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

Apple Unveils a New iPhone SE: $399 with the Best Single Camera So Far

Apple has announced the new iPhone SE (Special Edition), the successor to the first-generation phone that was announced back in 2016. Taking its place as the most affordable model in the iPhone lineup, the SE features the fastest chip available in a smartphone and the best single-camera system ever to appear in an iPhone.

How Images of Coronavirus Are Made

How do you go about capturing images of a coronavirus, which is too small to see with a standard light microscope? Here's a 5-minute video in which Vox explains how two electron microscopy techniques give us views of what the SARS-CoV-2 virus looks like.

This Pilot Took Rare Aerial Photos of Area 51

The highly classified US Air Force facility in Nevada commonly known as Area 51 has long been a source of intrigue for conspiracy theorists, some of whom believe that the site is used for studying crashed alien spaceships. Private pilot Gabriel Zeifman took to the skies this past weekend and captured some rare aerial photos of Area 51.

Photographer Accused of ‘Artificially Creating’ Her Plagiarism Claim

After World Press Photo announced its finalists this year, Iranian photographer Solmaz Daryani came forward and accused German photographer Maximilian Mann of plagiarizing photos from her personal project for his environmental photos of Lake Urmia in Iran. Now Mann's collective is firing back, accusing Daryani of fabricating the controversy with previously unpublished photos.

Isolated Photographer Shoots LEGO Wedding to Stay Creative

Photographers are finding all kinds of ways to keep their skills sharp while on lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic. For UK-based wedding photographer Chris Wallace of Carpe Diem Photography, that meant setting up and shooting a wedding at home... with LEGO.

This Photographer Shot a Wet Plate Portrait Over Video Chat

Photographers around the world have been getting creative to keep their skills sharp during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and widespread home quarantine. While many photographers are experimenting with doing remote photo shoots over video chat, Shane Balkowitsch took it to a new level by capturing a wet plate portrait.

Woman Pays for a Pro Photo Shoot for Her Cat, Has No Regrets

Want professional portraits... of your cat? If so, there are pet portrait photographers out there that can make your dreams come true. One woman who decided to pay for a pro photo shoot for her cat earlier this year has made a splash by sharing the photos, and she says she has no regrets at all.

How Wicker Chairs Became a Portrait Photography Staple for Decades

If you look at album covers from the 1970s, one of the things you'll repeatedly see is a particular type of wicker chair commonly referred to as a peacock chair. Here's an interesting 7.5-minute video by Vox that looks into the history of this photography trope, which was 100 years in the making.

Photojournalists Publish Guidelines for Editors During COVID-19 Crisis

Certain genres of photography have come to a screeching halt during the coronavirus pandemic, but there are still countless photographers on the front lines of the public health crisis, risking their own safety to create visual journalism for the world. Now some photojournalists are speaking out about inadequate resources and protection being given by editors and publications.

Post-Apocalyptic Views of an Empty Paris

Paris-based director and designer Benoit Millot took his camera out on March 26th at noon, a time at which the city is ordinarily bustling with life, and shot eerie views of how empty the streets are due to the coronavirus shutdown.

UK Police Dye ‘Blue Lagoon’ Black to Keep Instagrammers Away

The UK government has issued a national lockdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, but that hasn't kept picture-takers from flocking to a particular "Blue Lagoon" in Buxton. So, to make the spot less attractive for photos, the UK police decided to dye the bright blue waters black.

When a NYC Fashion Photographer Becomes a Whiskey Maker

Michael Myers spent years as a fashion and beauty photographer in New York City. Then 9/11 happened, and the event was so life-altering that Myers left NYC and the photo industry. He then decided to blend his two passions: photography and whiskey.

Drone Photos of Singapore Shot at 1,640 Feet

Singapore-based professional photographer Klaus Tan (AKA CHUTTERSNAP) recently flew his drone to its maximum altitude limit of 500 meters (~1,640 feet) above his city to capture the design and beauty of the island city-state.

Night Sky Photos in the Style of 19th-Century Pictorialism

For the past several years, German freelance photographer Nikita Roytman has been working on a personal photo project in which he does landscape astrophotography in the style and mood of the 19th-century Pictorialism movement. The series is titled "Nocturnal Mood Of Time."