📸 SNAPSHOT - Issue 56

Welcome to a brand new Issue of my Magazine. A truly brilliant one, enjoy the read :)

In partnership with

The Brand New Fujifilm GFX100RF

Fujifilm just dropped the GFX100RF, a fixed-lens mirrorless camera that brings medium format power into an ultra-compact package. With a 102-megapixel sensor and a 28mm f/4 full-frame equivalent lens, it’s the lightest GFX camera yet, weighing just 735g (1.62 lbs).

The goal? Portability without sacrificing image quality. To keep the size down, Fujifilm skipped in-body stabilization (IBIS) and went with a leaf shutter instead of a focal plane shutter. The leaf shutter not only makes the camera quieter but also reduces vibrations, making handheld shooting easier even at slower shutter speeds.

The built-in lens is a newly developed 35mm f/4 (28mm full-frame equivalent) with 10 elements in eight groups, including two aspherical lenses. A new nano-GI coating helps minimize internal reflections, and it can focus as close as 20cm (7.9 inches). Since it’s a fixed lens, Fujifilm added a digital “zoom” rocker, letting photographers crop into 36mm, 50mm, and 63mm equivalent focal lengths—though this only affects JPEGs, leaving RAW files untouched.

Another standout feature is the dedicated aspect ratio dial, letting users quickly switch formats, including two new ones: 3:4 and 17:6. There's also a "Surround View" function that shows the area outside the frame as a semi-transparent overlay to help with composition.

On the tech side, Fujifilm paired the 102MP CMOS II HS sensor with the X-Processor 5, improving dynamic range, low-light performance, and autofocus accuracy. The camera includes subject tracking for animals, birds, vehicles, and more, with touch tracking available in video mode. Speaking of video, it can record 4K/30p 10-bit 4:2:2 in F-Log2 and supports Frame.io’s camera-to-cloud tech.

The GFX100RF also borrows the built-in 4-stop ND filter from the X100 series—making it the first GFX camera with this feature.

The EVF is positioned off-center for a rangefinder-like experience, featuring 5.76 million dots and 0.84x magnification. Storage-wise, it has dual SD card slots, plus mic and headphone jacks, USB-C, and a micro HDMI port. It ships with a PRF-49 protective filter, an aluminum lens hood, and a rope-style strap.

Available in silver and black, the Fujifilm GFX100RF is set to launch in late April for $4,899.95.

Image credits: Fujifilm

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Interview with Kevin Lu

This week’s Interview with Kevin Lu, a very talented Photographer from London.

You can find him on Instagram as: @klucaptures

Enjoy the amazing Interview ;)

Can you introduce yourself to our readers?

Hi, I’m Kevin, a photographer born and raised in London, UK. My main focus is architectural photography, but I also love capturing landscapes whenever I manage to escape the hustle and bustle of city life.

London’s mix of old and modern architecture constantly inspires me. I enjoy reinterpreting familiar landmarks and finding new angles or perspectives that people might not have considered before.

How did your photography journey start?

My journey began in 2010 when I bought my first camera—a Canon 550D. I had it for about two years before eventually selling it. At the time, photography was more of a casual interest rather than a passion.

It wasn’t until 2021 that I truly returned to photography with fresh motivation. The break gave me a different perspective, and when I picked up a camera again, I approached it with a more serious and artistic mindset.

What do you think is the most important factor in capturing a great photo?

For me, it’s all about unique framing/composition. Finding an interesting composition elevates an image and adds a personal touch. Even a common subject can feel fresh when viewed from an unexpected perspective.

I also love reflection shots—they add depth and symmetry, which can create striking visuals. But more than anything, I think the key to great photography is exploration and experimentation. The more you try new angles, techniques, and compositions, the more you refine your creative style.

What do you do when you feel like there’s nothing new to shoot?

Creative ruts happen to everyone, but I’ve found a few ways to push through:

Seeking inspiration – Looking at the work of other photographers often sparks new ideas. I take inspiration but always add my own spin to it.

Traveling to new locations – Visiting nearby towns or the countryside can shift my perspective and challenge me to adapt my style to different settings.

Trying different photography genres – Even if I specialise in architecture, experimenting with portrait, street, or macro photography gives me new skills and ideas that I can incorporate into my work.

How do you balance creativity with technical knowledge?

I believe that both are crucial in photography.

Technical knowledge is essential—it helps you shoot effectively in different environments and lighting conditions. You need to understand exposure, composition, and how to use your gear to its full potential. Creativity is what makes your work stand out. Two photographers can use the same camera in the same location, but their vision and approach will result in completely different images. Gear is just a tool—knowing how to use it is important, but your creativity is what truly defines your photography.

How do you approach post-processing to achieve a specific look or style?

I usually have a general idea of what I want an image to look like before I start editing. From there, I fine-tune the details until I achieve the desired result. I use Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, which allow me to enhance colours, adjust tones, and refine composition. Editing time varies—I can spend anywhere from 5 minutes to over an hour on a single image, depending on the complexity of the edit.

How do you use lighting in your photos?

Lighting is one of the most important elements in photography, and I approach it differently depending on the subject:

For architecture – If I’m shooting in low-light situations, I’ll use long exposure to capture more details and create a more dynamic image.

For portraits or street photography – I always try to use natural light to create a more authentic look.

What do you think sets your work apart from others in the industry?

I believe my work stands out because of the way I reimagine everyday scenes. Even though I’ve shot London’s landmarks countless times, I always challenge myself to find a fresh perspective. Whether it’s through unique compositions, reflections, or framing, I aim to create images that feel timeless and thought-provoking.

I also like to play with concepts of time and spatial orientation—making familiar places feel new again.

What has been the most rewarding experience as a photographer?

For me, photography is about connection—both with other photographers and with the audience who sees my work. Meeting like-minded creatives has been incredibly inspiring. Photography is often a solo pursuit, but being part of a creative community pushes me to grow and evolve. Being approached for paid projects is also rewarding. It’s a great feeling when someone values your work enough to commission or license it.

What tips do you have for people who are just starting out with photography?

Just start shooting. Don’t overthink it—go out and take photos as much as possible.

Learn manual mode. Mastering the exposure triangle (ISO, aperture, shutter speed) will give you complete control over your camera.

Don’t get obsessed with gear. A better camera won’t make you a better photographer—understanding light, composition, and storytelling will.

Be patient. Developing your personal style takes time. The more you experiment, the more confident you’ll become.

What gear do you use?

I shoot with a Sony A7III, and my go-to lenses are:

  • Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN

  • Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 GM

  • Samyang 12mm f/2.0

What’s one common mistake beginners make?

The rest, 3 more questions, of this Interview are for Premium subscribers only.

Aperty App’s New Updates

Skylum has rolled out an update for Aperty, its AI-powered portrait editing software, bringing new retouching tools, workflow improvements, and expanded language support. The 1.3.0 update introduces AI-powered wrinkle removal, which smooths fine lines while maintaining natural skin texture, along with lip smoothing and a blemish removal tool designed to refine lip appearance and eliminate small imperfections for a polished look.

Beyond the new editing features, Aperty now supports Chinese and Korean, making it more accessible to a broader audience of photographers and retouchers. Skylum has also overhauled the user experience, promising a much faster and more intuitive workflow. The image import process has been refined to require fewer steps, and automatic project naming has been introduced. Cropping tools now include proportional scaling and new hotkeys, while the curves tool has been updated to display numeric values for more precise adjustments.

Additional UI improvements include an updated filmstrip design, better EXIF panel access, enhanced visibility of hotkeys and tooltips, and a new transparent notification system that provides clearer feedback on user actions. At the heart of Aperty is its AI-driven face mesh technology, which enables detailed 3D facial mapping to ensure seamless and natural-looking edits.

This has been further refined with a new segmentation system that divides each subject’s face into three key zones, allowing for more precise adjustments without an over-processed appearance.

Skylum’s Aperty AI software costs $99.50 annually, while a perpetual license is available for $199.50.

Image credits: Aperty

Photo Analysis

Welcome to the new 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: @lukelucis_

Let’s Analyse this Image

Composition

What works well:

  • The open doors act as a perfect frame, naturally pulling your eyes straight toward the city. It gives the whole shot a sense of depth, like you’re about to step into the scene.

  • The symmetry isn’t perfect, but that actually works here—it keeps things feeling real and dynamic instead of too staged.

What could be better:

  • The gate is slightly off-center. It’s not a huge deal, but a little more alignment might make the composition feel even stronger.

Lighting

What works well:

  • The golden-hour light hitting the doors is just beautiful. It contrasts so well with the cooler tones of the water and skyline, making the scene feel rich and inviting.

  • The way the city skyline is like ‘‘bathed’’ in soft light gives it a dreamy and incredibly cinematic feel.

  • The deep shadows inside the ferry add a touch of mystery and make the bright skyline pop even more as already touched on.

What could be better:

  • The bottom part of the image is pretty dark, which hides some of the details in the ferry’s interior. Brightening it a little could help balance things out. However keep also in mind that this would make the framing less impactful - your eyes go towards the light —> so right now straight to the city, making the interior brighter could then lead away from the city - our main subject.

  • The city skyline, while gorgeous, could be slightly brighter to make it the real star of the show.

Framing

What works well:

  • The doors do a great job of framing the shot, keeping your focus locked on the skyline.

  • The gate adds a secondary layer of depth, reinforcing the feeling of looking out toward something.

  • The reflections in the door windows add an extra touch of detail without being distracting, a very nice small touch.

What could be better:

  • Basically nothing, the framing in my opinion is quite on point here.

Storytelling

What works well:

  • This shot feels like the start of something—like the calm before stepping into the chaos of the city. It’s got that cinematic, "new adventure" kind of energy. (now the question is obviously are we driving towards the city or aways from it hahaha, or passing be from the side (probably)? I sadly cant really tell by the water etc. however due to the lighting and mood I just want to assume that our photographer whats us to imagine that we are going towards it)

  • The open gate makes it feel personal, like someone is about to step forward. It basically puts the viewer in the scene, which is great.

  • The contrast between the ferry’s worn-down, industrial look and the shiny city skyline adds a cool "old vs. new" dynamic.

What could be better:

  • The shot is empty, which adds mystery but also makes it feel a bit lonely.

  • The ferry itself could tell a stronger story—maybe capturing more texture or detail inside would help give it more personality.

Photography Tip of the Week

The weekly photography tip is only accessible to Premium Subscribers of The Magazine For Photographers.

Photographer of the Week

Photographer of the week goes to: Jonathan Varjabedian

You can find him on Instagram as: @framethestreetsdotcom

A few of his images:

Don’t forget to check out the advertisement up top ⬆️

Godox’s New Monolight

Godox released the M1000R, a beast of a 1000-watt RGBWW monolight built mainly for videographers but just as handy for photographers. It’s got full RGBWW color control, a bunch of lighting effects, and a compact, lightweight design with a separate controller. The color temperature runs from 1800K to 10,000K, and brightness is fully adjustable from 0% to 100%. You also get four dimming curves—linear, s-curve, exponential, and logarithmic—so you can fine-tune the lighting exactly how you want.

With a CRI of 95 and TLCI of 94, the M1000R delivers pro-level color accuracy, meaning natural skin tones and rich, true-to-life colors whether you’re shooting video or stills. It also covers 91% of the Rec2020 color gamut and offers multiple modes, including CCT, HSI, RGBW, GEL, X-Y, and FX. There are 14 built-in lighting effects—think sunrise, sunset, and moonlight—and a high-speed mode that keeps things flicker-free even when shooting fast motion. You can also save up to four presets so you can quickly jump back to your favorite lighting setups.

This thing is built to take a beating, with both the light and controller rated IP54 for water and dust resistance. The light itself weighs 17.9 pounds (8.1 kg), while the controller and power supply add another 12.3 pounds (5.6 kg). It uses a standard Bowens mount, so you can easily attach softboxes, beauty dishes, and other light modifiers.

For connectivity, you’ve got a ton of options: built-in Bluetooth, RDM, CRMX, DMX512, Ethernet, Art-Net, and sACN. The Knowled Bluetooth app gives you full control from up to 30 meters away, making it easy to manage multiple lights in a setup. Power-wise, it runs on AC (100-240V, 50/60Hz) with the controller pulling 650W. There’s also a USB-A port for firmware updates or even as a 5V 1.5A power supply.

The Godox Knowled M1000R is available now for $2,800, with an upgraded kit (which includes a storage bag) priced at $2,900.

Image credits: Godox

The Rest of this Issue is for Premium Subscribers

The Premium Version of this Magazine is now on a ‘‘Pay What you Want’’ model. Meaning you get to decide the price.