Self Portraits of Mars Rovers

A few days ago, NASA released this beautiful panoramic image of the Martian Landscape. While majestic by itself, the view is enhanced by the presence of the newest Mars Rover, Curiosity, in the middle of the picture, on top of the hill overlooking the whole planet. The photograph shows just how far NASA has reached in terms of being able to beam back images of robots on other planets, but this picture isn't the first self picture of a robot on Mars. These are some of the self-portraits of all Mars rovers to date.

Dragan Markovic: Stones & Skies Cityscapes

Sometimes, the best subjects are those that are most often ignored. Landscapes have often been a great source of inspiration for artists and photographers alike, but the urban jungle also offers plenty of great scenes. Streets, buildings and shadows can all combine to make for great compositions when taken with the right light and at the right angle. Dragan Markovic proves this with his Stones & Skies cityscapes.

Alexander Gronsky: Less Than One

Winter still dominates much of the northern hemisphere, so it's only fitting to feature more photographs on this subject. This special season only heightens the feeling of loneliness and the perception of endlessness with its foggy textures and white-gray hues, but what happens when these feelings and perceptions are presented in an area with less than one person per square kilometer? Alexander Gronksy tries to answer that question in his series, "Less Than One".

Alexander Gronsky: The Edge Of The World

The changing seasons have long provided inspiration for artists since man began creating art. Winter, while being one of the more somber seasons, provides plenty of material for storytellers. The themes of death, rebirth, beginning and end all play into this season, and its easy to see why. Photographer and artist Alexander Gronsky captures what the edge of the world looks like in his project, "The Edge".

The National Geographic Photo Contest 2012 Winners

With the new year comes the chance to recap the best entries of the previous year. National Geographic, one the leading publications in photojournalism, continues to encourage the tradition of excellence in professionals and amateur photographers alike with its photography competitions. Here are National Geographic Photo Contest 2012 winners.

Marek Samojeden: Winter Time In Poland

The start of the new year in many parts of the world usually entails the waning end of winter. Thus, landscapes are covered in the whites and grays of snow. The view from below may look mundane, but the view from above offers a refreshing taste of these snowy landscapes. These particular photographs show a bird's eye view of winter time in Poland as captured by Marek Samojeden.

The Top Photography Posts of 2012 (Part 2)

With only a few more days before the year ends, and coming off from the first five in the series, here then are the rest of the entries for the top photography posts of 2012.

Thierry Cohen: The City After Dark

Photo manipulation is usually considered a method of turning a scene of reality into something imaginary. When a photograph is altered, it loses the truth of the scene being depicted. One photographer does the opposite by combining two realities into one "super reality". Thierry Cohen shows viewers what cities would look like after dark in his series, "Villes éteintes" or "Darkened Cities".

Kevin Bauman: 100 Abandonded Detroit Houses

Landscape photography almost always focuses on the beautiful and majestic, whether it's capturing the contrasts in a metropolitan city or trying to fit-in two different ecosystems in one frame. Rarely is this genre of photography dedicated to the neglected and abused. Kevin Bauman turns his camera to captured the essence of this subject in Detroit, but ironically shows something beautiful in the decaying. This is his 100 Abandoned Houses.

Gabriele Croppi: Urban Landscapes in Black and White

Creating something fresh in the world of landscape photography can be a challenge for even the most seasoned photographer as much of the photograph's success depends on the scene itself. If the weather is the same, or the vegetation hasn't changed, then a photographer might end up with the same image over and over again. It's the same difficulty with urban landscapes, only there's the added challenge of capturing the dynamic city life in a static scene. Gabriele Croppi goes the other way around in his black and white images of the Metaphysics of the Urban Landscapes.

Daniel Kukla: Mirror Landscapes

Sometimes, it's the most simple things that make a photo essay great. A single strobe light, a different colored backdrop, or a different wardrobe on a subject can make a viewer take a second look at a porttait. For landscapes, this can be a trickier, but Daniel Kukla has found a way to make an old format into something new by creating two landscapes in one. In his series The Edge Effect, the photographer combines contrasting scenes and colors to create mirror landscapes.

Lisa Elmaleh: The Florida Everglades in Black and White

Google's Street View photographs have transformed the way people are able to travel the world. It has also transformed how artists are able to create new artworks. The influx of digital technology has enabled the creation of new types photographic art, but this doesn't mean the old ways are now useless; even a 100-year old camera can still create beautiful new images. Lisa Elmaleh proves that with her old school large format images of the Florida Everglades in black-and-white.

Aaron Hobson: Cinemascapes by Google Street View

Apple's iOS6 Maps app has been subject to fair criticisms from all sides, improving Google's standing with its own Google Maps for iPhone users. While Apple will undoubtedly respond with a better Maps app for everyday use, it will still be far behind Google in terms of free artistic use. Somewhat related to its maps, Google Street View has been the medium and subject for many different artistic interpretations. Here, photographer Aaron Hobson uses them for his Google Street View Cinemascapes.

Stephen Wilkes: Night and Day Photoshop Magic

Sometimes, the simplest Photoshop ideas can turn out to be the hardest to execute. Erik Johansson's epic Photoshop images are testament to his creativity and his technical prowess at making seamless pictures. In Stephen Wilkes case, the transitions are just as consistent, but the different elements of time are immediately perceivable, allowing for the perfect combination of Night and Day with some Photoshop magic.

Omax Photographics Ad: How to Sell an Ultra Wide Angle Lens

Posting on April 1st is sometimes risky if you want to be taken seriously as everyone thinks that every other post is a joke, but this ad by Omax Photographics is no gag; it might look like some sort of parody for one of their lenses, but it is in fact a real advertisement.

Absolutes Rules of Photography: Unhelpful Tips for Beginner Photographers

Browsing through the entries of this blog, one might think that photography is all work and no play, something that is to be approached with absolute solemnity and only when one is mature enough to differentiate between aperture and ISO. Nothing could be further from the truth as all photographers started their passion for photographers breaking a few rules here and there. If you've just bought a camera, or you're just looking to refresh your memory, these "Useful advices for photographers" by Ivars Gravlejs might be exactly what you're looking for.

Up in the Air: Awesome Examples of Aerial Photography

This week's intended series of posts have been condensed into this one mega-post, but that doesn't take away any of the awesomeness of the subject. It's all up in the air for today, literally speaking as all of these photographs here were taken from a higher than usual altitude. Featured here are the works of Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Vincent Laforet, Bryan Solarski and Alex Maclean. All of these talented photographers and artists  are at the top when it comes to examples of awesome aerial photography.

Don Hong-Oai: Painting Chinese Photographs

The boundaries between photography and art have oftentimes blurred to produce a sum greater than its parts, and this blog has featured many such intersections, from Karl Blossfeldt's plant portraits that come to life, to Liu Bolin's self-portraits in cityscapes, to Pablo Picasso's paintings of light. In keeping with the eastern theme of this week, today's post features an intersection that's even blurrier than before; some say these are paintings, others photographs, and some say that Don Hong-Oai has done the impossible by painting Chinese photographs and producing a true marriage between the two mediums.

Joseph Holmes: West Forty Third Street

The above photograph is Joseph Holmes' West Forty Third Street. This image, taken in July 2009, shows a modern look at New York City but at a different angle The viewer's perspective, the yellow line of New York taxis snaking their way across the bottom, the towering apartments overlooking their progress, and the few friends enjoying their day on the roof deck garden all come together to create a picture that moves in your mind.

Rune Guneriussen: In the Land of Midnight Light

The new year is already a few days old, but many are still living in the land of Christmas vacation. For one photographer, everyday is like living in the land of unbound imagination. It's easy to understand why when you see the creations of Rune Guneriussen in the Land of Midnight Light.