📸 SNAPSHOT - Issue 103
Welcome to a brand new Issue of my Magazine. A truly brilliant one, enjoy the read :)
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In this Issue
OM-System’s Astro Camera - A Closer Look
This week, OM System announced the OM-3 Astro, a spin on the standard OM-3 that is meant for astrophotographers. On the outside it looks familiar, but there are a few important changes inside that make it better suited for shooting the night sky.
The most significant update is the modified infrared cut filter in front of the 20.4-megapixel stacked BSI Micro Four Thirds sensor. In most regular cameras, that filter blocks a good portion of deep red light, including the Hα wavelength that gives many nebulae their rich red and pink tones. The OM-3 Astro’s version allows full transmission of Hα light, which should make a noticeable difference when photographing emission nebulae.
OM System has also added two dedicated colour profiles. COLOR1, tuned for deep-sky photos, especially red nebulae, while COLOR2 is more for starry landscape photography. The idea is to get closer to a usable result straight out of camera, without as much heavy colour correction later.
Beyond the sensor changes, the OM-3 Astro builds on features already present in the regular OM-3 that are helpful for night work. Starry Sky AF lets the camera autofocus directly on stars, which can save time compared to manually dialing in focus at high magnification. Live Composite mode is also here, allowing you to build up long exposures in-camera without blowing out highlights.
There is also Night Vision mode, which switches the interface to a red display to help preserve your night vision while adjusting settings. The camera includes High-Res Composite modes as well, including the 50-megapixel Handheld High Res Shot. OM System suggests that when used on a tripod or equatorial mount, this mode can effectively replicate stacking in a single processed file, while also helping reduce noise and account for the movement of the stars.
To make things simpler, OM System has preloaded astrophotography-focused setups into the C1, C2, and C3 custom modes. C1 is set for deep-sky stacking, C2 for stacked starry landscapes, and C3 for handheld starry landscapes.
Alongside the camera, OM System is introducing two new body-mount filters that sit between the lens and the camera body. Because they are mounted internally, they can be used with ultra-wide and fisheye lenses that don’t support front filters. The BMF-LPC01 Light Pollution Suppression Filter is designed to help reduce the impact of artificial light, especially near the horizon. The BMF-SE01 Soft Filter slightly diffuses point light sources, making brighter stars appear larger and more pronounced.
Both filters also work with the standard OM-3, OM-1, OM-1 II, and Olympus E-M1 Mark III.
The OM System OM-3 Astro is expected to ship in March for $2,499.99. The BMF-LPC01 filter is priced at $339.99, and the BMF-SE01 at $229.99.
A few more sample shots:
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Interview with Carlos Salazar
This week’s Interview with Carlos, a talented based in New York City. I am truly honoured to have had the opportunity to interview him again, this time with a closer look at his newer work!
You can find him on Instagram as: @ohmnivalent
Enjoy the amazing Interview ;)
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
My name’s Juan Carlos Escobar Salazar, but honestly, I just go by Carlos, it’s easier and feels more like me. I’m originally from Mexico and moved to New York City when I was twelve. So I’ve kind of lived between two cultures most of my life, which I think shaped how I see the world. I just recently took the leap into doing photography and cinematography full time. It’s still kind of wild to say that out loud, because for the longest time, this was just something I was experimenting with.
How did you get into photography?
Ever since I was a kid I always loved to paint and write. I worked in an antique store from when I was 14 until I was 24, selling paintings, sculptures and antiquities. So I have always been a huge lover of the arts. I’ve also played music in a few bands, most specifically Metal and Indie rock as a guitarist and composer. I started photography 3 years ago during the COVID pandemic. I had more free time so I started walking around NYC, first capturing flowers, then buildings, then people. It transformed into cinematic street photography. Then 1 year later I started doing reels. Now it is my full time job.
What role does composition play in your photos?
Composition is utterly important to my photography, besides the technical and aesthetic aspect of the piece, it allows you to tell the story of a scene in the way that you envision. And that is the whole point of being a photographer in my opinion, to tell a story and to document the reality of everyday life, whether it is beautiful or ugly, painful or pleasurable. With that being said, it is through composition that one can literally change the narrative, the mood, the scale and the importance of the elements in a scene. I still have a lot to master in composition.
What do you think sets your work apart from others in the industry?
Despite what it may seem, I am still relatively new to the whole art medium that is photography. 4 years so far, and although my work shows a consistency in mood, color, composition and narrative, I feel like I haven’t quite captured photographs that I think would set me aside from many fellow photographers. It is not my intention to appear humble but I sincerely believe that I still have way too much to learn, and I haven’t reached the level that I want to reach. With that being said, every single artist sees things differently so no one will produce the same result even if they are being inspired by the same thing.
How do you stay inspired and motivated to continue creating new and unique photographs?
I am really lucky because I have never experienced issues with inspiration. There are always new scenes in the streets, always new emotions. Also NYC is the perfect city to live in as a photographer, as an artist in general. Watching movies with incredible cinematography is utterly inspirational. Music gives me a lot of motivation to walk around and shoot. And of course the words of encouragement from fellow photographers and enthusiasts are hugely motivational.
What are some of the most important qualities for a great photographer to have, in your opinion?
Be consistent, be determined and definitely be hungry for growth, you cannot remain stuck doing the same thing, you don’t even have to post it, as long as you are experimenting, dipping your toes into different waters. Never be afraid to try something new but also learn about your camera and try to aim for stronger work. Also try to be humble and remember that there is always a lot to learn.
What gear do you use?
I get this question a lot, gear definitely helps but it is not the most important thing. Knowing how to use your device is what makes it a cool useful tool. I started with the A7RIII and the sigma 24-70 2.8 great beginner lens, super versatile and cheap if you can find it. Then a year ago I bought the a7IV with the GM 70-200mm f2.8 mkII, so far the most expensive lens I own. The lens I use the most is the GM 35mm f1.4. For crazy wide angles I have the GM 14mm f1.8. And just a month ago I bought the Sony FX3 for video.
What is your editing software of choice and how much time do you spend editing?
I use Lightroom for images, the best editing software for me. Very few times do I use Photoshop, and for video I use Final Cut Pro. I don’t really spend a lot of time editing a photo, perhaps between 2 to 6 minutes depending on how much masking there needs to be done.
How did you find your signature photography/editing style?
When I arrived to NYC I was utterly fascinated by the buildings and by the rain and how cinematic the city was, but it wasn’t until I came across the photos of great cinematic photographers such as Nick Millers that I knew there was a name for this kind of photography, when I saw this work about 3 years ago I didn’t know what ISO, Aperture or Shutter speed were, but I knew I loved darkness, and the way the city looked when it rained. So I just kept doing it. However I am venturing now into different styles, so my style may change eventually who knows.
Reels or photos? And why?
That’s a tough one. I’d say both, but for different reasons. Reels are obviously the thing that people are watching most these days. They’re dynamic, quick, emotional. But photos… there’s just something timeless about a still image. It freezes a moment in a way that feels more sacred. Lately I’ve been making more reels because they help my work reach more people, but I always try to balance it out by still making time to shoot photos.
What does photography mean to you?
Photography and cinematography are everything to me, I have found my calling, and it’s honestly what I want to always do, it is a lot of work and requires a lot of dedication, energy, time and passion. But it is truly an artform that I want to get really good at.
What is your photography style?
I guess people call it Cinematic photography, I just think of it as capturing moments that look like a movie.
Do you prefer shooting alone or with company?
I think I prefer shooting alone, because I can really focus on what I am doing, listen to music and truly observe the world around me, the many moments occurring and the way the characters of this movie called life interact. However shooting with people is extremely fun! I do that often as well.
What do you think about AI?
I think AI is a great tool for photographers, but I don’t think it should be called photography if no camera was involved. I haven’t used it to create anything with AI yet.
Any tips for beginners?
Be consistent, take pictures of everything, learn the settings of the camera, try different styles, study other photographers work, be humble and just do it!
Do you think in frames or in sequences?
I think in scenes. Even when I’m taking a single photograph, I imagine what happened before and what will happen after that frame. I always want the viewer to feel like they stepped into a movie for a second.
What kind of emotions are you most drawn to capturing?
I’m drawn to solitude. Not loneliness necessarily, but quiet introspection. Someone walking alone in the rain perhaps. Those moments feel powerful to me. In a city as loud as New York, it stands out.
Do you think darkness is part of your identity as a photographer?
Yes I would say so. I’ve always been drawn to darker tones, rain, shadows. I don’t know why exactly, it just works.
Has going full-time changed your relationship with photography?
It has. There’s more responsibility now. Deadlines, financial pressure. But strangely, it also made me more serious in a good way. I treat my craft with more discipline. At the same time, I constantly remind myself why I started. If I ever lose that sense of curiosity and joy, then something ain’t working.
How important is storytelling compared to aesthetics?
The rest, 5 more questions of this Interview + an additional exclusive photograph selection, are for Premium subscribers only.
Orico’s New MetaBox ‘For Creatives’
Orico has introduced an upgraded M.2 NVMe SSD–compatible version of its MetaBox Series, a private cloud NAS for photographers, videographers, and other creatives who prefer to keep their data local rather than rely on subscription cloud platforms.
The new MetaBox HS200 and HS500 models build on Orico’s earlier HS lineup, with updates focused on faster storage options, greater expandability, and a more capable internal architecture.
One of the biggest changes is expanded storage flexibility. In addition to traditional SATA hard drive bays, the new MetaBox models include two M.2 NVMe SSD slots, each supporting drives up to 8TB. These NVMe drives can be used either as high-speed storage pools or as cache drives to accelerate frequently accessed data. Depending on configuration, total capacity can scale up to 126TB.
That combination matters for real-world creative work. Traditional HDD-based NAS systems are fine for archiving, but they can slow down when you are scrubbing through 4K or 6K timelines, previewing large RAW files, or transferring big project folders. By adding NVMe SSDs into the mix, the MetaBox can offload active or frequently accessed data to much faster solid-state storage. In practice, that should mean shorter load times and smoother performance while still keeping the cost-per-terabyte advantages of spinning drives for long-term storage.
Inside, the system runs on a quad-core, four-thread Intel processor. It ships with 8GB of DDR4 RAM and has dual memory slots that support upgrades up to 32GB. The MetaBox uses Orico’s in-house CyberData OS, built specifically for private cloud storage.
Because it operates independently of third-party cloud servers, users can still access their data locally even without internet access. At the same time, remote access is supported for off-site collaboration or file delivery. CyberData OS also includes AI-assisted photo organization, semantic search, and automated file classification to help manage large media libraries. Support for Docker apps, multi-user permissions, and granular access controls makes it adaptable for studios or small teams.
Physically, the MetaBox uses an all-aluminium chassis designed for continuous operation and relatively quiet performance.
The MetaBox Series comes in multiple configurations. The HS200 includes two hard drive bays and two NVMe slots, while the HS500 Pro offers five hard drive bays alongside two NVMe slots. Pricing starts at $350 for the HS200 and $420 for the HS500 Pro.
Photography Tip of the Week
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Photo Analysis
Welcome to the part of the Magazine Issue where we take a closer look at a photo and analyse it so that you can learn and better your own photography from it ;)
Photo by: @jorgemchagas
Let’s Analyse this Photo
Composition & Framing
What works well:
The high up vantage point is great, it sort of compresses the scene and emphasises the geometry created by the light.
The diagonal shadow creates a strong compositional divide that adds a lot of tension.
Our subject, the man, is placed nicely within that light patch, and the light itself acts as a framing device around him.
Background separation from the subject is pretty good —> the bright sidewalk behind him combined with the dark clothing (well his top) makes him pop nicely.
What could be better:
That one overhead cable crossing right over our subject is a bit unfortunate, I personally think it kind of steals attention away (and it is just not that great to look at). A small repositioning while shooting could have avoided that intersection and made the composition a little cleaner.
The right half of the frame is very dark and visually heavy, it dominates a lot of space without giving much information back (though obviously that strong light/shadow interplay is kind of the whole point of the photo → more on that down below).
Light & Atmosphere
What works well:
The light is absolutely the strongest element here. The sharp diagonal slice of sunlight cutting across the street creates immediate drama and gives structure + geometry.
The framing created by the light is really great. Yes, the shadows are very dark, but as just said above, that is clearly intentional so the light can carve out that bright strip even more powerfully. It really feels like a stage spotlight.
The long shadow of the man adds an extra visual element that reinforces the shadow/light situation/atmosphere and gives the shot more dimensionality.
What could be better:
The shadows on the right are extremely heavy, and while that is stylistically the point, they do completely hide texture and detail.
The transition between light and shadow is very abrupt, which works graphically, but it does make large parts of the frame visually empty.
The whole top of the frame is very dark and doesn’t contribute much visually.
Colour & Tone
What works well:
Colours are restrained. There is no strong colour pop or anything like that, it is clearly much more about light and shadow than vibrant tones.
The man’s beige trousers help him stand out subtly against the darker surroundings (and they give the photo ‘some’ colour, along with a few red signage here and there).
The overall tones feel natural and not over-processed.
What could be better:
Because the shadows are so deep, colour information on the right side is basically lost.
The palette is intentionally muted, but if someone prefers stronger colour contrast, it may feel slightly subdued.
Story & Emotion
What works well:
Storytelling-wise, this is a very normal, everyday moment and that works. We can clearly see the man, his normal clothing, and that he is on his phone. It feels authentic and just like a normal day.
The emptiness of the street gives some sense of solitude.
The architecture is relatively distinctive → the façades, balconies, tram lines, (actually the light itself → ‘Lisbon light’) does suggest this was shot in Lisbon, Portugal, which adds contextual strength.
What could be better:
There is not much narrative tension. It is a quiet, observational moment rather than a strong storytelling scene. Our subject is not interacting with the environment in a dramatic or ‘meaningful’ way, he mainly serves to give scale and life to the light/shadow composition.
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Photographer of the Week
Photographer of the week goes to: Sudha
You can find her on Instagram as: @novice_111
A few photos of hers:
The Rest of this Issue is for Premium Subscribers
