A Synchrotron is one of several types of particle accelerators, speeding up electrons, protons, and various other subatomic particles along a cyclical path. The powerful machine serves as a circular speedway with a synchronized magnetic field, emitting high energy X-rays that allow researchers to render details at atomic and molecular levels—all of which would be impossible to view with more ordinary scientific tools and techniques.
This formidable concept of capturing the unseen lies at the core of Charles Brooks’ work, as he photographs the small but vast interiors of musical—and most recently scientific—instruments.
“Geminhardt Elkhardt Alto Flute”
Continuing his Architecture in Music series, one of the photographer’s latest highlights has been working with a 1717 Stradivarius violin. Describing the stringed subject as one of the most extraordinary instruments he’s captured so far, he shares, “it was a rare opportunity, and photographing it was both an honor and one of the most nerve-wracking shoots I’ve undertaken.”
The photographer’s recent exploration of the Australian Synchrotron may foreshadow an exciting shift into a new realm of instruments. In the meantime, you can find more on Brooks’ website and Instagram.
Founded in 2020, Pure Street Photography celebrates a diverse array of captivating sights and image-makers around the globe. Coincidental timing, uncanny interactions, and moments that are stranger-than-fiction figure prominently in the platforms’s curation.
To support their community, founders Dimpy Bhalotia and Kamal Kumaar Rao launched a grant competition earlier this year, with winners announced this week. Topping the contest is Ayanava Sil’s “Crown of Fire,” which captures the instantaneous chaos during a Diwali celebration as a child dashes with sparkling streaks trailing behind. “It’s a flash of magic caught in time, where light, joy, and imagination come together in one unforgettable frame,” Sil says.
Ayanava Sil (India), “Crown of Fire”
Others include Amy Horowitz’s bizarre image of an older woman clutching her bag while an enormous snake slithers up to the window where she’s seated. Joanna M. similarly builds curiosity tinged with the absurd as she photographs a proud beagle posing for paparazzi.
See more of the contest’s winners below, and follow Pure Street Photography’s Instagram, a trove of visual wit and chance encounters.
Anna Marzia Soria (Italy), “Optical Illusion”Joanna M. (United States), “Celebrity”Holger Kunze (Belgium), “The Double”Valeria Ciardulli (Italy), “Spectators”Julachart Pleansanit (Thailand), “Rahu”Mary Crnkovic Pilas (Croatia), “Sweet Bird of Youth”
In January 2021, Joshua Rozells ventured out into the Pinnacles Desert in Western Australia, intending to photograph a star trail. But after shooting for more than three hours and reviewing his images, he realized that the light patterns he captured weren’t what he had hoped for.
“There were satellite trails visible in almost every single photo,” he wrote on Instagram. “Instead of trying to get rid of them for a star trail, I decided to put the satellite trails together into a single image to show how polluted the night sky is becoming.”
Stitching together 343 distinct photos, Rozells illuminates a growing problem. When Elon Musk’s SpaceX launched Starlink in 2019, 60 satellites filled the skies, with a race from other companies to follow. That number has now topped 10,000, with tens of thousands more in the works. SpaceX alone plans to launch 40,000 more.
Rozells’ composite visually echoes pleas from astronomers, who warn that although satellites collect essential data, the staggering amount filling our skies will only worsen light pollution and our ability to study what lies beyond. Because this industry has little regulation, the problem could go unchecked.
“Thankfully, astronomers across the globe have taken notice of this growing issue and are starting to speak up,” Rozells adds. “Organisations such as the International Astronomical Union’s Center for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky are advocating for the regulation and protection of the night sky.” (via Kottke)
Tom Leighton (previously) is known for highlighting plants’ photosynthesis process by swapping their characteristic greens for otherworldly fluorescent colors. Often focused on the nightlife of specimens found around his Cornwall home, Leighton photographs in a manner that turns common species into extraordinary subjects.
His newest series, Spines, expands on this trajectory. The macro images concentrate on the fine fibers cloaking stems and flowers. Water droplets cling to the surfaces as if the plants had just emerged from a heavy downpour. The glistening botanicals capture the surrounding light, while the thick dew drops add a glimmering, skewed view of the lifeforms that reside underneath.
Prints of Leighton’s images are available on his website. Keep up with his latest projects on Behance and Instagram.
Through her tireless research and advocacy for the protection of the world’s oceans, Cristina Mittermeier has emerged as one of the most prominent conservation photographers. Along with Paul Nicklen, she co-founded SeaLegacy to focus on the impact of communication through art and science, confronting critical issues like endangered biodiversity and the climate crisis. She also founded the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP), a professional community focused environmental issues.
Acknowledging the negative and potentially disastrous effects of indifference, skepticism, and inaction, Mittermeier posits that one thing remains as important as ever. “HOPE may not be a plan or a strategy, but it is vital for our survival,” she says in an introductory note for her new book. “I ferociously reject apathy, cynicism, and fear, and with tenacity and determination, I choose kindness and Hope.”
Published by Hemeria, HOPE is organized into six chapters that highlight the myriad ways humanity and nature are fundamentally intertwined. The first, “Indigenous Wisdom,” features the knowledge and traditions of communities who tap into ancient ways of connecting with the earth. Additional chapters focus on the oceans, arctic realms, the afterlife, future generations, and how all of these elements are interwoven. Throughout, Mittermeier’s bold photographs of wildlife, remarkable landscapes, tribal rituals, and family bonds serve as reminders of incredible beauty, resilience, and determination.
Mittermeier travels the world, visiting remote communities, attending significant ceremonial events, and documenting fragile ecosystems. “Images can help us understand the urgency many photographers feel to protect wild places,” she says in a statement. She continues:
My work is about building a greater awareness of the responsibility of what it means to be human. It is about understanding that the history of every living thing that has ever existed on this planet also lives within us. It is about the ethical imperative—the urgent reminder that we are linked to all other species on this planet and that we have a duty to act as the keepers of our fellow life forms.
HOPE is available for purchase now in Hemeria’s shop and will be available widely in other retail locations this October. Dive into more of Mittermeier’s work on her website and Instagram.
In the summer of 2022, a team of deep-sea researchers spent six weeks in the North Atlantic Ocean at a remote site about 370 nautical miles off the coast of Newfoundland. The final resting place of RMS Titanic, which sank on April 14, 1912, the ocean floor bears the magnificent remains of the 883-foot-long vessel. When the ship disembarked from Southampton, England, it carried more than 2,200 passengers and crew, but only about 700 were rescued after it struck an iceberg.
Using remotely operated underwater vehicles, scientists explored the wreck from a range of vantage points, expanding their survey across a debris field that stretches as wide as three miles. The aim of this expedition revolved around capturing an unprecedented digital view of the ship, enabling a lifelike, virtual reconstruction.
Two submersibles captured a whopping 16 terabytes of data, comprising 715,000 images and a high-resolution video. The files were processed and assembled over the course of seven months to create what Atlantic Productions head Anthony Geffen describes as a “one-to-one digital copy, a ‘twin,’ of the Titanic in every detail.”
Released last Friday, Titanic: The Digital Resurrection chronicles the monumental task of capturing the footage and creating a never-before-seen view of the famous site. Produced by Atlantic Productions and National Geographic, the film follows the crew of deep-sea investigation outfit Magellan as they explored the iconic, hulking remains.
“Accurate to the rivet,” a statement says, the film traces nearly two years of research by historians, scientists, and engineers. “Their mission is to review and challenge long-held assumptions, including reconstructing a minute-by-minute timeline of the tragedy to uncover new insights into the ship’s final moments on that fateful night in 1912.”
Titanic: The Digital Resurrection is now streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.
From aerial views of modern-day Venice to a 15th-century caravanserai in Kyrgyzstan, Christopher Wilton-Steer’s awe-inspiring photographs capture contemporary views of life along a series of 1,500-year-old trade routes. An extraordinary historical, cultural, and archaeological phenomenon, the Silk Road connected China in the East to Rome and the Mediterranean in the West.
Around 4,000 miles long in its entirety and comprising numerous linking routes—some of which still exist as highways today—the network was used to transport valuable silks from China westward while sending wool and precious metals east. Travelers also transmitted global news, religious beliefs, and disease—most famously The Black Death in the 14th century—along the storied route.
An aerial view of Venice
In The Silk Road: A Living History, forthcoming from Hemeria, Wilton-Steer traces the trade artery from Italy through the Balkans and into Turkey, wending through Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, and India, before continuing through the breadth of China.
Starting in London, the photographer traveled nearly 25,000 miles across Europe and Asia, detouring to visit nearby cities and cultural centers, mountains, deserts, remote communities, and spectacular architecture. He captures elaborate mosaic ceilings like those of the Tash Hauli Palace in Khiva, Uzbekistan, or the Shrine of Fatima Masumeh in Qom, Iran. And traces of medieval cities, like Ani in Turkey, sit timelessly in vast landscapes.
“When we fly somewhere, we arrive at the destination and most aspects of life of different,” Wilton-Steer says in a foreword. “Traveling overland, I wanted to experience the transitions between different cultures and gain a deeper understanding of what connects us.”
In our increasingly integrated world, trade is facilitated through elaborate pan-global shipping networks shaped by modern technologies. Yet the system is volatile, and the impacts of a global pandemic, accidents, or tariffs can usher in waves of disruption.
As China embarks on the world’s largest-ever infrastructure project through its Belt and Road Initiative, the legacy of the Silk Road is front-and-center as the endeavor aims to connect more than 60 percent of the global population.
Wilton-Steer is interested in the juxtapositions of contemporary life with ancient traditions, cultures, and historical narratives. Just as the Silk Road helped shape European and Asian civilizations hundreds of years ago, the route’s legacy underpins the region’s contemporary social, economic, and cultural spheres.
The Silk Road: A Living History will be released on May 20, and you can order your copy in Hemeria’s shop. Wilton-Steer is donating proceeds from the book to the Aga Khan Foundation, which addresses root causes of poverty and works to improve the quality of life in a number of countries along the Silk Road and further afield.
You might also enjoy Fatemeh Hosein Aghaei’s stunning photographs of historic Iranian mosques and palaces.
Tash RabatCeiling details from the Shrine of Fatima Masumeh, QomThe Mausoleam of Oljaytu, SoltaniyehAlem Entertainment Centre, AshgabatDetails from the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, Isfahan
When most hikers are headed off the trail, Jonathan Knight is just getting started. The Denver-based artist prefers to photograph about 45 minutes after sunset, during “the last few minutes the sky has any blue hue in it and the last few minutes you can see without an external light source,” he shares. Once deep in the forest, Knight captures majestic waterfalls that cascade from rocky cliffs, their mist casting an ethereal haze across the scene.
“I had many nights of walking back two, three, four miles to the car alone with just a camera on my back and headlamp on my head,” he shares. “There was nothing more spooky than seeing the telltale glow of eyes within the beam of the headlamp. Lucky for me it was only ever our friends like elk or deer.”
“Waterfall XVI,” (South Mineral Creek, CO
Throughout 2022, Knight scouted waterfalls across California, Oregon, Washington, and Colorado. He documented each in his signature minimal style, using low contrast to accentuate the natural beauty of his subject matter. “This project is really about the figure of the waterfall against negative space. The shape of the water becomes the subject,” he adds.
Knight offers prints of the Waterfalls series on his website, where you can view the entire collection. Follow his work on Instagram.
“Waterfall IV,” North Clear Creek Falls, CO“Waterfall VII,” Multnomah Falls, OR“Waterfall VI,” Nellie Creek, CO“Waterfall I,” South Falls, OR“Waterfall XIV,” Snoqualmie Falls, WA“Waterfall VIII,” Latourell Falls, OR“Waterfall II,” Vernal Falls, CA“Waterfall VIII,” Latourell Falls, OR
From swimming guillemots and sun-dappled Scots pines to a coy seal and ravenous pigeons, the winners of this year’s British Wildlife Photography Awards celebrate the diversity of animal life across Great Britain.
Jurors considered more than 13,000 images submitted by amateurs and professionals alike, with the top award going to Simon Withyman, who captured a striking portrait of a female fox in his hometown of Bristol.
British Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 and Winner of Urban Wildlife: Simon Withyman, “Urban Explorer.” Red fox (Vulpes vulpes), Bristol, England
“I had been photographing this vixen for three years,” Withyman says. “This streetwise fox was a successful mother and had a family of young mouths to feed. I was instantly drawn to the interesting perspective effect of these railings and wanted to showcase some beauty in this everyday urban scene.”
Additional impressive images include Drew Buckley’s dramatic view of Scotland’s Monadhliath Mountains with a white hare in the foreground and a troupe of ravenous pigeons headed for a bag of chips, captured on a GoPro by teenager Ben Lucas. See even more in the BWPA 2025 winners gallery.
Wild Woods Winner: James Roddie, “Storm Light Over the Caledonian Forest.” Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), Glen Strathfarrar, ScotlandHabitat Winner: Drew Buckley, “Kingdom of the Hare.” Mountain hare (Lepus timidus), Highlands, ScotlandCoast and Marine Runner-up: Ben Porter, “The Seal Cave.” Grey seal (Halichoerus grypus), Bardsey Island, WalesUrban Wildlife Runner-up: Paul Goldstein, “Bus Pass.” Swan (Cygnus olor), Mitcham, EnglandAnimal Behaviour Runner-up: Paul Browning, “The Rain-Deer.” Red deer (Cervus elaphus), Surrey, EnglandBlack-and-White Winner:
Mark Kirkland, “Guillemot Kingdom.” Guillemot (Uria aalge), St. Abbs, ScotlandCoast and Marine Winner: Nicholas More: “Blue Shark.” Blue shark (Prionace glauca), Penzance, Cornwall, EnglandAnimal Portraits Runner-up: Ben Hall, “Red Grouse Coming in to Land.” Red grouse (Lagopus lagopus), Yorkshire Dales National Park, England
Between 1966 and 1970, a San Francisco-area photographer captured thousands of images documenting civil rights demonstrations, protests against the Vietnam War, Grateful Dead concerts in Golden Gate Park, and so much more. Their archive is a veritable treasure trove of the era’s counter-culture and evidence of their willingness to put themself in the middle of the action to get the perfect shot.
The problem, though, is that no one knows who the photographer is.
Bill Delzell, of the nonprofit SpeakLocal, encountered the archive in 2022 after a friend introduced him to its then-owner, who was looking for a buyer. A commercial photographer and collector, Delzell found himself enamored by the images and compelled to become their new custodian. “I have no interest in owning the work,” he told Colossal. “I just have an interest in discovering who the photographer is.”
In total, the collection contains 2,042 processed 35-millimeter color slides and 102 rolls of black-and-white film, meaning there are around 8,400 images in all. Alongside moments of angst, outrage, and joy, there are glimpses of critical happenings, like the seconds before Muhammad Ali burned a draft card while speaking at an anti-war rally.
More than half of the film is unprocessed, meaning the photographer never even saw much of the collection. Delzell thinks this suggests the person was a student or hobbyist, rather than a journalist or artist who might be motivated to develop the images to sell or utilize in their work.
This is the second unidentified photographic archive to come out of San Francisco in recent years after a similar Kodachrome collection was discovered in 2023. Anonymous works like these inspire questions about worth and merit when so often, we ascribe value based, in part, on the creator. “This work really forces us to look at all of that and question what is the value of the work. Is the value the expression of the photographer? Or is the value the amalgam of all parts and pieces?” Delzell asks.
The image with Katy in the foreground with her family
Although many questions about the archive remain, a few clues have surfaced. Early in the discovery process, Delzell texted a handful of images to his friend Katy. She responded saying she could see herself in one of the photos. “She was five years old, wide-eyed, and walking with her family while holding onto her sister’s stroller. She was crossing in front of people marching against the unjust treatment of migrant farmworkers,” Delzell writes. “It was 1968 on Dolores Street.”
When he shared a different selection of photos with another friend named Amanda, he was similarly surprised. “She was on her way to visit her friend Stanley Mouse,” he says. Amanda called him quickly to say that Mouse, who designed the Grateful Dead’s iconic skeleton and roses poster, was in the background of the image of people sporting blue and green body paint in Golden Gate Park. “It’s fun that these little coincidences that remind us of how history continues to touch us,” Delzell adds.
The project, which is now called Who Shot Me—Stories Unprocessed, surpassed its goal on Kickstarter, although there are still opportunities to access some of the rewards. This funding will allow Delzell and the SpeakLocal team to develop the rest of the film and establish a broad platform for disseminating the images.
Plans include a database, book, immersive exhibition in San Francisco, and a documentary. If they act quickly, sharing the archive will hopefully bring more people forward who can help identify the photographer and offer insights into its creation. “People’s living memories might still be able to help us,” he notes.
Several theories have emerged, but one of the most compelling is that the images belong to French filmmaker Agnès Varda. A black-and-white image of a storefront captures a reflection in the glass windows, and the person behind the lens appears to be a woman with her signature bowl cut. “Varda was a wonderful collaborator,” Delzell says. “She’s pretty much grabbing every neighbor, every friend she’s got to help her tell her stories. She’s inspired me to think of this as a community project.”
Even if Varda isn’t behind the shots—her daughter claims she isn’t—Delzell says it’s possible these images were taken by a group of people or as visual notes for a potentially larger project. Perhaps they were part of a research process for a film or a novel that we have yet to connect. Or maybe, he speculates, the photographer utilized their camera to immerse themself in a variety of situations and be introduced to communities they might not otherwise.
Whatever the answers, the focus at the moment is on garnering interest from those who might have a connection to people featured in the images or be able to offer context. SpeakLocal intern Amari Kiburi is hosting a short exhibition of the project this week at Natomas Charter School in Sacramento, and Delzell is looking for curators and enthusiasts interested in doing the same. “We get to try to imagine what inspired this person to spend five years (amassing this archive) and then to have lost it, which is what really baffles me,” he says.
There are many more images from Who Shot Me—Stories Unprocessed in the video below. If you’re interested in getting involved with the project, reach out to SpeakLocal. (via Smithsonian Magazine)
