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.
Jeremy Gray
A stylized letter 'A' with a gradient color overlay. The top section features a vibrant pink and purple abstract design. The middle section showcases a detailed image of an owl’s eyes and beak, blending into the bottom section, which has a feather pattern.

Adobe is Now Tracking Generative Credit Use: What You Need to Know

Adobe is finally tracking generative credit use across the Creative Cloud ecosystem. Adobe has had a generative credits system for about a year and a half, but accurate tracking and enforcement of limits have rolled out slowly. Well, the Wild West era has ended. Generative credits matter, and it is, in fact, possible to run out of them and lose access to AI features.

Matt Growcoot
A man in a hospital gown stands on an empty bridge in front of the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben in London, with scattered debris on the ground and a hazy sky.

Why ’28 Days Later’ Looked So Terrible

Today marks the general theatrical release of 28 Years Later, the third installment of the zombie film series. The new movie, directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland, has already made headlines for using iPhones to shoot the film which is actually a nod to the very first movie, 28 Days Later.

Jeremy Gray
On the left, a box labeled "Abode BETA TEST VERSION" with a red house logo. On the right, a digital illustration shows a creative software interface and editing tools, referencing design software.

Two Years Later, Abode’s Anti-Adobe Dream Remains Unrealized

It has been just over two years since unconventional multi-disciplinary artist Stuart Semple announced Abode, a suite of creative apps aimed at taking on creative industry monolith, Adobe. In the two years since, the Kickstarter project has continually missed deadlines but remains ongoing.

Matt Growcoot
A collage with three images: colorful aurora over Earth's curve, a large orange moon behind a city skyscraper at night, and Earth rising above the gray, rocky lunar surface.

Seven Mindblowing Space Photos Taken This Month

Each week, there are thousands of incredible photographs taken in space by NASA, ESA, telescopes, satellites, rovers, and beyond. Sometimes it feels like there is too much space content so PetaPixel has devised a handy article where you can see all of the best images of the cosmos this month.

Jeremy Gray
A man wearing glasses and a suit jacket, shown in black and white, looks upward with a contemplative expression. The background is dark, creating dramatic lighting on his face and hair.

The Cameras and Creativity That Brought the First Feature-Length Film on Apple Vision Pro to Life

As immersive video content becomes a prominent way to tell visual stories, talented visual artists like Elad Offer not only face greater challenges, but they have fresh new possibilities to deliver something the world has never seen before. One such example is Bono: Stories of Surrender, a new film available in both 2D and immersive versions, marking the first feature-length Apple Immersive Video film for the Apple Vision Pro headset. Offer was the film's Creative Director, tasked with making both 2D and immersive versions the best they can be for two very different mediums.

Matt Growcoot
A split image: on the left, a junkyard with debris and the New York City skyline, including the Twin Towers, in the background; on the right, a man in a tank top and painted jeans holds a small dog.

Fascinating Documerica Photo Project Focused on US Pollution in the 1970s

In the early 1970s, the United States was facing growing public concern over pollution, environmental degradation, and the future of the natural landscape. In response, the newly formed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched a wide-ranging photographic initiative known as Documerica, aimed at capturing the state of the American environment and the lives of people affected by it.

Johnny Martyr
On the left, a vintage film camera with its lens cover open. On the right, a black-and-white photo of a musician playing an electric guitar on stage under bright lights.

Concert Photography with a 1950s Folding Rangefinder

Most concert venues do not allow interchangeable lens cameras into shows without special permission. But this simple means of distinguishing unauthorized professional photography and unstoppable casual snapshooting can invite creative photographers to blur the boundaries between these types of photography with unlikely cameras.

Michael Bonocore
Three men pose against green backgrounds: one wears an elaborate horned costume with armor, another sits in a patterned silver suit with medals, and the third wears a parka with a fur hood and has long dreadlocks.

A Decade of Discovery: Felix Kunze’s Iconic Explorers Club Portraits

For over a century, The Explorers Club Annual Dinner has stood as a prestigious gathering, celebrating those who relentlessly push the boundaries of human endeavor. For the past ten years, photographer Felix Kunze has been its visual chronicler, capturing portraits of attendees with a distinctively simple, yet timelessly classy style.

Sarah Teng
A collage with three sections: an elderly man in a keffiyeh sitting outdoors, a street scene with colorful banners and a tall minaret, and a mustached man in traditional clothing adorned with gold necklaces.

Photographing Iraq: This Isn’t the Country You Think You Know

When I mentioned to friends and family that I was heading to Iraq, the reactions were a mix of surprise and concern. Questions like, “Is it safe?” and “Why Iraq?” were common. But as a photographer driven by curiosity and a desire to capture unique experiences, I saw Iraq as an opportunity to explore a land rich in history, culture, and resilience.

Quintin Lake
Left: A person stands atop a slanted rocky cliff with a triangular gap, overlooking the sea. Right: A bright rainbow arcs over a rugged landscape with hills and a lake under a dramatic sky.

How I Turned My 11,000km Odyssey Around the UK Coast Into a Photo Book

Long-distance walking has been a part of my life since I was ten, when my mum decided we should walk 480 kilometers from John o’Groats to Glasgow over the summer holidays. Despite never having done it before, walking every day immediately felt natural, and I was thrilled by the adventure of being immersed in nature and enduring.

Jeremy Gray
A collage of three portraits: an older man with long gray hair in a field, a woman with red hair holding a wine glass, and a smiling woman with long braids wearing colorful earrings and an orange top.

Capturing Portraits of Strangers Saved This Photographer’s Life

Adam Schluter is a self-described introvert who felt a deep longing to sidestep technology and get back to forging genuine, face-to-face connections with people. So, he picked up his camera and began walking up to people, striking up conversation, and taking their portraits. Schluter's project, Hello From a Stranger, was born. He has captured over a thousand portraits in more than 20 countries around the world, and his life has been forever changed.

Jeremy Gray
Split image: Left—A man in a suit with a bloodied face is surrounded by security and being helped off a stage. Right—A man in a red hat speaks into a microphone at a podium with a Trump 2024 campaign sign.

Photographer Doug Mills on Winning the 2025 Pulitzer Prize! | The PetaPixel Podcast

In a special bonus episode of The PetaPixel Podcast, we spoke with award-winning veteran photojournalist Doug Mills about his latest Pulitzer Prize -- his third -- which he won for his series of photos showing a speeding bullet whizzing past now-President Donald Trump during an attempted assassination in Pennsylvania last year. Mills discussed how he captured the winning photos, how the latest gear empowers photojournalism, and the rapidly changing political landscape in which he operates.

Jeremy Gray
The image shows the Zenfolio logo with the brand name in black lowercase letters. The "o" in "folio" is composed of overlapping orange rings, creating a dynamic, swirling effect. The background is white.

Zenfolio Admits That It Had a Rough Decade

Once an industry leader in the photography website space, Zenfolio has had a rough time in recent years. Photographers have lamented the company's steady decline, frequent back-end changes, high prices, and user-unfriendly changes. While the company continues to improve its product offering and platform, it acknowledges some of its missteps.