Every week we round up what matters in photography: the awards, the exhibitions worth a trip, and the competitions still open for entries. Watch the episode, or read it below.
01 · CUPOTY 8 shortlist breaks records
SHORTLIST — Close-up Photographer of the Year 8 has revealed its shortlist, and it's a record. More than 15,300 entries reached the judges, the most in the competition's history. Look at Daniel Meier's "Bat Defence", Hira Punjabi's "Bat Bath" and Joao Pontes's "Suspended". Small subjects fill the frame. Winners land in January 2027. Want to practise? The "Close to Home" challenge offers £500 in prizes and closes 30th November.
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- More than 15,300 submissions reached the judges for this year's Close-up Photographer of the Year, the highest number of entries in the competition's history.
- The CUPOTY 8 shortlist was revealed on 10 November 2026, and the winners will be announced in January 2027.
- The shortlist includes Daniel Meier's "Bat Defence", Hira Punjabi's "Bat Bath" and Joao Pontes's "Suspended".
Look at how the shortlist fills the frame with small subjects, from bats to slime moulds, then try the free-to-watch 'Close to Home' challenge before 30th November to practise macro work near where you live.
Source: www.cupoty.com · www.thisiscolossal.com · Photos: Daniel Meier, "Bat Defence" © the photographer and CUPOTY; Hira Punjabi, "Bat Bath" © the photographer and CUPOTY; Joao Pontes, "Suspended" © the photographer and CUPOTY
02 · Ivan McClellan's new rodeo book
PHOTOGRAPHER — Ivan McClellan has a new book out. Eight Seconds: Legacy in Motion, published by Damiani, adds 91 new images of Black rodeo culture. McClellan has been embedded in Black rodeo communities across the U.S. since 2015, and these pictures come from the inside. The updated edition features Texan teenager Kortnee Solomon. The lesson: keep going back, and your access and pictures get deeper.
- Ivan McClellan's new book, Eight Seconds: Legacy in Motion, adds 91 new images of the people and places at the heart of Black rodeo culture.
- Since 2015, McClellan has been embedded in Black rodeo communities across the U.S.
- Published by Damiani, the updated edition features Texan teenager Kortnee Solomon.
It shows what a long-term personal project can become: return to the same community year after year and your access, and your pictures, get deeper.
Source: www.damianibooks.com · www.thisiscolossal.com · Photos: Ivan McClellan, Kortnee Solomon, Texas, 2025, courtesy of Damiani; Ivan McClellan, Dantey Eldridge, Oregon, 2025, courtesy of Damiani; Ivan McClellan, Crowd, Oklahoma, 2021, courtesy of Damiani
03 · New York After Dark opens
EXHIBITION — The Museum of the City of New York opens The Photography Triennial: After Dark on November 20, at 1220 Fifth Avenue. It's New York once the sun goes down on the five boroughs. Landon Nordeman, Dina Litovsky and Lynn Saville are among the artists. It runs until April 25, 2027. Shoot at night? Go and compare how each one handles street light, flash and darkness.
- The Museum of the City of New York opens The Photography Triennial: After Dark on November 20, 2026, at 1220 Fifth Ave.
- The next show in the Museum's acclaimed triennial series, it looks at the city once the sun goes down on the five boroughs.
- Exhibiting artists include Landon Nordeman, Dina Litovsky, Ken Schles, Lynn Saville and Matthew Pillsbury, among others.
It's worth a visit if you shoot at night: you can compare how a wide range of photographers handle street light, flash and darkness in the same city.
Source: www.mcny.org · www.all-about-photo.com · Photos: Landon Nordeman, Three Martinis, New York City, 2024
04 · Irving Penn's fashion, at La MEP
EXHIBITION — Irving Penn's fashion career fills La MEP in Paris. PENN & FASHION follows his work in order, from 1947 to 2008, and it's on now, through January, at 5/7 rue de Fourcy. Look for Fashion Photograph, Jean Patchett, from 1949, and Christian Dior, from 1947. Note how far a plain backdrop and controlled light can go, across six decades of studio work.
- PENN & FASHION runs at La MEP, 5/7 rue de Fourcy, Paris, from 30.09.2026 to 17.01.2027.
- The exhibition follows Irving Penn's career in chronological order, from 1947 to 2008.
- It is curated by Pascal Hoël with Frédérique Dolivet and draws mainly on the MEP collection and the Nicola Erni Collection.
Penn's pictures show how far a plain backdrop and controlled light can go. Visitors can follow how his studio style developed over six decades.
Source: www.mep-fr.org · www.mep-fr.org · Photos: Irving Penn, Naomi Sims in Scarf, New York, circa 1969, Collection The Irving Penn Foundation © The Irving Penn Foundation; Irving Penn, Fashion Photograph (Jean Patchett), New York, 1949, Nicola Erni Collection © The Irving Penn Foundation; Irving Penn, Christian Dior, New York, 1947 © The Irving Penn Foundation, MEP Collection
05 · Siena Awards Festival's final weeks
EXHIBITION — The Siena Awards Festival 2026 is open until November 29th. The winners' show, People Sharing all the World, fills the former distillery Lo Stellino. Stefano Rosselli's "Amina" is the 2026 overall winner. There's also a James Nachtwey retrospective, Witness to Our Time. One ticket, € 17,00, covers every exhibition. Documentary, drone and creative work, side by side. Get to Tuscany before November ends.
- The Siena Awards Festival 2026 exhibitions are open to the public from October 10th to November 29th 2026.
- The Siena International Photo Awards winners' show, People Sharing all the World, is at the Former Distillery "Lo Stellino", Via Fiorentina 95, Siena.
- Other exhibitions include James Nachtwey's Witness to Our Time in Sovicille and Jasper Doest's Meet Bob at the Museum of Natural History, Siena.
It's a reason to go to Tuscany before the end of November: on one ticket you can see award-winning documentary, drone and creative work next to a James Nachtwey retrospective.
Source: www.sienawards.com · www.sienawards.com · Photos: Siena International Photo Awards 2026 (photographer not credited on page); Cinzia Canneri, "Road to Reunification" (Women's Bodies as Battlefields); Saher Alghorra, "Enduring Food Deprivation"
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