Photography

The photo above shows a scene from a movie which was made an entire century ago. And while it’s just a single frame, you can see exactly why it’s still entrancing audiences today. A wild-haired and heavily bearded man is signing a document with a quill. Beside him, a hooded figure has the countenance of a rogue landlord waiting for you to initial the small print. And in a sense, he is…

We all remember the class portrait photo from our school days, and not always in a kindly way. Rows of children, arranged by height, squinting at a stranger behind a lens. Getting shouted at to comb your hair. Being berated for not smiling properly. It wasn’t everybody’s idea of fun. And yet if someone keeps the print, and it turns up a couple of decades on, we’re generally…

Street photographers are taught to simplify. Find a clearly identified subject, moment or scene amidst the chaos of city life. Focus in on it, and minimise the visual clutter. Wait for the decisive moment, then pull the trigger. Alex Webb, though, does the opposite. His images are dense and layered. There’s no obvious focal point, which prompts you to keep looking at every nook and cranny.

At first glance, it looks like something out of a sci-fi blockbuster: a swirling tunnel of teal and coral-red gas, opening onto a deep, star-speckled void. The image by Israeli astrophotographer Kfir Simon was named runner-up in the Stars and Nebulae category of ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2026. And you can see why. But what are we actually looking at? The picture, titled Beyond the…