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The United States Capitol building at sunrise, with its dome centered, glowing lights inside, and a pink-purple sky. The wet pavement in the foreground reflects the architecture.

Proposed US Bill Reduces Fees and Barriers to Copyrighting Photos

A new bill that is being proposed by Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) wants to make it less expensive for visual artists, which includes photographers, to protect their work. Called the Visual Artists Copyright Reform Act of 2025 (VACRA), it wants to reduce fees associated with copyright protection, “ensuring that professional creators can afford to register all their works."

A group of engineers in white cleanroom suits stand in front of a large spacecraft with folded solar panels (left); a close-up of blue-tinted square sensors on a metallic frame (right).

Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Will Explore Billions of Galaxies With 288MP Camera

NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (Roman) has been fully assembled, a momentous occasion for the scientists, engineers, and technicians who have spent years working on the telescope. It is also a significant achievement for humanity at large. Once the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope takes flight, it will peer into the cosmos and capture images and data of 80,000 supernovae, 100 billion stars, billions of galaxies, and hundreds of black holes, helping unravel the mysteries of dark energy and dark matter.

A deep space image showing numerous galaxies and stars scattered across a dark background, with an inset zoom highlighting a bright blue glowing area within a specific galaxy.

Images of Ultra-Rare Cosmic Calamity Unravel a Longstanding Mystery

Last year, astronomers discovered the brightest Luminous Fast Blue Optical Transient (LFBOT) ever observed. A complete understanding of this type of event, an exceptionally bright blue flash that quickly fades, has long eluded scientists. However, a new analysis of the brightest burst last year has unlocked key insights into the event, and scientists now believe the blue cosmic outburst is caused by black holes shredding massive cosmic companions, like stars.

Two views of a camera hidden inside a walnut shell: the left side shows exposed camera components inside half a shell, and the right side shows the closed shell with only the camera lens visible.

YouTuber Crams a Camera Inside of a Walnut

YouTube creator and do-it-yourself enthusiast Penguin DIY recently built a secret camera hidden inside a walnut shell, and it's an excellent, albeit nutty, example of what creative people with engineering skills can do with miniaturized camera technology.

A sleek black camera lens with yellow and white markings is displayed upright on the edge of a black geometric surface, against a blue gradient background.

7Artisans Introduces MF 50mm f/1.2 Prime for Just $99

7Artisans has expanded its lineup of budget-friendly manual focus primes with the launch of the MF 50mm f/1.2 for Sony E, Fujifilm X, Nikon Z, and Micro Four Thirds. The ultra-affordable $99 APS-C lens is aimed at photographers and filmmakers looking for fast glass without a premium price tag.

Split image: Left shows "Hasselblad Masters 2026" text over a dark eclipse background. Right shows a woman in blue clothing and decorative headpiece posing against a gray backdrop.

Hasselblad Masters 2026 Open for Entries: Winners Earn Camera Kits and Cash Prizes

The prestigious Hasselblad Masters photography competition is back again, and the 2026 edition is now open for entries. Photographers compete across seven categories, with each category winner earning a valuable Hasselblad camera kit and €5,000 in cash. An overall winner will also be named a "Hasselblad Master," joining an elite group of photographers.

Three digital cameras are shown on a purple gradient background: a Sony Alpha camera (center), a Fujifilm X series camera (bottom left), and a Ricoh GR camera (bottom right).

More Cameras and Lenses Were Shipped in October Than Any Month in Past 3 Years

The Camera & Imaging Products Association (CIPA) released its latest data detailing global digital camera and lens shipments from Japanese manufacturers. After a terrible August, shipments bounced back in September. This bounce back continued in October, the most recent dataset available, which was the most prolific month for digital camera and lens shipments in the past three years.

DJI’s Osmo Action 5 Pro Is the Best Underwater BTS Camera of 2025

A large underwater camera housing with a dome port and attached small action camera rests on a wooden bench, with a blue and yellow boat structure in the background. A person is reflected in the dome port.

BTS -- or "behind the scenes" -- footage has become an essential part of how I tell stories; not just for social media, but for documenting the reality of underwater work. When it comes to shooting underwater, there are a ton of factors to think about — from managing your buoyancy and checking the settings on your camera housing, to being aware of your surroundings and controlling your breathing. The last thing I want to spend time worrying about, then, is how I’m going to capture behind-the-scenes content at the same time.

A white high-speed bullet train marked "JR 700" travels quickly along railway tracks in an urban area, with motion blur emphasizing its speed.

Japanese Railway Pleads With Photographers to Stop Being Dangerously Dumb

Some photographers love taking pictures of trains. In many cases, that is fine. However, in Japan, this passion can go too far. Beyond "menacing society," Japanese train photographers, known as "toritetsu," are engaging in increasingly dangerous behaviors to get the best shots, and railway companies are working hard to educate and protect photographers from themselves.

A smiling man with glasses and a mustache holds a vintage camera up to his face indoors. The black-and-white photo captures a joyful, candid moment.

Rick Smolan Wins $100,000 for HIPA’s 2025 Photography Appreciation Award

HIPA, the world's most lucrative photo contest awarding $1 million in total prizes annually, announced its 2025 winners on November 11 in Dubai, the popular business and tourist destination in the United Arab Emirates. The Photo Appreciation Award of $100,000 went to photographer, film producer, and best-selling author with five million books in print, Rick Smolan.

A Canon EOS R6 Mark III mirrorless camera body is shown without a lens, revealing its image sensor, on a dark, grid-patterned surface.

The Canon EOS R6 III Is Off to a Spectacular Start in Japan

Map Camera, one of Japan's largest photography retailers, has released its monthly sales charts for brand-new and used camera models. The Canon EOS R6 Mark III, PetaPixel's Camera of the Year, delivered an outstanding debut, topping the November sales charts "far ahead" of second-place.