In partnership with

Website / Guaranteed Feature / IG Growth

The Latest News:

Viltrox’s LAB 135mm f/1.8 Now Available for Nikon Z

Viltrox just dropped its LAB 135mm f/1.8 lens for Nikon Z mount, giving Nikon shooters a killer alternative to pricey first-party glass. Like the Sony version, this lens is big and built for top-tier optical quality. It’s a bit heavier than Nikon’s 135mm f/1.8 Plena (1,235g vs. 995g), but here’s the real kicker: price. While Nikon’s Plena costs $2,500 and Sony’s G Master is $2,100, the Viltrox comes in at $900.

It’s not just relatively cheap—it’s packed with features. You get fast, quiet autofocus, buttery smooth bokeh from an 11-blade aperture, and great image quality with minimal distortion. It also focuses super close (0.72m/2.4ft), matching Sony’s version and even beating Nikon’s Plena.

The build is solid too—weather-sealed magnesium alloy, a customizable function ring, and an AF/MF switch. On Nikon Z cameras, you can set the ring to control aperture, exposure, or ISO.

You can see full details on Viltrox’s Website here

The AI-Powered Peakto App

Cyme just dropped Peakto 2.3 a new version of their photo and video management platform, and the big news is remote access—meaning photographers can browse their photo and video library from anywhere, even if their files are stuck on a hard drive at home.

With the new Peakto Connect app, you can preview, search, and organize your photos without uploading them to the cloud. It’s perfect for showing clients your work on the go.

They have also added a smarter search bar, better Capture One previews, and improved syncing when you move or edit files. Plus, its AI still auto-tags, organises, and recognises faces—all locally, no internet needed. Pricing? $9–$15/month or $270 one-time.

You can see full details on Cyme’s Website here

Something Worth Checking Out

Are you a photographer, videographer, writer, content creator, creative?

Then Authory is the thing for you.

Authory is the first automated platform to bring together all the content you create — articles, videos, photos, social media posts, and more — no matter where you publish your work.

Definitely check it out (highly recommended!!!) ⬇️

The portfolio that's automatically up to date with your work.

• Authory saves you hours with a portfolio that's always up to date.

• Get backups of all your articles.

• Be ready to impress potential clients and employers, anytime.

Get your free portfolio today

Photo Analysis

Welcome to a new addition to the magazine: the photo analysis, where I will analyse a photo and talk about the composition, lighting what’s positive, what’s negative etc. so that you can learn and better your own photography from it ;)

This week’s photo by: Don Amatayakul

You can find him on Instagram as: @donamtykl

Let’s Analyse this Image:

Composition

What Works:

• That puddle reflection is the star of the show. It adds this dreamlike quality, making the whole scene feel twice as big.

• The cathedral is perfectly centered, pulling your eye straight in.

• The surrounding buildings naturally frame the shot, keeping everything focused and in line.

• The person walking adds scale and a small human element, making the scene feel more alive.

What Could Be Better:

• The power lines cutting across the sky are a bit distracting. Not a dealbreaker, but they do break up the clean look. Editing them out (I know…not everyone’s cup of tea) would solve this problem. Me personally I would have edited them out.

• The reflection at the bottom feels a little tight—just a bit more space could make it breathe better and make it fell more balanced.

Lighting & Mood

What Works:

• The warm golden light hitting the cathedral makes it glow—it feels ethereal. I very nice touch.

• The contrast between the warm sky and cooler shadows adds depth and makes the details pop.

• The soft clouds in the background complement the scene nicely without pulling away too much of your attention.

What Could Be Better:

• If there were slightly more dramatic clouds, it could enhance the atmosphere even more. However that is of course not the photographers fault.

Story & Emotion

What Works:

• There’s this cool contrast between movement and stillness—the person walking adds life, while the reflection/the puddle stays completely frozen.

• The empty streets give the image a very peaceful vibe.

What Could Be Better:

• The person is slightly off-center—if they were more in the middle, the symmetry might feel even stronger.

• A second person in the distance or some light activity could add another layer to the story without making it too busy.

Depth & Perspective

What Works:

• The low (lower) angle makes the Duomo feel even more massive and grand. Another very nice touch (those small details matter)

• The mirror effect from the puddle almost doubles the sense of space, making the shot even more immersive.

• The sharp details in the foreground contrast well with the softer background, adding a great sense of depth.

What Could Be Better:

• The background fades a little too much—a touch more clarity on the distant buildings could help keep the depth strong.

• The signs on the left and right sides slightly break the historical mood (as well as the construction work by the cathedral on the left side (which really is a pain))—somehow cropping or softening or editing them could keep the scene feeling more timeless. But again not everyone's cup of tea doing that.

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.