Features

PetaPixel's Features are in-depth, heavily researched stories designed to answer the most important questions on a topic. Where we flex our journalistic muscle, expect to find the best storytelling and original reporting the photo industry offers.
A woman stands at a podium, smiling and speaking into multiple microphones. Two U.S. flags are displayed behind her. The photo is in black and white, giving the scene a formal and historic atmosphere.

Photographing the 2024 Democratic National Convention

This is the sequel to my article covering the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last month. It has been 20 years and thousands of frames and I figure at this time in our political history, it’s probably a good time to close the chapter on this work and seek out a publisher.

A side-by-side comparison: On the left, a woman with her eyes closed is adorned with intricate, dark natural elements and a large moth covering part of her face. On the right, a woman with a serene expression emerges from a white floral and leaf pattern backdrop.

How You Can Create Purposefully With Conceptual Fine Art Photography

A reason to be, a strengthening force, a ‘guiding light’ -- purpose gives us joy, motivation, and the ability to persevere. As photographers, it may then be beneficial to connect our art form with purpose. In doing so, we may find a more holistic approach to creating -- helping us to sustain inspiration, providing us with variation and challenge, and, most importantly, giving us a sense of fulfillment.

Four gymnasts in mid-routine perform dynamic moves on a balance beam labeled "Paris 2024," with an audience and large screen displaying "Paris 2024" in the background. The gymnasts wear red, white, and blue leotards in a stadium lit with spotlights.

How Advanced Camera Tech Helps Pros Take Amazing Olympics Photos

Professional photographer Nick Didlick has been shooting for nearly 50 years, so he has experienced significant shifts in how photos are captured, shared, and consumed. He's currently in Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics and chatted with PetaPixel about how photography has changed, how better technology helps him capture better photos, and the challenge of capturing the perfect moment.

Split image: On the left, a whale's tail fluke emerges from the ocean at sunset, shimmering with water droplets. On the right, a close-up of a curious seal under water, its whiskers and large eyes highlighted against a greenish-blue backdrop.

A Photographer’s Mission to Save the Ocean Begins With Powerful Images

National Geographic photographer Brian Skerry has spent decades diving around the globe, telling the stories of the world's oceans. For his latest projects, years in the making, he has been much closer to home, documenting the unprecedented -- and deadly -- changes happening in the Gulf of Maine, the waters Skerry grew up visiting as a child on Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

On the left, a woman in a colorful, patterned dress with floral accessories holds a small bouquet. On the right, there are three metal objects: a missile, a hand grenade, and another projectile, all displayed against a plain background.

From TikTok to Minefields: Capturing the Unexpected Reality of Iraq’s Women Deminers

As I set up my makeshift studio in the Mines Advisory Group training base in Kurdistan, Iraq, I expected to photograph somber, conservative Yazidi women whose culture was shrouded in mystery and bizarre rumors. Instead, I found myself directing a TikTok-inspired pose from a Yazidi woman in full traditional dress, complete with ornate headwear and golden adornments - and Adidas sneakers peeking out from underneath.