The game-changing technology of the past 10 years: which developments do leading photojournalists use most?

Fast uploads

"The speed of everything has made a huge difference," said Francis. "The way the photographer can transmit to their news desk, and also the way we can send to clients. This has totally changed photojournalism. A photographer can now send 3,000 to 4,000 photos daily, so we need to be even more careful about what we do. The roles of photographers and editors are now even more important."

Low light capabilities

"You can shoot practically in the dark now, which helped on my Wild West Tech project on the startup technology industry. I wanted to keep the atmosphere of fluorescent lights in a bad office, so I didn’t use flash, just the glow off people's screens," said Laura.

"A lot of that project was shot on the Canon EOS R. Another great thing about this camera is that it’s so small and compact. In my current project, University Avenue, having a small camera put people at ease and made them a little bit more comfortable."

Mirrorless cameras

"Mirrorless is a big, big change. I just came back from Ethiopia using mirrorless for the first time. Some pictures you cannot do without this technology. I was one of the last ones to use film until 2008, when I switched to digital. It was a big change, but now the big changes are in the new family of mirrorless cameras, and it's opening new doors," said Pascal.

"The leap in resolution and performance that's been made with the Canon EOS R5 means that I no longer have to compromise," said photographer Brent Stirton. "I used to always have to carry a Canon EOS 5DS R and two Canon EOS 5D Mark IVs. If I wanted to make a 50-megapixel file I would use the EOS 5DS R, but if I wanted to shoot in low-light I would have to switch to the EOS 5D Mark IV. Now I have it all on one body.

"At the same time, this camera doesn't look like a big, threatening professional tool," he said. "It doesn't attract a lot of attention, which is often a good thing in my line of work."

"I finished school in 2009, which was around the time the Canon EOS 5D Mark II was released, and that was a big change. It was one of the first affordable full-frame cameras with the ability to make videos, and that was a big paradigm shift," said Daniel.

"Now we are seeing the shift from DSLRs to mirrorless cameras, which are now technologically on par. I've completely shifted from a DSLR to only using the Canon EOS R. It is much smaller and much lighter. Now I can take my camera everywhere."

Social media

"The biggest change from my point of view as a photographer is the way we communicate with our audience through social media," said Anush. "Instagram Stories has really transformed not only the way pictures are seen, but the way photographers show their work and communicate with people. I post my pictures and do behind-the-scenes stories of how I work. It has become very, very important for me."

Video-shooting cameras

"For me, the most game-changing technology has been video being added to the Canon EOS 5D Mark II," said Ilvy. "I never thought it would become such a big part of my daily work, but clients keep asking for video. It gives a totally different perspective to my job, and I really like it.

"Things have got even better with the latest mirrorless cameras such as the Canon EOS R6. This camera focuses so quickly and it sees more than I could with my naked eye," she said. "The new technology is so inspiring and I will be able to shoot things that would not have been possible before."