Culture

Photography is about far more than capturing an image. How photos are shared and what social issues are impacting the profession are just as important. PetaPixel regularly covers the stories around the culture of photography, how it affects society, and what cultural changes affect the art.

New Anti-Paparazzi Technique: Attempted Murder

Boy, is Kanye West going to feel like a wuss when he hears about this. Turns out that if you're really serious about putting paparazzi in their place, nothing short of homicide will do anymore.

At least that seems to be the way it works in Costa Rica, where three former bodyguards for supermodel Gisele Bundchen are on trial for attempted murder after they opened fire on a couple of uncooperative photographers.

Student Wins Photography Contest with Filched Photo

It's one thing to swipe a photo and slap it on your website, and quite another to enter that stolen image into a high-profile photo contest passed off as your own work.

That is exactly what Mark Joseph Solis, a graduate student at the University of the Philippines, is discovering as he becomes a subject of international ridicule for winning several thousand dollars worth of prizes with a purloined portrait.

BTS: Hanging Off a Building to Capture an NYC Window Cleaner Ten Stories Up

In early August, the New York Times ran an article on New York City window cleaner Brent Weingard alongside some footage that showed the man scrubbing and squeegee-ing away at massive apartment windows in the West Village.

Thanks to the vertigo-inducing footage of Weingard strapped in ten stories up, the piece got a lot of attention, but one of the main questions the Times got after running it was "who was the daredevil behind the camera?" Thankfully, they've put together a BTS video in response.

Why Didn’t People Smile in Old Photos?

Ever wonder why people in old paintings and photographs generally don't have smiles on their faces? We explored this subject a little back in November 2012, and found that reasons may have included technical limitations, oral hygiene, and the seriousness of formal occasions.

Over at the Public Domain Review, Nicholas Jeeves has written up an in-depth piece on this subject that comes to some different conclusions.

What Do You Do When the President of Chechnya Steals Your Photo?

As copyright disputes go, this one sits squarely on the border between strange and stranger. We've seen plenty of people have their photography rights infringed upon, and it wasn't even that long ago we saw it happen over Instagram, but we've never seen the president of an entirely republic make that mistake.

iPhone 5S’ Camera Abilities Shown off in Photos and Video from Fashion Show

In conjunction with the iPhone 5S debut, Apple also announced that the phone -- or more importantly, it's camera -- would be put to the test at luxury fashion house Burberry's London fashion show. And now that the show is over, the duo is sharing photos and videos taken with the phone to whet your appetite for the September 20th release.

Then-and-Now Images of NYC Created by Blending in Vintage Crime Scene Photos

Then-and-now photos are always fascinating to see. Historical scenes come to life when blended into or placed side-by-side with modern-day photographs of cities we all know very well. Be it Paris, New York or San Francisco, most of the best-known cities have gotten the then-and-now treatment to great effect by many a photographer.

The most recent Then and Now series we've run across, however, isn't just meant to show how the scenery has changed. When photographer and historian Marc A. Hermann created the images, he purposely used only vintage (Note: and sometimes gruesome) crime scene photos to fill in the "then" part.

Photog Helps Disaster Victims to Rebuild their Lost Photo Albums

Of all the items that can be destroyed in a disaster, few are as valuable or hard to replace as family photo collections. Photographer Brian Peterson saw that first-hand while living and working in Japan two years ago, when an earthquake and even more devastating tsunami swept away everything many families owned.

Sensing that photography could be a way to help them heal, Peterson started the organization Photohoku (named for the Tohoku region devastated by the tsunami) to help families rebuild their photo albums.

Did ABC Pull These Horrible ‘Once Upon a Time’ Promo Photos?

Earlier today, Redditor excranz shared a downright horrible set of promo photos that he claims ABC published on its PR site and took down shortly after. Apparently, the photos are for the ABC show "Once Upon a Time," and between the blur, poor lighting and awkward poses, people have a hard time believing these didn't go straight into the "unacceptable" pile.

Time-Lapse Captures The Rise of the One World Trade Center Over the Past 9 Years

After recovering from the initial shock and devastation of September 11th in 2001, the city of New York began laying down plans to erect a new World Trade Center complex. A symbol of recovery and strength, the complex consists of 4 main buildings, the One, 2, 3 and 4 World Trade Centers.

It took many years of fits and starts, but the crown jewel of the new complex -- the 1,776-foot One World Trade Center -- is complete, and the time-lapse above shows what almost 9-years of construction has yielded.

Humor: 10 Videos of People Using Their Gear in Strange and Silly Ways

Back in the beginning of August, NYC-based camera superstore B&H Photo Video launched a lighthearted contest called "That's Not What It's Meant For!" It asked for videos of photographers and videographers using technology and equipment in unintended ways.

The submission phase ended recently, and now 10 wacky videos have been selected as finalists. Here they are for your enjoyment.

Photography is a Sin, According to India’s Leading Islamic Seminary

Update: The rector of Darul Uloom came out to clarify some of the statements included in the original Hindustan Times article quoted in this post. We have included the significant portion of the update at the bottom.

In response to a question by an engineering graduate who wanted to follow his passion for photography, Darul Uloom, India's leading Islamic seminary, issued a fatwa declaring photography and that particular career path "unlawful and a sin."

Iconic NASA Space Walk Photos Continue to Inspire

One of the key challenges in environmental portraiture is finding the right balance between subject and setting. Zoom in too close, and you lose the magic of location. Too wide, and it's not a portrait anymore.

There are times, however, when you have to forget the rules. Like when you're orbiting 150 miles above the Earth and one of your colleagues is about to take the first ever untethered space walk.

1996 is a Perfume Based On a Photograph and Created by Photographers

Here's an intriguing new potential revenue stream for photographers: turn a favorite shot into a signature fragrance.

That's what Dutch fashion photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin -- known for their work for major design houses and magazines -- are doing with their portrait "Kirsten, 1996."

One of Those Shots… September 13, 2001

I was divorced about a week, so it was perhaps understandable that I was already feeling a little shellshocked when I started another day of work as an advertising photographer at Filenes in Boston on September 11, 2001.

Rare Jonathan Ive-Designed Leica M to be Auctioned Off for Charity in November

Back in September of last year, we told you about an incredibly rare Leica M Rangefinder that was being created by Apple design guru Jony Ive. The emphasis there was on incredibly rare, because only one of these puppies is ever going to get made.

At the time we knew the camera would be auctioned off for charity, but it wasn't until today that we found out the specific event. So if you were banking on trying to buy this uber-special Leica, have your black AMEX at the ready: the date is set for September 23rd.

Mrpimpgoodgame: The Instagram Selfie Sensation

Benny Winfield Jr, perhaps better known as mrpimpgoodgame, has almost 36,000 followers on Instagram and plans to put his face on a T-Shirt that will likely sell pretty well if he does. What did the Huston, TX resident do to earn this kind of Internet fame and recognition? Why, he took selfies of course.

UK Parkour Athlete Creates Video Game-Inspired Death-Defying POV Video

Remember back in early July, when we shared a breathtaking POV parkour video shot by athlete James Kingston of the Ampisound team? Many compared that video to the parkour-influenced first person video game Mirror's Edge, and Ampisound was quick to mention that any resemblance was totally and completely intentional.

The team took it to another level in their newest video, however, by dressing team member Neil Cointet up in the same clothes as the game's protagonist Faith Connors and having him go on a little jaunt with a camera attached to his head.

Amazing 19th Century Photographs of the American West by Timothy O’Sullivan

Photographer Timothy H. O'Sullivan is perhaps best known for his photos of the Civil War, which include his famous "Harvest of Death" photo. But after covering the war, O'Sullivan decided to strike out West, and when he came back, he brought with him some of the earliest photos of the (quite literally) "wild" American West.

Humorous Ad Paints an Accurate Picture of Smartphone Photo Culture

If you've been to a play or other event put on by your child's elementary school recently, you might have experienced something similar to what the Nokia ad above depicts. Meant to tout the prowess of the Lumia 1020, it does a better job at showing just how close we've gotten to ridiculous when it comes to smartphone photography.

Street Photog Visits North Korea to Shoot Everyday Life in the Mysterious Country

We've had precious few chances to get a glimpse into the secretive country of North Korea. With the exception of a few AP photographers working out of the DPRK who have taken to Instagram to share their work, photos of the people of North Korea are rare. It's not like your friends' Flickr streams often fill up with photos from their recent North Korean vacation.

That's exactly why Stockholm-based photographer Simon Röder wanted so badly to go there. And after some planning and a few obstacles, the street photographer was able to turn the trip into a reality, and come back with the photos to prove it.

Music Festival Bans Photography, Asks Attendees to do the Enforcing

There have been several stories lately of musicians banning photography and asking fans to keep their cell phones in their pockets and enjoy the show. Most recently, Prince's "purple rules" had security guards at The City Winery in NYC snatching phones in mid-air and kicking people out.

The Unsound music festival taking a larger scale (though less aggressive) approach: festival organizers have banned photography and filming festival-wide, and are asking that festival attendees be the ones to do the enforcing.

Fuji is Using 3D Printing and Scanning to Create Near-Flawless Van Gogh Replicas

For those art enthusiasts who just don't have the millions of dollars required to purchase their own original Van Gogh painting, Fujifilm has a solution for you. After seven years of development, the company's "Reliefography" 3D scanning and printing technique is ready to create near-flawless replicas of great works of art, which will be available to the public for tens of thousands instead of tens of millions.

Time-Lapse Captures the Train Ride from London to Brighton in 1953, ’83 and 2013

When the BBC first captured the non-stop train ride from London to Brighton in 1953, it was simply because they wanted to show how the magic of time-lapse photography could get a Londoner to the seaside in only four minutes.

When 1983 came along, they decided to re-capture the journey to see the differences. And now, in 2013, it only seemed appropriate to continue the every-30-years tradition and capture the trip once again.

Asking Random People to Tell the Story Behind the Last Photo on Their Phone

San Francisco-based interactive artist and freelance creative Ivan Cash recently had a neat idea: go out on the streets of San Francisco and ask random people to share the story behind the most recent photo on their phone (note: there is one racy photo and a few curse words dropped by some of the interviewees).

Hong Kong’s Fake Skyline Banners Allow Tourists to Get Good Shots on Hazy Days

Hong Kong's tourism industry brings in about $37 billion in revenue for the city each year, and many of the tourists who contribute want to get a picture with the beautiful Hong Kong skyline and Victoria Harbor in the background while they're there.

But what are they supposed to do if their only chance to get that shot is on a hazy/smoggy day in Hong Kong? The government has the answer: giant fake skyline banners.

My Experience Photographing the Yakuza

After watching the movie "The Last Samurai" at a theater back home in Southern California (where I'm originally from), my curiosity for Japan inspired me to go and discover what it's like. I took a couple of vacation trips out there and met a lot of good people before I found a job that sponsored my working visa to officially let me move out to Japan in 2005.

Heartwarming Photos of Therapy Llamas Interacting with Patients at a Hospital

Last year, Berlin-based photographer Jen Osborne got a chance to photograph some therapy animals who were brought in to help cheer up the patients at the Bellingham Health and Rehabilitation Center in Washington.

That in and of itself would be pretty cool, but what made this assignment all the more interesting was the animals she was asked to photograph: two therapy Llamas that go by the names of Marisco and N.H. Flight of the Eagle.

Pictures of Hope: Using Photography to Give Hope to Children in Need

Photography can be a wonderful source of growth, healing and hope. Programs like this one at the VA in Palo Alto have helped PTSD-afflicted veterans cope with their condition, while the EYE AM program was trying to have children tell their stories on an international level.

EYE AM never raised the funding it needed, but another program devoted to helping children through photography has been going strong for a couple of years now, making a difference for children in need all over the United States. This program is called Pictures of Hope.

Nearly Deleted Photo Overturns Foul Call, Clinches Gold Medal for Shot Putter

Sports games and medals are often won and lost at the hands of the referees. Be it an offside call that might have turned into a goal or the line judge that just doesn't want to give those last 6-inches your team needs for the first down, there's good reason cameras are becoming standard backup for refs who might have missed something.

German shot putter David Storl has a particularly good reason to be thankful for cameras these days, since a photo that was almost deleted managed to overturn an erroneous foul call and win him the gold in the IAAF World Championship Men's Shot Put Finals last week.

Tour Some of the World’s Most Famous Zoos, Now on Google Street View

Google has made sure that the couch potato in all of us has ample opportunity to see the world by adding everything from the world's tallest peaks to an extensive tour of the Grand Canyon to its Street View repertoire. But of course, that's not to say the search giant is anywhere near done.

The company's most recent update, which went live yesterday, added a long list of world-renowned zoos to the list, allowing users to skip the lines and see some lions, giraffes and pandas in their not-so-natural habitats.

Day Care Workers Fired for Making Fun of Children Through Instagram Photos

Instagram can be a force for good. For example, the hashtag and Instagram account #litterati has encouraged thousands to pick up trash they find on the street. But as with most tools, it can also do harm, and a couple of day care workers in Virginia recently used the service to those ends, losing their jobs in the process.