Patchwork portraits

From Lensbaby optics to binoculars and sandals, 27 photographers talk to CUPOTY co-founder Tracy Calder about their go-to gear for prize-winning close-up pictures

Geoff Harris is working on his bird photography – but is the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm F4 IS Pro a help or a hindrance?

Spotlight on readers’ excellent images and how they captured them

Light is photography’s raw ingredient, so James Abbott explains four ways to adjust the luminance using Photoshop

Here are the top ten images uploaded to Photocrowd from Round Three, Close-ups and Details, with comments by the AP team and our guest judge

Fine-tune your photos with sharpening and contrast tools