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 Federal Workers Affected by the Longest Government Shutdown

The following is a photographic essay of 21 real people – 21 of 800,000 workers – affected by the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. Federal workers have become unwilling pawns in the shutdown. Perhaps most dehumanizing, the media and certain politicians relegate these great individuals to being part of a blind number -- “800,000 federal workers.”

Shooting a B-2 Stealth Bomber Flying Over the Rose Bowl

Ten years ago, in January 2009, was the first time I ever photographed a flyover and this year the same pilot was doing his last Rose Bowl flyover as he is retiring from the Air Force this year. The challenge this year was the strong winds and subsequent turbulence.

This Dog is a Talented Skateboarding Cameraman

Illustrator Rob Mathieson has a dog named Fatman the Dog with some impressive camera skills. With a camera mounted to his back, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier captures great footage of skateboarders doing their thing.

This Guy Makes Creative Reversed Videos by Talking Backwards

Lithuanian filmmaker and musician Saulius Jegelevičius has a creative and unusual YouTube channel called Backward Picnic. Instead of complex editing or effects, each of the videos is simply footage played backwards... and Saulius talks backwards while recording to speak "forwards" English in the videos.

Photos of the Tangled Mossy Trees in a Foggy English Wood

Wistman’s Wood in Dartmoor, Devon, England, has been the backdrop of countless folktales and myths involving the spiritual and supernatural. For his ongoing project titled Mystical, British photographer Neil Burnell has been visiting the forest and capturing the foggy, misty, twisted wood that has sparked wonder over the ages.

I Shot Exactly One Film Photo Every Day for a Year

No matter how it looks, this is the story of the photographs I didn't make this year. On January 1st, 2018 my colleague, the military photojournalist C.S. Muncy, presented me with a gift: a small, handmade box he'd crafted out of salvaged wood. Muncy, a film lover, had given to me, an unquestioning digital-age professional, a box full of 35mm film.

This is the First Photo Shot on the Far Side of the Moon

China just became the first country to achieve a soft-landing on the far side of the moon after its Chang'e-4 probe landed at 2:30 AM Universal Time today. And shortly after landing, the probe sent back this first photo ever shot from the surface of the "dark side of the moon."

Photos of Night Skies Full of Airplane Light Trails

Airports is an ongoing project by photographer Pete Mauney, who spends hours shooting long exposure photos near airports. He then combines the photos to create mesmerizing composites in which the night sky is filled with airplane light trails.

My Surreal Photography is a Reflection on Years of Depression

My name is Gabriel Isak. Over the past year, I have been working on a collection of images in which I wanted to depict the internal world of solitary people who symbolize our own unconscious states. The work is inspired by the years I went through depression, where I wanted to reflect human experiences that would allow the viewer to reflect on their own journey.

Photos of the Madness and Motion of Tokyo’s Shibuya Crossing

I crossed Shibuya Crossing 10 times for a new series of photos, and I watched pedestrians cross another 13 times. Crossings happen every two minutes, and there’s a one minute window for you to run out there to photograph.

How Do You Thank the Strangers Who Saved Your Child’s Life? I Shot Portraits

On January 17 of this year, I suddenly found myself in a terrifying, all-too-real nightmare. I was standing on the edge of a frozen lake near my home on Mount Desert Island, Maine. In front of me were snowmobile tracks that disappeared into the blackness of the frigid night. I knew that my 13-year-old daughter, Jolie, was a passenger on that snowmobile; and I had just received word from local firefighters that the tracks ended in open water.

Film Photos Captured with 5 Seconds of Sound Before and After

Photographer Mario Cipriano has started a new project titled "Light Sounds Light" using a technique he calls audiophotography. Cipriano is using a digital audio recorder to capture the sound context behind each of his film photos, resulting in a fascinating way of experiencing the photographer's work.

Photos of Babies with Grown-Up Teeth

If you need a chuckle today (or a nightmare tonight), there's a strange new photo project you can check out called Babies With Teeth. As its name suggests, each of the bizarre photos shows an infant with grown-up teeth 'Photoshopped' into their tiny mouths.

Pushed to the Limit: Kodak Portra 3 Stops Over

At night, it can be especially difficult getting enough light to shoot film. There are no color emulsions with speeds higher than ISO 800, and most stocks don’t even exceed 400. Pushing enables you to add sensitivity past the recommended ‘box speed’ of your film.

Portraits of Rare Identical Quadruplets

Here's a photo shoot you don't see everyday: identical quadruplets. It's estimated that there are only around 70 sets on Earth, and photographer Cassandra Jones of Noelle Mirabella Photography recently did a photo shoot with one of them.

Shooting College Football on 35mm Film

I'm sitting in the end zone and Tennessee's quarterback is ready to throw for a touchdown against Missouri. There are only three frames left on my roll of film and I think to myself, "That's more than enough."

The Winning Photos of the 2018 Nat Geo Photo Contest

National Geographic just announced the winners of the prestigious 2018 National Geographic Photo Contest. Photographer Jassen Todorov stood out from nearly 10,000 entries and was honored with the top prize for his photo "Unreal," which shows thousands of recalled cars sitting in a desert.

Photographing Paradise, California, After the Camp Fire

Paradise, California lies just 90 minutes north of Sacramento, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Home to 26,000 people, Paradise includes several mobile home parks and is known as a retirement haven.

Drone Shots of San Francisco Shrouded in Wildfire Smoke

Last month, smoke from wildfires in northern California caused San Francisco to have the worst air quality in the world for a number of days. Here's a 2-minute drone video that offers an eye-opening aerial look at what the city looked like during those days.

Hong Kong Landscapes at Blue Hour

At my arrival in Hong Kong, I was firstly impressed by its incredible urban development in terms of verticality and compactness. However, I discovered soon after that the city’s density was juxtaposed next to sheer wilderness with large lands of preserved nature which cover 70% of its territory.

‘Projectile Vomit’ Street Photo Goes Viral

If you're easily grossed out, you might want to close this story now. It's about one of the most viral and popular street photos that was shared on the Internet this month, and it's definitely an... unusual one.

The Clever Street Photography of Alan Burles

Alan Burles started as a art director in the early 1980s. After investing in a Olympus XA 35mm rangefinder, however, Burles started traveling everywhere with a pocket camera. Since 2005, he has been a full-time photographer, and his street photos are filled with clever illusions.

Making a Conceptual Photo of the Man Who Controls Day and Night

Swedish photographer and retoucher Erik Johansson has created a new conceptual photo titled "Daybreaker," which shows the man in charge of controlling the transitions between day and night. Johansson is also sharing a behind-the-scenes look at how he put both day and night into one photo.

This ISS Timelapse Captures a Rocket Launch from Space

When the Russian Progress MS-10 cargo spacecraft launched on a Soyuz rocket on November 16th, 2018, ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst was ready to capture it... from the International Space Station. This timelapse he made shows what a rocket launch looks like from around 250 miles away from Earth in orbit.

Making a Splash in Toy Photography

As a toy photographer I am constantly experimenting with new techniques and effects -- primarily practical effects, but I won't hesitate to dive into some digital effects if it helps me tell a story and create the strongest image possible. Some of my more popular images include real liquid splashes, so I thought I'd share some of those images here.

Creating a Century of Portraits in My Living Room

For the last 12 months, I have been working on a personal photo project. The goal of this project was to recreate a portrait from every decade from the 1920s until now. Each picture would highlight the candid life of someone who was living in that era versus what they were really feeling inside. I called this project a "Century of Portraits."