Land of the Free: Photographer Visits 37 Prisons in 17 States
It’s been a big week for execution: in Tennessee, they botched one. In Texas, they’re making plans to televise another.
The Latest
Incredible Photos Shine a Light on Giraffes in Africa
Remembering Giraffes is the latest book in the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series. It features images donated by world-leading wildlife photographers, such as Jonathan & Angela Scott, Marsel van Oosten, Frans Lanting, and Greg du Toit, in a stunning collection showcasing the world’s tallest mammal.
New iPhone Camera App, MARS, Lives for Grainy Black-and-White Photos
Japanese photographer Keitaro Kobayashi is building a new iPhone camera app, MARS. It's a black-and-white camera app that aims to mimic the look of film, specifically how film blooms.
Street Photographer Travels Across 40 Cities Inspired by the American Blues
In Walking Blues, the acclaimed street photographer Alex Webb traverses some 40 cities across the United States, documenting moments of connection between communities with his signature eye for bold color and rhythm.
Ricoh’s 30th Anniversary Camera Pins Are Cute As a Button
As part of its Ricoh GR 30th anniversary celebrations, which include a special edition GR IV camera and 30th anniversary-themed accessories, Ricoh Imaging is also selling special 30th anniversary accessories, including an incredibly detailed and adorable pin set.
Photographer Spends Six Years Capturing 400 American Girls and Their Most Meaningful Objects
A photographer spent six years meeting more than 400 girls across the United States, inviting each to bring an object of personal significance, and capturing their portraits on film.
This Ain’t Your Granddad’s Sony Walkman
Nearly everyone knows the Sony Walkman name. The brand has existed since 1979, when Sony launched the original Walkman, a portable cassette player. While portable music players have effectively gone the way of the dodo thanks to smartphones, the Walkman is still kicking. And these days, it's kicking in exorbitant style.
The Reel Snaps on The Reel are up-to-the-minute updates and quick hits from the PetaPixel news desk.
Astronaut’s Incredible Photo of Dragon Spacecraft Sailing Over Thunderstorm
Don Pettit, the best photographer to ever go to space, has shared this spectacular photo of a Dragon 1 spacecraft floating above Earth he took from the International Space Station (ISS).
Pettit explains that Dragon is a SpaceX cargo vehicle that he captured as it approached the ISS just as it was orbiting a giant thunderstorm.
"This spacecraft required manual berthing with the robotic arm as it could not autonomously dock!" Pettit says. "The design has come a long way in 14 years!"
OM System PEN Surges Up the Sales Charts
OM Digital Solutions (OMDS) recently said that even photographers who preordered the new PEN might be waiting a while to get theirs. When there's a shortage like that, it's hard to know how much of it to attribute to high demand versus just insufficient supply. Well, one of Japan's largest retailers, Kitamura Camera, says OM System PEN preorders alone were enough to send the camera to number two on its September sales charts, Camera Jabber reports. Only the Sony a7C II, which has a big ongoing cashback campaign in Japan, outsold the OM System PEN 14-42mm lens kit. By the way, notably, the new Canon EOS R8 II landed at fourth on the list. A good debut.
New Nikon Z6 III Firmware Adds Pre-Release Capture Via Bluetooth
Nikon has released firmware version 2.01 for the Z6 III camera. It adds support for Pre-Release Capture via compatible Bluetooth remote controllers, focus limiter settings for a wide range of Nikkor Z lenses, revised menus, fixes for rare bugs, and more. The firmware update is available now.
TIME Magazine Names the Instax Mini Evo Cinema One of the ‘Best Inventions of 2026’
TIME Magazine has released its list of Best Inventions of 2026 and the Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo Cinema has made the cut.
“At Fujifilm, our whole purpose is centered around giving our world more smiles. We are incredibly proud to see TIME has recognized the innovation and creativity behind our Instax brand, which continues to inspire people around the world to capture special moments and turn them into lasting memories,” Bing Liem, division president, Fujifilm North America Corporation, says. “These recognitions reflect what drives us every day to create products that spark joy and make a positive impact on society.”
The FX5 Release Is Probably Slipping into November in the US, Too
While Sony announced publicly that it would finally start shipping FX5 cameras starting at the end of October, Adorama did not update its website to reflect this, keeping it as an estimated arrival date of October 15. That is, until yesterday when it suddenly was updated to show the end of the month. With how dealers in Europe are not expecting it until at least the middle of November now, it is becoming increasingly likely that the camera won't be arriving in October in the U.S. either. Sony has chosen to remain completely silent on why the camera has been so significantly delayed, but it might have to do with an LCD issue.
Photographer Warns Parents That Using AI for Kids’ School Photos Could Put Children at Risk
More parents are turning to AI to create their children’s school photos or remove watermarks from existing images to avoid paying photographers. However, one photographer has warned that the growing trend is illegal and could compromise their children's online safety.
"It's quite obvious now that people have started to feed these through the AI engines," award-winning photographer Victoria Welton tells Sky News. "Not only are they stealing from the photographers but also, and probably more importantly, they're putting these children at risk because who knows where these platforms are going to use these pictures."
AstrHori To Announce Medium Format Fisheye This Week
AstrHori is teasing a new 8mm f/2.4 circular fisheye lens for medium format mirrorless cameras. AstrHori says the lens will be fully unveiled on October 16 and will feature a 220° field of view and 0.1-meter minimum focusing distance. PetaPixel will cover this lens with a dedicated story once it's entirely revealed.
Sad Photo of Walmart Employee ‘Celebrating’ 44 Years Goes Viral
It was supposed to be a happy post celebrating Gayle's 44 years working at Walmart. But it hasn't gone according to plan.
The Walmart Owensboro Facebook page shared a photo of Gayle looking extremely sad while holding a bouquet of flowers. The caption on the post, which has since disappeared, read: "Congratulations Gayle on 44 years with the company!! What a huge accomplishment! We appreciate everything you do!"
The post has since been reshared on multiple platforms, with viewers drawing their own conclusions.
You Can Play Doom on a Hasselblad X2D if, for Some Reason, You Want To
GitHub contributor Radium Wang is working on various open-source Hasselblad X2D 100C and X2D II 100C firmware projects, including for some reason, running pioneering 1993 first-person shooter, Doom on the camera. We've seen this same idea before, and it's always equal parts absurd and fun. This time is no different. Radium Wang says they'll release the necessary files on their GitHub soon.
AstrHori’s 8mm f/2.4 Medium Format Fisheye Has an Expansive Field of View
AstrHori has launched a new manual focus fisheye lens for medium-format mirrorless cameras. The AstrHori MF 8mm f/2.4 Fisheye for Fujifilm GFX/Hasselblad XCD is a new circular fisheye with a whopping 220-degree field of view.
Kodak Portra 160 Might Be the Best Fine-Grain Color Negative Film
We stated in our Film Friday review of Kodak Portra 400 (and again in our Portra 800 write up) that it is pretty much a perfect color film, so you’ll hopefully understand and forgive us if we start off this Film Friday by insisting that Portra 160 is a more perfect film.
You Can Save Hundreds on All Types of Memory Cards
Memory card prices have risen sharply over the past year, largely due to flash memory shortages driven by the AI boom. Photographers have paid the price, with new cards often costing much more now than they used to. However, the deals below still make it possible to get a new memory card without breaking the bank.
Fujifilm GFX100RF: From Japanese Design Studio to Real-World Photography
A camera is a powerful tool. It requires a careful blend of engineering, science, precision, and design, and what it lets us do is feel connected to our world and the people within it. It's also easy to take for granted how a camera comes to be when we fixate on what our camera can do for us, instead of how it was made possible in the first place.
iPhone Duo Delivery Dates Slipped to 2027 Almost Immediately
The iPhone Duo went up for preorder at 8 AM ET (5 AM PT) this morning, and delivery estimates immediately started slipping from Apple's October 23 launch date. As of one hour after orders opened, delivery estimates have slipped to the very end of January 2027, a three-month delay.
Photographer Encounters Magnificent White Stag
A photographer has captured stunning photos of a majestic, ultra-rare white stag after a long search for him.
Family Mausoleum Splattered With Fake Blood by ‘Disrespectful’ Photo Shoot
A cemetery in Denver has been left to clean up the mess left behind from a photo shoot that saw fake blood splattered on a family's mausoleum.
Pixieset Helps Photographers Cull, Edit and Deliver in One Place
Pixieset offers a gallery system, a website builder, and a studio manager for bookings, but its new Photo Editor aims to close the one remaining gap in the photography workflow. It uses on-device AI to help cull and batch-edit, so photographers don’t have to move back and forth between their preferred photo editor and the Pixieset system.
Photographer Charles ‘Teenie’ Harris Added to Pittsburgh’s Walk of Fame
Pittsburgh added a bronze star to its Walk of Fame honoring photographer Charles “Teenie” Harris (1908-1998), along with other local standouts H.J. Heinz, football hero Franco Harris, George Westinghouse, and more.
Adobe Is Optimizing Its Tools for RTX Spark, Furthering Commitment to PC
Adobe has announced that it is expanding its collaboration with NVIDIA by specifically optimizing its flagship software tools for RTX Spark, NVIDIA's new AI-focused Arm chipset designed for laptops and compact computers.
Panasonic Celebrates Lumix’s 25th Anniversary With Global Events
Panasonic kicked off its celebrations of Lumix's 25th anniversary in May with the launch of the Panasonic Lumix L10. The company is now gearing up to host a series of events across major global cities, including New York City.
Hipstamatic Reboots Camera Club Membership With Unified Access and Four New Analog Apps
Hipstamatic has announced a major reboot of its subscription service, Camera Club, alongside its Winter 26/27 app collection, which is included with it.
‘A Seal’s Nightmare’: Menacing Polar Bear Photo Wins Award
The winners of the Ournature Environmental Photo & Video Awards, a competition that places environmental storytelling at its heart, have revealed its winners for 2026.
The Vaonis Atlas Is a Smart Telescope Crossed With a DSLR
French smart telephoto brand Vaonis has announced the Atlas. This new modular smart telescope promises the versatility of an interchangeable lens camera -- Vaonis says "DSLR" -- and the ease of use of the company's other smart telescopes.
Photographer Arrested After Taking Chainsaw to Trees In Search of a Better Train Photo
Police arrested a 23-year-old Japanese man after a tree he cut down to get a better photo of a train landed on vital communication wires.
Vivo’s New Foldable Phone Is Obsessed With Photography
The Vivo X Fold6 has gone global, and its camera system is seriously impressive, especially for a foldable phone.
Voigtländer Celebrates 100 Years of Legendary Skopar Series Lenses
Cosina Voigtländer is celebrating the 100th anniversary of Voigtländer's "Skopar" series lenses with a commemorative model, the Color-Skopar 35mm f/2.5 100th Model.
Chinese Smart Glasses Come With a 50-Megapixel Camera
Alibaba unveiled a new pair of smart glasses this week, with more impressive specs than Meta's.
OpenAI Employee Allegedly Tried to Steal the Company’s Intellectual Property
OpenAI has referred a security incident to the FBI after discovering a concealed audio recording device in an executive conference room at its San Francisco headquarters.
Photographers Capture ‘Space Jellyfish’ Left Behind by Rocket Plume
NASA has released a series of show-stopping photos showing a "space jellyfish" hanging over the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Nikon’s Newest Japan-Only Merch Makes Me Wish I Had More Business
Business cards are a big deal in Japan. Nikon, which certainly loves its cool, Japan-exclusive merch, is combining Japan's deep respect for business cards and Nikon's rich history. The result is an extremely cool business card holder that borrows its style from the classic Nikon F3 film SLR.
‘Grandmaslop’ is Bizarre AI Imagery of Kids Made by Baby Boomers
It's not quite Halloween yet. But people are getting freaked out by their parents' and grandparents' penchant for AI images of loved ones.
This Competition Celebrates New Photographers Who Have Been Shooting for Less Than Three Years
The winners of the AOP's 2026 Emerging Talent Awards have been announced, with the gold award going to photographer Austin Bradley.
ASMP’s MSP Squared Event Next Week Is a Unique, 24-Hour In-Person Photo Contest
The American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) is hosting a very special event in Minneapolis on October 23 and 24 called MSP2. 75 photographers will have 24 hours to capture and edit a photo captured in their designated section of Minneapolis-St. Paul.
Actress Mia Goth Slams Instagram for Spreading AI Image of Her
Actress Mia Goth -- who recently filed for divorce from Shia LaBeouf -- has slammed Instagram after the platform let an AI-image of her wearing a t-shirt that read "MY EX IS MY BIGGEST FAN" to go viral.
AI Remade Adobe, Sony’s New Mics, and APS-C Got a Lot of Love | The PetaPixel Podcast
This week on The PetaPixel Podcast, Chris, Jordan, Sarah, and I discuss a big heaping pile of news, including the biggest story of the week: Adobe Creative Cloud getting ripped off and rebuilt with AI.
US Worker Sues After Employer Fires Her for Refusing to Send 160 Webcam Photos Per Day
A U.S. worker has sued her employer after the company fired her for refusing to take a photo of herself on a webcam every three minutes.
Bride Mad Because Her Photographer Died and Hadn’t Sent Her the Wedding Photos
A bride took to TikTok to complain that her wedding photographer had died before sending her the wedding photos.
Inside a Season With the Chicago Cubs’ Photographer
On an evening late in the season at Wrigley Field, a narrow beam of low sunlight reached the top step of the Chicago Cubs’ dugout. Pete Crow-Armstrong, the front-runner for National League MVP, was standing on that step, a spot he usually leaves to the team’s veterans, as the take-the-field video played. Team photographer Matt Dirksen saw the light land behind him. He had a few seconds to get the picture.
This Forgotten 30-Year-Old Digital Camera Predicted the Future
James Warner, the photographer behind the YouTube channel snappiness, has gotten his hands on yet another bizarre piece of camera history. This time it's the EPixPro, or is it the Obsidian Imaging IC/100? Or maybe it's the NEC PC-DC401? Whatever it is, it's weird, it's wacky, and it's worth checking out. It's also maybe psychic?
Sony’s New ECM-W5 Wireless Mic System Wants To Make Audio Easier
Sony has announced the ECM-W5 wireless audio solution, which includes the ECM-W5T Wireless Microphone Transmitter, the ECM-W5R Wireless Audio Receiver, and a kit with the receiver, two transmitters, and a charging case.
Apple Stores to Push iPhone Duo Demonstrations
Apple is preparing an extensive in-store demonstration campaign ahead of the October 23 launch of the iPhone Duo, its first foldable iPhone.
Tamron 16-50mm f/2.8 A Review: Pro-Level Zoom at an Entry Level Price
I'm all for more lenses to support the APS-C platform. It often feels like major manufacturers treat cropped-sensor glass as a lower priority and leave a vacuum for third-party lens designers to fill. Well, let the third-party lens manufacturers cook, I say, especially when companies like Tamron can make a lens like this.
Tamron 16-50mm f/2.8 A Lens Gives APS-C Photographers Cause To Celebrate
Tamron has announced a new 16-50mm f/2.8 A (Model B091) zoom lens for APS-C mirrorless cameras, promising a compact, versatile, fast option for Sony, Canon, Nikon, and Fujifilm APS-C camera owners.
Fujifilm’s Instax Square Lineup Gets a Well-Rounded, Moodier New Camera
Fujifilm has announced the Instax Square 2 instant camera, the latest addition to the company's popular, iconic Instax Square family of products.
Powerful Photo of a Mother Elephant Carrying Dead Calf Wins Wildlife Photographer of the Year
A photographer who captured a heartbreaking image of an elephant carrying a deceased calf has won the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 competition.
There’s a ‘Bluey’ Photography Game and It Might Actually Be Good
Kids love Bluey, enjoy games, and sometimes really like photography. Now it's possible to combine all three of these things in a single experience: the Bluey Happy Snaps video game for Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC.
Arri Film Lab 1.5 Aims To Emulate Even More Analog Cinema Formats
Nearly a year ago, Arri, one of the biggest names in cinema, launched Film Lab. It's an OpenFX plugin for industry-standard video editing and color grading workflows that promises to bring a filmic, analog look to digital video. Film Lab 1.5 has arrived, bringing even more analog looks to digital cinema workflows.
NASA Perseverance Mars Rover Sets New Record for Off-World Distance Driven
NASA's Perseverance Mars rover has officially set a new record for the most distance driven by any vehicle on another world's surface.
Apple and LG Bring Connected Cameras To Your Home
At its "Welcome Home" event today, Apple announced its new "Apple Home Collection," including smart door locks, thermostats, temperature sensors, and cameras.
TTArtisan’s Tiny $99 Pancake Lens Weighs Less Than a Camera Battery
TTArtisan has announced a new ultra-compact pancake prime lens, the AF 24mm f/3.8 Mini, for full-frame Sony E-mount cameras.
Member of the Public Snaps Photo of Rare Melanistic Gray Fox
After the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) put out a request this summer asking for sightings of gray foxes, it was surprised when it received a photo of an ultra-rare variation.
GoPro’s Mission 1 Series Updated to Make Them Better Photo Cameras
GoPro has announced a free update for the entire Mission 1 Series of cameras that boosts the system's photography capabilities, promising zero-lag shutter response and continuous 50-megapixel burst capture.