What Makes A Good Wildlife Photo? with Richard Bernabe and Scott Kelby
Finding an incredible animal is one thing. Turning that encounter into an incredible photograph is something else entirely.
In this new course, legendary wildlife photographer Richard Bernabe joins Scott Kelby to go through Richard’s own portfolio and talk about what makes the images work. From jaguars in the Pantanal and polar bears in Svalbard to lions in the Masai Mara, you’ll hear the stories behind the photographs and, more importantly, the decisions Richard made when creating them.
Richard and Scott look at how shooting from a low angle can put you eye-to-eye with your subject, how gesture and light bring energy to a frame, and how the right crop can pull the viewer into the photograph. They also explore why getting closer isn’t always the answer and when including more of the environment can tell a stronger story.
It’s a great opportunity to look beyond camera settings and gear and spend some time thinking about what actually makes a wildlife photograph connect with the viewer. Watch them tell you more about it below, and then check it out. You can watch the first lesson for free.
From 30 September 2026 to 17 January 2027, the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris presents Penn & Fashion, an exhibition dedicated to Irving Penn and his enduring influence on fashion photography.
Organised in collaboration with The Irving Penn Foundation and the Nicola Erni Collection, the exhibition opens the programme celebrating the MEP’s 30th anniversary. Following Penn’s career chronologically from 1947 to 2008, it brings together photographs that helped define the visual language of twentieth-century fashion while continuing to feel strikingly contemporary.
Irving Penn at the MEP
Few photographers have moved so naturally between commissioned work and artistic practice as Irving Penn. For nearly six decades, primarily through his collaboration with Vogue, Penn approached fashion photography with the discipline of a studio artist. Clothes, bodies, gestures and surfaces were reduced to their essential forms, isolated from unnecessary detail and observed with remarkable precision.
His images rarely relied on spectacle. Even when photographing the most elaborate garments, Penn maintained a sense of restraint. A neutral background, the geometry of a silhouette or the position of a hand could become as significant as the dress itself.
This simplicity was never casual. Penn carefully controlled every stage of the photographic process, from the moment of the shoot to the production of the final print. His experiments with printing, particularly the platinum-palladium technique that became one of his signatures, were part of the same search for permanence, texture and tonal depth.
The exhibition begins with Penn’s photographs of the Paris haute couture collections of the 1950s. Designs by Christian Dior and Cristóbal Balenciaga appear through the presence of models including Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn and Jean Patchett.
These early images already contain many of the elements that would define Penn’s work: sculptural poses, precise compositions and a controlled visual tension between the garment and the person wearing it. Fashion is documented, but it is also transformed into an arrangement of shape, line and volume.
The chronological display continues through the changing aesthetics of the following decades. In the 1970s, Penn photographed the designs of Emanuel Ungaro and André Courrèges, as well as figures such as Marisa Berenson and Lauren Hutton. The exhibition then moves towards the work of Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld during the 1980s.
Rather than simply reflecting fashion’s transformations, Penn developed a visual system capable of absorbing them. His images remained unmistakably his own, whether the subject was an architectural Balenciaga coat, an embroidered Yves Saint Laurent cape or the theatrical excess of a later couture creation.
A central part of Penn & Fashion is dedicated to Irving Penn’s collaboration with Japanese designer Issey Miyake. Their relationship, which extended over thirteen years, became one of the most productive encounters between a photographer and a fashion designer.
Miyake’s garments, constructed through folds, volumes and unconventional materials, found an ideal counterpart in Penn’s minimalist studio. Instead of treating the clothes as products to be explained, Penn photographed them as autonomous forms. The human figure, the fabric and the space surrounding them became part of a single composition.
The resulting photographs sit somewhere between fashion imagery, portraiture and sculpture. They also reveal the degree of freedom Penn could achieve within a commercial assignment when working with a designer who shared his interest in structure and experimentation.
During the final decades of his career, Penn continued to investigate silhouette, volume and material. His colour photographs of gowns by John Galliano and Christian Lacroix brought a different intensity to his work, while Chanel’s elaborate feathered headpieces became the subjects of images that appear both extravagant and rigorously controlled.
The exhibition also includes photographs produced for the beauty pages of Vogue during the 1990s and 2000s. These works show Penn continuing to test the limits of the face, the body and the cosmetic image late into his career.
Beauty photography became another space for experimentation rather than a secondary commercial genre. Cropped faces, painted surfaces, hair and carefully constructed gestures allowed Penn to create images that could be unsettling, playful or abstract without losing their formal clarity.
Penn’s work is often described as timeless, but its apparent effortlessness can obscure the intensity of the process behind it. He was not only the author of the exposure. He remained deeply involved in editing and printing, treating the physical photograph as the final expression of the work.
This attention to the print is essential to understanding his practice. Penn’s fashion photographs were made for magazines, but they were never conceived as disposable images. Through composition, technical experimentation and an uncompromising approach to production, he brought together art, fashion and commerce without allowing one to diminish the others.
The exhibition is drawn primarily from the collections of the MEP and the Nicola Erni Collection, one of the most extensive private collections devoted to fashion photography. It also includes exceptional loans from The Irving Penn Foundation and the Miyake Issey Foundation.
Penn has held a particularly important place within the MEP since the institution’s early years. Its collection now includes more than one hundred of his prints and has been further enriched by a gift from Tom Penn of photographs formerly owned by Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn.
The cloth-bound volume includes 43 plates, eight of them in colour, together with a text by exhibition curator Pascal Hoël and a foreword by MEP director Julie Jones. It will be available exclusively from the MEP bookshop until May 2027.
The exhibition is curated by Pascal Hoël in collaboration with Frédérique Dolivet and organised by the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in partnership with The Irving Penn Foundation and the Nicola Erni Collection.
Creative Photo Illustration with an iPhone with Russell Preston Brown
Great photo illustrations still start with great photographs, and you don’t need a studio full of gear to create them.
In his new class, Adobe’s Russell Preston Brown starts with an iPhone, one continuous light, and a tripod to photograph model and professional bubbleologist Kirk Marsh. Russell shows you how to shoot 48-megapixel raw on the iPhone and create split, Rembrandt, loop, and butterfly lighting using just that single light.
Then the fun really starts.
Russell takes the photographs into Lightroom and Photoshop, where he uses Adobe Firefly and Generative Fill to build on what he captured in camera. You’ll see how he adds lighting that wasn’t there during the shoot and creates elements for the scene without changing his original subject.
It’s a great example of how a strong photograph and a little imagination can become something completely different. Watch Russell tell you more about it below, and then check it out. You can watch two lessons from the course for free.
The Prepared Wildlife Photographer with Moose Peterson
Wildlife doesn’t wait. When something incredible happens in front of your camera, you might only have a few seconds to capture it.
That’s the idea behind Moose Peterson’s new course. Instead of figuring out exposure, focal length, or your gear when the action starts, Moose shows you how to make those decisions ahead of time.
You’ll learn how he prepares his cameras before heading into the field, from firmware checks and sensor cleaning to working with long lenses and getting exposure dialed in. Moose also covers using flash for color, choosing between teleconverters and crop mode, and even shares his teddy bear exercise for practicing exposure before the real wildlife shows up.
The goal is to make the technical side of photography second nature, so when the moment happens, you’re free to concentrate on the subject and the story.
Watch Moose tell you more about it below, and then check it out today (you can watch the first lesson for FREE)!
This Week on The Grid: Better Waterfall Photos Start in the Field
There are plenty of things you can improve later in Photoshop, but some of the most important decisions in waterfall photography happen before you ever sit down to edit.
This week on The Grid, Scott Kelbyand Erik Kuna were joined by waterfall and night photographer Kevin Adams, who shared his approach to creating stronger waterfall images in-camera.
Kevin explained how experimenting with shutter speed can completely change the appearance of moving water and why a polarizing filter can make such a big difference by controlling reflections and glare. He also discussed working in overcast and rainy conditions, finding strong foreground elements to create depth, and even photographing waterfalls at night.
Starting with the right light, composition, and exposure gives you much more to work with when the image eventually makes its way into Camera Raw or Photoshop.
Start Smart: Build a Strong Foundation in Lightroom Classic with Rob Sylvan
If Lightroom Classic has ever felt more complicated than it needs to be, sometimes the problem isn’t Lightroom. It’s how everything was set up in the first place.
In this new class, Rob Sylvan goes back to the fundamentals and shows you how to build a Lightroom Classic workflow that will serve you well for years.
You’ll learn how the catalog really works, how to create a reliable backup strategy, and how to make smart decisions about importing, previews, folders, and presets. Rob also tackles one of those problems nobody wants to see: missing photos.
Whether you’re just getting started with Lightroom Classic or you’ve been using it for years and aren’t entirely sure your setup is as solid as it could be, this class is a great way to get everything on the right track. You can preview two lessons from the class for free, then jump into the full class when you’re ready.
Last Week on The Grid: Photoshop AI, Firefly & Brand-New Features
There was plenty for Photoshop users to geek out over on last week’s special Photoshop World 2026 edition of The Grid.
Scott Kelbyand Erik Kuna welcomed Photoshop World instructors Lisa Carney, Rob Sylvan, and Karen Hutton, with Lisa sharing how she’s using AI and Adobe Firefly in real-world retouching workflows. Rather than AI for the sake of AI, the focus was on where these tools can actually save time and help solve everyday editing challenges.
Scott also put Photoshop’s generative AI to the test in a live demo, experimenting with what it could handle and where it still needed a little help. Then, in perfect timing, new Photoshop features actually dropped during the show, giving the crew a chance to explore some of the latest additions on the spot.
Rob Sylvan shared Lightroom Classic workflow advice, Karen Hutton brought a creative photography perspective to the discussion, and Erik Kuna offered tips for photographing a lunar eclipse.
It all made for a fun preview of the kind of Photoshop, Lightroom, AI, and photography training coming to Photoshop World 2026, sponsored by Adobe, September 14–17.
How to Treat Your iPhone as a Professional Mirrorless Camera with Erik Kuna
Your iPhone is a pretty incredible camera. The trick is learning to treat it like one.
In this new class, Erik Kuna shows how to approach your iPhone the same way you would a traditional mirrorless camera, taking control of the decisions that go into creating the photograph instead of simply letting the phone figure everything out.
You’ll learn how to lock focus and exposure, choose the right lens instead of pinching to zoom, understand when ProRAW is worth the extra file size, and take control of Night mode, macro, and long exposures. Erik also shares useful shortcuts and walks through a straightforward editing workflow from Apple Photos to Lightroom Mobile.
If you already carry your iPhone everywhere, this class will help you get a whole lot more from the camera that’s always with you.
You can purchase this class for just $39, or subscribe to KelbyOne and get access to this course plus our entire library for only $19.99 a month. Try it risk-free with our 100% money-back guarantee.
Four Days to Learn, Create, and Get Inspired at Photoshop World 2026
Sometimes the best thing you can do for your creativity is shake up your routine, learn something new, and spend some time around other people who love creating as much as you do.
Join us online September 14–17 for four days packed with creative education, practical techniques, new ideas, and an incredible community of photographers, designers, retouchers, and digital creatives.
With more than 45 interactive sessions, there’s plenty to explore, whether you spend your days in Photoshop, Lightroom, behind a camera, experimenting with AI, or moving between all of them.
Real-World Creatives. Real-World Techniques.
Photoshop Worldinstructors aren’t teaching from a script. They’re working professionals who use these tools to solve creative problems every day.
We’re bringing together an incredible group of photographers, retouchers, designers, educators, and creative professionals ready to share the techniques and workflows they’ve developed through years of real-world experience.
That means practical instruction you can actually use, from smarter Photoshop and Lightroom workflows to retouching, compositing, photography, AI-powered tools, creative effects, and much more.
You might come to Photoshop World looking for one particular skill and leave with an idea from a completely different session that changes the way you approach your work. That’s part of the fun.
Come for the Classes. Stay for Everything Else.
There’s a lot more happening at Photoshop World than what’s on the class schedule.
Our Pre-Conference Meet-Up gives you a chance to say hello, meet fellow attendees, and start making connections before the full conference begins.
Then we’ll get those creative wheels turning with our Opening Keynote presented by Adobe before heading into full days of classes and special events.
You’ll also be able to kick back and enjoy the PSW Film Fest, get inspired during An Evening With…, and laugh along with Late Night with Larry Becker & Guests, our newest event featuring a live late-night talk show experience with some familiar Photoshop World faces.
And then there are the Guru Awards, one of our favorite Photoshop World traditions. This is your chance to showcase your own work and let us celebrate the creativity happening within our community. Take a look at last year’s winners and finalists here.
An Online Conference That Actually Feels Connected
One of our favorite parts of the online Photoshop World experience is just how easy it is to be part of the conversation. Our chat windows stay open throughout the day, giving you a place to ask questions, talk about what you’re learning, meet fellow attendees, and connect with our friendly event staff.
Our sponsors get involved, too. Keep an eye out for chats, meetings, bonus sessions, and opportunities to connect directly with companies that can help answer questions about the tools and services you use.
You don’t have to travel anywhere to meet a whole bunch of people who understand why you can happily spend an hour debating the best way to make a selection in Photoshop. We think that’s pretty great.
A Full Year to Keep Learning
Of course, four days still isn’t enough time to see everything. That’s why every session is recorded and available to replay for a full year. Watch live when you can, catch anything you missed later, and return to your favorite sessions whenever you need a refresher or a little creative inspiration.
Early Birds Save $200
Registration for Photoshop World 2026 is currently just $299, saving you $200 off the regular $499 price. But don’t wait too long. Early Bird pricing ends August 14, 2026, at 11:59 PM EDT.
If you’re ready for four days of learning, creating, connecting, and filling up that creative tank, we’d love to have you join us!
This Week on The Grid: Photoshop Fixes for Real-World Photos
This week’s episode of The Grid is packed with editing techniques that Photoshop users will appreciate. Scott Kelby takes a series of viewer-submitted photos and demonstrates how he solves common editing problems using Photoshop, Camera Raw, and Lightroom.
Working through everything from sports and wildlife to architecture and travel photography, Scott covers perspective correction, targeted masking, sky replacements, selective sharpening, AI-powered editing, and techniques for creating more natural-looking results. He also explains why Adaptive Color has become one of his favorite Camera Raw tools and when it makes sense to combine traditional editing with newer AI features.
One of the biggest takeaways is that successful editing isn’t about applying every tool available—it’s about identifying the handful of adjustments that make the biggest difference for each image.
If you’re looking for practical Photoshop techniques you can use on your own photos, this episode is well worth watching. Catch the replay below.
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