Mt. Fuji Cherry Blossom Festival Canceled Due to Misbehaving Tourists
City officials in Fujiyoshida, Japan, have canceled the city's long-running cherry blossom festival, citing overcrowding and disruptive tourist behavior.
City officials in Fujiyoshida, Japan, have canceled the city's long-running cherry blossom festival, citing overcrowding and disruptive tourist behavior.
Chris Poplawski doesn't believe in specializing. The OM SYSTEM photographer and USC business graduate left his corporate marketing career over a decade ago to pursue travel photography full-time alongside his wife, Meagan. Together, they've photographed more than 30 countries, built an impressive client list, and led workshops around the world. Poplawski calls himself a "jack of all trades," comfortable with landscapes, wildlife, portraits, and commercial work. Above all, Poplawski has a gift for transforming the places he visits into visually stunning stories.
The winning images from the 2025 Travel Photographer of the Year awards (TPOTY) have been revealed. Athanasios Maloukos' atmospheric photos of the Sema ceremony in Turkey and the Holy Week in Zamora, Spain, impressed the judges enough to see him crowned overall winner.
After 15 years reviewing cameras, Chris Niccolls knows gear. The PetaPixel YouTube host has tested every major system and built a reputation for making technical knowledge accessible. But knowledge and skill are different things. When Niccolls recently traveled to Costa Rica with fellow PetaPixel host Jordan Drake to learn bird photography from experts Ben Knoot and Ken Martinez, he found himself in the role of learning again, chasing shots he couldn’t guarantee and loving every moment of uncertainty.
Kodak has found success licensing its brand to fashion and technology retailers. Notably the Kodak Charmera, a tiny keychain camera made by Reto, was in demand last year.
A few months ago, I traveled to Vietnam with my family, and I only had 11 days to experience as much of the country as I could. From the chaotic energy of Hanoi’s streets, to the preserved stillness of Hoi An, the calm waters of Ha Long Bay, and the temples of Da Nang, each place felt visually and emotionally distinct—almost like traveling through different worlds in a single trip.
The winners of the Architecture MasterPrize, which celebrates outstanding architectural photography across exterior and interior work, have been announced.
New York Times photographer Chang W. Lee is currently sailing on an icebreaker into Antarctica -- and he's brought a lot of gear with him.
Overly keen photographers, hellbent on getting great images for their clients, have been accused of being rude to tourists.
A little-known tax law in Mexico has the potential to trip up photographers visiting the country if they are carrying more than two cameras or even lenses.
BTS -- or "behind the scenes" -- footage has become an essential part of how I tell stories; not just for social media, but for documenting the reality of underwater work. When it comes to shooting underwater, there are a ton of factors to think about — from managing your buoyancy and checking the settings on your camera housing, to being aware of your surroundings and controlling your breathing. The last thing I want to spend time worrying about, then, is how I’m going to capture behind-the-scenes content at the same time.
When someone says Slovenia, what comes to mind? Dragons, mountains, craft beer? Maybe so, but Slovenia is a country that no one really talks about. Originally part of Yugoslavia, Slovenia became independent in 1992, and few travelers have mentioned whether they’ve been to Slovenia.
Late in 2021, Jack Smith opened the first of two carefully wrapped boxes filled with old photographic slides that had been sitting in his parents' garage for his entire life. What he found was astonishing: his grandfather’s archive of 80,000 images taken across decades and 40 countries.
A photographer has been left utterly devastated after his camera bag was swiped as he sat in a restaurant in Milan.
Back in August, I flew to the Philippines as the set photographer on a film called "Dyahe Piece" that my friend Coco Tolentino wrote and directed. It wasn’t my film, and it wasn’t my story, but it actually became one of the most fulfilling projects and trips I’ve done in a while.
Photographer Chris McGinnis has never taken a macro photograph in the field with a tripod in his entire career as an OM SYSTEM ambassador. The reason is simple: mobility trumps stability when you understand the workarounds.
Steve Irwin's son Robert, famous in his own right and a talented photographer, recently revealed that he is constantly having to deal with thieves stealing his photo gear.
Vacation photos have become a global obsession, and the scramble to capture them is wreaking havoc at major landmarks. Now, a new AI app promises to let travelers skip the crowds entirely -- by never leaving home.
Four miles into my hike in the Ansel Adams Wilderness, I started daydreaming about Adams’s mule, that stalwart equine that carried his large-format camera, developing equipment, tent, provisions, and other supplies on his excursions into California's high country.
Photographer Paris Gore has been shooting Red Bull Rampage -- a high-octane mountain biking event in Utah -- for 12 years.
While out photographing the dark skies of New Zealand last weekend, the heavens aligned for Dan Zafra as he captured lightning sprites appearing in front of the galactic core of the Milky Way.
Travel photography is one of the most rewarding genres, as it allows you to use your image skills in new and exciting environments. But there is more to it than just creating vacation snaps. Here are some of my approaches to better travel photography during a recent visit to beautiful Albania.
A photographer on a journey of a lifetime in a remote region of the world visited a whale cemetery as well as a crashed Soviet DC-3 on Ratmanov Island, also known as Big Diomede which sits on the International Date Line (IDL).
I’m a desert lover. I’ve always been drawn to the vast dunes, the soft light at dawn and dusk, the abstract beauty hidden in every composition, and the serenity that defines these landscapes.
Street photographer Phil Penman is most associated with New York City having lived there since the early 2000s. But for his latest project, he expanded his gaze to all around the world.
Timelapse photographer Kirill Neiezhmakov has turned his attention to Valencia, using clever transitions to tell the story of the Spanish city.
As I passed through the airport security in Managua, Nicaragua, on December 30th, 2024, my heart sank -- the LowePro camera bag had been flagged and was being taken aside for checks. The handler found what he was looking for: my DJI Mavic Pro Drone.
While birds inhabit every environment from remote wilderness to urban parking lots, capturing their beauty and behavior demands technical …
For as long as I can remember, I’ve chased moments that remind me how small I am; the moments that make the world feel big again. The sardine run is one of those moments -- a crazy spectacle of survival, chaos, and connection all at once. I went all the way to South Africa to see it with my own eyes and to feel what it means to be a part of something this wild.
Mexican-born American photojournalist Henry Craver recently traveled to Michoacán, Mexico, a region controlled by organized crime, to document life with his film cameras. However, after running out of film, he boldly took a Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 camera to a wedding and photographed gun-toting cartel members. A bizarre juxtaposition -- instant film and organized crime -- Craver returned home to New Jersey with spectacular photos and an even more exciting story.
Landscapes are one of the most accessible yet challenging genres of photography. The challenge for many landscape photographers is effectively translating the experience of witnessing incredible moments in nature into a single, compelling frame.
The long days of summer offer a unique advantage for photographers: an abundance of golden hour light. This seasonal extension of the coveted 'magic hours' provides more time for photographers to work with the soft, beautiful light that can transform a scene. Adobe Lightroom and Sony Ambassador Colby Brown shares with PetaPixel his process of mastering this unique light, providing practical techniques for both in-camera capture and post-processing.
After Brian Doben hit an impasse in his professional photography career, he spoke to his wife about quitting. But she encouraged him to go back to basics.
A photographer traveled thousands of miles from the U.S. so he could capture ethereal photos of Japan's sacred bird, the red-crowned crane, that are now on display in New York City.
In an age of Instagram-perfect itineraries and AI-generated bucket lists, Lomography is offering something refreshingly human: Lomo Travel Guides, a newly launched collection of city adventures curated not by algorithms but by analog-loving explorers from its global community. Although catered toward film photographers, all photographers can benefit from the new travel guides.
The esteemed "National Geographic Traveller (UK) Photography Competition 2025" has announced its winners, honoring the best travel images by photographers in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Celebrated actor Stanley Tucci has racked up an impressive six Emmy Awards and two Golden Globes throughout his lengthy career. However, alongside his award-winning roles, he is also beloved for hosting travel and food series, the latest being Tucci in Italy with National Geographic, which premiered this week.
So… you’ve got a decent following on social media, and you’re looking to cash in? Want to travel for free, get all your expenses covered, and “grow” your portfolio without doing much? Do you want to run your own photography tour, which will make you shine like a famous and successful travel photographer?
The winners of the World Food Photography Awards sponsored by Bimi® have been announced with a group portrait of elderly women in China scooping the top prize.
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.
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.
Pelican partner Boone Speed is regarded in many circles as a jack-of-all-trades. In addition to being a pioneering rock climber, Speed is also a successful photographer with a portfolio rich with unique images.
The following article is a resource to help the world’s photography competition judges work out if the “travel” images they are judging are real or not! Yep, this is the first library of fake travel photos focusing on people photography in Asia. You’re welcome!
A 47-year-old American man was brutally impaled on a spiked metal fence at the Colosseum in Rome while scaling the barrier in an attempt to get a photo.
In the remote corners of the Earth, where dense forests blanket the land and trees intertwine, I spent 17 days on an exploratory adventure filled with challenges and surprises on the Indonesian islands of Seram and Kalimantan. This journey was more than just an adventure; it was a true test of patience, endurance, and love for the diversity of nature.
For decades, OM SYSTEM Ambassadors Joe and Mary Ann McDonald have traveled the globe, documenting wildlife in its natural element through their photography.
As a Canon Ambassador, I traveled to India with a pre-released Camera EOS R50 V. This is how it coped with busy streets, poor lighting, and breathtaking vistas.
While photographing wide-angle nightscapes is a common occurrence for astrophotographers, not many capture the faint nebulae and distant galaxies hidden beyond the Milky Way. Trevor Jones, creator of AstroBackyard, turned his obsession with space into a dedicated passion, teaching himself astrophotography to share the deep-sky he first witnessed through a telescope. Now a successful YouTuber and respected voice in the community, Jones helps demystify the process.
Adobe Lightroom Ambassador Melissa Findley is a photographer with a deep interest in travel, adventure, landscape, and lifestyle photography. Her passion for visual storytelling has taken her across the globe, leading to significant projects with major brands and non-profit organizations. The acclaimed Australian-born photographer shares her invaluable insights with PetaPixel, offering tips to elevate the nature photography skills of enthusiasts at every level.
Award-winning astrophotographer Mihail Minkov recently returned home to Bulgaria following an incredible 20-day journey across South America, where Minkov visited some of the world's most spectacular locations with the darkest skies.