Travel and adventure photography blog Capture the Atlas has announced the winners of its sixth annual Milky Way Photographer of the Year contest.

The collection of winning images showcases the incredible Milky Way nightscape photography of 25 photographers from 16 different countries. The final winning 25 shots were selected from over 3,000 entries.

“The quality of the image, the story behind the shot, and the overall inspiration that the photograph can provide are the main factors for selecting the images every year,” explains Capture the Atlas.

13 of PetaPixel’s Favorites

All 25 featured images are available on Capture the Atlas, but below is a selection of 10, alongside information about the photographer, location, and a short description provided by each photographer.

‘Cafayate Star Factory’ by Gonzalo Javier Santile

“To capture this shot, I arrived before the blue hour, and as soon as the first stars appeared, with some light still shining on the landscape, I took the images for the foreground. After that, when it was completely dark, I shot the vertical photos of the sky,” explains Santile.

He used an astro-modified Nikon D750 camera with a Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8 zoom lens. The modified camera helped capture the reddish colors in the Milky Way. The sky was captured over a period of 43 seconds with the aid of a star tracker.

‘Gigi Hiu Shining in the Dark’ by Gary Bhaztara

“I’ve visited this spot more than 30 times; now it just feels like home,” says Bhaztara.

Gigi Hiu Beach is located in a rural part of Sumatra Island in Indonesia. “When shooting at this location, I have to make sure the tide conditions are perfect because the waves coming from the Indian Ocean can be big and crash hard against the coast, which can be dangerous,” Bhaztara adds.

‘Interstellar’ by Jose Luis Cantabrana Garcia

“I had dreamed of visiting this location ever since I saw the breathtaking images captured by Michael Goh, also known as ‘Astrophotobear,’ whose work has also been featured as part of this contest in previous years,” says Garcia.

The Pinnacles Desert in Australia is a beautiful destinate that Garcia has long wanted to visit.

“This area is sacred to the Noongar people, the traditional owners of this land, and in the past, it was only accessible to women. The story goes that these limestone rocks are nothing but petrified ghosts of the men who dared to enter and were then eternally punished by the gods,” he says of the location.

‘Lut Glow’ by Isabella Tabacchi

Tabacchi captured this shot in Lut Desert, Iran, using a Hasselblad X1D II and XCD 30mm lens. It’s unusual to see night sky photos captured using medium format cameras like the X1D II.

“This is a rock formation in the Lut desert in Iran under the Milky Way. We spent the whole night, from sunset to sunrise, taking photos of that incredible sky. I was able to capture a green airglow under the Milky Way, behind the impressive rock formations in the warmest place on Earth,” Tabacchi explains.

‘Milky Way Over Cuenca’s Hoodoos’ by Luis Cajete

“One of my passions is capturing large panoramas through night photography. Living in a big city, I have always battled against intense light pollution. That’s why I’ve spent years searching for places where I can truly appreciate the beauty of the stars. Witnessing the arc of the Milky Way is an absolutely awe-inspiring experience,” explains Cajete.

He scouted the location during the day, searching for an area with an intriguing and dynamic foreground. Using an iOptron SkyGuider Pro, Cajete captured a two-minute exposure of the sky.

‘Milky Way Rising Over Stony River and Mt. Taranaki’ by Brendan Larsen

“Getting the Milky Way lined up over Mount Taranaki in New Zealand from this location in early March meant a late night as it didn’t line up until 2:30 in the morning, but I was keen to make the most of the perfectly clear skies on that night,” Larsen says.

“I’m really pleased with how many colors I was able to capture with my camera, filters, and long exposures. Rho Ophiuchi in Scorpius looks really good with its pink, yellow, and blue colors, along with the Zeta Ophiuchi Nebula (the pinkish nebula to the lower left of the image came out well too). On the lower right of the image, there’s some nice airglow, which adds to the beauty and uniqueness of the sky that night,” he adds.

‘Night Under the Baobab Trees’ by Steffi Lieberman

This excellent panorama from Madagascar shows the area’s traditional baobab trees beneath a beautiful Milky Way arc.

“This photo means a lot to me, and I can’t even begin to tell you how difficult it was to take it. From the road conditions to the armed security guards protecting you while you take photos, everything about it was an adventure,” Lieberman explains.

‘South of Home’ by Lorenzo Ranieri Tenti

“My journey to Namibia, particularly the Erongo area, was an extraordinary adventure, immersing me in the captivating beauty of the southern night sky. The panoramic photograph captures the breathtaking scene in the Gross Spitzkoppe Nature Reserve, where the southern Milky Way gracefully spans a remarkable formation of smooth granite boulders. This area holds a unique charm, with Mount Spitzkoppe being the sole prominent feature for kilometers, majestically rising 700 meters above the endless savannah,” Tenti explains.

Lorenzo combined an exposure of the sky at 35mm and a foreground shot at 20mm into the final composite image. The sky was shot using an astro-modified Sony a7S, while the foreground was captured using a Sony a7 IV.

‘The Cactus Valley’ by Pablo Ruiz García

Garcia captured this photo during his first trip to photograph the Milky Way in the southern hemisphere. The photo, captured in Atacama, Chile, shows brilliant colors and detail.

“The photo I’m sharing with you was taken in the Cactus Valley, a stunning area of the Atacama Desert where it’s easy to compose photos with the night sky. I managed to include both nebulae, along with the iconic cacti of the valley,” says García.

‘The Cathedral Light Show’ by Roksolyana Hilevych

This excellent photo combines a brilliant night sky, dynamic landscape, and beautiful flowers, and a fortuitous meteor.

“Sometimes it takes a bit of luck. This was definitely the best moment I’ve ever had during a nighttime session; this only happens once in a lifetime. However, I really hope to be able to see the fireball again someday!” says Hilevych.

“It was the first and only time I saw such a bright meteor. It lit up everything around it, making it seem like daytime for a few seconds. Luckily, at the moment it appeared, I was photographing the core of the Milky Way,” Hilevych adds.

‘The La Palma Astroexperience’ by Jakok Sahner

Another shot from Spain shows La Palma and the Canary Islands beneath a breathtaking night sky.

“On the first night of the trip, I was exhausted from a long journey and no sleep, but I couldn’t resist going out to capture the clear sky, as it was the first time I’ve experienced this much cloud cover. However, I would caution that exploring the terrain at night can be dangerous and should only be done by those familiar with it,” Sahner explains.

‘The Night Train’ by Alexander Forst

Combining incredible nature and a touch of humanity is an interesting juxtaposition.

“I photographed the night train last September at the Wiesener Viaduct. This photo is from a series of bridge photos that I started two years ago,” says Forst.

“Stopping movement is a common thing in photography. It is not as common in night photography, where movements become long, abstract lines due to the long exposure time. Two years ago I started experimenting with the stillness of moving objects in night photography and came up with a technique to make that possible. I photographed the train during the blue hour and the lights of the train at night,” Forst explains.

He continues, “When photographing complex projects like this, order is very important. After setting up the equipment and finding the right perspective, the first thing I had to do was photograph the train; then, when night fell, the foreground and the lights of the last train; and finally, the Milky Way. I then put the pictures in Photoshop overlaid with the rest of the foreground and Milky Way shots.”

‘The Scenery I Wanted to See’ by Mitsuhiro Okabe

This shot screams “Japan,” featuring quintessential scenery including a temple and Mt. Fuji, during cherry blossom season.

“Mount Fuji, Japan’s iconic symbol, dominates the backdrop of this image, set during cherry blossom season. Amidst the landscape, you can see a sacred temple dedicated to honoring the spirits of the departed. And there, against the dark canvas of the night sky, the ethereal beauty of the Milky Way came into view,” Okabe explains.

A Pair of Familiar Photos

‘The Bottle Tree Portal’ by Benjamin Barakat

This image has previously been featured on PetaPixel as part of an article about Benjamin Barakat’s extraordinary trip to the remote island of Socotra in Yemen.

“Nights on the mystical island of Socotra are unforgettable, especially under the embrace of the most alien-looking and beautiful trees I have ever seen. Their gnarled and twisted trunks seemed to tell stories of ancient times while the blooming pink flowers added a touch of ethereal beauty,” Barakat explains.

‘The Eyes of the Universe’ by Mihail Minkov

Another image featured recently on PetaPixel is Mihail Minkov’s astonishing Milky Way panorama.

The time-blended image shows a pair of Milky Way arches captured hours apart on the same evening.

“I’ve always wondered what the night sky would look like if we could see the two Milky Way arches from the winter and summer side by side. This is practically impossible, since they are part of a whole and are visible at different times of the day,” Minkov explains.

Tips for Photographing the Milky Way

Alongside featuring the incredible winning photos in this year’s contest, Capture the Atlas also offers a guide full of tips for photographing the Milky Way, preparing photographers for next year’s contest. The guide includes practical tips, gear recommendations, and a helpful viewing chart.

“In the northern hemisphere, the Milky Way season starts in February and ends in October. You’ll find the best months to photograph the Milky Way between May and August,” explains Capture the Atlas. In the southern hemisphere, the Milky Way season is from January to November, with the best months being between April and August. Photographers can capture great shots of the Milky Way all year, but the “Milky Way season” is when its beautiful galactic center is visible.

PetaPixel has also published numerous guides to help photographers plan and capture amazing Milky Way photos, including “How to Photograph the Milky Way” and “How to Photograph the Milky Way: The Preparation.”

Image credits: All photos are individually credited and provided courtesy of Capture the Atlas.

Following up on our post on Festival, fair and carnival photography, we received lots of comments about summer activities. After our last “from the show floor post,” we had a few people tell us, “I’d have gone, but didn’t know about it” or “WOW, sorry I missed that one.” So, I thought a quick update on some events coming up that are certainly worth your consideration. With summer upon us, let’s get you all out shooting! 

Drink and Click

I know a few readers reported that the Drink and Click events are super fun and worth checking out. Check out their website to find out more about their group and the events they do. 

Photography workshops and contests

Depending on your budget, preference for learning (whether virtual or in person), or your professional focus, interest in each of these will vary. 

There are also other factors like your software of choice and your market niche (events, weddings, portraits, landscapes, video, etc.). It’s important to consider these when deciding which events to attend or participate in. Virtual or in-person workshops and events, depending on your availability and location, can provide valuable learning experiences and networking opportunities.

By focusing on specific niches, you can hone your skills and develop a unique style that sets you apart.

Consider entering a contest as they can be an excellent way to engage with the photography community and receive feedback on your work. They offer a chance to showcase your talent and gain recognition. Be sure to research and select contests that align with your goals and interests.

June

July

August

September 

If you don’t see an event that’s on your radar or if your holding one and it’s not here please let us know and we’ll keep updating this throughout the year! 

Overall, it’s exciting to have a variety of summer activities and events to explore as a photographer. By actively participating and staying engaged, you can enhance your skills, broaden your network, and potentially discover new opportunities in the field of photography. Stay safe and enjoy your summer shooting!

In 1966, Ernest Cole fled his native South Africa, never to return. The nation’s first Black freelance photographer, he carried with him a secret cache of images documenting the evils of apartheid—photos he knew that could never be published in the county of his birth.

Instead, he went to New York City, where Magnum Photos and Random House published his House of Bondage, exposing South Africa’s horrific apartheid system to the world. The groundbreaking book became international news, helping fuel the anti-apartheid movement.

In 1968, Cole wrote in Ebony that he wanted his photography book “to show the world what the white South African had done to the Black.”

“I knew that if an informer would learn what I was doing I would be reported and end up in jail,” he continued. “I knew that I could be killed merely for gathering that material for such a book and I knew that when I finished, I would have to leave my country in order to have the book published. And I knew that once the book was published, I could never go home again.”

House of Bondage. Handcuffed blacks were arrested for being in a white area illegally. Photo ©Ernest Cole, courtesy of Magnum Photos.” width=”683″ height=”1000″ srcset=”https://www.mecreates.com/story/news/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/nn11432116-overlay.jpeg 683w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2023/05/nn11432116-overlay-205×300.jpeg 205w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2023/05/nn11432116-overlay-34×50.jpeg 34w” sizes=”(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px”>

Ernest Cole, from House of Bondage. Handcuffed blacks were arrested for being in a white area illegally. Photo ©Ernest Cole, courtesy of Magnum Photos.

But Cole‘s fame was short-lived. He gave up photography in the 1970s, and died destitute, at just 49 years old, in 1990. His original negatives were believed to have been lost.

Until a few years ago, that is. In 2018, Cole’s heirs found 60,000 negatives in a Stockholm bank vault. Now, the first exhibition featuring works from Cole’s rediscovered archive is on view at at FOAM, the Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam.

“Ernest Cole: House of Bondage” showcases Cole’s pioneering work, and the obstacles he overcame in order to capture the groundbreaking images of oppression.

Born in 1940, Cole started taking photographs at just eight years old. South African authorities greatly restricted the movement of Black people, but Cole was able to change his registration to the less constrained category of “colored.” (One of the tests was whether or not a pencil would get stuck in your hair.)

This relative freedom of movement gave Cole the ability to photograph shocking scenes of South Africa life.

He went to the mines, where men lined up to be processed for grueling manual labor, living in harsh barracks far from home. He went to schools where Bantu children worked on the floor due to lack of desks. He visited Black servants working for white families, their living quarters furnished with milk crates and newspaper carpeting.

House of Bondage. Students kneel on the floor to write. The government did not always provide schools for black children. Photo ©Ernest Cole, courtesy of Magnum Photos.” width=”1024″ height=”701″ srcset=”https://www.mecreates.com/story/news/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ernest-cole-classroom-1024×701.jpg 1024w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2023/05/ernest-cole-classroom-300×205.jpg 300w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2023/05/ernest-cole-classroom-1536×1051.jpg 1536w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2023/05/ernest-cole-classroom-50×34.jpg 50w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2023/05/ernest-cole-classroom.jpg 1760w” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px”>

Ernest Cole, from House of Bondage. Students kneel on the floor to write. The government did not always provide schools for black children. Photo ©Ernest Cole, courtesy of Magnum Photos.

Other photos show Black men handcuffed and young boys behind bars, arrested for being caught in a white neighborhood. There are packed segregated trains, the Black passengers clinging precariously to the outside of the cars in order to travel during rush hour, and overcrowded hospitals with Black patients in desperate need of treatment.

When Cole finally published House of Bondage in 1967, the images shocked the world—as the artist knew they would. Ahead of the FOAM exhibition, Aperture reissued the book, introducing this first-person account of the everyday violence under apartheid to 21st-century audiences.

See more photos from the exhibition below.

House of Bondage. It is against the law for black servants to live under the same roof as their employers. In a private home, servants would have a separate little room in the backyard. She lives on the edge of opulence, while her own world is bare. Newspapers are her carpet, fruit crates her chairs and table. Photo ©Ernest Cole, courtesy of Magnum Photos.” width=”701″ height=”1024″ srcset=”https://www.mecreates.com/story/news/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ernest-cole-servant-701×1024.jpg 701w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2023/05/ernest-cole-servant-205×300.jpg 205w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2023/05/ernest-cole-servant-1052×1536.jpg 1052w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2023/05/ernest-cole-servant-34×50.jpg 34w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2023/05/ernest-cole-servant-1315×1920.jpg 1315w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2023/05/ernest-cole-servant.jpg 1400w” sizes=”(max-width: 701px) 100vw, 701px”>

Ernest Cole, from House of Bondage. It is against the law for black servants to live under the same roof as their employers. In a private home, servants would have a separate little room in the backyard. She lives on the edge of opulence, while her own world is bare. Newspapers are her carpet, fruit crates her chairs and table. Photo ©Ernest Cole, courtesy of Magnum Photos.

House of Bondage. Servants are not forbidden to love. The woman holding this child said: “I love this child, though she’ll grow up to treat me just like her mother does. Now she is innocent.” Photo ©Ernest Cole, courtesy of Magnum Photos.” width=”683″ height=”1024″ srcset=”https://www.mecreates.com/story/news/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/mg1100211-ernest-cole-683×1024.jpg 683w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2023/05/mg1100211-ernest-cole-200×300.jpg 200w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2023/05/mg1100211-ernest-cole-1024×1536.jpg 1024w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2023/05/mg1100211-ernest-cole-1365×2048.jpg 1365w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2023/05/mg1100211-ernest-cole-33×50.jpg 33w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2023/05/mg1100211-ernest-cole-1280×1920.jpg 1280w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2023/05/mg1100211-ernest-cole-scaled.jpg 1707w” sizes=”(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px”>

Ernest Cole, from House of Bondage. Servants are not forbidden to love. The woman holding this child said: “I love this child, though she’ll grow up to treat me just like her mother does. Now she is innocent.” Photo ©Ernest Cole, courtesy of Magnum Photos.

House of Bondage. Acres of identical four-room houses on nameless streets. Many were hours by train from city jobs. Photo ©Ernest Cole, courtesy of Magnum Photos.” width=”1024″ height=”673″ srcset=”https://www.mecreates.com/story/news/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/mg182446-ernest-cole-1024×673.jpg 1024w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2023/05/mg182446-ernest-cole-300×197.jpg 300w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2023/05/mg182446-ernest-cole-1536×1010.jpg 1536w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2023/05/mg182446-ernest-cole-50×33.jpg 50w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2023/05/mg182446-ernest-cole-1920×1262.jpg 1920w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2023/05/mg182446-ernest-cole.jpg 2048w” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px”>

Ernest Cole, from House of Bondage. Acres of identical four-room houses on nameless streets. Many were hours by train from city jobs. Photo ©Ernest Cole, courtesy of Magnum Photos.

House of Bondage. Africans throng Johannesburg station platform during late afternoon rush hour. The train accelerates with its load of clinging passengers. They ride like this through rain and cold, some for the entire journey. Photo ©Ernest Cole, courtesy of Magnum Photos.” width=”1024″ height=”679″ srcset=”https://www.mecreates.com/story/news/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/nn11432132-ernest-cole-1024×679.jpg 1024w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2023/05/nn11432132-ernest-cole-300×199.jpg 300w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2023/05/nn11432132-ernest-cole-1536×1018.jpg 1536w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2023/05/nn11432132-ernest-cole-50×33.jpg 50w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2023/05/nn11432132-ernest-cole-1920×1272.jpg 1920w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2023/05/nn11432132-ernest-cole.jpg 2048w” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px”>

Ernest Cole, from House of Bondage. Africans throng Johannesburg station platform during late afternoon rush hour. The train accelerates with its load of clinging passengers. They ride like this through rain and cold, some for the entire journey. Photo ©Ernest Cole, courtesy of Magnum Photos.

House of Bondage. With no room inside the train, some ride between cars. Which black train to take is a matter of guesswork. They have no destination signs and no announcement of arrivals is made. Head car may be numbered to show its route, but the number is often wrong. In confusion, passengers sometimes jump across tracks and some are killed by express trains. Whistle has sounded, train is moving, but people are still trying to get on. Photo ©Ernest Cole, courtesy of Magnum Photos.” width=”1024″ height=”682″ srcset=”https://www.mecreates.com/story/news/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ernest-cole-train-1024×682.jpg 1024w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2023/05/ernest-cole-train-300×200.jpg 300w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2023/05/ernest-cole-train-50×33.jpg 50w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2023/05/ernest-cole-train.jpg 1400w” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px”>

Ernest Cole, from House of Bondage. With no room inside the train, some ride between cars. Which black train to take is a matter of guesswork. They have no destination signs and no announcement of arrivals is made. Head car may be numbered to show its route, but the number is often wrong. In confusion, passengers sometimes jump across tracks and some are killed by express trains. Whistle has sounded, train is moving, but people are still trying to get on. Photo ©Ernest Cole, courtesy of Magnum Photos.

House of Bondage. These boys were caught trespassing in a white area. Photo ©Ernest Cole, courtesy of Magnum Photos.” width=”689″ height=”1024″ srcset=”https://www.mecreates.com/story/news/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ernest-cole-arrested-689×1024.jpg 689w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2023/05/ernest-cole-arrested-202×300.jpg 202w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2023/05/ernest-cole-arrested-1034×1536.jpg 1034w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2023/05/ernest-cole-arrested-1378×2048.jpg 1378w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2023/05/ernest-cole-arrested-34×50.jpg 34w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2023/05/ernest-cole-arrested-1292×1920.jpg 1292w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2023/05/ernest-cole-arrested-scaled.jpg 1723w” sizes=”(max-width: 689px) 100vw, 689px”>

Ernest Cole, from House of Bondage. These boys were caught trespassing in a white area. Photo ©Ernest Cole, courtesy of Magnum Photos.

“Ernest Cole: House of Bondage” is on view at FOAM, Keizersgracht 609, 1017 DS Amsterdam, Netherlands, January 26–June 14, 2023. 

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“Everyone’s story is different,” Michael Joseph says. “But they’re all searching for the same things – an escape from a prescribed life society has set out for them. They’re searching for freedom.” In this collection, three photographers take us behind the scenes in the Traveler subculture. In the process, they reveal a community of people on the go, catching rides wherever they can, by freight train or by car, living by their own set of rules.

Michael Joseph travels the country, creating intimate portraits of people within the Traveler subculture.

“I have nothing, but I have everything at the same time,” a Traveler once told the photographer Michael Joseph.

For most of us, the world rushes past in a blur, but for Travelers, time slows down. “If you engage a Traveler in conversation,” the photographer says, “They will open up to you. They have time for you. And that’s rare today, when people hide behind screens and don’t look each other in the eye.”

For Nicholas Syracuse, the allure of the open road is irresistible. It’s something he has in common with the people who make up the Traveler subculture.

“I’m not homeless. I might be houseless, but these freight trains are my home,” a man named Mark confided in photographer Nicholas Syracuse, who has for twenty years been recording the histories of those who, like Mark, have left behind the comforts of mainstream life for the freedom of the railway.

Mark, who nicknames himself “Shoestring” after the hero of a Mel McDaniel song, has been traveling for decades. He writes his name on freight trains and can tell the age of a tortoise just by looking at his shell. The lifestyle is in his DNA: “It’s who I am.” Some travelers, Syracuse has learned, choose the tracks; for others, it’s not a choice. The road chooses them.

The photographer Matt Mimiaga and the journalists Lauren Smiley and Amy Standen spent time with the self-identified Dirty Kids of San Francisco, who trusted them to share their stories.

Members of a subculture called the Dirty Kids, who move throughout the country by train, before settling around San Francisco, opened up to Matt Mimiaga as part of this story in California Sunday.

The Dirty Kids, or Crusty Kids, as they sometimes identify, are a close-knit group. Some of them ran away from home at an early age to escape the cycles of poverty or abuse, but others, like Saydee, chose the life because of the freedom it affords. They are continuously on the move, dispersing throughout the country and reuniting once more in the Haight.

Michael Joseph continues his journey and shares the memories he’s made along the way.

“What draws me to the Travelers is their ability to see beyond cultural norms,” Michael Joseph tells us. Lost and Found, his ongoing project about people who live on the go, exploring the United States, has continued for more than a decade. “It started with meeting a random stranger, then learning about the subculture, to becoming mentally engrossed in the subculture and then full-on documentation through portraiture,” he remembers.

Discover More

Former Chicago Police Officer Peter Bella patrolled Chicago neighborhoods for almost 30 years, but it wasn’t until retiring and exploring them on foot that he discovered their real beauty.

“I spent years in the front seat of a car driving in square circles around places like Little Village and Pilsen, but you don’t see anything until you get out and walk,” Bella said, adding that every neighborhood is different.

“I don’t care what anyone says, we are not one city, we are 77 cities,” he said, referring to the number of official community areas in Chicago. “They all have their own culture and flavor.”

Bella, 70, retired in 2007 from the police department after more than 29 years on the job, but he hasn’t spent his retirement talking about the romanticized glory days of the past. Instead, he’s worn a number of hats. He attended culinary school for a bit and then wrote a food blog. He turned a six-week gig at the Driehaus Museum into a job as a guide that lasted more than five years, continued writing a blog focused on Chicago and, all along, continued perhaps his strongest passion — photographing random people, things and places around the city where he was born and raised. 

Although Bella has taken thousands of pictures over the years, it wasn’t until a couple of years ago that his longtime friend Chicago-based artist Tony Fitzpatrick started talking to him about putting together a show of his work. The pandemic interrupted plans, but about six months ago Fitzpatrick challenged him to step things up, resulting in Bella’s first show titled “Chicago in Black and White,” which opens June 2 at The Dime Chicago, 1513 N. Western Ave.

Fitzpatrick, who said he’s known Bella for three decades and often would see him at art shows, may have recognized Bella’s talent before he did. 

“I was aware of his photography for years and thought, ‘This guy is a really good street photographer, I wonder if he knows he’s an artist,’” Fitzpatrick said.

Bella started taking pictures as a hobby while attending the University of Illinois at Chicago. Then, after working as a beat officer in Little Village, Pilsen and Lawndale, Bella was assigned to forensics where he would pick up a camera again, documenting everything from graffiti to murders for the Chicago Police Department.

“When I got to forensics the photo instructor was a professional photographer who didn’t just teach how to shoot for forensics, he taught me everything about photography,” Bella said during an interview at a restaurant near his home in Lincoln Square.

After retiring, Bella kept taking pictures but instead of gruesome crime scenes, he focused more on the people and places of Chicago neighborhoods and was usually welcomed with open arms.

“People are nice, they chat with you, ask you to take your picture. I’ll stop in some of the businesses and talk to people. It’s nice,” he said.

Born in Wicker Park and raised largely in the West Elsdon neighborhood near Midway Airport, by the time he retired as a Chicago cop it would be easy for some to think there wasn’t much about Chicago for Bella to learn, but he said roaming neighborhoods on foot opened his eyes to many things.

Among his discoveries was the grave of Charles Dickens’ brother Augustus in Graceland Cemetery, Al Capone’s home in Park Manor and a cut-rate casket company in Englewood, all of which he took pictures of.

For the upcoming show, Bella said he selected 300 images from a batch of 3,000 and then narrowed it to 19 with Fitzpatrick for inclusion in the show.

Fitzpatrick said although the exhibit will show pictures taken from all around the city — including one of recently deceased Joseph Kromelis, better known as Chicago’s “Walking Man” that Fitzpatrick described as “one of the most moving portraits of Kromelis that I’ve ever seen” — several that were selected were taken near Lincoln Square.

“The ones I found most moving are right around Giddings Square,” Fitzpatrick said. “I thought the thing we should establish for his first show is that he’s a street photographer that loves the neighborhood from which he lives. I thought it was the perfect milieu for him to introduce himself as an artist.”

For Bella, his formal introduction to the public as an artist begins June 2.

A photographer captured a “once in a lifetime” photo of the Great Pyramid of Giza with an airplane silhouetted against a full Moon above it.

Rosita Dimitrova tells PetaPixel that the amazing image showcases “the power of serendipity in photography.” She calls the photo 4,500 Years of Human History — owing to the Egyptian pyramid dating back to the 26th century B.C.

“This photograph is not only visually stunning but also a testament to the power of timing and being in the right place at the right time,” Dimitrova says.

“As a passionate photographer, I have always sought to capture unique moments that evoke wonder and amazement. This particular image encapsulates the convergence of nature, human engineering, and celestial beauty in a truly awe-inspiring way.”

Dimitrova explains that the fortuitous shot, captured on April 6, happened at the end of her session just as she was about to pack up and leave.

“I was pretty much done shooting that evening, as the Moon was already higher up over the pyramid than I wanted in my shot,” she says.

“That’s when lifted my head I saw a blinking light approaching the Moon — seconds away from that perfect shot. I was stunned at the possibility and almost froze in a tiny panic!

“Still, I did manage to press the remote button at the exact right time.”

Bulgarian shooter Dimitrova is thrilled with her composition and the juxtaposition of man-made and natural wonders, “reminding us of the timeless allure and mystery surrounding these renowned landmarks.”

“It’s so symbolic,” she adds. “The plane and the pyramid, two absolute pinnacles of humanity thousands of years apart.”

The Shot Almost Didn’t Happen

Dimitrova’s shot was almost thwarted at the Egyptian border after border patrol took issue with the Sony 200-600mm lens she shot the photo with.

“This lens is apparently very hard to get into Egypt. I got very lucky and somehow managed to convince airport security that a pregnant woman is very unlikely to be a terrorist,” she explains.

“They were suspicious because apparently there is a device that is used for a sniper rifle that looks a bit similar.”

“The funny thing was that they were still interrogating me about the lens on my way OUT of Egypt, so I ended up showing them my portfolio,” she continues.

“To this day I’m still not sure if they believed me or not — I think they thought my photos of the Moon were digital art, rather than single shots, judging by the looks on their faces.”

Dimitrova’s 200-600mm was attached to a Sony A7 III and the photo was bracketed to avoid foreground noise.

More of Dimitrova’s work can be found on her website and Instagram.

Image credits: All photos by Rosita Dimitrova.

Salisbury, MD

(21801)

Today

Areas of patchy fog early. Cloudy. High 74F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph..

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Considerable cloudiness. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 61F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph.

Updated: May 31, 2023 @ 2:10 am

“A Black photographer in Hartford 150 years ago? That’s amazing.”

That’s just one takeaway that Henry Louis Gates Jr. has from the extraordinary new art exhibit “I Am Seen…Therefore, I Am: Isaac Julien and Frederick Douglass” that he helped create at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford.

The Harvard professor, historian, literary critic, documentarian and popular host of the PBS series “Finding Your Roots” was recently at the museum for a panel discussion with the multi-media British artist and filmmaker Sir Isaac Julien and acclaimed art and cultural historian Sarah Elizabeth Lewis to discuss the legendary abolitionist Frederick Douglass and Black representation in photography in the 19th century. The talk, which sold out Wadsworth’s main auditorium as well as a Zoom-fed overflow room, marked the opening of the new exhibit, which is at the museum through Sept. 24.

Douglass, the former slave who became known as one of the foremost social reformers and statesmen of the 19th century, was the most photographed American of his time and often lectured on the power of photography. One of the places he spoke was in Hartford.

“I Am Seen…,” a collaboration between the Wadsworth and the Amistad Center for Art & Culture, is anchored by a multi-screen installation of “Lessons of the Hour,” a 28-minute film piece specifically about Douglass made by Julien in 2019.

There are five screens of images that interact with each other. The piece has a narrative flow: Douglass, played by actor Ray Fearon, walks a horse through a field, lost in his thoughts, then takes a steam train to a city where he delivers a stirring lecture on the power of photography. His thoughts and speech are amplified by a video documenting the African-American experience from Douglass’ time to the present day. There are images of lynching, civil rights marches and fireworks. “Pictures, like songs,” Douglass proclaims, “should be left to make their own way.”

Though “Lessons of the Hour” is a full exhibit in itself, Gates and Lewis have built upon Julien’s work by co-curating several rooms worth of daguerreotype photographs from the 1800s, meant to bring a community feel to a remarkable historical project. Most of the portraits are of Black Americans, some of which were taken by Hartford-based Black photographer Augustus Washington, who had a studio on Main Street in the late 1840s and early 1850s. Among Washington’s subjects was the famous abolitionist John Brown .

It was Wadsworth director Matthew Hargraves who decided to augment Julien’s installation with other Douglass-inspired art and local content and to involve Gates.

Gates had never curated an art exhibit before. “Nobody had ever asked,” he said. He was an ideal choice for this project since he has published essays on photography and has written about Douglass “since I was 20 years old.” Also, “Isaac’s a friend, so, of course, I wanted to do it. I said yes if they would also bring in this great art historian who’s an expert in this area, who I happen to know at Harvard.”

That art historian was Lewis, an associate professor of history of art and architecture and African and African-American studies at Harvard who specializes in 19th-century Black representation and racial justice in American art. “Sarah made history with her special issue of Aperture,” Gates said. Lewis edited the spring 2016 issue of the art magazine, which had a “Vision and Justice” theme.

The photos are displayed in glass cases as if they were precious gems. They depict everyday people either dressed up to have pictures taken or showing off something they’re proud of. One man brandishes a bugle. There are children and pets. There is a formal dignity in how the subjects pose. The exhibits glow with history and humanity.

While showing off the treasures in the exhibit, Gates spoke of how the academic field of African-American studies is “50 years old and still fighting for its existence.” He railed against those who would censor or suppress books. “Even one of my works of scholarship has been banned,” he said.

Among those there to see Gates on Friday was Wadsworth board member Mally Cox-Chapman, an old friend of his from when they both attended Yale. “We took a jazz class together,” Cox-Chapman said. In the panel discussion, Gates recalled walking around downtown New Haven in the 1970s and interacting with the various Black political groups around the Yale campus. He said he designed the African-American studies course he teaches at Harvard around the discussions that he experienced there.

Gates and Lewis both explained how the invention of photography was liberating for certain cultures and classes. It meant that portraits were no longer limited to wealthy people who could afford to have them painted.

Now, Lewis said, with cameras on our phones, “regular citizens are using the camera to document life.”

In the panel discussion, Hargraves noted that “this week marks the 180th anniversary of when Frederick Douglass first visited Hartford.” Julien said that he was inspired to create “Lessons of the Hour” in part because of essays like Gates’ “Figures in Black” and because he’d seen monuments to Douglass in London and elsewhere. “I didn’t know that Frederick Douglass had taught and given hundreds of lectures, that he’d had sonnets written about him,” the artist said. He said he included a train trip in the film because that “was the other technology that allowed him to give those lectures.”

Lewis explained that Douglass had several different prepared lectures he gave on photography alone. In talks titled “Pictures and Progress” and “Life Pictures,” the scholar said, “he talked about representation. What is the role of representation in a representative democracy?”

Gates ticked off Douglass’ achievements: “The greatest Black abolitionist. One of the greatest orators of the 19th century. The most photographed American of the 19th century. A great autobiographer. A philosopher. A theorist of photography.”

“There is a fundamental question here,” Lewis posed. “How are we going to tell the story of who we are?” She said Douglass thought he could make a statement by having his photo taken.

“He also thought he was good-looking,” Gates added to roars of laughter from the audience. “And he was.

“But Frederick Douglass knew the goal was to establish the subjectivity of the Black man, who’d been seen as an object. This was a technology that could be used to free people.”

“I Am Seen… Therefore I Am: Isaac Julien and Frederick Douglass” is on view through Sept. 24 at the Wadsworth Atheneum, 600 Main St., Hartford. thewadsworth.org.

I arrived in this country when I was 5 and my brother was 7. The first place we visited was Disneyland. I thought we had hit the jackpot. America was even better than I had expected. Soon after, we settled in Warrensburg, Mo., and a new reality sank in. I was transported from the cityscape of Seoul to the American Midwest. I have clear memories of walking through the vast prairie and the mazes of cornfields as a child.

My mom, Young Ok Na, had a studio photo taken in preparation to come to the United States — for her passport and visa applications. My dad was going to graduate school and we had come to visit. We didn’t know that we were never going back to Korea. He didn’t want us to leave. When I made a picture of that photo, it was drizzling. A tiny fortuitous raindrop fell right under my eye. I didn’t realize until I was editing that this had happened. I ask my child self, “Why are you crying?”

I notice my kids Mila and Teo interacting with nature, playing together and seeing how they create their own worlds and make their own memories. It is when I give in to seeing the world through their eyes that I find it easiest to parent. And then sometimes, their magic seeps into my world, when I let go of trying to be in control. I project my past onto them but I know parts of them remember it too.

In Korea, there is a concept called han, which roughly translates to a collective feeling of sorrow relating to having been colonized and oppressed. It is a sentiment that connects Koreans to each other as well as to our ancestors. For members of the diaspora, han can also relate to the immigrant experience — to feelings of loss and displacement. But we can release some han in making new memories on land that feels more familiar to my children than it did to me at their age. As we walk through the tallgrass prairie, my daughter asks me, “Are we in a dream? Are we?” I wonder if she is starting to remember.

What does this land represent? I think about the house we are staying in — a casita built for Mexican rail workers a century ago, one of the last ones to survive. There are three units in the bunkhouse. From the drawing in the room, it looks like there could have been up to 10 units at one point. I had packed a Mexican dress that was gifted to my daughter, Mila, without knowing the history of the bunkhouse. I feel like it is an homage to those workers. The kids are obsessed with the wild garlic here, possibly brought here by the Mexican laborers. A part of their history continues to grow and nourish.

The more trains I watch pass behind the casitas, the more details I notice. I realize the ones carrying oil move more slowly than the ones carrying coal. My children recognize the logos on the trains moving consumer goods across the U.S. after just a few clicks on someone’s phone or computer.

I think about the Chinese rail workers who built the transcontinental railway — how they were omitted from the 1869 photo commemorating the completion of the railroad. Everyone is celebrating, opening champagne as the final golden spike is hammered into the track. How easily have our experiences, as immigrants, been erased from American history. Corky Lee recreated that photograph in 2014 with the descendants of those Chinese laborers, 145 years after the original photo was made. We can take back some of our histories in commemorating the forgotten, lost and erased. Remembering.

Through this work, I re-examine my connection to this land, reconsidering overlooked histories, as I tap into my own forgotten memories, conjuring the past, creating new memories, all while exploring my connection to the natural landscape, to my children, and to our past and future selves.

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