The Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year is sharing a sneak peek of the 100 winning images of this year’s contest. This year marks the 62nd edition of the competition, which saw a record 65,403 entries across 121 countries and territories.

The competition recognizes photographs across numerous subjects and approaches, including animal behavior, portraits, underwater scenes, urban wildlife, photojournalism and ecosystem-focused work. It also presents awards for photo stories and portfolios, a Rising Star prize for photographers ages 18–26, and separate age-group awards for young photographers.

While celebrating outstanding nature photography, the contest also aims to deepen public understanding of the natural world and the need to protect it. As Natural History Museum Director Dr. Doug Gurr said, “At a time when nature is under more pressure than ever before, these photographs remind us of both what is at stake and what is worth protecting.”

An international panel of experts in wildlife photography, filmmaking, science and conservation judged the anonymous entries on creativity, originality, technical excellence and storytelling. Category winners and the Grand Title awards will be announced on October 13 at a Natural History Museum ceremony hosted by wildlife presenters and conservationists Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin; the winning images will go on display at the museum in London beginning October 16.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London. The full gallery of category winners and the Grand Title recipients will be published on the Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year pages following the October 13 ceremony.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year 62 — highly commended preview

The 15 images below are drawn from across the competition’s categories. Descriptions are reproduced as supplied by the Natural History Museum.

Biting Back

Andrea and Maceo Grammatico / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Photographer: Andrea and Maceo Grammatico

Award: Highly Commended, Animal Portraits

Image title: Biting Back

Image location: Sierpe, South Puntarenas, Costa Rica

Description: Andrea and Maceo Grammatico (France) get a snake’s-eye view of a mosquito drinking a venomous viper’s blood.

Twins Andrea and Maceo describe this image as “one of the most demanding focus stacks we’ve ever created.” It required immense concentration and care. It wasn’t until they reviewed their photographs that they noticed the mosquito on the snake’s head.

The fer-de-lance is a highly venomous viper, responsible for the greatest number of fatal snake bites in Central America. The snake’s effective camouflage and adaptability in plantation habitats occasionally surprises unsuspecting workers.

Technical details: OM System OM-D E-M1 Mark III | OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 90mm F3.5 Macro IS PRO | F8 | 1/50 sec | ISO 200 | Godox V860III flash + Cygnustech diffuser | Focus stack of 37 images

Wings of Darkness

Andrew Parkinson / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Photographer: Andrew Parkinson

Award: Highly Commended, Animal Portraits

Image title: Wings of Darkness

Image location: Meeting of the Waters State Park, Northern Pantanal, Brazil

Description: Andrew Parkinson (UK) spies a black vulture over the carcass of a yacaré caiman in Brazil’s Pantanal wetlands.

When Andrew spotted this vulture, it was too good an opportunity to miss. He kept his boat back and used a long telephoto lens to frame what he saw as ‘the menacing nature’ of the vulture. Out of frame, a jaguar was waiting to retrieve the caiman from the water.

After the vulture flew away, the jaguar claimed its prize. It was then that Andrew noticed ‘a suspiciously clean, straight wound’ on the back of the caiman’s head, possibly caused by a blow from a speeding boat.

Technical details: Nikon Z9 | Nikon Nikkor Z 800mm F6.3 VR S | F10 | 1/1600 sec | ISO 800

Flock of Gold

Bence Máté / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Photographer: Bence Máté

Award: Highly Commended, Behavior: Birds

Image title: Flock of Gold

Image location: Ashnil Aruba Lodge, Tsavo East National Park, Kenya

Description: Bence Máté (Hungary) observes a flock of birds descend to quench their thirst at a small pond.

For Bence, watching in the golden light of a late afternoon, the sight of this swirling mass was breathtaking: “You could feel the rush of air from tens of thousands of wings beating in unison, even from 30 meters (98 feet) away.”

Red-billed queleas are found in almost every part of central, eastern and southern Africa apart from in tropical forests. They gather in groups as large as two million, and the global adult breeding population is estimated to number 1.5 billion, making them the most abundant wild bird on Earth.

Technical details: Sony a9 III | Sony FE 600mm F4 GM OSS + 1.4x teleconverter | F8 | 1/4000 sec | ISO 5000

Mutual Friends

Ernest Porter / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Photographer: Ernest Porter

Award: Highly Commended, Behavior: Birds 

Image title: Mutual Friends

Image location: Manyeleti Game Reserve, Mpumalanga, South Africa

Description: Ernest Porter (South Africa) is delighted by an oxpecker cleaning its bill against a rhino’s skin in the soft afternoon light.

While searching for wildlife in the reserve, Ernest witnessed a group of white rhinos with red-billed oxpeckers feeding on the insects that infest their skin. He noticed one rhino with a subtle blue ring in his eye, which immediately became his unique muse.

In Swahili, the red-billed oxpecker is called askari wa kifaru, a name that translates to “the rhino’s guard.” Oxpeckers act as sentinels, calling out to alert their hosts to the approach of other dangerous animals.

Technical details: Canon EOS R7 | Canon RF 400mm F2.8 L IS USM | F2.8 | 1/5000 sec | ISO 800

Lifted to the Surface

Vegard Byrkjeland Aasen / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Photographer: Vegard Byrkjeland Aasen

Award: Highly Commended, Behavior: Mammals 

Image title: Lifted to the Surface

Image location: Kvænangen, Troms County, Norway

Description: Vegard Byrkjeland Aasen (Norway) watches an adult orca supporting the body of a calf in the freezing waters of a Norwegian fjord.

Vegard had just launched a drone to document sightings for the Norwegian Orca Survey when something caught his attention — an adult orca carrying a deceased calf, occasionally dropping it and then retrieving it as it sank. Although difficult to witness, Vegard felt it was “important to document the moment.”

Cetacean mothers have been known to use their heads to lift newborns to the surface to breathe, raising the possibility that Vegard was witnessing efforts to revive the calf. Some researchers interpret this behavior as a reflection of the deep bond between mothers and calves.

Technical details: DJI Mavic 4 | Hasselblad 28mm equiv. | F2 | 1/50 sec | ISO 640

Up a Tree without a Squirrel

Allegra Hutton / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Photographer: Allegra Hutton

Award: Highly Commended, Behavior: Mammals

Image title: Up a Tree without a Squirrel

Image location: Okavango Delta, Botswana

Description: Allegra Hutton (USA) watches a young leopard chase a squirrel up a tree in Botswana’s Okavango Delta.

Allegra had already watched the leopard try — and fail — to stalk a rabbit. The squirrel also avoided the leopard’s clumsy maneuvers, eventually ascending too high for the leopard to follow. By then, the cat could barely hang on. An awkward backward retreat ensued.

The world is a dangerous place for young leopards. Less than half of cubs survive to independence. Many are killed by male leopards or fall prey to lions and other predators.

Technical details: Sony a7R V | Sony FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS at 467mm | F11 | 1/640 sec | ISO 4000

Split-Second Escape

Jens Cullmann / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Photographer: Jens Cullmann

Award: Highly Commended, Behavior: Amphibians and Reptiles

Image title: Split-Second Escape

Image location: Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Botswana

Description: Jens Cullmann (Germany) gets eye-level with an African bullfrog as it lunges for an African babul butterfly — and misses.

Jens noticed tadpoles on a previous visit after heavy rains and returned the following month to find ponds and puddles full of young bullfrogs. He spent more than two weeks watching the young frogs “eat everything that moved.”

As adults, African bullfrogs grow up to 12 centimeters (5 inches) in length, turn a drab green and spend 10 months of the year in a dormant state underground, only emerging after the rains to breed and eat voraciously.

Technical details: Canon EOS R3 | Canon RF 100-300mm F2.8 L IS USM | Canon Extender RF 2x | F9 | 1/4000 sec | ISO 2500

Hidden Dragon

Gil Wizen / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Photographer: Gil Wizen

Award: Highly Commended, Behavior: Invertebrates

Image title: Hidden Dragon

Image location: Wildsumaco Biological Station, Napo Province, Ecuador

Description: Gil Wizen (Israel/Canada) shares the beauty of this lichen dragon katydid.

At only 15 millimeters (3/5 of an inch) long, this little lichen dragon katydid was not easy to find. Luckily, Gil was able to spot it when it moved slightly, though distinguishing between the katydid and the lichen in the camera’s viewfinder made it challenging to photograph.

Found only in the Andes Mountains in Ecuador, Lichenodraculus matti, or “Matt’s little lichen dragon,” takes part of its scientific name from its discoverer. “Dragon” alludes to the spiny armor that protects it against eagle-eyed predators that see through its disguise.

Technical details: Canon EOS 7D Mark II | Canon EF 100mm F2.8L Macro IS USM | F11 | 1/100 sec | ISO 400 | Canon Speedlite Macro Twin Lite flash + customized diffuser

Calm Amid the Storm

Shane Gross / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Photographer: Shane Gross

Award: Highly Commended, Oceans: The Bigger Picture

Image title: Calm Amid the Storm

Image location: D’Arros Island, Seychelles

Description: Shane Gross (Canada) slowly approaches a school of bigeye trevally as the morning light breaks and a storm approaches.

Shane noticed this school of fish swimming near the shore every morning at sunrise. Aiming for a split shot, he flipped the camera upside down to aid buoyancy distribution and adjusted his position, slowly approaching the curious school.

Bigeye trevally are fished in many parts of the world, but here they are relatively safe. In 2023, the waters surrounding D’Arros Island were made a Marine Protected Area and designated as no-take zones as part of the worldwide initiative for governments to protect 30% of Earth’s land and ocean by 2030.

Technical details: Nikon D500 | Tokina AT-X 107 DX Fisheye 10-17mm F3.5-4.5 | F16 | 1/200 sec | ISO 500 | Aquatica AD500 housing | 2x YS-250 Sea & Sea strobes

Pooltime Pastime

Loren Elliott / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Photographer: Loren Elliott

Award: Highly Commended, Urban Wildlife

Image title: Pooltime Pastime

Image location: Monrovia, California, USA

Description: Loren Elliott (USA) observes a black bear stopping for a dip in a southern California pool.

Loren spent many hours watching through the kitchen window of a local resident’s home to photograph bears that frequently pass through this yard. “I most like how it shows the very common overlap of wildlife and residential living in Los Angeles County,” he says.

Where housing developments have spread into the bear’s habitat, human–bear coexistence is increasingly challenging. The owner recognizes that he is living in “bear country” and endeavors to be a responsible resident, ensuring no food is left out and doors and windows are kept shut.

Technical details: Sony a9 II | Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II at 24mm | F4 | 1/1000 sec | ISO 320

Ocean Protector

Ralph Pace / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Photographer: Ralph Pace

Award: Highly Commended, Wetlands: The Bigger Picture

Image title: Ocean Protector

Image location: Monterey Bay, California, USA

Description: Ralph Pace (USA) glimpses a sea hare gliding through an eelgrass meadow in Monterey Bay.

In the shallows of Monterey Bay on the Pacific coast of the USA, the evening light traces the silhouette that earned this sea slug its name — sea hare. Ralph wanted to depict an unexpected, hopeful scene of “a gentle giant safeguarding the last green meadows of the sea.”

Sea hares play an important role in the restoration of eelgrass meadows by grazing on the red algae that block sunlight to the meadow. Eelgrass is vital for coastal ecosystems and is an important carbon sink.

Technical details: Nikon D850 | Nikon AF-S Nikkor 28-70mm F2.8D ED-IF AF | F18 | 0.6 sec | Sea & Sea strobes

The Show Goes On

Pietro Rojas / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Photographer: Pietro Rojas

Award: Highly Commended, Photojournalism

Image title: The Show Goes On

Image location: Doha, Qatar

Description: Pietro Rojas (Guatemala) documents a brown bear riding a small motorcycle, muzzled and secured to the apparatus as it circles a circus ring in Doha.

Noticing that a circus with animal acts was in town, Pietro decided to document it. What he found most compelling about this image was “the contrast between the wild nature of the animal and the human environment imposed upon it.”

Many countries have banned the use of wild animals in circuses. Where brown bears are used, they often are trained to perform in unnatural postures like standing upright for long periods of time, contributing to health and behavioral problems.

Technical details: Leica Q3 43 | Leica Apo-Summicron 43mm F2 ASPH. | F2.5 | 1/500 sec | ISO 400

Eye of the Storm

Dewald Tromp / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Photographer: Dewald Tromp

Award: Highly Commended, Animals in Their Environment

Image title: Eye of the Storm

Image location: Namib Desert, near Swakopmund, Namibia

Description: Dewald Tromp (South Africa) witnesses a chameleon battling a sandstorm in the Namib Desert.

The wind picked up as Dewald was photographing this Namaqua chameleon weathering the sudden storm. Soon, it became difficult to breathe and “in a matter of seconds, you could hardly see the person next to you,” Dewald recalls.

Namaqua chameleons are insectivorous desert specialists, harvesting moisture from the air directly. Droplets that collect on their skin as dew are channeled to their mouths via microscopic surface grooves. They also use their tongue to collect fog water condensed on vegetation, sand and rocks.

Technical details: Nikon D850 | Nikon AF-S Nikkor 300mm F4E PF ED VR | F8 | 1/1250 sec | ISO 400

Urban Wanderer

Sora Miyazawa / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Photographer: Sora Miyazawa

Award: Highly Commended, 11–14 Years

Image title: Urban Wanderer

Image location: Tokyo, Japan

Description: Sora Miyazawa (Japan) focuses on an Eastern Japanese toad as it wanders through the street after a rainfall.

Sora chanced upon this toad in the heart of one of the world’s largest cities, Tokyo. With a slow shutter speed, he composed the image before the toad hopped back into the bushes from where it had emerged.

Exactly how this species thrives in a city of 14 million people is unclear. Toads are more successful than other amphibians at dispersing and surviving in new habitats, including in urban environments like this one.

Technical details: Nikon Z6 III | Nikon Nikkor Z 24-120mm F4 S at 24mm | F4 | 1/10 sec | ISO 200

The Art of Flying

Jack Crockford / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Photographer: Jack Crockford

Award: Highly Commended, 15–17 Years

Image title: The Art of Flying

Image location: London, England, UK

Description: Jack Crockford (UK) watches as a low-flying swift passes by, its shape echoed by an incoming plane to Heathrow Airport.

Jack observed swifts flying overhead, completing their yearly migration back to London and filling the air with their piercing, high-pitched calls. Most were flying too high to photograph, but occasional low-flyers allowed Jack to get the composition he’d been hoping for.

Swifts’ physical characteristics allow them to migrate from equatorial and southern Africa to breeding grounds in northern Europe. Their long, scythe-shaped wings enable exceptional speed and maneuverability. Living almost their entire lives in the air, they usually only land when they’re ready to breed.

Technical details: Nikon D500 | Nikon AF-S Nikkor 200-500mm F5.6E ED VR at 350mm (525mm equiv.) | F8 | 1/5000 sec | ISO 1600

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LK Samyang’s AF 60-180mm F2.8 is now available for L-mount, following its initial release for Sony E-mount in June. Developed in collaboration with Schneider-Kreuznach, the lens brings a lightweight, affordable telephoto zoom option to L-mount photographers.

The AF 60-180mm F2.8 weighs just 730 g (1.6 lbs), which is substantially lighter than the comparable F2.8 telephoto zooms for L-mount. While offering slightly more reach, optical stabilization and internal zoom, the Sigma 70–200mm F2.8 DG DN OS Sports is one of the closest alternatives, and it weighs 1345 g (2.9 lbs). The Panasonic Lumix S Pro 70–200mm F2.8 OIS comes in at 1570 g (3.5 lbs), though it’s worth noting that it’s one of the heaviest options on the market, coming in at 400-500g more than comparable options from Sony, Canon and Nikon.

Mitchell Clark

Both the Sigma and Panasonic options are internally zooming, whereas the LK Samyang lens uses an extending zoom design. The length of the LK Samyang 60-180mm F2.8 increases from 149mm (5.9″) at the wide end to 174mm (6.9″) when zoomed in, which is still shorter than the Sigma, Leica and Panasonic 70–200mm F2.8 lenses. 

The L-mount model shares the E-mount version’s core optical and physical specifications. It consists of 17 elements in 14 groups, which include one high-refractive, seven extra-low dispersion and two aspherical elements. A linear stepping motor drives the autofocus, and it features a floating focus system that promises to maintain image quality across the focus range. The lens can focus as close as 0.35m (1.2′) when zoomed out, with a maximum magnification of 0.26x. 

While more limited in on-lens controls than more expensive offerings, it does feature an AF/MF switch, a customizable control button and a zoom lock to keep the zoom constant even when moving. It accepts 77mm filters, offers a USB-C port for firmware updates and features weather sealing. It does not include optical image stabilization.

LK Samyang

The AF 60-180mm F2.8 is part of a trio of lightweight zoom lenses with a constant F2.8 maximum aperture, which also includes a 14-24mm and a 24-60mm. Thus far, however, LK Samyang has only made the AF 14-24mm F2.8 and now AF 60-180mm F2.8 available to L-mount. The standard zoom still remains an E-mount-only lens. 

DPReview’s Mitchell Clark recently tested the E-mount version and found it capable for its price, despite a stiff and inconsistent zoom ring and comparatively basic-feeling plastics and controls. For L-mount photographers who value a smaller, lighter F2.8 telephoto zoom at a more budget-friendly price over 200mm reach, top-end image quality, optical stabilization and an internal-zoom design, it is a compelling alternative.

There is a slight downside for L-mount users: the 60-180mm costs $1199, which is $100 more than the E-mount model. Still, that price is substantially lower than the alternatives for the mount. 

LK Samyang AF 60-180mm F2.8

• $1,099 at B&H

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Pelican, the company famous for its ultra-rugged hard cases, is introducing a new backpack aimed squarely at photographers and creators. The not-so-catchily-named PX35 Aegis 35L Creator Backpack is made out of durable 500D Cordura fabric, lets you access your camera without taking it off and has a removable insert that can be directly transferred into one of its Air or Protector cases.

As its name implies, the pack has a 35L capacity, which is mainly in its large central compartment. You can access that space from the top of the bag, from the back, or from either side. The main flap, which has a variety of zippered and elastic pouches and a laptop pocket, can fully unzip, giving you unobstructed access to the pack’s interior. There’s also a small brain area on top with hard padding and space for various accessories like multitools, headphones and passports, and the front has MOLLE attachment points and a front flap that can be clipped up to hold oversized items like tripods or jackets.

Pelican

Included with the bag is a removable padded divider, with compartments you can configure to hold your specific gear, be that camera bodies, lenses, small drones or a mixture thereof. The pouch is removable, making it easy to take out at a moment’s notice. It’s also designed to fit in the company’s Pelican Protector 1510 and Pelican Air 1535 hard cases, so you can keep your gear secure during air or ground travel, then pull the insert out and slide it into your pack when you get wherever you’re going. This means you don’t have to repack all your gear when you get where you’re going, which can be an annoying process, especially if you haven’t quite accounted for differences in capacities or layouts.

The company says the pack has a “rigid, protective shell” to keep your gear protected, but also says it’s a “last mile solution” that’s not as heavy or protective as its hard cases. To that end, it’s also not completely waterproof, though Pelican says it’s “weather-resistant” on its own, and comes with a rain fly.

Pelican

The pack’s ruggedness comes at a cost that’s both weight and monetary. It comes in at 5.4lbs (2.45kg) on its own, and costs $325. To manage the former, it has an integrated but unpadded hipbelt, as well as a sternum strap, complete with a whistle integrated into the clip. And while the price is definitely on the high end – it’s around an $80 premium compared to one of DPReview managing editor Dale Baskin’s favorite packs – it’s not unheard of if you’re comparing it to options from companies like Peak Design, once you factor in its inclusion of a padded divider.

The bag comes in black or “charcoal sage” green, and has a five-year warranty. 

Pelican

Pelican PX35 Aegis 35L Creator Backpack

• $325 at Pelican

Jay Maisel, the influential American photographer and devoted educator whose images reshaped the visual language of advertising, editorial and street photography, died on August 24, 2026, at age 95. Across a career spanning more than seven decades, Maisel made iconic pictures while teaching generations of photographers to recognize the expressive possibilities of light, color and human gesture.

Maisel began his professional photography career in 1954 and went on to make pictures for major magazines, advertisers and cultural institutions, bringing the same alert, keen eye to celebrity portraiture, magazine covers and street scenes. He received numerous honors over the course of his career, including induction into the Art Directors Club Hall of Fame; the American Society of Media Photographers’ Lifetime Achievement Award; the International Center of Photography’s Infinity Award; and a Lucie Lifetime Achievement Award. His most famous single image may be the cover photograph for Miles Davis’s landmark 1959 album Kind of Blue, a portrait now inseparable from the best-selling jazz album of all time.

For nearly 50 years, Maisel lived and worked in the six-story Germania Bank Building on the Bowery, a former 1898 bank he bought in 1966 and transformed into an extraordinary home, studio and repository for his work. Known simply as “the Bank,” the 72-room building became as legendary in photography circles as its owner. The 2019 documentary Jay Myself, directed by Stephen Wilkes, offers a look inside the remarkable space and chronicles Maisel’s departure from it after he sold the building in 2015.

I have long been drawn to Maisel’s interest in objects and their photographic potential. The Bank’s floors held different collections, and the way he surrounded himself with things seemed to embody the curiosity and sense of play evident in his photographs. As someone who also collects objects, I found his ability to show familiar things anew a direct influence on my own work. “Art is, to some effect, trying to make others see what you see,” he said; it’s an idea I have returned to often in my own work.

That way of seeing also informed Maisel’s teaching, for which he was equally admired. His core framework – light, gesture and color – was an invitation to pay closer attention to the world: to the way illumination can shape a scene, color can organize it and a fleeting gesture can give it life. He also urged photographers to take responsibility for every part of the frame, finding images through sustained observation. Through workshops, seminars and lectures, Maisel extended his influence far beyond his own pictures, leaving photographers with one clear instruction: look harder.

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Every photographer knows the drill. You return from a trip, start copying photos from your memory cards, pour a coffee, and begin culling your images. Or some variation of that. And somewhere in that process, something strange begins to happen.

The photos you actually traveled to take – the ones that required you to arrive early to get a spot for your tripod – get a quick look, maybe even an edit, and then a shrug before you move on.

Meanwhile, a spontaneous shot of your friends pretending to do a fashion shoot in France gets exported and shared.

I’ve been doing this long enough to recognize the pattern, and I’m pretty sure I’m not alone.

Dale Baskin

The pull of iconic places

There’s a gravitational force to photograph famous places. You’re standing above Machu Picchu at sunrise, or below the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, and it feels almost negligent not to take a great photo of it. That’s the draw. It’s why you’re there. And it’s why there are often several hundred other people with cameras right next to you, trying to do the same thing.

I’m not suggesting you skip these photos, but before you spend half a day of your valuable travel time on one of them, it’s worth asking a simple question: Why am I doing this?

Dale Baskin

Dale Baskin

Sometimes, the answer is genuinely good. Maybe you’ve been thinking about how to photograph the place for years and have a real vision for it – a unique angle or treatment that’s different from what everyone else has done. There are always new ways to photograph something that’s already been photographed a million times, and if you’re the person with that vision, that’s a gift. Go for it.

More often than not, however, the answer is that it’s an exercise. Photography is a craft and a skill, and one that requires repetition. Some of the most useful photos I’ve ever taken were mediocre pictures of famous things, because the mistakes I made taking them taught me something I later used.

And occasionally, you really do just get lucky. You’re standing somewhere right when the weather or the light does something extraordinary, and if you’re ready, you capture something rare. Luck, as the saying goes, is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Taking a lot of unremarkable photos of iconic places is the kind of preparation that leaves you ready to act when that chance alignment of magic factors finally happens.

Dale Baskin

But sometimes, the honest answer is just that “you’re there,” and you feel like you should photograph whatever the thing is. That’s the one worth examining, because if the result is going to be identical to several million photos already on the internet, you’ve spent something valuable – your time on a trip you might never repeat – to produce a duplicate.

Then, there’s a middle path, and one I find myself embracing more often: if you’re going to shoot the icon, do something to personalize it and make it yours. Put someone you’re traveling with in the frame, or find something in the foreground that creates a humorous juxtaposition. It won’t be fine art, and it probably won’t win any awards. But then again, was your technically perfect shot going to win any in the first place?

The photos that matter

There’s a truism about travel stories: Nobody ever goes to a dinner party and tells stories about what went right on a trip.

Dale Baskin

The stories that land, and the ones people actually listen to rather than finding an excuse to return to the buffet for another piece of shrimp cocktail, are the ones where things went sideways. The trip where you went to one country, but your luggage went to another. The “hotel with a view” whose view turned out to be an alley full of dumpsters. Or the food poisoning that arrived courtesy of a Michelin-starred restaurant.

Photography works the same way. The frames that survive for years and decades are almost never the postcard-perfect shots. They’re the small vignettes, like a spontaneous photo with friends in a French village or the street vendor in Buenos Aires where you had the best food of your entire adventure.

Dale Baskin

When I was younger, I came home from a lot of trips with a lot of photos of famous things. Some were pretty good. A lot more were pretty mediocre. But what I learned pretty quickly was that, regardless of how good they were, other people were rarely that interested in looking at those photos.

What they did respond to were the candid, unstructured, and often just plain weird photos that captured the essence of the trip. Years later, those were the ones I cared about too.

So, shoot the icon if you want to shoot the icon. Just don’t let it take over your trip. Keep your camera ready during the in-between moments, the ones that don’t feel important when they’re happening. Odds are good that one of them is the photograph you’ll still be looking at in twenty years.

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Earlier this summer, LK Samyang announced the AF 60-180mm F2.8, its latest lens that it says was developed in collaboration with German optics company Schneider-Kreuznach. We’ve had the chance to test it out the version for E-mount (though the company has recently announced it’ll be available for L-mount next week), shooting with it in a variety of conditions to produce a sample gallery, and forming some impressions along the way.

In use

The thing I immediately noticed about this lens was its weight, as it comes in at just 730g (1.6lbs). According to LK Samyang, it’s the lightest option in this class, and I found that difference noticeable. It was very easy to carry around, even for extended shooting sessions. While the lens extends as you zoom in, this doesn’t result in a substantial shift in its center of gravity, which is always nice when changing focal lengths.

Speaking of, though, the zoom ring might be the lens’s weakest point. It has a nice textured rubber coating, but can be a bit difficult to turn with any amount of precision, as it’s quite stiff, but inconsistently so; I sometimes had to work to turn it from 60mm, before finding myself in an easy patch sailing right through the focal length I wanted. It’s not end of the world, and I got used to it with practice, but it is a reminder that you’re using a budget lens. 

Mitchell Clark

The lens is also made out of a plastic that isn’t the most premium-feeling. Nor does the customizable control button, though it’s a nice inclusion. Finally, LK Samyang has added a lock switch to keep the lens at 60mm while you’re walking around with it, though I found the mechanism’s stiffness was enough to keep it from accidentally extending. However, it does hold it incredibly well; I once accidentally locked the lens, and was completely unable to turn the zoom ring until I discovered what had happened.

It focuses quite quickly, though it’s not the absolute fastest I’ve ever experienced. That’s not surprising given that it uses stepping motors rather than linear ones, but it should be more than acceptable for everything but the fastest of action. I also appreciated its close focusing abilities, as it has a minimum focusing distance of just 0.35m (1.2′) at the wide end, letting me get quite close to my subject, which suits my style of shooting. Unlike the zoom ring, the manual focus ring is perfectly pleasant to use.

While this lens is in some ways competing with the venerable 70-200mm F2.8 options available from Sony, Panasonic and Sigma, its closest competitor is the Tamron 70-180mm F2.8 Di III VC VXD G2, a lens I tested out earlier this year. In my mind, there’s no clear winner between the two; the Tamron weighs a bit more, but its body and controls feel a bit nicer (or, in the case of the zoom ring, a fair bit nicer). It also has optical image stabilization, snappy autofocus motors and access to the special features Tamron’s been adding to its lineup via its app. But then I also found myself appreciating the ability to go that bit wider with the Samyang. And both have image quality that would’ve been unthinkable at this price range just a few years ago, though the vignetting at F2.8 is perhaps a touch less noticeable on the Samyang.

It’s nice that there’s another budget option for a fast tele-zoom for E-mount, and one that’s quite capable for its price. It’s perhaps more exciting that it’s coming for L-mount, where there aren’t that many lightweight, budget tele options. It’s also nice to see that Samyang doesn’t seem to be waiting a long time between releasing lenses for the system after announcing them for E-mount.

Sample gallery

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Thanks to Sony for the loan of an a7R V to shoot this gallery. All images were processed using our standard lens workflow in Capture One, with the manufacturer’s distortion correction applied but no correction of vignetting. The profile corrects a fair amount of barrel distortion at the wide and some pincushion distortion at the long end. It’s enough that we’d recommend using the corrections if you can, though we don’t consider them an essential part of the lens’s design.