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

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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TTArtisan has announced the AF 85mm F1.8 Neo, a budget-friendly, full-frame portrait lens for Sony E and Nikon Z mounts. The lens strips out any on-lens controls, including the aperture ring and focus ring, opting for simplicity to keep the price just below $100. 

The new lens is the second in TTArtisan’s minimalist Neo series. Until now, the lineup consisted solely of the AF 50mm F1.8 Neo, another design with no on-lens controls. Experienced shooters may find the lack of manual focus unusual, but it is one of the compromises that come with the low price. Aperture, which ranges from F1.8 to F16, is adjusted through the camera body.

TTArtisan

One interesting feature of the Neo lineup is the ability to add 3D-printed shells to the lens. TTArtisan promoted this with the 50mm F1.8 Neo, highlighting the ability to customize the look of the lens to your liking. The shells aren’t included and TTArtisan doesn’t sell them directly, but it does provide downloadable 3D lens-model files for users to design and print their own. 

TTArtisan

In terms of lens specifications, the 85mm F1.8 Neo is lightweight for its class. The shell is made from reinforced fiberglass, and it weighs just 332 g (11.7 oz). It measures 90.5 mm (3.6″) long and accepts 62mm front filters. Its optical formula consists of 12 elements in 8 groups and includes 2 extra-low-dispersion and 2 high-index elements, which TTArtisan says provide “optimal” sharpness. It also features an 11-blade aperture diaphragm.  

The TTArtisan AF 85mm F1.8 Neo is available for pre-order now for $99 with versions for Nikon Z and Sony E mounts. 

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Barely four months after the Osmo Pocket 4’s debut, and less than two months after the Pocket 4P arrived, DJI is already rolling out a substantial firmware update for both pocket gimbal cameras. The updates promise to make both devices more useful as self-contained capture tools, adding background uploads to cloud storage to the pair, along with expanded tracking and control options for the Osmo Pocket 4 and 10-bit D-Log slow-motion recording on the Pocket 4P. 

Coming to both the Osmo Pocket 4 and 4P is DJI’s Camera Cloud Service. The feature allows users to automatically upload footage to supported cloud services or compatible network-attached storage (NAS) when the camera is idle. DJI says the service supports Google Drive, OneDrive and NAS, potentially making it easier and faster to offload clips after a shoot, provided you can connect the camera to a Wi-Fi network. 

DJI

On the Osmo Pocket 4, the update adds a new subject-tracking option that can identify and select a person or object more quickly, then use the gimbal to keep it in-frame as it moves. The camera also gains additional tracking controls, including the ability to zoom while tracking, and the ability to retain the last Smart Gimbal Mode used after the camera is powered off.

DJI has also expanded customization tools. The physical Custom Button’s hold action can now be assigned to either zoom out or open the custom-settings menu. In portrait orientation, the on-screen custom button can be mapped to single press, double press, triple press and press-and-hold actions.

Mykim Dang

The most notable change for the Pocket 4P is that its slow-motion mode can now record in 10-bit D-Log rather than relying on a baked-in color profile as before. It’s important to note, though, that DJI lists this specifically as D-Log, not the newer D-Log2. Still, it provides a more flexible starting point for users who want to grade footage or match it to other cameras. DJI has also updated its D-Log-to-Rec.709 and Rec.709 Vivid LUTs to version 2.0.

Finally, the Pocket 4P joystick now supports 45-degree inputs, allowing diagonal gimbal moves that combine pan and tilt in a single control motion.

Both updates are available now through the DJI Mimo app.

Capture One has released version 4.0 of its mobile app as part of its August 2026 update, bringing four tools previously limited to the desktop software to iPhone and iPad. The release narrows the feature gap between the company’s desktop and mobile apps, giving photographers more editing capabilities on the go.

Capture One

Enhanced Denoise is a standout addition to version 4.0. Like other noise reduction tools these days, it uses AI to reduce noise while, according to Capture One, preserving fine details. Capture One has also added Color Balance, its three-way color grading wheel that allows photographers to adjust the color balance of shadows, midtones and highlights. It gives mobile users more tonal control than what was previously available in the Capture One mobile app. 

Another highly requested feature is the Heal & Clone tool, which lets photographers remove distractions on mobile devices. That means retouching no longer needs to wait until you’re back at the desktop. Capture One has also added Keywords support. Photographers can now tag and organize images in the field, making it easier to find the images they need. Lastly, the crop tool has been updated to follow the camera orientation when shooting tethered or copying and applying adjustments.

Capture One

These tools are all welcome additions to the mobile version of Capture One, which has long lagged behind the desktop in features. Our 2023 iPhone app review found the app well-suited to professionals but noted the fairly substantial toolset gaps. Thankfully, version 4.0 closes several of the most significant ones. For subscribers also using Capture One Pro on the desktop, the mobile app should function as a more credible extension of that workflow rather than a stripped-down companion.

Version 16.8.5 of the desktop app also sees some small updates, including the ability to pan with the middle mouse button, support for the OM System OM-3 Astro and more.

The updated versions are available now for iPhone, iPad and desktop.

Our guess yesterday about what Polaroid was gearing up to release was correct, but we didn’t expect just how big this launch would be. As we surmised, Polaroid has released a Pokémon-themed Go Gen 3 camera, but the launch also includes two additional cameras, three special packs of film and three accessories. Polaroid calls it its biggest collaboration yet, timed to coincide with the 30th anniversary of Pokémon, the hugely popular franchise that spans video games, anime and trading cards.

Polaroid

The core of the launch is three limited-edition cameras, which cover both the full-size Polaroid Now Gen 3 and the tiny Go Gen 3, which was released earlier this summer. The Now Gen 3 version, which takes full-size i-Type film, takes the styling of a Poké Ball, with bold red, white and black colors. 

Polaroid

For those who want something a bit more character-focused, the Go Gen 3 is available in a Pikachu-styled version with a bold yellow body and a hand strap shaped like Pikachu’s lightning-bolt tail. Or you can go for the Sylveon Edition, which features that Pokémon’s soft pink, blue and white colors. All three cameras also feature Poké Ball-shaped shutter buttons for an added thematic touch. 

Polaroid

The cameras aren’t all, either. If you already own a Polaroid camera, you don’t have to miss out on the fun, as the company also released three limited-edition packs of film, one full-sized i-Type and two packs of the smaller Go film. The i-Type film, like the camera, is more broadly Pokémon themed, with frames that feature iconic characters like Charmander, Clefairy and Squirtle. The Go film matches the theme of each of the Go cameras, with one pack focused on Sylveon and the other for Pikachu. Each pack comes with custom dark slides designed around the collaboration as well. 

Polaroid

Finally, Polaroid also has three accessories for Pokémon fans. There’s a Polaroid Go Poké Ball camera case and Poké Ball photo album for photos from the Go, along with a Pokémon edition camera strap, which is compatible with both the Now Gen 3 and Go Gen 3.

Polaroid

The Polaroid Now Gen 3 Pokémon costs $140, while the Go Gen 3 Pikachu and Sylveon editions are $100, all of which represent a $10 premium over the standard versions. Likewise, the limited-edition film is slightly more expensive, with the i-Type coming in at $23 and the Go film at $25 for a double pack. 

The Polaroid x Pokémon collection is only available in limited quantities, though Polaroid didn’t provide any specifics about how many are available. Pre-orders open August 25, with a full release on October 5. 

Photo editing software company ON1 has announced a new version of its standalone, AI-powered noise reduction software, NoNoise AI 2027. The company also says it’s updated the TackSharp AI deblurring models in NoNoise AI for sharper images with less noise. 

One of the standout features of ON1 NoNoise AI 2027 is the addition of a model selector that matches a particular AI model to the subject of the photographs. ON1 says that it built the models for the situations when photographers are most frequently dealing with noise. That includes astrophotography, portraits and wildlife, though there’s also a general model and one made for ISOs greater than 128,000. Additionally, it offers a film scan-specific model, which presumably will maintain some natural film grain. 

ON1

ON1 says that the models will remove noise while retaining texture and details such as feathers, fur and starlight, resulting in a cleaner, more natural image that doesn’t look smoothed over. While you can select the model manually, it will also automatically match the right option to your subject. 

The 2027 release also brings an updated TackSharp AI, its deblurring engine that promises to make images that were slightly soft look in focus without adding noise or artifacts. As with the noise reduction, TackSharp AI provides access to the model selector. It also provides access to automatic subject and background masking to sharpen or reduce noise in specific areas, and native support for Windows PCs that use Arm-based processors. ON1 has also added expanded Raw file support for more than 30 camera models, though it didn’t specify which ones. 

ON1

ON1 NoNoise AI 2027 is available for pre-order today for $70 ($50 for ON1 owners) and will be available in late September 2026. As with previous versions, it is available for Mac and Windows and can be used as a standalone app or as a plugin for Lightroom Classic, Photoshop, Capture One and more. The 2027 version is also included in the ON1 Photo Studio Subscription.

American street photographer Richard Bram has spent more than four decades finding small gestures and stories in public spaces. In a recent episode of the Eyeshot 50mm podcast, Bram reflects on his self-taught route into photography and his creative philosophy, resulting in a wide-ranging conversation that offers interesting insights and practical advice for anyone trying to improve their photography, particularly on the street.

One of the things that stood out to me most was Bram’s view on what takes an image from reality to fiction and how important context is. “I think when you click a shutter, it goes from reality to fiction just automatically,” he says. “Reality is four dimensions because there’s time. A rectangle is three dimensions, so it’s frozen, it’s pulled out, it’s completely out of context.” 

I also found it interesting that he points photographers toward painting as a resource for understanding light. Studying how painters from different eras constructed light and shadow, he suggests, can sharpen your ability to read and use available light on the street in ways that photography tutorials rarely cover.

The conversation is aimed at street photographers, but the ideas apply to anyone interested in photography, no matter what the genre. Whether you shoot portraits, landscapes or anything in between, Bram’s perspectives are useful challenges if you’re looking to improve your photography. There are many more fascinating thoughts throughout the conversation that I didn’t cover here, making it well worth listening to.  

The finalists for Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026 have been announced, featuring images that highlight the complexity and diversity of the world’s oceans. Presented by Oceanographic and Blancpain, the contest is now in its seventh year and showcases work across seven categories.

What sets this year’s iteration apart is a new category: Ocean Unseen: Hidden Worlds, which is dedicated to the ocean’s smallest inhabitants. Other categories include Adventure, Wildlife, Fine Art, Conservation Impact, Conservation Hope and Human Connection. The 2026 shortlist is among the most geographically and thematically varied the competition has fielded.

Will Harrison, the competition’s founder and director, said: “These photographs don’t just capture what’s beneath the surface; they surface the stories our planet most needs us to hear. As the pressures on our ocean grow, so does the importance of the artists who bear witness to them. This year’s finalists have produced work of extraordinary depth and courage, and we’re proud that Ocean Photographer of the Year continues to be the platform where those stories reach the world.”

Below is a small selection of the finalists. The full set of finalists across all seven categories is available on the Ocean Photographer of the Year winners gallery. Category winners and the overall Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026 will be announced in September 2026.

Ocean Unseen: Hidden Worlds

Mitsuna Kawai

Photographer: Mitsuna Kawai

Caption: A ribbonfish rises vertically through the dark waters of Osezaki, Japan. Its long, silver body and delicate fins are adapted for life in the open ocean. This image was captured during a winter blackwater dive. Around the ribbonfish, a swarm of salps – small, jelly-like animals that feed on tiny particles in the ocean – creates a glimpse of life moving through the deep sea.

Technical details: Canon EOS R10 | Canon RF-S 18-150mm F3.5-6.3 IS STM @ 18mm | F9 | 1/160 sec | ISO 200

Ocean Unseen: Hidden Worlds

Steven Lopez

Photographer: Steven Lopez

Caption: A close view of a giant black sea bass reveals tiny parasitic copepods clustered around its eye in a Catalina Island kelp forest. Once misidentified on other hosts, these copepods are now known to have a specific relationship with this threatened fish. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the giant black sea bass was nearly extinct in Southern California but is now recovering through protection efforts. This image highlights how even a giant predator can support a hidden community of much smaller organisms

Technical details: Not available

Wildlife

Rafael Fernandez Caballero

Photographer: Matty Smith

Caption: In the Pacific waters of Mexico, this photograph captures the aftermath of a successful orca hunt. Nearly an hour after a pod separated a humpback whale calf from its mother, the orcas resurfaced carrying their prey between them. The event reveals the cooperative hunting strategies of orcas, where multiple individuals work together to isolate and subdue large prey. What the image doesn’t show is that after the kill, other scavengers, including silky sharks, were drawn to the remains, showing how one event can influence an entire marine food web.

Technical details: Nikon Z9 | Nikon AF-S Fisheye 8-15mm F3.5-4.5E ED @ 14mm | F9 |1/320 | ISO 800

Wildlife

Yuta Shigeno

Photographer: Yuta Shigeno

Caption: This photograph captures a male cardinalfish releasing the larvae he has been brooding inside his mouth. Although this species is common in Japanese waters, the image reveals a rarely noticed stage of its life cycle. The male carries and protects the developing eggs for around a week, eating little or nothing during this period. The larvae are released over several events, with the first release containing the largest number.

Technical details: Nikon Z8 | Nikon Nikkor Z MC 105mm F2.8 VR S | F18 | 1/200 sec | ISO 500

Conservation Impact

Celia Kujala

Photographer: Celia Kujala

Caption: A California sea lion has plastic netting tightly wrapped around her neck. This is a stark reminder of the lasting impacts of marine plastic pollution. The wound had already cut deep into her skin, yet rescuing her was impossible because of her location within a crowded colony. Images like this reveal the hidden cost of discarded waste and give a face to an often-unseen crisis. The catchlight in her eye creates an intimate connection that is difficult to ignore.

Technical details: Nikon D500 | Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR | F9 | 1/500 sec | ISO 500

Conservation Impact

Daniel Taylor

Photographer: Daniel Taylor

Caption: A silky shark circles helplessly after taking bait from an illegal longline, its fate sealed by a steel hook and heavy line designed to prevent escape. Photographed less than 48 hours after Baja California’s seasonal shark fishing ban ended, the image reveals a hidden reality unfolding far from shore. A small group of pilot fish remains beside the shark, highlighting how the loss of one animal can ripple through an entire ecosystem.

Technical details: Not available

Conservation Hope

Francesca Page

Photographer: Francesca Page

Caption: Thousands of juvenile European lobsters are raised at the National Lobster Hatchery in Padstow, Cornwall, UK, before being released into the wild. By protecting the young lobsters during their most vulnerable stage, the Hatchery greatly improves their chances of survival. Here, these baby lobsters are being transferred into the space-efficient AquaHive system, an innovative hatchery design where each unit holds around 4,000 juveniles, safely separated across individual trays to prevent cannibalism.

Technical details: Sony a7 IV | Sony E 70-180mm F2.8 @ 111mm | F13 | 1/250 sec | ISO 400

Conservation Hope

Daniel Edmond Sullivan Jr.

Photographer: Daniel Edmond Sullivan Jr.

Caption: Thirty days after the 2023 Lahaina wildfire claimed 102 lives, thousands gathered off West Maui for a traditional Hawaiian paddle-out ceremony. Surfers and families formed a circle on the ocean, linking hands and releasing leis in memory of those lost. Photographed from above, the image captures a community transforming grief into a shared expression of love, remembrance and connection to the sea.

Technical details: Hasselblad L2D-20c | 24mm equiv | F2.8 | 1/640 sec | ISO 200

Human Connection Award: People and Planet Ocean

Rui Duarte

Photographer: Rui Duarte

Caption: Volunteers, surfers, lifeguards and conservation groups work together to refloat stranded short-finned pilot whales. While many animals initially returned to the sea, the pod stranded again further along the coast, highlighting the complexity of mass strandings. The image captures compassion in action, but it also reflects how wildlife rescue continues to evolve. In the months that followed, international experts trained the local community in safer, science-based stranding response techniques, strengthening future rescue efforts.

Technical details: Canon EOS 5D IV | Canon EF 16-35mm F2.8L III USM @ 26mm | F6.3 | 1/640 sec | ISO 400

Human Connection Award: People and Planet Ocean

Qingsheng Sun

Photographer: Qingsheng Sun

Caption: Thousands of fish-farming cages stretch across the sea, connected by floating walkways and small wooden huts to form a vast floating community. Extending for kilometers, this carefully organized aquaculture network supports local livelihoods while transforming the coastal landscape.

Technical details: Not available

Adventure

Ben Thouard

Photographer: Ben Thouard

Caption: A surfer races through the barrel of Teahupoʻo, French Polynesia, photographed from beneath the wave using a slow shutter speed. Rather than freezing the action, the technique blurs the rushing water while keeping the surfer as the focal point, conveying the incredible speed inside the wave. Teahupoʻo is a busy surf spot, yet the photographer has managed to capture an isolated surfer at this iconic location.

Technical details: Canon EOS R5 | Canon EF 85mm F1.4L IS USM | F12 | 1/10 sec | ISO 50

Adventure

Daan Verhoeven

Photographer: Daan Verhoeven

Caption: Freediver Arnaud Jerald descends into Dean’s Blue Hole in the Bahamas during a successful world record attempt at the Vertical Blue competition. Photographed from more than 30 meters below, the image captures the scale of one of the world’s deepest marine sinkholes. Crystal-clear water, sunlight and drifting sand combined to create a rare view of this remarkable moment.

Technical details: Canon EOS R5 | Canon EF 11-24mm F4L USM @ 11mm | F5/6 1/250 sec | ISO 100

Fine Art

Chelsea Mayer

Photographer: Chelsea Mayer

Caption: A pod of short-beaked common dolphins swims beneath the bow of a ship off the coast of southern California. Dolphins are known to ride the pressure wave created by moving vessels, using it to travel with little effort in a behavior known as bow riding. Calm seas and exceptional water clarity reveal the dolphins’ markings, while the reflection of the white, yellow and blue paint from the National Geographic Venture creates a psychedelic, abstract image.

Technical details: Not available

Fine Art

John Kowitz

Photographer: John Kowitz

Caption: Five-spotted eagle rays glide above the sandy seabed, their dark bodies and white markings contrasting against the pale background. These rays often travel together while searching for prey, using electroreceptors to detect hidden mollusks and crustaceans beneath the sand. Photographed during a dive in search of manta rays, this formation appeared during the journey back to shore.

Technical details: Sony a1 | Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM @ 16mm | F5.6 | 1/160 sec | ISO 125

Rumors and vague teasers have been suggesting for months now that Insta360 is developing a mirrorless camera. Now, the company’s CEO, Jingkang “JK” Liu, has confirmed that not one, but two mirrorless cameras are in development. Liu even added that one will apparently have a shape not considered before. 

The confirmation came from an interview with Mynavi News in conjunction with Insta360’s flagship store opening in Asakusa, Japan. This isn’t the first time the company has hinted at a mirrorless camera, though. In January 2026, Liu posted on Weibo with the phrase ‘Heading towards new focal lengths,’ which started the mirrorless speculation. 

In the interview, Liu gave slightly more details than that initial vague teaser. “At this point, there’s only so much we can say, but we are developing two types of mirrorless cameras,” Liu said. While he wasn’t able to provide many details, he did drop one hint that certainly seems intriguing:  “One of them will have a surprising shape that you’ve never even considered before.” 

When asked why Insta360 decided to tackle an ILC, Liu explained that the goal is “to make it easy for people who don’t know how to use interchangeable-lens cameras to use them by introducing new technologies and AI.” Given that the company has introduced plenty of AI-based features in its app and cameras, it isn’t surprising that it’s thinking about AI for an ILC, either. We’ve seen one take on extensive use of AI in an ILC with the Caira camera, which takes a notably AI-forward approach to ILC design. Of course, we’ll have to wait and see in terms of specifics on how Insta360 plans on implementing this.

GoPro

Insta360 isn’t the only action camera company eyeing the ILC market. GoPro has already announced the Mission 1 Pro ILS, its own interchangeable-lens camera. However, that camera uses a Type 1 sensor and a mount that accepts Micro Four Thirds lenses, but it can’t electronically communicate with them, limiting which models it’ll work with, and making it a manual focus-only affair. Insta360’s rumored models, by contrast, appear to target a genuine Micro Four Thirds system.

Liu didn’t share any further details about the cameras, though leaked images circulating online suggest a Micro Four Thirds mount, with details covered by both RedShark News and TechRadar. There have also been suggestions that the name of the camera will be the Z One. Given Nikon’s well-established Z system, this seems an interesting choice. 

Liu shared that Insta360 may be able to show a prototype at CP+ in February 2027, so it could be a while before we learn more. 

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Insta360 has announced the X6, its latest flagship 360 camera. It boasts quite a few updates, including Type 1/1.1 (101 mm²) square sensors, native 8K/50 with 10-bit color, in-camera Dolby Vision and a new body design. The camera also marks 10 years of 360-degree cameras for the company.

Sensors and processing

Insta360

At the core of the X6 are two custom square Type 1/1.1 (101 mm²) Sony sensors (one for each lens). Insta360 says they are 33% larger than the Type 1/1.28 (76 mm²) sensors found in the X5. The lenses keep the same F2.0 aperture as the predecessor, but Insta360 says the larger sensors mean the cameras will perform better in challenging lighting situations, such as low light and backlight.

Insta360 says the camera has 500% more computing power than the X5, while using 35% less power, thanks it is new 8-core processor. Each sensor also has a dedicated image processing chip, and the company says this power lets it produce cleaner images while increasing battery life.

Also new on the X6 is in-camera Dolby Vision, which Insta360 says is a first on a 360 camera. This format captures dynamic metadata, allowing compatible displays to adjust their brightness, contrast and color response, frame-by-frame, to deliver better HDR results. You can also record in the company’s 10-bit I-Log profile to get more latitude in post.

Video and capabilities

Insta360 frames the X6 as a 3-in-1 device, aimed at serving content creators for more than just 360-degree video needs. Because of the native 8K/50 resolution captured upfront, its in-camera reframing and subject-tracking capture mode can track subjects and reframe to flat 4K after the fact without locking in a composition at the time of shooting. In single-lens mode, the camera is capable of traditional action camera footage up to 5K/60 or 4K/120 for slow motion.

While primarily meant for video, the X6 can take still photos, too. It can output 120MP 360 photos with a 2:1 aspect ratio, or 42MP flat photos with a square aspect ratio.

Design and durability

Insta360

The X6 features a new design, with a noticeably shorter body than previous Insta360 X-series cameras, though it’s still not as squat as the DJI Osmo 360 or GoPro Max2 360. To accommodate the new build, Insta360 did away with the buttons at the bottom of the camera.

It features a 2.32″ OLED display, which can achieve 1200 nits peak brightness. Insta360 also says you can fast-charge the battery from empty to 80% in 24 minutes, though you probably won’t have to do that as often; it can record 140 minutes of 8K/30 footage on a charge, 47 more than the X5 at equivalent settings.

The promised durability is also improved, with an IP68 rating and waterproofing to 20m (66′) without a case, 5m (16′) more than its predecessor. You can also pair it with the company’s dive housing for depths up to 60m (197′). Insta360 says its replaceable lenses are now even more scratch-resistant and 60% cheaper to replace than the previous generation. The camera is rated for temperatures from -20℃ to 40℃ (-4°F to 104°F). It ships with 64GB of storage, though only 47GB of that is usable.

AI editing and cloud tools

One of the practical advantages of shooting 360-degree footage is that you capture everything around you and decide on framing later. While the flexibility is nice, it can be overwhelming to edit. Insta360 is aiming to make editing footage easier with a set of AI tools designed to automate processing of the 360 footage. Those modes are powered by PanoMind, which Insta360 says is the first 360-native AI model. The company claims it can better understand the full spherical scene thanks to its training on 10,000 hours of footage across more than 30 scenarios.

PanoMind drives its new AI Director, which builds a highlight edit on the camera itself rather than the cloud when you plug it in to charge. That footage is then sent to the Insta360 app for further adjustments. A separate cloud-side tool called Moments Pro, built with Google Gemini, lets users describe the edit they want by setting subject, mood, style and timeframe.

Accessories and availability

Insta360

The X6 works with more than 100 accessories and shares the magnetic mounting ecosystem with the X5, X4 and Ace series, meaning creators who own multiple Insta360 cameras don’t need to buy separate accessories. These include a Power Selfie Stick that adds a promised 180 minutes of runtime, a Foldable Selfie Stick Remote that features a joystick for gimbal camera-like use, a dedicated motorcycle mount and a charging case.

The camera also offers activity-specific features like a holographic speed overlay and automatic license plate blur for motorcyclists, as well as cycling stats overlays from Garmin and Apple Watch.

The Insta360 X6 goes on sale August 12 at the Insta360 official store, Amazon and authorized retailers for a starting price of $700 for the standard bundle.

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