The Night Photo Summit online event will offer three days of dynamic presentations from 35-plus world-class photographers, authors, artists, astronomers and national park and dark-sky activists. This is their fourth year running, and it’s always worthwhile.

What is it?

National Parks at Night holds night photography workshops that provide top-shelf education both in the classroom and in the field. They are arguably the best in the world at doing so. They have invited 35+ speakers to join in the fun of their Night Photo Summit.

The speakers at this online event will include night photographers, of course. Also speaking are authors, artists, astronomers and national park and dark-sky activists. They will speak about astronomy, dark skies, creativity and of course photo techniques — both in the field and post-processing. Presentations will include beginner, intermediate and advanced levels.

Who are the presenters?

The varied speakers for Night Photo Summitinclude Sean Bagshaw, Royce Bair, Benjamin Barakat, Yuri Beletsky, Forest Chaput de Saintonge, Joshua Cripps, Alan Dyer, Daniel Freeman, Michael Frye, Kim Henry, Kerry-Ann Lecky Hepburn, Melissa Kaelin, Marybeth Kiczenski, Tim Little, Pete Mauney, Andrew McCarthy, Brandon Nesbitt, Eric Pare, Jessica Rojas, Jess Santos, Mike Shaw, Anthony Sleiman, Chris Smith, Babak Tafreshi, Adam Woodworth and Dan Zafra, with more to be announced in the next couple of weeks. and more. And of course, the speakers also include National Parks at Night instructors Gabriel Biderman, Chris Nicholson, Lance Keimig, Matt Hill and Tim Cooper.

Tim Little, interviewed in Photofocus previously, will be offering a class entitled “Night Flight and Moonlight: Getting Started with Long-Exposure Aerials”. In what promises to be a fascinating and unique class, he will be discussing taking night photos with drones. Him and I will be teaching a night photography workshop in Joshua Tree and Borrego Springs in June 2024.

When is it?

The Night Photo Summit will run Feb. 2-4 from 11 a.m. to 7:15 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and from 11 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday. There will also be an “after-hours” event Friday and/or Saturday nights.

How can I sign up?

Well, you know … go to their website! If you choose to sign up, I would greatly appreciate it if you use my Night Photo Summit 2024 affiliate link here. Thanks.

The photo was picked as the “Astronomy Picture of the Day” by NASA.

In a rare feat, an Italian photographer captured a “one-in-a-million” lunar alignment shot that has gone viral on social media and left netizens mesmerised. The photographer from Italy’s Turin, Valerio Minato, captured the extraordinary photo of the moon, which also earned him NASA’s “Astronomy Picture of the Day” award in December. In the image, the moon is perfectly aligned with the peak of Monviso, the highest mountain in the Cottian Alps, and the Basilica of Superga’s dome, which is situated near Turin. 

In an Instagram post, Mr Minato said that he snapped the picture on December 15, 2023. “Superga and Monviso had an unforgettable date with Luna,” he wrote. “In a very small portion of heaven, for very few seconds, the King of Stone, the Basilica of Superga and the Crescent Moon met giving a unique spectacle. The so-called cinerea moon is also well visible: during the first and last phase of the lunar cycle the light of the Sun is reflected from the Earth towards the Moon, illuminating the portion of the surface in the shadow,” the photographer added. 

Take a look at the picture below: 

Since being shared, Mr Minato’s image has accumulated more than 362,000 likes on Instagram. In the comments section, while some users called the pic beautiful, others called it incredible. 

“This is surreal absolutely brilliant composition,” commented one user. “To make a photo like this, it takes years of study, months of preparation and an immeasurable dose of passion/love for your job. Photographers like @valeriominato don’t have to fear the arrival of artificial intelligence because they are real artists. This picture is touching, but if you add in the feeling of a Bull fan like me,” wrote another. 

Also Read | Video Of “10-Foot-Tall” Human-Like Creatures In Brazil Shocks Internet

“One of the most beautiful pictures I’ve ever seen! all your passion emerges, even the explanations you share, show all your study and great professionalism. Thank you for these presents!” expressed a third. “Congratulations!!!! Really spectacular and as a photographer I admire him even more… I take my hat off, maybe even more for everything that is behind the shot,” added a fourth user. 

Mr Minato also shared a time-lapse video that captured the perfect moment when the moon aligned with the mountain and the Basilica dome. The video has amassed more than 3.8 million views and over 201,000 likes. 

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«Photographing the obscenity of reality means being interested in the world and not interpreting it,» explains photographer Erjola Zhuka (1986, Albania), «where the notion of obscenity is anything that ends any gaze, any image, any representation». Her unsettling photographs, on display at Lampo Milano until January 14th, showcase a reality without filters, capable of breaking down defenses and unmasking social facades. The places and characters captured by Zhuka belong to her reality. They are familiar landscapes that present raw and spontaneous moments of her daily life to the viewer. Erjola Zhuka’s photography initiates a process of self-discovery, prompting us to reassess the influence of culture and society on our mentality and lifestyle.

The title of the solo exhibition at Lampo Milano better explains the concept behind Erjola Zhuka’s photographs. As if you know nothing, a phrase that implies a state of emptiness, of darkness, where thought isn’t conditioned by any convention or glossy image. It refers to an original, primordial state that nullifies every knowledge, every myth, with the intention of creating something new. The phrase doesn’t carry a negative connotation but aims to “foster that process of estrangement that widens…,” as stated in curator Elsa Barbieri’s text. A collection of photographs that challenges the viewer’s understanding of the world. Erjola Zhuka presents us with an elderly naked body, subject to the relentless passage of time, leading us to wonder: what would it be like to look at this body without the preconceptions we absorb from the outside? Her work, therefore, prompts an observation that goes beyond the surface. A succession of bodies and environments linked by two threads: time that alters everything and intimacy that dictates the narrative. Ultimately, it arrives at a reworking of identity through the sole and pure documentation of a specific moment, placed in a particular space, from the artist’s life.

Courtesy Erjola Zhuka

Following the success of its first lens, fledgling manufacturer Thypoch has started shipping its eagerly anticipated second: the Thypoch Simera 28mm f/1.4.

Thypoch is a lens company that hit the scene last year at Photopia Hamburg, Germany, and Salon de la Photo in Paris, France, teasing two Leica M lenses – the Simera 35mm f/1.4 Asph and the Simera 28mm f/1.4 Asph. The 35mm f/1.4 was released in November 2023, and received positive reviews for its design quality and lightweight form factor. Now Thypoch has announced that the shipping of its sibling, the 28mm f/1.4, has begun. 

The 28mm focal length has a soft spot among the top lenses for street photographers, offering a wide angle of view to incorporate more of the scene. It is a particularly significant focal length for Leica users, too, as it’s the length of choice for the Leica Q2 and Leica Q3.

The Simera 28mm f/1.4 has features comparable to the best Leica M lenses at a more affordable price point, which has generated much interest in the red dot community. The f/1.4 aperture will also perk the ears of Leica users, as it offers a more affordable variant to the native lens. 

The 14-blade aperture and 11 elements produce smooth bokeh and background fall-off, and the lens also offers “dual aperture switching modes” that enable the user to switch between clicked and de-clicked adjustments – an ease-of-use feature designed for the increasing demand of video creation.

The design of the Thypoch 28mm f/1.4 Asph is very much aligned with the Leica M11 aesthetic, offering a great combination of vintage with a pop of modernity with contrasting red dots.

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The dots aren’t just for aesthetics, however, as they are depth of field scales to the manual focus lens. Designed with street photographers in mind, they enable quicker focusing when in fast-paced environments and with hyperfocal distancing. 

The lens body is lightweight and compact and is comprised of three HRI elements, one extra-low dispersion element, one aspherical element, and a floating group that combats spherical and chromatic aberrations. Thypoch states that the lens configuration enables sharp and accurate capture from edge to edge, even when shot wide open. 

The Thypoch Simera 28mm f/1.4 Asph looks, on paper, to be a great Leica M mount alternative to the native Leica Summilux-M 28mm f/1.4 Asph – and is considerably more wallet-friendly. The lens is available now at the price of $699 / £582 (Australian pricing TBC). 

For more information on Leica products see our guides to the best Leica SL lenses and the best Leica L-mount lenses. If Leica is a little out of budget see our guide to the best Leica alternatives. 

When photographer Chelsea Hamilton heard about the flooding in Old Orchard Beach, she grabbed her camera and headed out.

Chelsea is from Biddeford and is a southern Maine photographer (Captivating Moments Photography by Chelsea). She’s very familiar with Old Orchard Beach and has photographed it often in the spring and fall.  But she got her boys to put on muck boots and head out. It was kinda fun for the kids to wade through the water on West Grand Avenue and around the library. But when you see people row by in a canoe, you gotta scratch your head.

Chelsea spoke to a member of the fire department the afternoon of the storm and he said that this was the slowest they have ever seen the ocean recede. It looked much better the morning after. There were only a few roads underwater, and puddles had frozen overnight.

It was also sad to see the devastation. Chelsea has such a good eye that she was able to capture the ironic and sad beauty.

Maine has taken a terrible beating this winter. A week before the holidays (and just 3 days before the official start of winter) we had the Grinch storm to deal with. Snow, rain, winds, and power outages. Then this storm just a couple of weeks later…and wait for it – yet another storm Saturday. And yes, this storm has wind, rain, snow, and power outages all possible.

Hang in there Old Orchard Beach! We love ya, we’re rooting for you and you know we’ll invade your beaches in just a few short months!

Editor’s Note: Call to Earth is a CNN editorial series committed to reporting on the environmental challenges facing our planet, together with the solutions. Rolex’s Perpetual Planet initiative has partnered with CNN to drive awareness and education around key sustainability issues and to inspire positive action.

Mesmerizing photos of ants firing acid, a shrimp floating over a rainbow-colored mosaic sea star, and a butterfly peering in at a wedding party are among the winning images of the Close-up Photographer of the Year 2023 competition.

The contest, in its fifth year, celebrates micro and macro photography, striving to show the hidden wonders of the natural world, from microscopic fungi to majestic animals. Micro is the term used for taking photos of tiny subjects that require magnification, while macro involves capturing close-up images of larger subjects.

Tracy Calder, co-founder of the competition and jury member, told CNN how the photos reveal unusual interactions between animals and plants, demonstrating how everything in the natural world is interconnected and interdependent. It “celebrates animals and behavior that people have never seen or encountered before,” she said.

This year’s grand prize went to Hungarian photographer Csaba Daróczi, for his black and white image of a Eurasian nuthatch soaring through a forest. Taken with a GoPro from inside a hollowed-out tree stump, the striking image offers a new perspective of the bird against the backdrop of outstretched trees.

The title of young close-up photographer of the year went to 17-year-old Spaniard Carlos Pérez Naval for his image of a Moorish gecko on a wall covered with pyrolusite crystals. “These magnesium minerals create stunning formations, which look just like petrified trees, but they are so small that they’re tricky to spot,” he said in a press release.

“I wanted to capture a gecko in the ‘petrified forest’ for a long time, but they only recently appeared in my village – probably carried in fruit baskets from hotter areas. Due to climate change they can now survive here,” he added.

The jury – made up of 23 photographers, scientists and naturalists – chose the winning photos for each category from a total of 12,000 entries from 67 countries. Many were taken in areas local to the photographers, showing the beauty of what can be seen in your own backyard, said Calder.

She, along with her husband Daniel, founded the competition in 2018. Both are professional photographers. While many other photo awards feature close-up categories, they believed there was a need for an entire competition dedicated to macro and micro photography.

“It’s often easier for people to get behind conservation stories featuring ‘cute’ or more obvious animals and plants: rhinos, pandas, orchids. But the lesser-known insects and plants we often consider weeds have a huge role to play in keeping everything balanced. Close-up photography often showcases these animals and plants,” she said.

“There’s also a joy in showing people things they wouldn’t be able to see without a macro lens or microscope. Many of the creatures and plants we show are all around us but are never noticed. The competition is a way for them to be noticed,” she added.