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Editor’s Note

Welcome to another edition of our weekly email.

Today, in addition to giving you some fresh and inspiring tips, we will look back at what an incredible month of entries we had last month! Your creativity truly shone through. We are thrilled to announce the winners of our “Pet Photography” competition in this edition's Community Spotlight – congratulations to all.

As we now embrace our new monthly theme, Black and White, get ready to explore the captivating world of Texture & Pattern. Stripping away colour often reveals a beautiful interplay of light, shadow, and intricate details. It is the perfect challenge to sharpen your monochrome eye. Do not forget to submit your stunning Black and White photos to our monthly competition for a chance to win fantastic prizes from Digital Camera Warehouse.

Monthly photo competition

Week 2: Texture & Pattern

Removing colour forces the eye to focus entirely on light, shadow, and structural detail, making monochrome the ultimate medium for this week's topic: Texture & Pattern.

Texture relies on directional side-lighting to cast fine, micro-shadows that reveal tactile surfaces, like weathered wood, rough stone, or coarse fabric, making the viewer feel as though they can touch the frame.

Pattern, by contrast, relies on repetition and contrast, using geometric lines, recurring shapes, or architectural rhythms to create visually compelling, abstract compositions that lead the viewer’s eye through the image.

⚠️ Weekly prompts are just a guide — interpret them your way, as long as your shot captures the spirit of the month's theme.⁠

How to enter:

To participate, simply complete the submission form on our portal on our website. Make sure your entries align with this month's theme. For additional guidance, check the photographic tips below.

Prizes:

1st Prize: Pentax 17 HF 35mm Film Camera Valued at $699 RRP

2nd Prize: Ilford XP2 B&W Single Use 35mm Camera Valued at $34.95 RRP

Deadline:

All entries must be submitted by 31st August, 2026.

Make sure to read the FAQ on the competition page at the link below to understand all the details and rules of the competition.

We look forward to receiving your photos and celebrating your creativity

An interesting fact about the
Pentax 17 HF 35mm Film Camera

The Pentax 17 brings the simple joy back to film, with a clever half-frame design that gives you double the shots on a standard 35mm roll. Holding the camera naturally shoots vertical photos, perfect if you're used to smartphone framing. It’s built for hands-on shooting with manual zone focus, film advance, and dedicated dials for ISO and exposure control. Paired with a sharp, fixed 25mm lens (a versatile 37mm equivalent), it’s an effortless walkaround camera for capturing everyday moments in style.

Exhibition Spotlight: Phil Penman at Leica Gallery Sydney & Melbourne

Looking for a splash of inspiration for our current Black & White photo competition? Acclaimed street photographer Phil Penman is bringing his celebrated black-and-white NYC series to Australia, offering a masterclass in monochrome visual storytelling.

Fresh off a successful run in New York, the free public exhibition opens at Leica Store and Gallery Sydney on 7 August, before heading to Leica Store and Gallery Melbourne on 15 August, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Leica Galleries worldwide.

Renowned for his instinctive approach and ability to capture fleeting moments, Penman’s collection documents the raw energy, quiet interactions, and striking light play of everyday life in New York City. Named one of the “52 Most Influential Street Photographers” alongside legends like Henri Cartier-Bresson and Sebastião Salgado, his work offers incredible viewing for anyone currently working on their monochrome entries.

As part of his visit, Penman will also host weekend workshops in both Sydney and Melbourne covering street photography, timing, and urban narrative building.

This week, we're diving into the fascinating world of texture and pattern in black and white photography. These elements truly come alive when stripped of colour, making them a perfect pairing for our monthly theme. Removing distracting hues allows the viewer's eye to focus solely on the intricate details and repeating forms that make up your image.

Use Side Lighting:

Raking light across a textured surface creates dramatic shadows and highlights, making the texture visually pop in black and white by enhancing its three-dimensionality.

Look for High Contrast:

In black and white, strong tonal differences between light and dark areas will dramatically accentuate both fine textures and bold patterns, making them stand out powerfully.

Isolate Your Subject:
Remove distracting elements from your frame to allow patterns to dominate the composition, as the absence of colour in black and white photography naturally simplifies and clarifies visual information.

Get Up Close and Personal:
Fill your frame with the texture itself, capturing the minute details and nuances that might be overlooked from a distance, which is particularly effective for showcasing intricate surfaces in monochrome.

Elevate your black and white texture and pattern photography with the right gear. A dedicated macro lens is paramount for capturing intricate details, while a sturdy tripod and remote shutter release ensure absolute sharpness without camera shake. Consider a polarising filter to cut glare and boost contrast, or neutral density filters for creative long exposures that smooth out distracting elements. Don't forget an LED panel or reflector to precisely sculpt light and shadow, revealing every fascinating surface. Explore these tools at DCW and transform your monochrome vision.

NEED HELP? TALK TO AN EXPERT 1300 365 220

"When you photograph people in colour, you photograph their clothes. But when you photograph people in black and white, you photograph their souls!"
— Ted Grant.

Your photo question of the week:

A photographer is tasked with capturing the intricate textures of an ancient, weathered stone wall for a monochrome exhibition. Which lighting condition would generally be most effective for emphasising these textures in a black and white photograph?

A) Overcast sky with soft, diffused light, illuminating the wall evenly from the front.

B) Bright, direct sunlight striking the wall frontally at midday, creating minimal shadows.

C) Hard, directional light, such as from a low sun, raking across the wall's surface at an acute angle.

D) Soft, ambient light from an open shade environment, with the wall largely in shadow.

Last Week's Answer:

Thanks again to everyone who weighed in on last week's photography question. The correct answer was indeed C) Spot metering! This clever metering mode allows you to precisely expose a very small, specific area of your scene, making it ideal for tricky lighting conditions where you want a particular subject perfectly exposed.

Let's face it. Not all of us are professionals, and even still, pros still need to learn a thing or two about photography or cinematography. That's why we've put together this section. We want to highlight some of the common and not-so-common questions people face when attempting a particular genre.

I love shooting textures and patterns, especially in black and white, but sometimes my photos just look flat. How can I make them really pop and emphasise the details?

That's a common challenge! To make textures and patterns pop in black and white, lighting is key. Look for strong, directional light, like low sunlight or artificial side lighting, which creates deep shadows and highlights to define surfaces. This 'raking light' helps reveal intricate details. In post-processing, boost local contrast and clarity to further enhance those tonal differences. Simplifying your composition and filling the frame can also prevent distractions, drawing the viewer's eye straight to the captivating textures.

Pet Photography Competition Winners!

We absolutely loved seeing your stunning entries for our July 'Pet Photography' photo competition. Your creativity and keen eye for detail truly shone through, proving just how powerful our love of our pets can be and the inspiration that they provide us with. It was genuinely challenging for our judges to pick the winners from such a fantastic collection of submissions, so a huge congratulations to everyone who took part.

1st Place: Sharnee O'Rourke

Sharnee captured Callie, a Calico kitten who may be small in size, but clearly packs a huge personality into the frame. Well done Sharnee!

Canon EOS 80D, Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM lens and a Canon Speedlite (1/200 sec, f/8, ISO 100).

2nd Place: Krystal Annetts

Krystal made brilliant use of a fast f/2.8 aperture at the 200mm end to beautifully isolate her subject against the background.

Canon EOS R7, 70-200mm lens (200mm, 1/400 sec, f/2.8, ISO 2000).

1st Runner-up: Tara Maguire

Tara gave us a sweet, intimate glimpse into daily life with Sooty Boy, capturing everything from a peaceful afternoon nap to a lovely walk together.

Canon EOS 1500D

2nd Runner-up: Taylor Aspinall

Taylor brought out the fun during a playful portrait session with Pippin, highlighting just how distinct individual personalities can be - even among Ragdoll siblings!

Nikon Z50, NIKKOR Z DX 50-250mm lens (75mm, 1/500 sec, f/4.5, ISO 2500)

Reader’s gallery

Navigate to our reader’s gallery to see a selection of entries to help inspire your vision. You can also see the past winners there. Thank you to everyone who sent in their images. We love seeing them!

Sometimes, all we need is some visual motivation, like these images, to spark our creative thoughts. What will you create with your camera this week? Enter your images via our online portal, and we look forward to showcasing them.