Educational

PetaPixel's editorials are in-depth stories, thought-pieces, and opinions on the photography industry led by the minds of our editorial team.
Three vertical landscape scenes: a sun setting behind a desert rock formation, a mountain meadow with blue wildflowers under a bright sky, and a canyon with dramatic clouds and a lightning bolt.

How to Capture Unique Landscape Photos

What if creating a truly unique landscape photograph isn’t about finding somewhere no one has ever stood, nor simply revisiting the places everyone knows, but about noticing the extraordinary in both?

A triptych image shows: a duck flapping its wings on water, a brown bear holding a red fish in its mouth by a river, and a brown horse running through ocean waves.

How to Capture Unique Wildlife Photos

Photography has never been more accessible, yet truly distinctive images feel harder to come by than ever. With social media reinforcing familiar compositions and popular locations, many photographers find themselves asking how to create work that feels original and fulfilling. This three-part series is designed to explore that question across three genres: wildlife, landscape, and night sky photography. In this first article, the focus is on wildlife and how slowing down, understanding animals on their own terms, and committing to personal projects can help photographers create images that rise above the expected.

A computer screen displays a photo management software with a grid of dock and water landscape images, showing photo thumbnails, folders, and search options in the interface.

Discovering a Digital Photo Editing Workflow Beyond Adobe

We can quickly acquire tens of thousands of photos. Therefore, managing them effectively is essential. Equally, we are becoming more demanding of our development and editing software. Recently, the most effective way of managing our workflow has changed dramatically, making our lives easier.

A black-and-white photo showing two blurry figures walking or cycling on a curved path, overlaid with a semi-transparent white swirl graphic. Sparse trees and poles line the empty, sunlit area.

Time Machines Exist — They Are Called Photographs

The concept of a time machine was first described by H.G. Wells in his book The Time Machine in the year 1895. That was 57 years after Louis Daguerre invented his photographic technique, the daguerreotype.

A vivid aurora with pink and purple lights illuminates the night sky above calm water and a wooden pier, with a rocky breakwater in the background.

Photography and the Strangeness of Colors

An understanding of colors and how they can transform our photography is a skill we photographers must master. Therefore, getting to grips with the strangeness of color is essential for understanding how to take better photos.

A collage of three images: a gloved hand examining a photo with a ruler, a close-up of a vintage camera viewfinder and lens, and a black Leica 110 camera showing its lens and viewfinder.

The Most Special Cameras, Lenses, and Photos in Leica’s Archives

Leica counted down the days to Christmas in style, delivering daily videos that showcase "the most special things" in the company's archives. As is tradition, the photographic advent calendar of sorts concluded yesterday, Christmas Eve, and we thought a nice little Christmas present to our passionate readers was a recap of Leica's Christmas countdown.

Large, jagged rocks partially submerged in misty, flowing water, creating a surreal and ethereal scene in black and white.

Do Your Images Mean Anything? Should They?

As photographers, we often concentrate on technical perfection and the compositional layout. However, arguably more important than either of those is adding meaning to your photos. It can be challenging, but adding meaning can genuinely elevate your photos to the next tier.

A lone figure walks down an empty, wet street at night, surrounded by fog and illuminated by streetlights, creating a moody and mysterious atmosphere in a quiet urban setting.

Embrace Unusual Conditions for Compelling Photographs

The most compelling photos are those that break away from the mundane. Therefore, you can achieve better results by photographing at atypical times of day and weather conditions. Here are some hints for doing that and avoiding some risks.

A grumpy-looking black and white cat in front of a chalkboard covered with scientific equations. Large text above the cat reads, "WHY SO CUTE?" and a square with "NS" is in the bottom left corner.

Photographer Uses Science to Explain Why Humans Think Cats Are Cute

Animal photographer Tim Flach has taken hundreds of photos of cats and, through his time with them, finds himself asking questions about why they are so important to humans. He has partnered with scientists to find out exactly why they elicit the emotions they do, and how he, as a photographer, can better highlight those aspects of their form.

A diagram shows the internal optical path of a camera’s viewfinder system, with colored lines illustrating light passing through various lenses, prisms, and mirrors inside the camera body.

This Explainer on How a Rangefinder Camera Works Is The Best We’ve Seen

Photographer and technology expert David Imel recently published a video discussing why Leica got rid of the most iconic part of its M series cameras in the new M EV1: the rangefinder. But to do that, he first had to explain what a rangefinder is and how it works, and in doing so created the best modern breakdown of the technology that is very easy to understand.

A tall white mosque minaret rises among houses and trees on a hillside, with a large green mountain in the background under a clear blue sky.

How to Elevate Your Travel Photography Beyond Vacation Snapshots

Travel photography is one of the most rewarding genres, as it allows you to use your image skills in new and exciting environments. But there is more to it than just creating vacation snaps. Here are some of my approaches to better travel photography during a recent visit to beautiful Albania.

A rooftop photoshoot scene with a crowd watching as a photographer captures two models, one standing and one tossing fabric, against a cityscape. Large lights and camera equipment are set up around them.

Adorama and Sony Team Up for Free Photo Events

Sony and Adorama are inviting photographers to their highly anticipated Rooftop Photography Events at Sixth Floor Loft in New York City. Over two consecutive days, October 26 and 27, attendees will experience hands-on sessions with Sony cameras, expert guidance from industry professionals, and the chance to capture striking rooftop imagery.

A split image shows a silhouetted person by a tree at sunset, a bearded man in a dark jacket, and a man standing in a sunlit, leafy area. Bold text reads: “FILM GRAIN EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT.”.

How to Emulate Film Grain in Your Digital Photos

Every few years, I write an updated version of the Film Grain Emulation guide. I do this because my passion drives me to learn more, and my understanding of film grain changes significantly.

A seagull flies over calm water with two anchored boats in the background, set against a blurred shoreline.

Understanding Aperture Will Instantly Improve Your Photography

In my previous article, we embarked on an adventure that started with a basic understanding of metering and exposure. Hopefully, you appreciate how the camera measures light and how its aperture, ISO, and shutter speed can be balanced to expose the image correctly. Each of those changes the way the image looks, and here’s what the aperture does.

A small dark wooden house sits beside a cluster of leafless trees in a snowy, open landscape under an overcast sky. The scene is serene and monochromatic, evoking a quiet winter day.

Your First Exciting Steps Into Understanding Metering and Exposure

Photography requires greater technical understanding than any other art form. I’ve been teaching people at all levels of photography for well over a decade. At the start of each workshop, I always begin by explaining metering and basic exposure settings. A major foundation of good photography, these settings are often the least understood, but they are among the easiest things to get right.