📸 SNAPSHOT - Issue 117
Welcome to a brand new Issue of my Magazine. A truly brilliant one, enjoy the read :)
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In this Issue
7Artisans’ New Max AF 135mm f/1.8 Lens
7Artisans has officially announced the new 7Artisans Max AF 135mm f/1.8, a full-frame autofocus telephoto prime for Nikon Z-mount cameras.
The new lens pairs a bright f/1.8 aperture with autofocus, a fairly advanced optical design, and a feature set that is built for portrait and low-light shooters. The 135mm focal length has always been popular for portraits because of the strong subject compression and natural background separation it gives, and that is very much the direction 7Artisans is going here.
Optically, the lens uses a 16-element, 13-group construction that includes six extra-low-dispersion elements and five high-refractive-index elements. According to 7Artisans, the design is meant to keep chromatic aberration under control while maintaining sharpness across the frame, even on higher-resolution cameras up to 60 megapixels.
The lens also uses the company’s IMC coating to help reduce flare and ghosting when shooting into strong light.
Autofocus is handled by a silent STM stepping motor system designed for both still photography and video work. The lens supports both autofocus and manual focus operation, and the body includes a clicked aperture ring along with a secondary multifunction control ring that can be assigned to settings like aperture or ISO on compatible Nikon Z bodies.
There are also two customisable function buttons built into the lens body for quicker access to frequently used settings, along with a USB-C port for firmware updates.
One of the more noticeable features is the 12-blade diaphragm, which is designed to produce smoother circular bokeh and cleaner starburst rendering when stopped down.
Physically, the lens has a fairly large all-metal body made from what 7Artisans describes as aerospace-grade aluminium alloy. It also includes weather-resistant dust sealing and an anti-smudge exterior coating.
The lens measures approximately 91.2 by 130 millimetres (3.6 x 5.1 inches), weighs around 1,014 grams (2.2 pounds), and uses 82mm front filters. Minimum focusing distance is about 0.7 meters (27 inches), which is relatively close for a lens in this category. The 7Artisans Max AF 135mm f/1.8 for Nikon Z-mount is priced at $689.
Interestingly, while 7Artisans has only officially announced the lens for Nikon Z so far, references to Sony E-mount and L-Mount versions reportedly appeared in the product URL, so additional mounts may show up later.
A few sample shots:
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Interview with Snap By Zuza
This week’s Interview with Zuza, a talented street and travel photographer. I am truly honoured to have had the opportunity to interview her!
You can find her on Instagram as: @snapbyzuza
Enjoy the amazing Interview ;)
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I’m a photographer and content creator mainly focused on cinematic street and travel photography. What really interests me is capturing atmosphere and emotion through everyday moments that most people normally walk past without noticing. I’m very drawn to light, movement, small gestures, reflections, weather, and the overall feeling of a place rather than just documenting what’s physically there. Photography became a huge part of how I experience the world. Whenever I travel somewhere new now, I naturally start observing everything differently.
How did you first get into photography?
I think I was always naturally interested in visual storytelling without fully realizing it. Even before photography became serious for me, I was constantly taking photos on my phone whenever something interesting caught my attention. At first it was mostly just documenting places, trips, friends, sunsets, random details. But over time I noticed I cared less about simply recording memories and more about trying to capture a certain feeling or atmosphere. The real turning point happened a few months ago when I had the chance to travel, learn, and shoot alongside Casey Herzog (@herzawg on IG). Seeing how intentionally he approached photography completely changed my perspective. Until then I mostly photographed instinctively without thinking too deeply about composition, storytelling, or light. Traveling and shooting in that environment pushed me creatively and made me realize photography could become something much bigger for me than just casually taking photos.
What are your favourite shooting conditions?
Definitely golden hour and blue hour. I love softer light because it naturally creates atmosphere without needing to force anything. During golden hour, everything feels warmer, calmer, and more emotional somehow. Shadows become longer, colors feel richer, and even ordinary streets can suddenly look cinematic. Blue hour is different but equally inspiring to me. I love the cooler tones, city lights turning on, reflections appearing in windows or on wet streets, and that transition period between day and night. I also love rainy conditions, especially in busy cities at night.
You travelled a lot, what are your favourite countries for photography?
Every country honestly inspired me differently, which is what makes traveling so creatively exciting. India was probably the most overwhelming and unique photographic experience I’ve had so far. The streets felt alive every second. Everywhere you looked there was something happening. Japan felt completely different. Everything there felt much more intentional, minimal, and visually balanced. Even small side streets or quiet train stations had a calm cinematic atmosphere that I really connected with. Thailand also gave me some amazing moments, especially because of the light and atmosphere. The warmth, colors, weather, and overall energy there created a completely different mood compared to somewhere like Japan. Traveling in general keeps photography fresh for me because every place changes how you observe and react visually.
What does photography mean to you?
Photography genuinely changed the way I experience everyday life. Before photography, I think I moved through the world much faster without really paying attention to smaller details. Now I constantly notice light, colors, gestures, reflections, textures, weather, emotions, and moments that I probably would have ignored before. It taught me how to slow down and become more present.
What gear do you use?
Right now my main setup is the Fujifilm XM5 with the Fujinon XF 18–135mm f/3.5–5.6 lens. I really enjoy Fujifilm cameras because they make photography feel fun and creative for me rather than overly technical. I also shoot quite a lot on my iPhone 15 Pro. I think phone photography gets underestimated sometimes, but having a camera with you all the time means you capture moments you would otherwise completely miss. Some of my favorite spontaneous photos were taken on my phone simply because it was immediately available.
Do you prefer shooting in busy streets or quieter spaces?
I’m really drawn to both for different reasons. Busy streets are exciting because there’s constant unpredictability. So many small interactions, gestures, layers, and moments are happening simultaneously that you almost feel overwhelmed creatively sometimes. I love reacting instinctively in those situations and trying to organize chaos visually inside the frame. At the same time, quieter spaces often create much stronger emotional moments for me personally. Small details, isolated subjects, empty streets, minimal compositions, soft light, those scenes can feel incredibly cinematic and intimate. Sometimes a single person walking through silence says more emotionally than an entire crowded intersection.
Can you walk us through your editing process?
Most of my photos actually start very close to finished straight out of camera because I use Fujifilm recipes while shooting. That’s something I really enjoy because it allows me to focus on mood and atmosphere already in the moment rather than relying completely on editing later. It also makes photography feel more intentional to me. When I do edit in Lightroom, I mostly make smaller adjustments depending on the mood I want to emphasize. Sometimes I slightly adjust tones, contrast, grain, highlights, or colors.
How do you decide what moments to capture?
Most of it comes down to instinct and emotion. Sometimes something visually or emotionally interesting happens for only a split second, and you just react automatically before fully understanding why the moment caught your attention. What’s interesting is that I don’t always immediately recognize which photos will become meaningful later. Sometimes the images I’m most excited about right away end up feeling less interesting afterward, while others I almost ignored become my favorites during editing. That unpredictability is part of what makes photography addictive for me.
What are some of your favourite photography techniques and why?
I’m really drawn toward techniques that help create atmosphere and emotion naturally rather than making a photo feel overly technical. Reflections are probably one of my favorites because they can completely change how a scene feels. I also love using framing and natural leading lines. And of course light is probably the biggest “technique” for me overall. Whether it’s harsh sunlight or soft golden hour light, I’m constantly reacting to how light shapes emotion inside a scene.
How did you find your unique photography style?
I think it developed naturally through traveling, experimenting, and slowly understanding what emotionally attracted me visually. In the beginning I definitely tried recreating styles I admired online because that’s probably how most people start. But eventually I realized the photos that stayed meaningful to me were always the ones that genuinely reflected how a moment felt personally rather than simply looking aesthetically impressive.
Do you see yourself as a street photographer, documentary photographer, travel photographer…?
Mostly street and travel photography, but I try not to think too much about labels because I feel like my work naturally overlaps between different genres anyway. What matters most to me is atmosphere, emotion, and storytelling rather than fitting perfectly into one category.
How do you decide between black & white or colour?
I’ve always been really emotionally connected to black and white photography because it feels timeless and cinematic to me. Removing color changes the way people look at a photo. At the same time though, color is also incredibly powerful. Certain scenes simply wouldn’t work without it. Usually I decide based on what strengthens the mood most naturally. If the emotion of the scene depends heavily on atmosphere and color interaction, I keep it in color. If the image feels stronger emotionally through contrast, shadows, shape, and simplicity, then black and white often works better.
What’s the most challenging thing about photography for you?
Probably the pressure I put on myself creatively sometimes. I care very deeply about the work I create, which is motivating in some ways, but it can also become exhausting mentally because I always want my photos to feel meaningful or emotionally strong.
There are definitely days where I’ll go out shooting for hours and come home feeling frustrated because nothing matched what I imagined in my head. Sometimes perfectionism becomes difficult because photography depends so much on uncontrollable things like timing, weather, light, and pure chance.
Can you walk us through a typical shooting day?
It really depends where I am and what kind of mood I’m in creatively. Sometimes I’ll go out completely spontaneously without any real plan and just wander through the city for hours reacting naturally to moments. Those days are usually much more instinctive and emotionally driven. Other times, especially while traveling somewhere like Japan, I’ll research locations beforehand and plan around certain lighting conditions or areas I want to explore. In those situations I might spend a long time waiting patiently for the right composition, weather, or subject to come together naturally.
What is your favourite subject to shoot?
I love photographing people and everyday moments, but I’m also very drawn to minimalism, interesting details, textures, light, and aesthetic elements that people might normally overlook. Sometimes even the smallest scene can tell a story.
Do you listen to music during your creative process?
Usually not while actively shooting because I’m often with other people or trying to stay fully aware of my surroundings. But if I’m alone, music definitely helps me get more immersed emotionally and creatively.
Who are some photographers or artists that inspire you?
I’m inspired by photographers and artists who know how to create strong atmosphere and emotion through ordinary moments. I really admire people who can make everyday life feel cinematic simply through light, composition, timing, and observation. Traveling and meeting other creatives also influenced me massively. Seeing how different photographers approach the same environment differently taught me a lot about perspective and personal style.
How do you know when you have nailed the shot?
At times you press the shutter and immediately feel that something special happened in that exact second. It’s hard to explain, but certain images instantly feel different, usually it’s because everything suddenly aligns at once.
For me though, a successful photo is rarely just about technical perfection. I care much more about whether the image actually captures the feeling of the moment. Sometimes a photo can have imperfect framing and other things, but still feel emotionally powerful because it communicates atmosphere.
How important is composition in photography?
Composition is definitely very important, but I also think it’s possible to overthink it sometimes. Of course strong framing, balance, layers, and leading lines can completely transform a photo, but I don’t believe every image needs to feel perfectly structured or mathematically precise to work. Sometimes the best photos actually feel slightly chaotic or imperfect because real life itself is messy and unpredictable.
What’s your advice for someone starting with photography?
The biggest thing is to trust your own eye and stay curious. It’s very easy in the beginning to constantly compare yourself to other photographers or chase trends online, but I think real growth happens when you start photographing things that genuinely excite you personally. Also, consistency matters way more than perfection. A lot of people wait for perfect conditions, expensive gear, or inspiration before going out to shoot, but improvement mostly comes from simply photographing regularly and learning through experience. Even bad shooting days teach you something valuable. I’d also recommend experimenting as much as possible in the beginning. Try different genres, lighting conditions, compositions, editing styles, and environments. Over time you naturally start recognizing what connects with you most.
How important is lighting in photography?
Lighting changes absolutely everything in photography. It affects mood, atmosphere, storytelling, depth, color, emotion, basically every part of how an image feels visually. I think learning how to truly observe light is probably one of the most important skills a photographer can develop.
Is there a genre you would like to explore more?
Definitely portrait photography and film photography. Portraits interest me because they feel much more personal and emotionally direct compared to street photography sometimes. Film photography also really fascinates me because of the slower process and imperfect feeling it creates. There’s something beautiful about not seeing the photo immediately and being more intentional with every frame. But in general I still feel like there’s so much to learn and experiment with creatively.
How important is colour in photography to you?
Colour is extremely important to me because it changes how a scene feels. Warm tones can create comfort or nostalgia, cooler tones can feel distant or cinematic, and certain color combinations immediately affect mood before people even realize it.
How important are leading lines and framing in photography?
They’re really important tools for guiding attention and creating depth, but I try to use them naturally rather than making images feel too forced or technical.
What do you usually think about while waiting for a subject to enter the frame?
The rest, 5 more questions of this Interview + an additional exclusive photograph selection, are for Premium subscribers only.
The VWFNDR MBL Android Camera App
VWFNDR just launched VWFNDR + MBL, a new Android camera app built around a different philosophy from most modern smartphone photography apps. Instead of leaning into computational photography and AI-driven processing, VWFNDR says MBL is designed to behave more like a traditional camera focused on ‘‘deliberate, intentional image-making.’’
The company itself may sound familiar to some of you. Back in 2023, VWFNDR introduced the Keirin concept camera, a panoramic digital camera project created by Tokyo-based designers Álvaro Nuevo Tokyo and Mireia Gordi i Vila. While that camera never officially launched, the company has continued exploring photography-focused hardware and software ideas behind the scenes.
MBL is now the company’s first actual product, and according to VWFNDR, it is also laying the groundwork for a future compact camera project still in development.
The app centres around what VWFNDR calls “real photographic capture.” Instead of computational processing, MBL captures Bayer RAW DNG files alongside JPEGs while avoiding many of the image manipulation techniques common in modern smartphone camera apps. There is no image stacking, AI-generated detail, aggressive tone mapping, or computational sharpening pipeline trying to reshape your final photo.
The idea, according to them, is to show photographers something much closer to what the sensor itself is actually seeing. The app includes direct control over ISO, shutter speed, focus, and exposure compensation, alongside a customisable interface that you can reorganise depending on how you prefer to shoot. VWFNDR also has six built-in aspect ratios, including 1:1, 7:6, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9, and 2:1, giving you more flexibility without relying on post-crop later.
The app supports Content Credentials as well. Every photo captured in MBL includes provenance metadata showing image origin and any edits applied afterward. VWFNDR says it is only the fourth company to achieve C2PA Level 2 conformance and the second after Google to support Content Credentials for DNG RAW files.
It currently works across a range of Android devices, although VWFNDR has not published a full compatibility list yet. Sample photos on the company’s site were captured using phones including the Google Pixel 7A, Pixel 9A, Xiaomi 12T Pro, Xiaomi 14 Ultra, Nothing 2, Nothing 3A, and the Leitz Phone 3.
VWFNDR + MBL is a free download on the Google Play Store. The company also says more details about its future compact camera project are expected later this year.
A few sample shots:
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:
Framing is definitely very strong. It almost feels like you are ‘secretly observing’ this little moment through the layers of the city.
The blurred foreground elements on both sides create a natural tunnel effect that pulls your eye directly toward the man.
The cobblestone street itself acts as a subtle leading line, guiding you inward through the alley → to our subject → and beyond.
Depth is also pretty good. We go through the blurry foreground → middle alley space → then our subject → and the deeper street behind him. It gives the photo a nice and immersive 3D feeling.
The spotlight effect from the light patch on the ground is personally my favourite part. The man walks directly into that bright area, which immediately isolates him from the darker surroundings + it pulls your eye there instantly → as we know, the eye always goes where the light is!
What could be better:
The foreground blur on the right side is maybe a bit too dominant. It takes up a lot of space and can feel slightly distracting.
The left foreground wall is also very large and heavy visually, so combined with the right side it makes the actual “viewing window” of the scene fairly narrow.
The framing is interesting and effective, but it also slightly hides the environment → we do lose some architectural context because of how much foreground is blocking the frame.
Light & Atmosphere
What works well:
The light is pretty good and well controlled. Again, that small patch of sunlight around the man creates a really strong focal point.
The contrast between the darker alley and the warm sunlight gives the photo a bit of that cinematic feeling.
The atmosphere feels calm and quiet.
The softer light further back in the alley helps create some depth without overpowering our subject.
What could be better:
Some of the shadows here and there are relatively deep causing quite a bit of detail loss.
The sunlight on the subject is actually strong enough that parts of the highlights around his hair and clothing border on being slightly blown out.
Colour & Tone
What works well:
The tones are very restrained and natural. Nothing feels overly edited or saturated.
The warm sunlight contrasts nicely with the cooler shaded parts of the alley.
The muted palette works well with the old European (Lisbon specifically) street atmosphere.
What could be better:
The colours are perhaps a little too subdued overall. A touch more tonal separation could make certain parts of the frame feel more alive, Lisbon has great colour potential!
The foreground blur slightly muddies the colour palette because of how soft it is.
Story & Emotion
What works well:
The storytelling here is actually relatively strong despite being simple. The older man alone in the quiet alley immediately creates this reflective and nostalgic feeling.
Because we can see him somewhat clearly, we can connect with him more emotionally than in many other street photos (where subjects are often anonymous).
The old alley itself adds to the narrative also, it feels lived in and full of history ( those postcard add to that as well → you can actually also make out the classic yellow Lisbon trams on there)
What could be better:
Beyond the general mood, the story remains fairly open-ended. We do not really know where he is going/where he is coming from or what he is doing exactly.
The heavy foreground framing creates emotional distance as well → it is more like we are spying on the moment rather than participating in it.
Balance
What works well:
Our bright subject balances the otherwise dark and heavy composition surprisingly well.
The blurred foreground elements on both sides create a sort of symmetrical feeling without being perfectly symmetrical.
The light patch around the man anchors the whole photo.
What could be better:
The foreground blur on the right side carries a lot of visual weight (more than that on the left → so the balance tilts more to the right) and it competes a bit with the actual subject.
Something You Have To Check Out
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Photographer of the Week
Photographer of the week goes to: Marianna
You can find her on Instagram as: @blackdot.mar
A few photos of hers:
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The Rest of this Issue is for Premium Subscribers
