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.

Portraits of People in the Remote Himalayan Villages of Bhutan

Bhutan is a small landlocked country in the Eastern Himalayas of South Asia located between Tibet and India. Photographer Andrew Studer of Portland, Oregon, traveled to the country in 2017 and 2018 and spent weeks shooting photos of the places and people he encountered. His project is titled, "Faces of Bhutan."

Inside the Mind of Street Photographer Alan Schaller

"Streets in Mind" is a new short film by SmugMug Films that looks at the life and work of London-based street photographer Alan Schaller. Walking the streets of NYC, Schaller offers thoughts and insights on shooting street photos in major cities.

This Clever Timelapse Blends Seasons in Central Park Into One Frame

Emmy-winning cinematographer and time-lapse photographer Tyler Fairbank visited Central Park in New York City over the course of two years and shot photos from the same locations with the same framing. Afterward, he blended the images into this mesmerizing 2-minute time-lapse titled, "The Seasons of Central Park."

Shooting Street Photos in Ethiopia

My first time in a Sub-Saharan African country was in Ethiopia, and to be honest I wasn’t sure what to expect. Well, yes I know, I was expecting to get ‘in the zone’ at all times and take hundreds of great pictures like I expect from all my photography trips. Not too much to ask, is it?

Photos Inside the Art Institute of Seattle After it Abruptly Closed

I photographed the Art Institute of Seattle 3 days after it was abruptly shut down. I taught photography at AiS since October 2007. I think it is important for these images to get out as this is what it looks like when a school closes.

Photographing the Epic Beauty of New Zealand’s South Island

New Zealand’s South Island is known for its picturesque landscapes, breathtaking high peak alps, and ever-changing weather. It is a world heritage for its untouched wilderness, clear night skies, and adventure tourism. After traveling through the North Island, it was time for me to jump south.

Photos of Death Valley Flooded with a 10-Mile Lake

I was out in Death Valley last week and was fortunate to photograph some unique scenes of the floods. A rare 10-mile-long lake formed in Death Valley after heavy rains.

These Car Ads Were Shot with Toy Cars

A few months ago, the Czech car brand Škoda got in touch with Hungarian photographer Benedek Lampert and asked him to shoot car photos. But instead of expensive shoots featuring real Škoda cars, the company asked that Lampert only use 1:43-scale models of the cars.

Shooting the Last Photos of the Rare ‘Queen of the Elephants’

F_MU1 was an incredible elephant. For more than 60 years, she lived a peaceful life in a quiet corner of Tsavo in Kenya. When I first saw her I was awestruck, for she had the most amazing tusks I had ever seen. If I hadn’t looked upon her with my own eyes, I might not have believed that such an elephant could exist in our world. If there were a Queen of Elephants, it would surely have been her.

Photographing Coffee and Cacao in Peru

I was assigned by Fair Trade to go to northern Peru and photograph cacao and coffee production for the Australian and New Zealand markets. The idea was to show a little of the story of both products and the people behind them before they make it to your cup. I am a very enthusiastic consumer of both coffee and chocolate, in liquid or slab form. So as far as I was concerned, it was an assignment made in food heaven.

I Photographed My 5-Year-Old Girl as Captain Marvel

My daughter loves female superheroes and I love making her superhero dreams come true. The other day she literally thought she was a superhero. She came home from school one day and told us that her friends had made fun of her because of her worn down shoes. To my surprise, she didn't seem too affected and so I kept asking for more details. After all, she is a 5-year-old who makes up a bunch of stories anyway, and I wanted to get to the bottom of it.

Taking a Photo Trip to Antarctica

When I found out I had the opportunity to travel to Antarctica, I couldn't quite believe it. I should really start this story by thanking my mother: she's had the travel bug her entire life, and eventually created a career for herself selling her experiences and knowledge. The same bug has allowed me to see the world from a very young age, and I learned quite quickly how much of an impact travel can have on your perspective on life, among other things.

The Joy of Shooting Double Exposures on Film

One of the many marvelous photography techniques provided by analog photography is the double (or multiple) exposure of film directly on camera. I've always been fascinated by the possibility of handling the negative from the moment of shooting, and this factor was the key one for me when it came the time to chose a camera.

Shooting Street Portraits with a Go Go Gadget Octobox

My name is Brendan Burkett, and I believe I have created an original device and street photography method. What I have done is attach a softbox to my back for ultimate portability. This allows me to get street portraits with a very unique light.

The Winning Shots from Underwater Photographer of the Year 2019

Underwater Photographer of the Year has just announced the winners of its 2019 photo contest. Photographer Richard Barnden of the UK won both Underwater Photographer of the Year 2019 and British Underwater Photographer of the Year 2019 for his photo titled "The Gauntlet" (shown above).

Ice Crystals Captured in a Wet Plate Portrait

New York photographer Justin Borucki has been documenting his city with a pop-up tintype studio out of the back of his car. While shooting a portrait for a client recently, Borucki unexpectedly captured a beautiful leaf-like pattern across the photo due to the frigid wind chill causing ice crystals to form.

This Astronaut Shot Racetracks from Space with a Nikon DSLR

NASA astronaut Drew Feustel grew up in Detroit and is an avid car and racing enthusiast. So much so that while commanding the International Space Station in 2018, Feustel photographed racetracks from space with a Nikon DSLR before watching the race itself in his free time.

Here are the Winners of Apple’s ‘Shot on iPhone’ Photo Contest

Apple's "Shot on iPhone" photo contest sparked some controversy back in January over whether it would pay winning photographers to use their photos in ads, but the company quickly clarified that licensing fees would be paid. Well, the contest has ended, and Apple has just unveiled the winning iPhone photos.

UV Portraits That Reveal What’s Beyond the Visible

For my latest project, titled RAW, I shot a series of UV portraits revealing the true appearance beyond the visible. Composed of twenty photographs divided into ten diptychs, the series illustrates the raw and natural character of the human being, revealed by the technique of ultraviolet photography.

This Photo Was Shot with a Real $2M Lamborghini Taken Apart

Swiss photographer Fabian Oefner has created an eye-popping new photo showing a 1972 Lamborghini Miura SV disintegrating with its individual components exploding in all directions. Here's what's crazy: Oefner actually photographed the $2 million car, spending nearly 2 years shooting and stitching the parts.

A Gorgeous Tour of the Earth, As Seen from the ISS

Philadelphia-based photographer Bruce W. Berry Jr. took recent photos and videos captured from the International Space Station (ISS) and edited them into this gorgeous 6-minute short film that takes viewers on a journey around the world.

Paintings from the Sky: Aerial Photos of Iceland

Everyone knows that Iceland has amazing landscapes throughout the whole country. But Iceland doesn’t only look beautiful from the ground -- it also looks incredible from the sky. On a recent flight, I had the opportunity to expand my aerial portfolio and focused on mostly top-down images.

Photographer Captures Hikers as High-Fashion Models on a 2,653-Mile Hike

Photographer Tommy Corey spent months thru-hiking the 2,653-mile Pacific Crest Trail that spans California, Oregon, and Washington. Along the way, he photographed his fellow long-distance hikers as though they were high-fashion models. The project is called Hiker Trash Vogue, and Corey's beautiful 7-minute video above tells the story of how it came to be.

My Quest to Photograph the Most Elusive Cat in Africa

Since childhood, I have been fascinated by stories of black panthers. For me, no animal is shrouded in more mystery, no animal more elusive, and no animal more beautiful. For many years they remained the stuff of dreams and of far-fetched stories told around the campfire at night. Nobody I knew had ever seen one in the wild and I never thought that I would either. But that didn’t stop me dreaming…

These Teens Were Asked to Edit Their Portrait for Social Media

The British photographer Rankin recently conducted an experiment for a project titled "Selfie Harm." He photographed 15 teenagers between ages 13 and 19 and gave them the untouched portraits to edit themselves. Each teen was instructed to retouch their face until it was "social media ready."

Why You Should Photograph Venice in the Wintertime

I last visited Venice a long time ago, and all I could remember were the crazy crowds. It's no wonder, because I visited in the summer. Last weekend, I decided to visit Venice in the winter with my girlfriend. People were saying "Why Venice? It’s not the season." But that’s exactly the point. I thought that visiting in Venice would be smart to avoid all the crowds, and I was right.

Film vs Digital in Music Photography: I Shot the Same Show With Both

Film is very rarely used in music photography anymore. The reason for this is primarily because of social media and instant news. There’s no time to go home and start pouring chemicals onto film to develop it or wait until the morning until a lab opens to do it for you.

Turning Every Frame from a Concert Into a Timelapse of the Show

What would it look like if I made a timelapse out of every single picture that I captured during a concert? I had occasionally been toying with this idea since I saw a wedding timelapse by photographer Kevin Mullins a while ago.

This Dazzling Drone Hyperlapse Shows the Expanse of Mexico City

Mexico City is the capital of Mexico, the most populous city found in North America, and one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world. Aerial photographer and videographer Tarsicio Sañudo flew his drone above the area inhabited by over 21 million people and created this gorgeous 4-minute drone hyperlapse video titled "Hyperia: Mexico City the Hypercity."

Photos of Dogs Jumping with Colorful Powder Trails

Toronto-based animal photographer Jess Bell has been shooting a wonderful series of photos showing dogs jumping and leaving colorful powder trails in their wake. The photos aren't the result of Photoshop compositing -- they were actually shot with dogs and powder.

Photographing the Same Red Cabin Over the Years

It was in August 2013 that I by accident stumbled upon the red cabin and its surrounding lake. I assume the location has been photographed before my first attempts at capturing its inherent beauty and charm. Owing to the fact that the lake is a drinking water reservoir for a whole community, I am very reluctant to disclose its exact location -- in the hope of protecting it from Instagram trophy hunters.

Capturing the Eye-Popping Density of Hong Kong’s Tower Blocks

Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated areas in the world, with an overall density of an estimated 6,300 people per square kilometer. More than 7 million people live on about 1,108 square kilometers (427 square miles) of land, and 29.1% of the Hong Kong population lives in public rental housing estates.