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

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?

Blue Hour: The Photographer’s Guide

The period of time when the sun is just below the horizon is commonly referred to as “blue hour,” and comes directly before or after golden hour depending on the time of day. While most people know about golden hour’s benefits for photography, blue hour is often left out when thinking about optimal lighting conditions.

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.