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Review: DJI’s FPV drone combines DJI features with the fun of a racing drone

Published

4 years ago

March 3, 2021

sarosh

Review: DJI’s FPV drone combines DJI features with the fun of a racing drone

DJI has officially entered the FPV (first-person-view) drone market. Typically, remote pilots interested in the type of immersive flight experience FPV drones provide, including the ability to maneuver through tight spaces and in close proximity to objects, all while performing aerobatics such as flips and rolls, had to also master an entirely different set of skills.

Soldering, understanding how to configure an RC controller specifically for a drone, learning how frequencies work, and installing the right motors are just a few disciplines a would-be FPV pilot must undertake to create a safe and effective FPV flight system.

Some people who delight in these challenges will always enjoy the process of building, but DJI is betting many more people will want to cross over to FPV with an intuitive solution, and its FPV drone is ready to fly right out of the box for $1299. As an added bonus, the system is equipped with GPS, obstacle avoidance sensors, and a Return To Home feature – ensuring that beginners will be less likely to crash or lose their drone.

DJI tells us it set out to create a cinematic FPV drone and combined elements of its Mavic series with the features and functionalities of traditional FPV drones. Is this a product that will appeal to a broader audience, especially beginners? Or, are there downsides that would make some users look at more traditional drone models?

We had the opportunity to test DJI’s new FPV drone, so read on to discover if this is your ideal introduction to the world of FPV.

JKey specifications

795g (1.75 lbs.) total weight
255×312×127mm (with propellers)
1/ 2.3” 12MP CMOS image sensor
35mm equivalent lens (150º FOV)
Ability to capture photo and video on the same flight
4k/60p and 1080/240p video at 120Mbps
H.264 and H.265 codecs
Emergency brake and hover
Obstacle avoidance sensors on front and bottom of aircraft
OcuSync 3.0 (O3) transmission system for 10km range, dual frequencies, 50 Mbps bitrate
20-minute max flight time
140 kph (87 mph) max speed
Memory card holder in goggles in case drone is lost

Here is a basic comparison chart to get an idea of the difference between a traditional FPV drone and what DJI offers.

	Traditional FPV drones	DJI FPV
Flight modes	Angle, Horizon, Acro	Normal, Sport, Manual
GPS	No	Yes
Obstacle avoidance	None	4 stereoscopic sensors + an auxiliary light
Camera	Customizable	Built-in 4K/60p with 150º FOV and RockSteady EIS
Assembly	Requires in-depth knowledge of parts, radio frequencies, ESCs, motors, assembly, soldering	Already assembled and ready to fly right out of the box
Flight assistance	None	Return To Home, Emergency Brake and Hover
Auto-stabilization	None	Available for ‘N’ and ‘S’ modes
Flight time	3 – 10 minutes	Up to 20 minutes
Battery type	Lithium Polymer (LiPo)	Intelligent Flight
Transmission	Analog, short-range, lower quality	Live digital video feed at 810/120p, low-latency

The hardware

I tested the DJI Standard FPV Combo ($1,299), which includes the drone, FPV Goggles V2, and the remote controller 2. As usual, DJI offers an additional ‘Fly More’ combo that includes two extra batteries and a 3-battery charging hub for $299.

The goggles, which are 202x126x110mm with all four antennas attached, activate with the help of an 1800 mAh 9V battery that’s connected by a USB-C power cable. Lasting an estimated 110 minutes between charges, it’s light enough that it can hang down by your side while in operation. Still, I typically put the battery in the pocket of a coat I was wearing as an extra measure to ensure the battery didn’t get disconnected.

DJI’s FPV drone features a new OcuSync 3.0 transmission system. It boasts a 10 km (6.2 mile) range, dual-frequencies, a 50 Mbps bitrate, and three options for first-person-viewing – a Low-latency HD mode for near-real-time feed and clear image, Smooth mode for higher frame rates and decreased latency, and Audience mode. The latter option allows others wearing V2 goggles to join in and view your real-time feed.

4K/60p footage with the camera facing upward. FPV mode through the goggles is very smooth, thanks to OcuSync 3.0 transmission.

The FPV drone will also operate on DJI’s Fly app, introduced in 2019 for the Mavic Mini. It’s cleaner and more pared down for a superior user experience. The app is still in beta and wasn’t available for testing with the FPV drone. Nevertheless, I activated all of the drone’s features through drop-down menu items in the goggles.

The joystick-type button on the top lower-right-hand corner will guide the pilot through numerous settings and features for both the remote and camera. The goggles receive up to 810/60p video transmission in high-quality mode and less than 28 milliseconds of latency, or 120 fps in low-latency mode.

V2 of DJI’s remote controller is ergonomically friendly and gives you immediate access to features you’ll need including Return to Home, a gimbal wheel that can pitch the camera upwards and downwards at 90-degree angles, the ability to switch back and forth between flight modes, plus a button to stop the drone and put it in a stable hover if control of the drone is suddenly lost. You can also lock the gimbal at an upward or downward angle.

One note: I did not receive the hand motion controller due to shipping delays. This review will be updated once I’ve tested it out.

Photos and Video

The camera uses a 12MP, 1/2.3” sensor, providing a 150º FOV, and is mounted on a 1-axis gimbal. Capable of capturing stills and video up to either 4K/60p, or 1080p/120p for 4X slow motion, at 120 Mbps, the camera uses an electronic roll axis and RockSteady image stabilization. While it provides smoother imagery than most FPV drones, it’s not comparable to the 3-axis mechanical image stabilization offered up in DJI’s other series of photography drones, including the Mavic.

DJI’s FPV drone takes decent photos at times. If you’re serious about aerial photography, though, the Mavic 2 Pro is a better investment.

Remote pilots can capture .JPG and images or .MP4 and .MOV clips all in the same flight. It’s easy to toggle back and forth between these modes. While the photos I captured are decent enough, there were times when the drone was tilted, resulting in photos with crooked horizons. Also, photo resolution is limited to 3840×2160, the same as 4K video. Anyone serious about drone photography will probably want to look at a more-photo-centric model; the FPV drone is fun to fly but is not a replacement for traditional photography drones.

There’s a fair amount of fisheye distortion from the FPV drone’s wide lens, though a distortion correction function in the camera menu can be applied.

I typically enjoy recording aerial videos with the gimbal tilted down. With the wide FOV on the FPV drone, it is likely parts of the propellers will become visible. I also noticed some fisheye effect in some of my clips. To prevent this, you can either tilt the gimbal up as the aircraft moves forward or adjust settings through the goggles. To do this, access Advanced Camera Settings in the Camera menu and select Distortion Correction.

In-flight

Obstacle avoidance and flight modes

There are four obstacle avoidance sensors on the FPV drone – two in the front of the aircraft and two on the bottom with an auxiliary light that helps with precision movement in low-light environments. Obstacle avoidance sensors only work when the drone is flown in ‘N’ or Normal mode. This mode is suitable for beginners and highly recommended for those flying an FPV drone for the first time.

An auxiliary light helps with precision in low-light conditions.

You’ll also be limited to flying to 50 km/h (31 mph) in normal mode. The drone is stabilized the entire time and will slow down if it approaches a forward or downward-facing obstacle. ‘S’ or sport mode disables obstacle avoidance sensors and ups the excitement factor. The drone can travel up to 97 km/h (60 mph) and can perform pitches and rolls at limited angles, all while maintaining altitude and stabilization for the entire flight.

In normal mode, you can’t fly quite as aggressively, but obstacle avoidance sensors are active. This is a good setting for first-time FPV fliers.

‘M’ or manual mode is reserved for the experts. One may believe, at first, that manual mode can be triggered through the remote with the press of a button. It’s a bit more complicated. Operating a drone in Acro mode is challenging, to say the least. While flipping and rolling a drone looks fun, in reality, it’s easy to get disoriented. DJI anticipated the potential hazard of a first-time user accidentally activating manual mode from the remote controller.

You can crank the speed up to 97 km/h (60 mph) in Sport mode, though that still falls short of the 140 km/hr (87 mph) you can achieve in Manual mode.

As a result, users can only activate manual mode with a series of steps from the menu options through the goggles. Add in the fact that you can fly up to 140 km/hr (87 mph) in this mode, and it’s easy enough to lose control, even when Emergency Brake and Hover can still be activated.

DJI’s Virtual Flight app simulator was created so pilots could practice FPV maneuvers without a crash risk. Nevertheless, without a lot of flight experience, an accident is still a strong possibility. Practicing in an open space such as a field or park cannot be recommended enough.

Odds and Ends

Looking at DJI’s FPV drone, the battery is noticeably massive in scale and helps balance out the aircraft. At 2000 mAh, DJI’s Intelligent Flight batteries offer up to 20 minutes of flight time – a huge improvement over typical FPV drones. As a bonus, they’re not the typical LiPos that can catch fire if overcharged or not stored properly.

DJI’s Intelligent Flight batteries offer up to 20 minutes of flight time – a huge improvement over typical FPV drones.

A flap under the camera houses ports for a MicroSD card and USB cable should you want to make updates to your drone through your computer. There is also a MicroSD slot located on the goggles. If you lose your FPV drone, you’ll still retain a memory card. This is an incredible new feature for those concerned about losing their imagery in the event of an accident. I hope DJI implements this concept in some way on future models.

What’s it like to fly?

In both ‘N’ and ‘S’ modes, DJI’s FPV drone is a great deal of fun to fly. It’s also an incredibly reassuring experience. Besides the Return to Home button, there is a bright white ‘H’ that pops up in the goggle’s viewfinder. It marks where you are relative to your launch point at all times. The system is also equipped with ADS-B technology. During a recent flight, I was immediately notified when a helicopter was nearby and was given ample time to adjust my flight path and altitude.

One downside is that even though this FPV drone is relatively compact, it is quite noisy. It emits a high-pitched squeal that can be heard from several hundred feet away. Flying discreetly is out of the question. During one of my first flights, my daughter joked if it was the drone or ‘the ice fishers on the frozen lake screaming.’ DJI has worked tirelessly on improving ESCs and designing more aerodynamic propellers. Curiously, these updates weren’t applied to the FPV drone.

Conclusion

Anyone hesitating to enter into the world of FPV because they didn’t have the time or patience to learn about all the factors that go into building a capable system will naturally want to try out DJI’s latest release. As mentioned at the beginning of this review, it’s an out-of-the-box product that can be activated almost immediately. When you add in fail-safe features, including GPS, Return to Home, Emergency Brake and Hover, it makes it that much more enticing to dive in.

That being said, there are a few concerns that come to mind. Traditional FPV drones are known for being resilient. Lightweight and constructed out of flexible materials made of carbon fiber, for example, they can crash into objects and require a motor replacement or a bit of soldering. DJI’s FPV drone consists of a tough plastic shell that will break with a high enough impact.

DJI’s ‘Fly More’ combo for the FPV drone includes two extra batteries and a 3-battery charging hub for $299.

The ability to truly freestyle, fly close to objects, and through narrow spaces is part of what makes FPV flight exhilarating. If you feel like you’re going to significantly damage your drone and ship it off for repair every time it collides with an object, the true joy of flying FPV will be stifled to a degree.

I had the unfortunate experience of crashing my DJI FPV loaner in manual mode, and it needed to be sent back to DJI for repairs. Even if I possessed the skills required to build and repair FPV units, it wouldn’t have been possible for me to do it myself. People who like to customize their builds and tinker likely won’t want to be at the mercy of one manufacturer when it comes to repairs or parts replacement.

Another issue that will bug some purists is the inability to replace or use more than the camera built into DJI’s FPV drone. It isn’t designed to carry an additional payload. Pilots won’t be able to attach a GoPro or OSMO Action camera, for example. The lack of flexibility in the camera is limiting and will be a turn-off for some FPV filmmakers.

I had the unfortunate experience of crashing my DJI FPV loaner in manual mode and it needed to be sent back to DJI for repairs.

Geofencing is another longstanding feature of DJI’s that rubs some people the wrong way. While all pilots need to be safe and compliant, some have switched to other drone brands to avoid and restrictions it brings up altogether. Even if you remain low to the ground, the drone will not take off if the airspace is considered restricted.

What will appeal to almost anyone is the long-range flight this drone offers. FPV is traditionally associated with close range and choppy analog feeds. If you stray too far from your home base, you run the risk of losing connection completely – which is a potential hazard. With DJI’s FPV drone, you can fly much longer distances so long as you remain within visual line of sight.

DJI’s FPV drone is certainly going to appeal to those who want to get into this style of flying. Purists who’ve already built advanced FPV drones that are resilient and carry their preferred camera will likely pass on this one. My main concern is that most remote pilots new to FPV won’t truly be prepared to operate in manual mode. While flips and rolls look exciting, it takes a lot of practice and perseverance to get the right feel for it. DJI Care Refresh is available in any event.

What we like

GPS, Emergency Brake feature, Return to Home, Hover
OcuSync 3.0 for clear transmission and long-range
4K/60p video
Modes to suit beginner and advanced pilots
Activates and is ready to fly right out of the box

What we don’t

Lack of ability to switch out cameras
Extremely loud
Will likely need to be sent to DJI for repair if crashed

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Diverse perspectives: Celebrating the Leica Women Foto Project 2025 winners

Published

3 hours ago

March 10, 2025

sarosh

Diverse perspectives: Celebrating the Leica Women Foto Project 2025 winners

Leica Women Foto Project winners

Photos: Priya Suresh Kambli, Jennifer Osborne, Koral Carballo and Anna Neubauer / Leica Women Foto Project Award 2025

Leica paid homage to International Women’s Day on Saturday by announcing the winners of the Leica Women Foto Project. Now in its sixth year, the project aims to “spotlight the way we diversify our communities through visual stories and emphasize female empowerment by its creators.” This year’s call for work centered on “Unity Through Diversity,” seeking photo essays emphasizing the importance of connection as expressed through a feminine perspective.

The award is open to images created using any camera make or model and not limited to Leica-captured imagery. A panel of 12 judges, which included award-winning photojournalists, curators and editors, selected this year’s four awardees. The winners each received a Leica SL3 camera, a Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-70mm f/2.8 ASPH lens and a $10,000 USD cash prize.

Priya Suresh Kambli: Archive as Companion

Credit: Priya Suresh Kambli / Leica Women Foto Project Award 2025

Priya Suresh Kambli’s work is deeply personal and rooted in the context of the migrant experience. Inspired by an exhibition of vernacular hand-painted Indian studio portraits from The Alkazi Foundation, she began intervening with her family archive to explore themes of identity, memory, and belonging. Over the course of her twenty-year practice, Priya has revisited, reimagined, and recontextualized family portraits and heirlooms, building an archive that connects her to both her ancestral roots and her adopted land. Through her work, she reflects on absence and loss, navigating family dynamics to document their lives with a thoughtful and composed narrative.

About Priya Suresh Kambli: Priya Suresh Kambli received her BFA at the University of Louisiana in Lafayette and an MFA from the University of Houston. She is a Professor of Art at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. Kambli has always strived to explore and understand the resulting fragmentation of family, identity, and culture. Her artwork has been exhibited, published, collected and reviewed in the national and international photographic community.

Priya Suresh Kambli: Archive as Companion

Credit: Priya Suresh Kambli / Leica Women Foto Project Award 2025

The story behind the pictures: At age 18, I moved from India to the United States. Before I emigrated, my sister and I split our photographic inheritance along with other family heirlooms arbitrarily and irreparably in half – one part to remain in India with her and the other to be displaced with me, here in America. For the past two decades this accidental archive of family photographs and artifacts has been my main source material in creating bodies of work which explore the issues of gender, identity, representation, migrant narratives, and the renegotiation of power via the medium of photography.

Priya Suresh Kambli: Archive as Companion

Credit: Priya Suresh Kambli / Leica Women Foto Project Award 2025

The story behind the pictures: In my work I re-photograph and re-contextualize my inherited family photographs, documents and objects carried by me to America, to my home in the Midwest. In my images, my archive constrains what can be said of the past. It is full of gaps, fragmented long before it was split in two by my sister and me. One of the people sealed within is my father, the original archivist and documentarian. He was the author of the majority of the images in the archive. And the other significant presence is of my mother. My father the photographer is physically absent, while I and other members of my family are fixed within the archive. His photographs are documents – ostensibly of some happy occasion, or milestone in our lives.

Priya Suresh Kambli: Archive as Companion

Credit: Priya Suresh Kambli / Leica Women Foto Project Award 2025

The story behind the pictures: These mundane family photographs are complicated by my mother’s mark making. She cut holes in certain photographs to completely obliterate her own face while not harming the image of my sister and myself beside her and then slid them back into the family album. I am interested in both narratives – my father’s carefully composed efforts to document our lives and my mother’s violent but precise excisions. This set of fives images selected from my submission to the 2025 Leica Women Foto Project Award showcase these family dynamics. These family narratives form the foundation on which my artistic work rests, guiding its form as well as its vocabulary.

Priya Suresh Kambli: Archive as Companion

Credit: Priya Suresh Kambli / Leica Women Foto Project Award 2025

The story behind the pictures: This work stems from my own migration, and it grapples with the challenges of cross-cultural understanding, and from my growing sense that my practice – born from private and personal motivations – constitutes an increasingly urgent political and public action. In this work I seek and offer solidarity. The proposed work continues to examine the link between public and private and will provide a lens through which my artmaking becomes a kind of performance or ritual activity; revisiting the past in ways that bear witness to, re-enact, and communicate with past and future selves.

Priya Suresh Kambli: Archive as Companion

Credit: Priya Suresh Kambli / Leica Women Foto Project Award 2025

The story behind the pictures: My contribution to the field extends beyond the personal narrative, bringing attention to the experiences of migrants and women of color: lives that are rich, nuanced, and worthy of notice. The impact of this work lies in its simple existence; bodies of work resulting from processes of play – grounded in the concrete reality of the things I had carried with me and the place where I strive to make a home.

Priya Suresh Kambli: Archive as Companion

Credit: Priya Suresh Kambli / Leica Women Foto Project Award 2025

Priya Suresh Kambli: Archive as Companion

Credit: Priya Suresh Kambli / Leica Women Foto Project Award 2025

Priya Suresh Kambli: Archive as Companion

Credit: Priya Suresh Kambli / Leica Women Foto Project Award 2025

Priya Suresh Kambli: Archive as Companion

Credit: Priya Suresh Kambli / Leica Women Foto Project Award 2025

Koral Carballo: Blood Summons

Credit: Koral Carballo / Leica Women Foto Project Award 2025

Koral Carballo’s photographic essays blend photography and oral history to explore the search for identity among Afro-descendant and mestizo communities in Veracruz, Mexico. Through powerful imagery, she uncovers the roots of complex family trauma, inviting viewers to reflect on their own connections to the past. Her project Blood Summons (or La Sangre Llama), a popular Mexican saying referring to the call to search for one’s ancestors, represents both her personal journey and a broader exploration of historical injustices. With this work, Carballo calls for reparation, aiming to foster connection rather than division, and inviting viewers to engage with these stories and their own histories.

About Koral Carballo: Koral Carballo is a photojournalist, documentary photographer, and visual artist based in Mexico. She studied journalism at the Universidad Popular Aútonoma del Estado de Puebla, and the Contemporary Photography Seminar by the Centro de las Artes de San Agustín (CaSA) and the Centro de la Imagen. Carballo has exhibited her work in Argentina, Bolivia, Canada, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, The United States, and Uruguay. She collaborates with Ruda Colectiva, a Latino-American women photographers collective, and is an Artist from the National System in Mexico.

Koral Carballo: Blood Summons

Credit: Koral Carballo / Leica Women Foto Project Award 2025

The story behind the pictures: “Telling this story is a door to the past that opens to understand the emotional wounds of the present. My mother has been a crucial figure for the beginning of this project and an ally in the process of starting to create.”

Koral Carballo: Blood Summons

Credit: Koral Carballo / Leica Women Foto Project Award 2025

The story behind the pictures: “Mom slapped me several times. She kept questioning me as to why I wanted to marry a black man.” Mom

Koral Carballo: Blood Summons

Credit: Koral Carballo / Leica Women Foto Project Award 2025

The story behind the pictures: “I don’t know what we are carrying. But I saw it in therapy. I saw someone they were beating . He was asking me to release him.” Bro.

Koral Carballo: Blood Summons

Credit: Koral Carballo / Leica Women Foto Project Award 2025

The story behind the pictures: “Black rain. In December when the sugar cane harvest season begins, the black rain begins in Veracruz since colonial times. The burning of the cane fields is an important step for the production season. There are still 18 sugar mills in Veracruz where Afro-descendants and mestizos (people of mixed race) still work.”

Koral Carballo: Blood Summons

Credit: Koral Carballo / Leica Women Foto Project Award 2025

The story behind the pictures: “My sister’s melancholy.”

Koral Carballo: Blood Summons

Credit: Koral Carballo / Leica Women Foto Project Award 2025

Koral Carballo: Blood Summons

Credit: Koral Carballo / Leica Women Foto Project Award 2025

Koral Carballo: Blood Summons

Credit: Koral Carballo / Leica Women Foto Project Award 2025

Anna Neubauer: Ashes from Stone

Credit: Anna Neubauer / Leica Women Foto Project Award 2025

Anna Neubauer’s ongoing documentary project, Ashes from Stone, is a powerful photo essay that portrays individuals who defy societal norms of beauty, strength, and identity. Through striking portraits, Neubauer showcases people from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds in empowered settings, amplifying marginalized voices and encouraging audiences to rethink traditional views of femininity and strength. The project challenges stereotypes, redefines beauty, and embraces narratives around family, relationships, and motherhood. Each photograph is accompanied by a personal narrative, deepening the connection with and humanizing the subjects, fostering empathy, and promoting a greater understanding of diversity.

About Anna Neubauer: Anna Neubauer is an Austrian photographer based in London, United Kingdom. She began her journey capturing what truly matters to her: stories of self-love, acceptance, and resilience. In 2021, Anna was named Adobe Rising Star of Photography. She has worked with clients like Barbie, Condé Nast, Leica, Canon, Yoto, Abercrombie & Fitch, Adobe, Harper’s Bazaar and 500px/Getty Images, and her work has been featured in international publications.

Anna Neubauer: Ashes from Stone

Credit: Anna Neubauer / Leica Women Foto Project Award 2025

The story behind the pictures: Hannah was born with Hay-Wells syndrome, a kind of ectodermal dysplasia, a very rare genetic disorder that can cause abnormalities affecting a person’s skin, hair, nails, and teeth. Along with other health problems, people with this condition may also be more prone to specific skin or eye conditions. Growing up, Hannah was often burdened with feelings of isolation and despair because society’s beauty standards and misconceptions about physical differences often lead to bullying. Since the media frequently ignores or misrepresents people with unusual conditions, Hannah now aims to educate others; she fights for her rights and strives to end societal ableism. I have been photographing Hannah the past years, documenting her journey of self-acceptance and advocacy in order to challenge beauty standards, preconceived notions about disability, and foster empathy and understanding about rare genetic disorders. This image in my series not only shows her uniquely beautiful appearance but also her courage and resilience.

Anna Neubauer: Ashes from Stone

Credit: Anna Neubauer / Leica Women Foto Project Award 2025

The story behind the pictures: When I met Hannah, I met a confident woman and a proud disability advocate who speaks openly about living with Hay-Wells syndrome. I have always loved listening to stories, but for me, there is something particularly beautiful about Hannah’s. Through her advocacy and quiet moments like this, she continues to challenge norms, encouraging others to see beyond appearances and understand the resilience and humanity of those with rare conditions. I want to show the part of her journey where self-acceptance meets the pressures of a society that often doesn’t understand visible differences. Outside, Hannah wears her wig and sunglasses as a way to blend in and feel comfortable, but here, within the walls of her family home, she allows herself to be seen as she truly is. This image in my series, Hannah standing in the quiet light of her bedroom corridor, reveals a mix of strength and vulnerability. Her wig gives her comfort in a world still learning to embrace diversity.

Anna Neubauer: Ashes from Stone

Credit: Anna Neubauer / Leica Women Foto Project Award 2025

The story behind the pictures: Crystal is a passionate actress and advocate for facial diversity and representation in the acting industry. I photographed her in her living room just as the UK started to ease Covid-19 restrictions. For Crystal, the pandemic brought an unexpected reprieve. The masks that shielded others from a virus also shielded her from relentless stares. For a while, she found relief in the anonymity, moving through public spaces without the weight of constant scrutiny or unsolicited judgment. In a world that often doesn’t know how to look beyond the surface, the anonymity felt like breathing room—both liberating and fragile.

Anna Neubauer: Ashes from Stone

Credit: Anna Neubauer / Leica Women Foto Project Award 2025

The story behind the pictures: Az and Izzy were dating for a year when I photographed them. The beach isn’t just a place they visit—it’s their sanctuary, where the world fades away, and they can simply exist in each other’s presence. Here, with the salty breeze in their hair and the rhythmic hum of the waves, they find a rare kind of freedom—one where love feels effortless and unguarded. Documenting this intimate moment felt like stepping into something sacred. The way they look at each other, the unspoken understanding between them, the laughter that comes so easily—it all radiates warmth and authenticity. Their connection isn’t just seen; it’s felt. A quiet, beautiful force that reminds us of the kind of love that makes us feel truly at home.

Anna Neubauer: Ashes from Stone

Credit: Anna Neubauer / Leica Women Foto Project Award 2025

The story behind the pictures: Maya is a passionate actress, dancer and model whose energy is as captivating as her talent. When we first met at a photoshoot in 2021, she was a performing arts student at Chickenshed Youth Theatre in London, radiating the kind of determination that makes dreams feel within reach. Since then, she has worked with major brands like Nike, EE and CBBC. Maya’s success not only speaks to her incredible talent but to her relentless spirit and dedication. This image in my series shows Maya in one of her favourite dresses, a piece that feels like an extension of her—a symbol of self-expression, confidence and her deep love for performing. For me, there’s something magical about photographing her, the way she moves so effortlessly, how she transforms in front of the lens yet always remains true to herself. Over the years, our friendship has grown into something truly beautiful, and every time I photograph her, it feels like a celebration of that bond.

Anna Neubauer: Ashes from Stone

Credit: Anna Neubauer / Leica Women Foto Project Award 2025

Anna Neubauer: Ashes from Stone

Credit: Anna Neubauer / Leica Women Foto Project Award 2025

Anna Neubauer: Ashes from Stone

Credit: Anna Neubauer / Leica Women Foto Project Award 2025

Anna Neubauer: Ashes from Stone