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

A split image: on the left, a black-and-white portrait of a bald man smiling. On the right, four individuals in traditional attire stand on rocks with dramatic mountainous scenery in the background.

The Artistry of Self: The Life and Work of Photographer Jimmy Nelson

English photographer Jimmy Nelson, best known for his portraits of tribal and indigenous peoples, was recently announced as the winner of the $100,000 Special Appreciation Award at HIPA, the world's most lucrative photography competition backed by the crown prince of Dubai. PetaPixel sat down with Nelson to talk about the prize, his life, and his inspiring career.

A man in a suit holds a camera beside a black and white landscape image of wind turbines under a cloudy sky.

The Story Behind the Photo That Won $200,000 at HIPA 2024

HIPA, the world's most lucrative photography competition, announced the winners of this year's Sustainability-themed contest at an awards ceremony in Dubai yesterday. PetaPixel spoke to Chinese photographer Liping Cao, winner of the $200,000 Grand Prize, to learn more about his photo.

Photographer Finds $1,400 Lens for $7 at Thrift Store

One extremely lucky photographer recently experienced the find of a lifetime at his local Goodwill thrift store. While looking through the home entertainment section, he was shocked to find a $1,399 professional camera lens priced at just $6.99.

25 of the Best Aurora Photos of 2022

One of the gorgeous niches of nighttime landscape imaging is aurora photography, which shows the dazzling natural light shows seen in the sky when charged particles from the Sun ripple across Earth's magnetic field.

Photographer Catches ISS Crossing the Moon on 35mm Film

Catching the International Space Station crossing the face of the Moon is quite challenging these days even with advanced cameras and relatively affordable telescopes, but one photographer decided to take things to the next level by catching an ISS lunar transit on 35mm film.

This is What Advanced Memory Card Data Recovery Looks Like

Having a memory card die with priceless photos on it is one of the biggest nightmares in digital photography. If do-it-yourself fixes fail, the next step is often to turn to a professional data recovery service. But have you ever wondered how that advanced data recovery works?