
Alan Palazon
I’ve been writing professionally since 2021 and joined Digital Camera World as a staff writer in 2026. My previous role was as a junior editor for a careers advice publisher and I’ve freelanced in the sustainability and travel and tourism niches.
In 2025, I became a qualified journalist completing my training remotely while traveling through Latin America. The experience melded my love for words and photography, and expanded my photographic interest into international photojournalism. Capturing the world’s incredible landscapes and cultures through the lens is what most inspires me.
I started out on a Nikon D3500, which was the ideal entry-level digital camera, but have since upgraded to Sony’s Alpha system. My go-to setup is the A7III (and later A7 models) paired with the 24-105 F4 G lens. In all honesty, cameras are so advanced these days that I don’t think it matters what make or model you use.
Latest articles by Alan Palazon
The Messiah isn’t Jesus, it’s this heron walking on water – which won a trophy at the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards
By Alan Palazon Published
News The heron's physics-defying tricks give Jesus a run for his money… until you see what's really going on beneath the water!

"Why did I need a photograph? I knew I'd been there" – Edmund Hillary’s purported words after history-making Everest summit seem crazy by today's 'snap everything' standards
By Alan Palazon Published
Opinion After becoming the first person to summit the tallest peak on Earth 73 years ago today, Sir Edmund Hillary's anti-selfie sentiment might confuse today's snappers

A fashion designer traveled to the "end of the Earth" – and captured this gripping, award-winning image with an 11-year-old DSLR
By Alan Palazon Published
News The composition and documentary storytelling of this immersive scene depicting two indigenous fishermen in the Russian Arctic carving through a frozen lake is visceral

This award-nominated aerial photo is a great lesson in how to combine shapes and complementary colors creatively
By Alan Palazon Published
News This drone image was a runner-up in the most recent Travel Photographer of the Year Awards, and we can all learn from its mesmerizing blend of shapes and complementary colors

These photos are more than ten years old, but scientists are still baffled by a bizarre new blue deep-sea octopus species
By Alan Palazon Published
News Researchers discovered the octopus 1.8km below the shores of the Galápagos Islands in 2015, but are still figuring out exactly what this intriguing species is

Microscopy contest-winning photo reveals “intriguing parallels” between biology and the cosmos
By Alan Palazon Published
News The winning photo of this year’s Evident Image of the Year Award, a microscopic photography contest, has revealed mesmerizing similarities between the microscopic world and the cosmos

Underwater camera footage reveals hiding spot of critically endangered monk seals that disappeared from beaches
By Alan Palazon Published
News Researchers used underwater cameras to film critically endangered Mediterranean monk seals, with the footage revealing the pinnipeds hiding out in flooded “bubble caves” away from humans

This tiger video is going viral for all the wrong reasons. I’m shocked by the trend of taking photos with captive tigers
By Alan Palazon Published
Opinion There’s a sea of photos online of tourists posing with captive tigers at a zoo, raising questions about animal welfare at these venues

150 photos depict 185 years of the US mining industry in world-first historical exhibition
By Alan Palazon Published
News Beneath the Surface is the first ever exhibition to reveal the hidden relationship between how photographers, often working in demanding conditions, have documented US industrial resource extraction

Todd Webb championed unmodified photographs in the post-WWII era. Now, 65,000 of his historic images will be preserved
By Alan Palazon Published
News The extensive collection includes some 15,000 prints and 50,000 negatives created by Webb, best known for documenting post-WWII New York and Paris

I left my mirrorless at home to try the trendy Kodak PixPro FZ55. I get why the cheap point-and-shoot is a best-seller – but I’m not sold
By Alan Palazon Published
Opinion The Kodak PixPro FZ55 is nifty little camera, but I’d personally invest an extra couple of hundred for slightly better exposure metering and color rendering

The “American Amazon” needs protecting too, and this photography book explores its disappearing biodiversity
By Alan Palazon Published
News In his new book, photographer Mac Stone documents ecological havens in the southeastern US, highlighting their photogenic beauty but also the increasing threats from human encroachment

Sony’s new 100-400mm f/4.5 lens looks incredible – but I’m sticking to the older "inferior" version with its f/5.6 for two key reasons
By Alan Palazon Published
Opinion I’d love to have Sony’s updated 100-400mm G Master OSS in my arsenal, but I’m not convinced the constant aperture is worth the price and weight

“This isn’t about politics. It’s about representation.” This project turns a statistic into stunning portraits documenting the milestone 40% female representation in British Parliament
By Alan Palazon Published
News Some 130 women photographers have pictured over 250 women members of parliament in an ongoing monumental effort to document record 40% women representation in Westminster

I'm glad safaris are cracking down on smartphones – but even as a photographer, I think using “proper” cameras can put animal welfare at risk too…
By Alan Palazon Last updated
Opinion Tiger safaris in India are banning smartphones, but unless restrictions limit tourist numbers and distances from animals – then "real photographers" may also be part of the issues at hand

This trending footage of a one-day-old rhino makes me want to ditch photography to become a national park ranger
By Alan Palazon Published
News The newborn greater one-horned rhino was filmed by rangers in Jaldapara National Park, India, and is a testament to the ongoing conservation efforts

Sigma is updating one of its most popular Art lenses with an even brighter aperture, but I think the upcoming 85mm has more competition than ever
By Alan Palazon Published
Opinion Sigma recently displayed a prototype of its forthcoming DG Art 85mm f/1.2 lens at the China P&E trade show, but I think Viltrox is starting to put real pressure on
Rankin, Nile Rodgers and Raye among star-studded judging panel as Abbey Road Music Photography Awards 2026 opens for entries
By Alan Palazon Published
News Legendary punk photographer Roberta Bayley to receive the 2026 Icon Award at the Abbey Road Music Photography Awards

Godox crams a bright light into a palm-sized, budget LED light using a modifier trick with the new ML40Bi and ML40R
By Alan Palazon Published
News Godox has released the ML40Bi / ML40R portable LEDs geared toward photographers, filmmakers, and social media creators who want high-output lighting from a travel-friendly device

"I wish I’d never taken it" – Aberfan disaster photographer still haunted by his award-winning image
By Alan Palazon Published
News Mel Parry shot the famous image of a police officer carrying a wounded girl after the coal spoil slide in South Wales. He reflects on how the photo still “haunts” him 60 years later

The trendy Sony A7 V just gained pro audio features, including 32-bit float recording in a key firmware update
By Alan Palazon Published
News Firmware version 2.0 for the Sony A7 V brings a suite of updates – notably pro audio recording features, bolstering the camera's hybrid-creator tool status

This thought-provoking aerial photography documents humanity’s insatiable appetite for natural resources
By Alan Palazon Published
News Renowned photographer Edward Burtynsky will exhibit his latest eye-opening aerial documentation of natural resource mining in Western Australia and the permanent scars created

Meike targets budget creators with this US$159 Air lens – the first of a new ultra-compact and cheap lineup
By Alan Palazon Published
News Meike continues its push into mainstream creator territory with the 56mm f/1.7 AF Air for Sony, Fujifilm and Nikon APS-C cameras

30 years of Rosalind Fox Solomon’s “unapologetic” depictions of suffering, survival and struggle on display at Photo London
By Alan Palazon Published
News “Psychologically dense” portraits crafted over three decades by the late photographer are currently being exhibited

I don’t care if Dua Lipa is already filthy rich – as a photographer, I’m glad she’s suing Samsung for millions over allegedly breaching copyright
By Alan Palazon Published
News Dua Lipa has launched a $15 million copyright suit against Samsung for allegedly stealing her image – and, as a photographer, I’m all for it
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