Travel

With the technological advancements of mobile phone cameras and the downsizing of high-end camera systems, documenting adventures around the world has never been easier or looked better. PetaPixel aims to highlight visually stunning stories and information-packed trip ideas that will inspire a thirst for storytelling, no matter the equipment.
A woman stands in an airport holding a bag of film.

What Happens When Film Goes Through an Airport Security Scanner?

Frequent analog photographers likely know that flying with film can be a risky endeavor. But beyond anecdotal experience and what airport scanning companies say, the impacts of flying with film haven't been very thoroughly examined. However, photographer and YouTube creator Lina Bessonova set about to change that in a large-scale test.

7 Tips To Improve Your Macro Photography

French photographer Emilie Talpin did not pick up her first camera until 2018 but within just a few years, she became both an OM SYSTEM Ambassador and a highly respected photo educator best known for her favorite photography genres: macro and nature.

Photographing Idaho’s Picturesque Sawtooth Mountains with Matt Suess

With each passing year, more photographers find themselves exploring the endless miles of pristine rivers, remote backroads, and stunning landscapes of Idaho. Even with the influx of tourism, Idaho still has plenty of solitude for those who seek it. OM SYSTEM Ambassador and photographer Matt Suess recently traveled to the state's Sawtooth Mountains in search of portfolio-worthy images and a distraction from an unexpected change in his personal life.

Polar Bear

Chasing Ice and Light in an Arctic Photo Expedition Through Svalbard

In the land where the summer sun never sets, where ice and fire engage in a perpetual waltz, I embarked on the photography journey of a lifetime. The destination? Svalbard—an Arctic realm of mystery and marvel, the northernmost reaches of our planet.

5 Unique Photography Experiences to Have in Alaska

Alaska is known as The Last Frontier, and for those that have visited, it’s easy to see why. As Lindblad Expeditions’ former Director of Photography, travel photographer Ralph Lee Hopkins has photographed Alaska dozens of times in his career.

Jaguar photographed with a7CR

The Perfect Travel Camera? The Sony a7CR on Safari in Brazil

The wetlands of Brazil’s Pantanal region aren’t as well known as the Amazon, but it’s still home to an incredibly diverse ecosystem. With dozens of species of mammals and rodents and hundreds of species of birds, it is a wildlife photographer’s dream. Jaguars roam the shoes of the river while capybara and caiman flee from the hunting cats. Birds are everywhere you look, and their calls are pervasive throughout the day.

Oppenheimer’s New Mexico Train Stop Can Be Visited in Real Life

The Lamy Train Station in Santa Fe, New Mexico is a small, unassuming Spanish Mission Revival building about fifty miles south of Los Alamos. In the 1940s, it was frequented by Robert Oppenheimer, Los Alamos Laboratory staff, and their families while en route to the secret military site.

A Complete Guide to Capturing Gorgeous Photos of the Night Sky

Peter Baumgarten is an award-winning nature photographer, educator, and OM SYSTEM Ambassador based on Canada’s Manitoulin Island. The island’s dark sky location provides Baumgarten with stunning nature and minimal light pollution, which allows the photographer to capture bright stars, the Milky Way, and northern lights from right outside his front door.

© Frank T. Smith Photograph

Photographer Captures Gorgeous Photos of Fall Colors in Patagonia

OM SYSTEM Ambassador and travel photographer Frank Smith has been capturing the diverse beauty of the world for decades. Whether it be through his photographs of people, cultures, or nature, Smith is a passionate and accomplished storyteller. However, documenting the fall colors in Patagonia had been one story that had eluded Smith for years.

Michael Shainblum Landscape

How To Properly Scout Locations To Get Gorgeous Landscape Photos

When I first started doing landscape photography, visiting new locations used to intimidate me a lot. I think part of me would feel the anxiety and pressure of needing to get a good shot, and oftentimes, I would not use the proper tools to set myself up for success.

Chasing the Light at White Sands National Park

America’s national parks are a true source of pride. Each is unique in what it offers and this is certainly true of one of the more off-the-beaten-track parks.

Why I Spent 30 Days Photographing the Same Beach

Most of the time in landscape photography, we plan to visit several incredible destinations and photograph them over the course of a week-long trip, typically capturing seven or eight different places.

How and Where to Photograph Moose

What is the animal sighting that tops many visitors’ wishlists in Yellowstone, Canada, or Alaska? You might think the answer is straightforward: grizzly bears. Wolves. Bison. The answer, however, is moose!