environment, where the sounds of car horns and random shouting are replaced with the chatter of nature. Birds calling, the breeze blowing through the trees, babbling brooks, and the snapping of twigs underfoot are significantly less bothersome than the alternatives.
Visiting the mountains presents people with the time and tranquility they need to hear themselves think and process thoughts and feelings they’ve kept pent up for weeks or even months.
There’s no real schedule to adhere to, and in many cases, the number of established trails available to explore promises some interesting sights, thorough exercise, and the ability to recharge.
Liquid sun laps like the waves on a beach over a meadow of lupine and paintbrush in Mount Rainier National Park. Low banks of fog move through the valleys beneath the torn peaks of a dark mountain ridge, its snowy crags warmed by the embers of a dusky sky. Fine Art Limited Edition of 50.
That Fresh Mountain Air
Nobody likes breathing in smog, car pollution, and stale air. As such, a trip to higher-altitude areas can be incredibly refreshing. Getting away from populated neighborhoods and cities also means getting away from air contamination in most cases. Visiting the mountains and breathing in the fresh air has a way of making people feel cleaner, lighter, and generally healthier.
Even though we can’t determine the difference in the air quality at a glance from one location to another (except in severely smoggy areas), mountain air feels different than urban air. Taking a deep breath in the mountains feels significantly more refreshing and revitalizing than taking a deep breath in the middle of a crowded street.
The first light of day kisses the snow covered peaks of the Rocky Mountains outside Telluride, Colorado on a cool autumn morning. Fine Art Limited Edition of 50.
Where The Wild Things Are
If you spend your time in the mountains moving slowly and quietly down the trails, you’ll likely happen upon members of the area’s unique wildlife population. Seeing living things taking care of themselves and moving about in their day-to-day lives can be an incredibly peaceful experience.
Watching deer frolic about the brush, birds building nests, and small woodland creatures collecting food from the trees above is often a nice change when compared with the repetitive elements of your day that you’ve grown tired of seeing.
If you have never experienced a screaming and shoving match between a group of energetic marmots, you are really missing out. Depending on where you are, you may wind up with a starring role in your very own National Geographic Special. Just don’t be an idiot.
Mt Rainier, as viewed from the top of Pinnacle Peak towers above the clouds like a castle in the sky during a beautiful sunset in Washington State. Fine Art Limited Edition of 50.
The Inspiration of Mountains
Like many things that bring people a sense of peace, mountains are often the focus or inspiration behind dynamic and invigorating works of art.
Because we can’t always drop everything and head off to the mountains every time we feel that we need a break from everyday life, looking at a piece of art that inspires the same feelings as the mountain environment is the next best thing.
People display paintings and pieces of professional nature and landscape photography in their homes and offices that remind them of nature and bring to mind the comforting memories made during their past mountain visits. While looking at a piece of artwork isn’t always as effective as visiting a real place, a well-made piece can almost feel like bringing a piece of the mountains home.
This move is similar to the practice of looking at a photograph when you miss someone. It’s not the same as having the person there with you, but observing that person’s likeness helps induce the feelings you usually experience when you spend time with that person. You think about what makes that person so special to you, the joy they bring, the value of your time together, the way the person recharges you emotionally, and the unique things you experience as a pair.
A weathered barn sits in stately repose on the windswept prairies of Grand Teton National Park. Beyond loom the Tetons themselves, encrusted in an eternal snow, their lower slopes draped in velvety curtains of pines and firs beneath the changing skies. Fine Art Limited Edition of 100.
A Welcome Change
At the end of the day, the lure of the mountains has so much to do with these locations being so different from what we’re used to. Something we don’t get to see or experience often is usually going to help us associate positively with the location because the negative elements of our lives are far away.
Fresh air weighed against pollution yields an easy winner. Choosing between tranquility and constant noise isn’t hard, either. Taking your time and exploring new things feels a lot better than being rushed through things you don’t want to do in the first place.
As such, the mountains, by their very nature, provide us with an opportunity to rest and recover effectively. When we take this opportunity in an area that’s the polar opposite of the environment that exhausts us, we want to experience the same benefits again in the future.
The interplay of sky and mirrored lake create an azure hourglass of clouds and mist in Colorado’s Maroon Bells Wilderness. Flurries of gold fly across the hillsides as the groves of quaking aspen awaken to the fall season. Fine Art Limited Edition of 100.
In the first of a new series sponsored by MPB, we will profiling professional photographers from different genres and looking at what gear they keep in their kit bag and how they know when it’s time to move on to a new camera or lens. First up, wildlife photographer Tesni Ward tells us what go-to gear is always in her kit bag, what gear she has sold over the years and how she knows when it’s time to move on from a camera or lens.
What camera are you using right now?
I bought the OM System OM-1 when it came out. I decided to upgrade from my Olympus OM-D E-M1X because of the OM-1’s subject detection and because its lowlight performance was significantly improved. It’s the biggest jump in camera quality I’ve seen since upgrading from the OM-D EM-1 to the Olympus OM-D E-M1 II.
What gear is in your kit bag right now?
Inside my bag these days, I have the
Olympus OM-1
Olympus M.ZUIKO Digital ED 150-400mm f4.5 TC 1.25X IS PRO
Olympus OM-D E-M1X w/ M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 40-150mm F2.8 PRO
M.Zuiko Digital ED 12–40mm F2.8 PRO
Sometimes I have the M.Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm F2.8 Pro and M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm f/2.8 Macro for subjects like common lizards to help capture detail. I’m not a macro photographer but sometimes I like to dabble.
How often do you sell your gear?
I rarely sell my gear for various reasons. I like to hang on to old camera bodies because I always have a second camera when I go out. I still like the E-M1X because of its handling. It’s like it’s moulded to your hand. I really like using that camera, so I kept it.
There are also occasions when I want to have a dabble at camera trapping. So having an older camera that I’m not as worried about losing or breaking, gives me that flexibility.
How do you know when it’s time to sell your gear?
When I switched from Canon to Olympus years ago, I sold my gear because it needed a new home. I also needed to help fund my new purchases. I sold my kit lenses to help me buy pro lenses. Nowadays, I try to get it right the first time around.
How do you make sure the next gear you purchase is right for your needs?
I try to use it first. In the UK, Olympus has testing days. You can go to a retailer and say you want to use this camera and lens, and they’ll give it to you for a weekend. Sometimes pros can get things for a little bit longer. Even general users can get hold of most of the gear to try before I buy.
With lenses, I look for image quality. I’ve had lenses in the past that failed me. There’s nothing more frustrating than when you’re doing everything right but your kit is letting you down. AF is very important in my work, and so I look for fast, accurate AF performance. Newer lenses are much faster and more accurate. I don’t want AF to be hunting when I’m trying to take a shot.
What’s your advice for new photographers who might be looking to sell their beginner gear?
My advice is to go to retailers like MPB. They’ll give you cash and you can put that money towards your new kit. It’s so much less stress and hassle. You can get a quote online. All you have to do is fill in a form and state the quality – they give you a quote – you send it off and they assess it. If you’ve said it’s good, but it’s like new according to them, you can often get more money.
I sent an old camera system in the box brand new. I’d misquoted them because there was an extra lens in the box that I wasn’t aware of. I won a competition and the prize was a camera that was more a holiday camera than what I need for my work. It was never going to be used, so I sold it. It couldn’t have been easier.
Sponsored: Thinking of selling your camera or lens to help finance an upgrade? Get a free instant quote from MPB and find out what your kit is worth. Selling your gear to MPB is easy and secure. Plus get free doorstep pickup and super-fast payment. We’re loved and trusted by more than 250,000 visual storytellers around the world and we’re rated excellent with five stars on Trustpilot. Buy. Sell. Trade. Create.
Photography has come a long way since French inventor Nicephore Niepce captured the world’s oldest photograph, View from Window at Le Gras 200 years ago. The heliographic image — which comprised a greyish blur of hardened bitumen, revealing the vague form of a rooftop slanted in between two buildings — is believed to have required an exposure time of at least eight hours to produce.
Today, having gone from daguerreotypes to roll films, and from Polaroid to digital camera systems, it’s ludicrous to think that an image once could have taken so long to capture, when we can snap a high-definition photograph instantaneously with our phones.
From documentary work to artistic expression, this growing power of photography was the subject of intense discussion during the first day of this year’s Xposure International Photography Festival. The event, which opened at Expo Centre Sharjah on Thursday, is one of the few in the region that is dedicated exclusively to photographers, exhibiting the full breadth of what the medium can offer in a contemporary setting.
This year’s event, the seventh outing for the annual festival, is its biggest yet. It features more than 100 photographers from around the world in 68 spectacular solo and group exhibitions. There are images that touch upon photography’s ability to freeze time, as in the works of Hanaa Turkistani from Saudi Arabia.
Then there are those that show the emotive power of portraiture, including works by Gabriel Wickbold from Brazil and Dan Winters from the US. Documentary works by Abir Abdullah from Bangladesh and James Balog from the US bring us uncomfortably close to the searing effects of climate change.
While the event provides a platform to emerging names from the world over, visitors can also see see older works that have become ingrained in the public concsciousness, including an image of Muhammad Ali after his first-round knockout of Sonny Liston during the 1965 World Heavyweight Title fight — at their sharpest and most defined.
“Studying images deepens our understanding of facts and reminds us that beauty can be found even in the most challenging circumstances,” says Tariq Saeed Allay, director general of the festival’s organising body, the Sharjah Government Media Bureau.
“Beauty is everywhere around us and our mission is to see it, live it and appreciate it. The message we aim to convey at Xposure is that photographs stir emotions and rectify perceptions while guiding our priorities as human beings.
“Since its inception, this festival has been serving as a reminder that beauty exists amid chaos, and what makes our journey sustainable is Sharjah’s unwavering vision and commitment. And also the fact that all of you join us every year to be enthusiastic global messengers of art, entertainment and creativity.
“Our collective resolve to utilise this medium as a promoter of noble values is what brings us closer to our objectives. We support responsible creativity that benefits humanity, preserves our ability to inspire and instils a sense of security and hope in our hearts,” he added.
Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, the Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, attended the opening ceremony, where three acclaimed photographers spoke about the developments of the medium and the potential it has to incite change.
“Photography will be 200 years old in the next three years,” Winters said during the event. Renowned for his portraits of celebrities including Barack Obama and Angelina Jolie, as well as photos exploring a bygone era of space travel, Winters said he was looking forward to seeing how the medium would develop in the coming years, considering how far it has come since its inception.
“Roughly 50 billion images are made every year now, as phones have become image-making machines. I’m interested to see where all this goes and whether it impacts photography’s key role of documenting.”
Karen Zusman said she turned to photography after travelling to Myanmar, where she witnessed horrendous incidents of child trafficking and labour.
While looking for ways to turn global attention to the issue, the self-taught photographer realised she needed to visually document the cases. “Two days after PBS broadcast the story, five state officials were arrested and charged with human trafficking,” Zusman said. “I learnt an important lesson — to become an effective storyteller, I needed to be a photographer.”
Zusman’s photography highlighted the plight of children working in Myanmar and helped bring education to them. “I went back to Myanmar and with a dear Burmese friend we co-founded a non-profit organisation that provides free education to child labourers. In Myanmar, child labour is a huge issue, but the reality is if the children do not work, the families do not eat.”
Her next project was in Cuba, in the midst of which she was stuck in the US due to the Coronavirus pandemic. While in the US, she joined the Black Lives Matter movement in New York’s Bronx area following the death of GeorgeGeroge Floyd, and found herself photographing children in predominantly black neighbourhoods.
From there came the birth of her Superpower of Me project, as part of which she photographs children at various beaches and offers poetry writing lessons to her young subjects, encouraging them to write about the superpowers they have. Zusman said she will now be taking the project to Zanzibar next, with a smaller group of children.
The last photographer to speak at the opening event was Balog, who stressed that the world today has a surplus of information and a deficit of attention.
“As photographers, we can utilise our perceptual process to help people pay attention through captivating visual storytelling,” he said.
Balog spoke about the unique and delicate connection between humans and nature, as he sifted through his striking archive of nature-inspired photographs.
The Earth Sciences major turned the audience’s attention to a phernomenon called Human Tectonics, saying: “Humans are capable of altering the structure of the earth’s crust, not just earthquakes and volcanoes, as we are going through what Nasa calls Earth Fever. In the past 20 years, the average temperature of the earth has increased by 1ºC each year, and more in some areas. So, climate change is not an abstraction.”
The photographer presented stark visual evidence through timelapse videos shot between 2007 and 2022 of glaciers in Iceland and Canada, showing how severely they had melted in only under two decades, sending more water into oceans, elevating sea levels and making hurricanes and floods more devastating than ever.
In fact, one of the festival’s key events this year is the Conservation Summit. It will focus on the effects of climate change and the role of photography in documenting the shifts.
Winters, Zusman and Balog will host individual talks, delving deeper into the processes and inspiration behind their work, alongside dozens of established photographers.
The Xposure agenda includes 41 seminars and panel discussions, as well as edutainment events hosted at its Stage X. Moreover, 63 workshops will enable photography enthusiasts and budding shutterbugs to learn how to take images under different circumstances and utilising advanced technologies.
Xposure International Photography Festival is at Expo Centre Sharjah until Wednesday. The event is free to enter; more information is available at xposure.ae
Here are the 25 incredible national winners of Sony World Photography Awards 2023. These awards has been announced with 55 photographers crowned champions of their respective countries.
The 2023 National & Regional Award recipients are announced. Now in its tenth year, the programme supports photographers of all abilities worldwide and celebrates their achievements. Showcasing local talent to an international audience, the winners are selected from entries to the Open competition. The winners are given Sony digital imaging kit, plus visibility on the World Photography Organisation channels.
Over 415,000 images from over 200 countries and territories were submitted to the Sony World Photography Awards 2023 and over 200,000 were entered to the Open competition from which the National Awards winner was selected.
Scroll down and inspire yourself. Check their website for more information.
You can find more info about Sony World Photography Awards:
#1 Latin America, National Award Shortlist | Manuel Rodriguez
#2 Bangladesh, National Award Winner | Protap Shekhor Mohanto
#3 Sri Lanka, National Award Winner | Rajeev Abeysekara
#4 Latin America, National Award Shortlist | Hernan Jaramillo
#5 Myanmar, National Award Winner | Si Thu Ye Myint
#6 Cyprus, Greece, Bulgaria & North Macedonia Regional Awards Shortlist | Elena Georgiou
#7 Poland, National Award Winner | Mateusz Żurowski
#8 Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania & Moldova Regional Award Winner | Cristina Băzăr
#9 Korea, National Award 1st Place | Gyu Seob Shim
#10 United States, National Award Winner | Angela Perez
The sparsely populated Russian far east is far removed from the European part of the country, and not just because of the nine-hour flight. It has its own special climate, wild, impassable landscapes and indigenous population.
The allure of this place is in the immense variety of nature and wildlife. I’ve travelled to the region several times and never cease to be amazed by encounters with bears, whales and seals. I believe that this sense of wonder is an essential part of a human being’s (most certainly a photographer’s) happiness.
The climate here is harsh and the sea is cold and turbid, making it difficult to dive and shoot. However, this time we were heading to a place unlike any other. “Get a thinner wetsuit,” my colleagues told me.
We voyaged to Moneron Island, where the warm Tsushima current creates its own unique local climate, and thus a special ecosystem, where subtropical species live in the clear and warm sea. Most astounding of all is that these are generally unexplored waters.
Moneron is a small volcanic island 25 miles (40km) from Russian Sakhalin, and 55 miles from Japan. It was part of Japan until being invaded by the Soviet Union towards end of thesecond world war. This whole time, Moneron was closed to the public, but we were finally given access this year.
On the first dive we were struck by vivid colours and bustling underwater wildlife. A diverse concoction of northern sea anemones and warm-water Haliotis (mollusc), kelp, spectacular-looking Japanese warbonnets, subarctic jellyfish and giant predatory starfish, Plazaster borealis, which are not found anywhere else in Russia.
Largas, or northern spotted seals, whose rookeries are found in the rocky bays of the island, are timid and swim away as soon as they see us. But it’s worth hanging around next to the rookery for an hour or two. As interest picks up, the spotted seals creep up from behind, carefully biting and tugging at your flippers.
But we were in Moneron with a different goal and had to stay focused despite all the exciting distractions. Steller sea lions in clear and warm water – I had found my heaven on Earth.
Stellers are a large northern species of sea lion, or “eared seals”, whose males can weigh more than a tonne. Their rookeries on Moneron are large and noisy, with a very distinctive smell spreading hundreds of metres. Basically, this is an island of sea lions. In fact, that’s how Moneron was called in translation from the language of the Ainu, the first ancient inhabitants of the islands.
At the rookery, sea lions growl as they see our boat and clumsily wobble from flipper to flipper. But everything is different underwater – here they are fast, graceful and agile. Now it’s us who are out of our element and suddenly object of interest – strange men with weird things on their back arouse great curiosity in sea lions. Cautious divers would say this interest is too intense, and I would say to them this: I’ve had the pleasure of diving in many different places all around the world, and in my opinion there is honestly nothing better than diving with Steller sea lions.
Let me set the scene: dozens of sea lions rushing past, blocking the sun, breathing out bubbles and playing with bits of algae. Then they stop, observe, and poke your mask with their muzzles, looking deeply into your eyes. They grab your hand with their flippers, nibbling at everything: your limbs, head, fins and regulator hoses.
Although their bites are very noticeable, they never cross into actual pain and aggression. I liken the sea lions to boisterous children who were bored in the class, finally released into the wild and given a new toy. The concept of play is one of the most complex topics in psychology, not only in animals but humans too. Very few animals exhibit playful behaviour, and the ones that do are some of the most organised.
We dived with sea lions for several days. Our bodies were covered with bites and scratches, our wetsuits with holes, and our hearts with indelible imprints of love for these animals. The expedition was coming to an end, we had shot lots of material, and I thought we had experienced all that Moneron had to offer. But on our last day – I met her (or him, it’s very difficult to distinguish a female sea lion from a young male).
I swam away from the rookery to take pictures of the breathtaking underwater scene, and soon felt a slight nudge from behind. This sea lion had separated from the group and wanted to play one on one. She (let’s assume it was a female) had a distinctive scar on her right shoulder, so it was easily to spot her when she surfaced to breathe and swam back to play.
I sank to the bottom and played my part in the game. She brought me bits of kelp so that I could throw them back to her, hugged me with flippers, lay down on the sea floor next to me and rolled over so that I could scratch her belly. Some time later, another sea lion tried to join in, but she drove him away, clearly stating that this was her human. It’s truly amazing to have this kind of interaction with a wild animal – she took a liking to me, and the feeling was, of course, mutual. I put my camera down on the ground so as to not be distracted with technicalities of photography and miss the magic of our encounter. I wanted to see my new friend with my eyes, not through a viewfinder, and be fully present in the moment with all my senses. After about an hour, I was running out of oxygen, but I could not part without taking a cheeky farewell selfie.
I’ve had the great fortune of exploring distant lands and feasting my eyes on places of awe-inspiring beauty. And now that I’ve had some time to reflect on this trip, one thing is clear – there are fewer and fewer places like Moneron on our planet. Humanity is advancing and nature is receding, and this confrontation with inexorable progress will only stop destroying unique places of untouched nature when we learn to limit our sense of entitlement to the planet.
In a sense, we need to keep these places away from ourselves, protecting them as carefully as female sea lions protect their cubs. When I go back to Moneron (and I will definitely go back), I will look for a sea lion with a scar on her right shoulder, I really hope that we will see each other again.
Samsung’s Ultra branding is typically reserved for devices that pack as many high-end features as you can fit in a single gadget. The Galaxy S23 Ultra starts at $1,200 and has a big, beautiful OLED screen, a new chip with even better performance, improved cameras and some revamped software. And, of course, there’s a built-in S Pen for all your drawing and notetaking needs. So while that sentiment still generally rings true for the new S23 Ultra, the company’s latest flagship phone doesn’t look or function all that differently from last year’s.
Display and design: You’ll need to squint to spot the changes
While the standard S23 and S23+ got a facelift this year, the Ultra appears to be a carbon copy of its predecessor — unless you look real close. You get a big 6.8-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and a 3,088 x 1,440 resolution. And it looks awesome, even if those specs haven’t changed much from the previous model. Colors are dazzling and brightness tops out a stunning 1,750 nits, with a typical max brightness of around 1,000 nits in my testing.
Pros
Brilliant display
Built-in S Pen
Great performance
Improved cameras
Long battery life
Cons
Pricey
Largely unchanged design
No new S Pen features
The rest of the phone is a nice combo of Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and Samsung’s durable Armor Aluminum. There are a few minor tweaks to the chassis, including slightly less curved edges on the screen to help prevent accidental touches. That said, I never really had an issue with that on last year’s phone. The S23 Ultra’s frame is also a bit flatter, which makes the whole thing feel boxier. And thanks to Samsung’s continued focus on sustainability, small elements of the phone like the lock button are made from ocean-bound plastic. But that’s about it. So, unless you’re already familiar with the S23 Ultra’s new color options (which include cream, lavender, green and black), even when you look at the S22 Ultra and S23 Ultra side-by-side, it’s almost impossible to tell them apart.
Performance: New chip means more speed
The S23 Ultra is one of the first phones on the market to feature a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip. However, Samsung didn’t stop there. It worked with Qualcomm to create a custom version of the processor just for Galaxy phones. So what does that get you? Simply, a wealth of speed. In tests, the S23 Ultra posted multi-core scores in Geekbench 5 that were 40% higher than what we got from last year’s phone. That’s a huge jump, so it probably isn’t a surprise when I tell you that everything feels smooth – apps, games, you name it.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
Now I should mention that the custom Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy platform that Samsung uses has a clock speed that’s only around 150 MHz higher than the standard chip, which honestly, isn’t a difference most people (including me) can discern in normal use. However, one of the biggest changes for 2023 is that every version of this year’s Ultra will feature a Snapdragon chip, so people outside North America won’t be saddled with a less powerful Exynos processor like in previous years. The base model features 8GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage, but if you jump to the 512GB or 1TB storage options you get 12GB of memory.
Software: One UI 5.1 is nice, but not essential
Alongside the debut of the Galaxy S23 line, Samsung is also introducing One UI 5.1 which features some handy tweaks and customizations. That said, a number of additions like the new personalization options on the lock screen or a wider palette for the UI’s accent colors are sort of things we’ve seen before in iOS 16 or Android 13’s Material You. You can even do things like add info to the lock screen so it’s easier for people to return your device to you if you lose it.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
Samsung is also making it easier to create custom stickers from your photos, which you can do by simply long pressing on an object and then dragging it to another app for easy sharing. Unfortunately, some subjects are easier to clip than others. Faces and animals tend to work relatively well, but other things like flowers can often end up looking a bit off, so your results may vary. There’s also a new Modes and Routines section in the menu that lets the phone adjust multiple settings for specific activities like exercising or relaxing. But aside from the Sleep mode option, I didn’t find this new functionality all that useful. When I work out, all I need to do is find some good music and I’m ready to go.
Unfortunately, while the S23 Ultra comes with an S Pen and a handy storage slot, there aren’t really any new notetaking or drawing features, which is kind of a shame. Samsung’s top-end handset is still unmatched when it comes to stylus support on phones, so I wish there was something, anything new to mess around with. But I must admit even I’m struggling to think of a major feature I’d really like to see added.
Cameras: More pixels better?
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
The biggest upgrade on the S23 Ultra is its new 200MP main sensor, which features twice as many pixels as before. At Samsung Unpacked, the company showed off snippets of short films from not one, but two, big-name directors to really drive home the phone’s new cinematic capabilities. It sounds impressive, but in practice, it takes a bit of effort to really make the most of that new sensor.
In normal use, the S23 Ultra uses 16-to-1 pixel-binning to help gather more light and produce sharp, colorful images without the need for extra-large file sizes. And in most situations, it produces better-looking pics too. When I used the S23 Ultra to shoot photos of some pizza (which was extremely tasty might I add), images taken using the default 12MP mode featured more accurate colors and better details than those captured with the sensor’s full 200 megapixels. In the right conditions activating the sensor’s full resolution may allow you to capture finer textures on some subjects, but you’ll need to zoom in to see them.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
Now part of this is because it seems Samsung’s object detection and optimizer doesn’t work in 200MP mode, but there were also noticeable differences in white balance and sharpness. On one hand that makes sense because pro photographers often prefer images with flatter color profiles which makes post-processing a bit easier. But that also means unless you’re editing everything you shoot in an app like Lightroom or Photoshop, you’re better off sticking with the regular 12MP setting. This is what I mean when I say you need to work to get the most out of the S23’s new camera, and it applies to other stuff like Samsung’s Expert Raw app too.
Designed for more advanced photographers, Expert Raw has a much wider array of settings and tools to tweak every aspect of your shot, from shutter speed, to exposure compensation and more. You also get a new astrophotography mode so you can take better pics of the night sky, that is unless you live in the city like I do. That’s because between light pollution and cloudy skies, I couldn’t get a single photo with the astrophotography mode that I was really proud of. And I even used a tripod to make sure things were super stable.
Gallery: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra camera samples | 16 Photos
Gallery: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra camera samples | 16 Photos
It’s a similar story when it comes to video, where the S23 Ultra’s improved OIS is a welcome addition for reducing shakes and vibrations while recording. But then there’s the new 8K/30 fps mode (up from 8K/24 fps last year) which is nice because there’s no more 2X crop like you got on the S22 Ultra. But at the same time, who records home movies in 8K, let alone has the proper display to watch those clips at full resolution? Sure, it’s nice to be able to crop in when you want some extra detail. But this feels like overkill, especially when you consider that the file size for a two-minute 8K/30 FPS video is over one gigabyte, which means you’re gonna run out of storage real fast.
At least when it comes to selfies, the phone has a new 12MP camera with dual pixel autofocus, and its pics look great despite a sensor that actually features a lower resolution than on the previous model. The 12 MP ultrawide cam and the two telephoto lenses (3x and 10x) are largely the same, which feels like a missed opportunity because that 10x optical zoom is still my favorite lens on the phone.
Battery life: Just great
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
While the S23 Ultra’s smaller siblings both got upgrades in battery capacity, Samsung’s flagship stayed pat at 5,000 mAh. But that’s ok because there’s plenty of juice to go around. On our video rundown test, the S23 Ultra lasted an impressive 19 hours and 26 minutes, which is similar to the OnePlus 11 (19:45), though not quite as good as the iPhone 14 Plus’ 21:17. And that was with the phone’s adaptive refresh rate turned on.
In the real world, you’re looking at more than all-day battery life. Even on a day when I was doing heavy benchmarking and playing NBA All-World (which really gulps electrons due to constant use of GPS), I still had 25% battery left at the end of the day. And on days with more moderate usage, I often had 40% or more in the tank when midnight rolled around.
All this means you don’t really need to worry about the phone dying during the day, which is a good thing because that gives the S23 Ultra leeway to donate some charge to other devices via Samsung’s Power Share feature (aka reverse wireless charging). And with 45-watt wired charging, you can refuel the phone in a jiffy too.
Wrap-up
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
The tricky thing about recommending the S23 Ultra is that it’s everything a super premium phone should be. It’s got a gorgeous display, a great build and more power than you know what to do with. However, starting at $1,200, it’s also really expensive and it’s not that much better than last year’s offering. I have no doubt you can film Hollywood-grade movies using its new 200MP sensor. But it’s important to remember that even in Samsung’s promos, we’re talking about a crew with decades of experience, not to mention additional equipment like external mics, camera cages, gimbals and more. The S23 Ultra’s camera has tons of potential, but it takes more than just a casual familiarity to make those features glow.
For those wondering if they should trade in their current handset after only a year: No, it’s just not worth it. If you’re simply looking for a premium device and don’t care about taking notes with a stylus, I’d argue that the Pixel 7 Pro is a better value. But if you have an older phone and are looking for a major upgrade, the S23 Ultra is unlike any other Android phone on sale today. And with its fancy new sensor, Samsung’s latest flagship might be the closest thing you can get to a pro-grade camera in a phone, just as long as you’re willing to polish your content in post.
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