Camera
Photography industry embraces change and innovation, Zenfolio's 2025 report finds
The photography industry has weathered economic uncertainty, technological disruption and rising operational costs. However, according to Zenfolio’s newly released 2025 State of the Photography Industry report, conducted in partnership with other creative businesses including Format, ShootProof and Professional Photographers of America (PPA), it’s also finding strength through adaptability, community and more thoughtful business strategies.
Now in its 6th consecutive year, the report draws on insights from more than 4,500 photographers in 70 countries. North Americans accounted for 79% of the participants, while photographers from Korea and Bolivia chimed in for the first time. The findings reveal an industry in transition but not in retreat.
One of the standout trends is the return to personalized service. Photographers who conduct viewing appointments after a shoot see as much as 20% more revenue than those who rely on online delivery alone. “Clients value the personal touch,” the report notes, adding that face-to-face sessions create opportunities to upsell prints and foster long-term relationships.
 |
|
A sign of the times? Full-time, self-employed work is on the rise compared to part-time.
Copyright: © Zenfolio |
As it turns out, adaptability pays off. Photographers who expanded their service offerings by pivoting to additional genres such as corporate headshots, drone photography, newborn portraits or sporting events were often rewarded with lucrative revenue streams. The report highlights that being open to last-minute gigs and unfamiliar styles that breach one’s comfort zone is now a competitive advantage instead of a compromise.
Nevertheless, the financial pressure is real. Between 65 and 70% of photographers reported increased business costs in 2024, including equipment and insurance. Zenfolio encourages professionals to revisit their pricing strategies and delivery models. Many new photographers still rely on selling digital files, but seasoned pros continue to profit from print sales. Print credits and tiered packages are recommended methods for boosting margins.
Technological change, particularly AI, is also reshaping the industry. Rather than replacing photographers, AI tools are helping them streamline their workflows. From culling and editing to delivering final images, that efficiency frees up more time to focus on the creative vision and client service that can’t be automated.
 |
|
AI tools help with workflow so photographers can focus on other aspects of the business, especially creative vision.
Copyright: © Zenfolio |
Drone photography was introduced to the survey for the first time this year. The findings include that it is not only gaining traction but outpacing smartphone use among professional photographers. While the adoption of mirrorless cameras saw a slight dip, traditional cameras remain dominant.
Finally, the report underscores a less tangible but perhaps more critical theme: the value of community. From online forums to local peer groups, photographers who engage with one another are more likely to grow in business, confidence and creativity. State of the Photography Industry 2025 is free to view and includes helpful advice and actionable tips.
|
Leica will be releasing limited edition M11 cameras in six cities for its 100th anniversary.
Image: Leica |
Leica is no stranger to limited edition cameras. It celebrated 70 years of the M series with a $23,000 platinum-plated kit and has released a black and gold Q2 in collaboration with Daniel Craig and Greg WIlliams, a streetwear-themed version of the D-Lux 7 and a $50,000 gold-plated M10-P, among a long list of others. It should come as no surprise that the company is releasing a special edition for its 100th anniversary, then.
As part of the 100 Years of Leica celebrations happening in a handful of cities worldwide, Leica is releasing limited edition M11 cameras. These special M11s feature engravings on the top plate for each city where events are hosted throughout the year. The cameras feature a “premium glossy black paint finish” and “stylish black cowhide armouring.” The buttons and dials on the top of the camera are silver-chromed. Leica is only releasing 100 units per city, and the top of the camera will feature the serial number. Otherwise, it is the exact same as the standard Leica M11.
 |
|
The limited edition Leica M11s feature an engraving on the top plate reflecting the city where they are sold, and the edition number out of 100.
Image: Leica |
Leica kicked off the special edition M11 in Dubai on January 22, followed by Milan, Italy at the beginning of April. New York is the third city in the lineup, launching today, with the “NEW YORK USA” engraving. Each version is sold exclusively in the respective country. If you’re itching for the New York edition, be prepared to spend $10,695 – a mere $1500 more than the standard M11.
Leica M11 100 Years of Leica “NEW YORK USA”
Leica Honors 100th Anniversary of the Leica I with Exclusive Special Edition Release, Limited to 100 Units
NEW YORK, May 2nd, 2025 – As part of Leica’s centennial celebrations in New York occurring on May 3rd, 2025, one of the standout highlights is the launch of the new Leica M11 100 Years of Leica “NEW YORK USA”. Celebrating the Leica I, the first mass-produced 35mm Leica camera, this innovation revolutionized the world of photography at the Leipzig Spring Fair a century ago, unlocking a world of new possibilities with its compact design and versatility. To honor this standout moment, Leica has released an exclusive Leica M11 100 Years of Leica “New York USA” edition, which will be available on May 3rd 2025 and offered only in the United States. With a limited production run of just 100 units, this special edition is engraved with the city’s name, making it a true rarity.
About the Leica M11 100 Years of Leica “NEW YORK USA”
This special edition includes several unique features that make it a true collector’s item. An individual engraving on the top plate spells out “NEW YORK USA” in combination with the traditional “Leica” engraving. This exclusive anniversary edition of the legendary rangefinder camera comes in a premium glossy black paint finish, inspired by the historical M-Cameras, which creates a distinctive patina over time– an unmistakable feature reflecting the individual story of each and every camera. A harmonious look is achieved thanks to the combination of silver-chromed control elements such as the shutter release, the on/off switch, and the ISO and speed dials, which are decorated with elaborate cross knurling.
The stylish black cowhide armouring lends a certain elegance to the camera, and its distinctive texture is a throwback to the legendary vulcanite leathering of earlier models. Details such as the black chrome-plated hot shoe cover with the anniversary logo “100”, a subtle black screw instead of the red logo, the special serial number from 001/100 to 100/100, and a certificate of authenticity emphasize the uniqueness of this special edition.
The Leica M11 100 Years of Leica “NEW YORK USA” model will be sold exclusively in the United States, at select Leica store locations, starting on May 3rd. The price of this model is $10,695.00.
The Leica M11 100 Years of Leica will also be released in five other distinctive country versions—each limited to just 100 units. Every select country edition will feature unique engravings and special serial numbers, making them true collector’s items. The M11 100 Years of Leica will also be launched in “MILAN ITALY”, “DUBAI UAE”, “SHANGHAI CHINA”, “TOKYO JAPAN” and “WETZLAR GERMANY”. Each of these releases will be limited to just 100 units and available exclusively for purchase in their respective countries.
100 years of Leica: Witness to a century
In 2025, Leica Camera AG is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Leica I, the first 35mm camera to be mass-produced, which was introduced to the public at the Leipzig Spring Fair in 1925. This groundbreaking camera exceeded all expectations with its compact, portable design, unlocking new possibilities in photography. Under the theme 100 Years of Leica: Witness to a Century, Leica Camera AG commemorates this milestone that transformed photography worldwide. Throughout the year, Leica will host international events in major cities including Dubai, Milan, New York, Shanghai, and Tokyo, showcasing cultural projects and exclusive special product editions. The highlight of the celebration will be the anniversary week in June at the company’s headquarters in Wetzlar. Additionally, the global Leica Gallery network will feature high-caliber exhibitions showcasing works by renowned photographers.
2025 Color Photography Contest winners
The 2025 Color Photography Contest winners have been announced, highlighting colorful diversity around the world. The contest, hosted by the 1839 Awards, aims to celebrate images that honor color photography and elevate the art of photography worldwide.
This year’s panel consisted of judges from the Whitney Museum of American Art, Phaidon Press, Vanity Fair, Artsy, University of Zurich, Dwell, Christie’s, and more. “Among the works entered into this year’s contest, those images that evoke emotion, challenge perception, and offer windows into entirely new realities rose to the top,” the contest organizers explained.
The contest selects three professional and three non-professional overall winners. It also selects winners of 14 different categories, including animals, architecture, conceptual, landscapes, people, photojournalism and more.
Participants could submit a series of two to five images to be judged as a group, or choose to enter individual photographs. You can see the winning series and photographs, as well as more of the category winners, on the 1839 Awards 2025 Color Photography Contest website.
1st Place Professional Overall Winner
 |
Artist: Nicola Fioravanti
IG handle: @hacklabo
Title: Morocco, Sentimental Atlas
Description: This project is a heartfelt tribute to the country I hold dear. In Morocco, colors are not merely seen, but experienced. It is also a deeply personal journey, one that seeks to understand the land where the woman I love was born.
2nd Place Professional Overall Winner
 |
Artist: Jatenipat Ketpradit
IG handle: N/A
Title: TSAM · The Dance of Gods
Description: A sacred Tibetan Buddhist ritual, Tsam embodies the divine battle between
good and evil. Through intricate masks, lavish costumes, and precise choreography, monks
channel wrathful deities to purify and protect. This series unveils the mystique of Mongolia’s rarest masked dance tradition.
3rd Place Professional Overall Winner
 |
Artist: Abdelrahman Alkahlout
IG handle: @abd.pix96
Title: Unbroken Spirit: Worship Amid Destruction
Description: A powerful scene of Palestinian civilians praying on the rubble of a mosque
destroyed by Israeli airstrikes. Under a smoke-filled sky, they continue their worship in a place once a sanctuary of peace, now reduced to ruins—symbolizing resilience amid relentless destruction.
1st Place Non-Professional Overall Winner
 |
Artist: Diana Cheren Nygren
IG handle: @dianacherennygrenphotography
Title: Mother Earth
Description: I have mounted scenes of habitation behind acrylic, set within future
landscapes shaped by climate change. Painted frames allude to Earth’s next chapter. Scenes of human habitation set against a future post-human landscape ask whether humanity can adapt to what is in store for the planet.
2nd Place Non-Professional Overall Winner
 |
Artist: Xuejun Long
IG handle: N/A
Title: Journey of Life 20
Description: The photo shows a group of flamingos flying over Lake Magadi in Kenya.
Once a freshwater lake, it has now become a highly concentrated salt pan that is severely
alkaline and toxic to most forms of animal and plant life – except for flamingos, which prefer to forage on the surface.
3rd Place Non-Professional Overall Winner
 |
Artist: Trina O’Hara
IG handle: @trinaoharapainter
Title: Flowers for Caravaggio
Description: For seven years I immersed myself in Caravaggio’s world. I copied (in paint)
his entire body of work. I made it my mission to see all of Caravaggio’s paintings in the flesh. His vision shaped mine. Now, when sunlight hits a vase of flowers, I don’t just see it, I see life through Caravaggio’s eyes.
Gold – Architecture, Professional
 |
Artist: Svetlana Fadeeva
IG handle: @fadeevaphotography
Title: Doha
Description: This photo was taken in the morning on the grounds of the Qatar National Museum, designed by French architect Jean Nouvel.
Gold – Film/Analog, Professional
 |
Artist: William Mark Sommer
IG handle: @williammarksommer
Title: Pink Donut
Description: Home can be found in many places from the house you live in to the local
donut shop. I remember as a child being amazed by all the donuts in the case, all the color and sizes, and how my father loved the pink ones. Through this nostalgic memory, I was brought home.
Gold – Nature, Professional
 |
Artist: Carla Rhodes
IG handle: @misscarlarhodes
Title: Dancing In The Moonlight
Description: Gliding like a ghost in the moonlight, a flying squirrel dances across the starry
sky, while the moon casts abstract shadows on my house. After months of late nights and
obsessive observation, I made the image I envisioned—a single frame revealing the hidden
magic just beyond our windows.
Gold – Landscapes, Professional
 |
Artist: Stuart Chape
IG handle: N/A
Title: Glacial blue
Description: This series was photographed from a light aircraft and captures the blue
waters of braided blue glacial rivers flowing into lakes from the high mountains of the
Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park in New Zealand. The blue colouration of the water is due to fine silt particles in the water.
Gold – People, Non-Professional
 |
Artist: Arkadiusz Wójcik
IG handle: @awophotographingtheworld
Title: In the net
Description: In the early morning we planned to shoot in a small fish market. Meanwhile, we met a group of people sewing and repairing fishing nets. They do this once every few months so we were extremely lucky
Gold – Animals, Non-Professional
 |
Artist: David Vaughn
IG handle: @davidvaughnphotos
Title: Family Portrait
Description: Southern India looking for the tiger to photography and this mother and 3 cubs drinking from a small pond and I had to wait until they all looked my way and then it happened.
Gold – Event, Non-Professional
 |
Artist: Dylan Tom
IG handle: @dylantom10
Title: Fire Gods of The Malabar Coast
Description: Theyyam is a Ritual art form practiced in Kerala,India. It enacts the life and legend of local heroes who became martyr for the cause of the people and later revered as
Demigods. Fire is a main protogonist which depicts the life and life after death of the legend. the act takes places deep in the.
Gold – Photojournalism, Non-Professional
 |
Artist: Jeremy Skirrow
IG Handle: @undrgrain
Title: Dust and Despair: A Coastal Cry for Water
Description: In rural Peru, around 40% lack reliable water access. Communities like
Huanchaco rely on costly, unreliable truck deliveries due to poor infrastructure. Despite APEC 2024, rural areas face water and waste challenges, deepening inequality and harming agriculture, businesses, and daily life.
|
When the right conditions align, you can capture the Aurora in most mid-latitudes.
ISO 2500 | 13.0 sec | F2.5 | 14mm Photo: Kara Murphy |
Witnessing the aurora borealis, or Northern Lights, in person is magical. While it can seem intimidating, capturing it on camera doesn’t have to be complicated. Anyone can photograph this natural phenomenon with the right conditions and a little preparation. You only need a dark, clear sky, strong solar activity and the right gear. Whether you’re using a dedicated camera or smartphone, a few simple steps will help you capture the aurora’s bright, bold colors in all their glory. Let’s dive in.
How to find aurora
 |
| The Aurorasaurus website makes it easy to see where auroras are forecasted. |
First and foremost, you need to know how to find aurora. As the name suggests, Northern Lights are most often visible in northern regions like Alaska or Iceland. It’s less common to see them in lower latitudes, such as in the southern US. They are most prevalent from late September to late March, with the best chances occurring during the darkest winter months.
Luckily, there are forecasting tools to help you plan when you should get outside. Apps like Space Weather Live (iPhone; Android) and My Aurora Forecast & Alerts (iPhone; Android) provide up-to-date space weather conditions, helping you track when and where the Northern Lights may make an appearance. Aurorasauras, Aurora Forecast and NOAA are websites that also provide aurora forecasting. Of course, you’ll also need clear skies, so be sure to use your favorite weather app to check for cloud cover as well.
Capturing the Northern Lights with your phone
The easiest method for capturing the Northern Lights is with your smartphone. A smartphone can also allow you to see aurora that are too dim for our eyes to catch. It’s a valuable tool for simply viewing the phenomena, especially in regions that don’t get dramatic displays. That’s because your phone automatically combines multiple, longer exposures in real time to capture more light than our eyes can catch.
Photographing the Northern Lights with your phone is as simple as point and shoot. Most phones will automatically switch to a night mode setting, so you don’t even need to adjust anything. Just be sure to hold your phone very still or, better yet, prop it on something stable or use a tripod to avoid blurry photos.
Capturing the Northern Lights with a camera
 |
|
ISO 1250 | 20.0 sec | F1.8 | 20mm
Photo: Kara Murphy |
If you want to take things to the next level, any camera with manual settings will give you more control. A wide-angle lens (around 10–14mm) will capture a broad view of the sky and the surrounding landscape. However, if you want to focus on a specific subject, like a lighthouse or bridge, you can use a longer focal length (50mm or 70mm). Ideally, choose a lens with a wide aperture, such as F2.8, as it will let in as much light as possible.
No matter what camera you’re using, a sturdy tripod is essential to prevent blur from camera movement while the shutter is open. A remote shutter release is also helpful to avoid shaking the camera when you start to shoot.
Now it’s time to tinker with your settings. Your exact settings will differ based on your location and the conditions on a given night, so you will need to experiment. No matter what, though, always shoot in Raw format for the best image quality and greater flexibility during editing.
- Aperture: As wide as possible, ideally F2.8 or wider.
- Shutter speed: Roughly 5-10 seconds (longer risks averaging the motion out and making the effect less well defined).
- ISO: Start with 800, though increase to the highest level that produces acceptably clean results on your camera as needed.
Hopefully, this gives you a solid starting point. If you’d like to dive deeper into photographing the aurora, you can check out our more in-depth guide.
-
TOP SCEINCE8 months agoSearching old stem cells that stay young forever
-
Solar Energy4 years agoDLR testing the use of molten salt in a solar power plant in Portugal
-
Indian Defense4 years agoConfiguration For 5th-Generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) Completed; TEJAS MK-2 Steel-Cutting Soon
-
world news6 months ago
Sirens trigger across central Israel following rocket barrage targeting Tel Aviv Iron Dome battery
-
world news6 months ago
Hezbollah’s gold mine catches fire: Nasrallah’s bunker under hospital held half billion dollars
-
Camera1 year agoDJI Air 3 vs. Mini 4 Pro: which compact drone is best?
-
Indian Defense4 years ago
Israeli Radar Company Signs MoU To Cooperate With India’s Alpha Design Technologies
-
Gadgets4 years agoApple Accused of Slowing Down iPhones After Recent iOS Updates
