Michael Zhang

Founder, Editor

Michael is a photography enthusiast, entrepreneur, and programmer based in Northern California near San Francisco. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with two degrees in computer science.

Articles by Michael Zhang

Win a Sony a7 IV Camera Worth $2,500

Want to win one of the most popular mirrorless cameras on the market? PetaPixel is partnering with the camera and electronics superstore Adorama to give away a Sony a7 IV worth $2,500.

Ukraine Opens Russian Drone, Finds Canon DSLR Inside

Ukraine's Ministry of Defense has released a video in which a Ukrainian soldier disassembles a Russian military surveillance drone. The teardown revealed a remarkably rudimentary design that features a low-end Canon DSLR camera at its core.

This AI Can Make an Eerily Accurate Portrait Using Only Your Voice

Photographs are made with the help of light, but what if portraits of people could be made with the sound of their voices? AI researchers have been working on reconstructing the face of a person using only a short audio recording of that person speaking, and the results are eerily impressive.

Photographer Finds Spider Living in His Camera’s Viewfinder

Imagine looking through your camera's viewfinder, finding it strangely blurry, and then realizing that a fairly large spider had made its home inside... and that your eye had been just a fraction of an inch away from the eight-legged creature. That's what happened recently to Canadian photographer Joel Robison.

How to Photograph Tulips in the Netherlands

I always enjoy tulip season in the Netherlands. As a landscape photographer from the Netherlands, I have been photographing them and writing about them for many years from every possible angle. In this article, I will share a guide with tips on how you can shoot Dutch tulip season for yourself.

Nikon’s New Lens Tech is a Danger to Medical Devices

Nikon's new $14,000 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S lens for mirrorless cameras has been getting terrific reviews, but there is another more unusual reason the lens stands out in Nikon's lineup: Nikon warns that you should not use it if you have a pacemaker or any other kind of medical device.

Photographer Robert Frank Was Jailed for Being ‘Suspicious’ in 1955

Photographers are often viewed with suspicion by police, and there are regular headlines about people being harassed and detained for simply shooting photos. However, being stopped by police for this type of "suspicious" behavior is not an issue unique to the digital age. Renowned photographer Robert Frank was even jailed for three days while driving through Arkansas in 1955 as he shot his famous photo book The Americans.

Photos from Inside the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

On February 24th, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an all-out invasion of its neighboring country Ukraine following years of escalating conflict and failed diplomacy since 2014. The world has watched as ordinary Ukrainians have taken up arms to join soldiers in the defense of their nation.

AI-Created Art Cannot be Copyrighted, US Copyright Office Says

Artificial intelligence has gotten better and better at creating "art" in recent years -- algorithms are now capable of creating convincing "photos" of people and places that do not actually exist. It turns out those AI artworks cannot be copyrighted in the United States with the US Copyright Office.