Spotlight

Cameras are great, but it’s what is done in photography with that technology that really matters. To that end, PetaPixel regularly shines a Spotlight on the incredible photos and videos created by talented artists from around the world.
A wrapped roll of vintage film labeled “EASTMAN FLUOROGRAPHIC SAFETY FILM” sits beside a black-and-white photo of a rural scene with a house, trees, and a wire fence, bordered by sprocket holes.

This Photographer Successfully Shot 82-Year-Old Film

Photographer Nick LoPresti loves film. As his YouTube channel shows, his adoration for the medium often manifests in "silly" videos centered on wild, ambitious projects. LoPresti's latest video demonstrates the intersection of his passion for analog photography and his willingness to embrace any challenge. LoPresti, perhaps against his better judgment, shot on 82-year-old film.

A black and white split image: on the left, a shark with deep claw marks on its side; on the right, a small whale seen from above, swimming in dark water.

Matt Draper Held His Breath to Capture These Exceptional Underwater Photos

Acclaimed photographer and industrial designer Matt Draper's latest solo exhibition, Within One Breath, opens today at the Leica Gallery New York. The photos featured in the show were all captured on a single breath while freediving with Leica rangefinders and using only natural light, ensuring that the beautiful underwater environment was disturbed as little as possible.

Close-up of a custom-built digital camera with a large Super-Multi-Coated Takumar lens attached, mounted on a tripod, with visible screws and USB ports on the camera body.

Photographer Builds 3,200MP Camera Using CCD Scanner Sensor

German computer engineer and builder Yannick Richter, who goes by Gigawipf online, built a new 3,200-megapixel 3D-printed medium-format camera that relies on a linear CCD scanner. As Gigawipf describes it, the camera, Project Gigapixel, is much more than just a scanner in a box, though.

A sepia-toned triptych: a winding dirt road through a forest, a wooden cross grave marker, and an overturned car beside a trailer in a wooded area, evoking a somber, vintage atmosphere.

Photographer Retraces Oregon’s Brutal Trail of Tears With Wet-Plate Camera

By any measure, photographer Nolan Streitberger has built a practice that bridges art, history, and the profoundly personal. His work, particularly his acclaimed project Oregon’s Trail of Tears, transforms beautiful photography into both historical document and dialogue, a means of reclaiming memory and giving voice to stories long overlooked. But Streitberger's photographic journey began almost by accident.

A person holds a camera up to their face, focusing and preparing to take a photo of light pink flowers on a leafy green plant outdoors.

Why the Shutter Button Matters So Much to Photographers

Henri Cartier-Bresson’s famous idea of the "decisive moment" has changed with the advent of smartphones. What was once always a physical action to control the camera's shutter can now be achieved by tapping a digital screen or even using voice. A new research paper investigates how the humble shutter button shapes, and is shaped by, photography.

A wide-angle view of an empty football stadium at night, with bright lights and a large buffalo logo at midfield. A few people stand on the turf near the center. Blue seats fill the stands in the background.

How 6,500 People Lit an Incredible 360° Nighttime Panorama of an NFL Stadium

RIT Big Shot 37 at Highmark Stadium in Buffalo, New York, was the biggest light painting photo in the series yet, attracting approximately 6,500 Buffalo Bills fans, RIT alumni, and Western New York locals to the historic stadium during its final season. The incredible 360° Big Shot was the result meticulous planning, two dozen Nikon Z9 cameras, and thousands of people armed with flashlights joining forces to bathe a massive football stadium in light.

Split image: Left side shows a pangolin walking on the ground against a black background. Right side features a close-up of a pangolin’s face and overlapping scales, highlighting its unique texture.

Photographers’ Incredible Pangolin Photos Help Save Endangered Animals

The Remembering Wildlife photography book series has released its 10th book, 10 Years of Remembering Wildlife. The series has raised nearly $1.6 million for wildlife conservation to date and features incredible wildlife photos from some of the world's most talented and renowned photographers. This milestone book focuses on pangolins, one of Earth's most threatened species.

Two people sit in a field of tall grass at sunset; the person in the foreground wears a blue jacket and takes a photo, while the person in the background, in red, looks down at something in their hands.

How a Mobile Photography Darkroom Empowers Vulnerable Children

The Sirkhane Darkroom a mobile photography darkroom, brings education, passion, and most importantly, hope, to overlooked communities in Turkey where children face limited access to education and safety, especially in the aftermath of devastating earthquakes that regularly rock the region.

A collage of three images: tall cacti under a purple sky with a moon, women in blue dresses with red and black abstract background, and two emperor penguins with a chick standing on snow.

20 Award-Winning Photos From 1839 Awards’ Photographer of the Year

1839 Awards announced the winners of its International Photographer of the Year Contest. The winning photographers in the Professional and Non-Professional categories demonstrate excellent artistic and technical achievement in photography, as do the additional winning photographers across many diverse categories.

A hand holds a green Kodak film canister on a wooden surface, flanked by two strips of damaged, partially visible black-and-white film negatives.

What Happens When You Shoot Film That Expired in 1946?

"Expired film is always unpredictable," says photographer and YouTuber Mathieu Stern, known for his "weird lens" videos. "But what happens when the film expired almost a century ago? Can you still get an image?" To find out, Stern shot with the oldest rolls of film he could get his hands on, including one from as far back as 1946.

A rattlesnake coiled on a rock under a starry night sky with the moon shining, alongside a puffin flying through falling snow on the right side of the split image.

Award-Winning Photos Show the Beauty and Resilience of Wildlife

Alongside the Rewilding Europe Award winners unveiled yesterday, the German Society for Nature Photography (GDT) recently announced the winner of its annual Fritz Pölking Prize, named for the late award-winning German nature photographer and writer, who passed away in 2007 at 71 years old.

A woman standing outdoors in a grassy field holds a large professional camera with a long telephoto lens, smiling at the camera. The sky is blue with scattered clouds.

How ‘Girls Who Click’ Empowers Young Women in Nature Photography

Girls Who Click (GWC), a San Francisco Bay Area–based nonprofit founded by award-winning wildlife photographer Suzi Eszterhas, has opened applications for its flagship Ambassador Mentorship Program, with entries accepted until October 13. The organization is dedicated to helping young girls and women become powerful, influential nature photographers.