Present-day social media and the webscape as a whole have been infiltrated by fake AI-generated content, blurring the lines between reality and fabrication. Capitalising on this trend, a photographer recently pulled off a clever twist, by winning a ‘<keyword id="22091170" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="best-AI-image" source="keywords">best AI image</keyword>’ award with an actual photograph!<br /><br />To be fair, <keyword id="22091173" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Miles-Astray" source="keywords">Miles Astray</keyword>’s photograph of a headless flamingo appeared so surreal, only AI could have made it up. From quirky proportions and missing parts to a bizarre vibe overall, it embodied the hallmarks of <keyword id="22091178" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="AI-imagery" source="Orion">AI imagery</keyword>.<br /><br />Titled “F L A M I N G O N E,” the photo seized third place in the AI category of the <keyword id="22091174" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="1839-Awards" source="keywords">1839 Awards</keyword>’ <keyword id="22091175" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Color-Photography-Contest" source="keywords">Color Photography Contest</keyword> and even won the People’s Vote award.<br /><br /><div type="twitter" handle="MilesAstray" handlename="MilesAstray" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" id="1801276040628633848"></div><br />While it's difficult to believe that this image wasn’t generated by any AI tool, it’s actually true. Astray took this shot on the beaches of Aruba two years ago. Although the photo was later disqualified when Astray revealed its true origin, it had already achieved its intended impact.<br /><br />Speaking to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/06/17/headless-flamingo-photo-ai/">The Washington Post</a>, Astray shared that “F L A M I N G O N E” was designed to deliver a compelling message about nature’s unmatched creativity, which he believes surpasses anything AI can replicate.<br /><br />He further intended to provoke thought about the rapidly evolving capabilities of AI imagery, which is becoming indistinguishable from genuine photography.<br /><br />“What are the implications and the pitfalls of that? I think that is a very important conversation that we need to be having right now,” Astray stated, emphasising the urgency of addressing these concerns.<br /><br />The revelation drew an overwhelmingly positive response, with social media users flooding Astray with “hilarious, thoughtful and heartfelt comments”. Despite disqualifying his entry for not fitting the AI category, the contest organisers, too, appreciated the “powerful message” Astray’s submission conveyed.<br /><br />The real story behind the photograph can be found on <a href="https://www.milesastray.com/news/newsflash-reclaiming-the-brain">Miles Astray’s website</a>.<br />

Uno reverse! Photographer wins ‘best AI image’ award using a real photo, sends message on nature’s unmatched creativity

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The <a href="https://underwaterphotographeroftheyear.com/">Underwater Photographer of the Year</a> awards announced the winners of its 2021 contest.</li><li>The overall winner of the contest was Renee Capozzola with a photo of <keyword id="6785521" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Sharks">sharks</keyword> feeding at sunset.</li><li>Capozzola, the first woman to win the contest, said it took multiple evenings to capture the image.</li></ul><p>Photographer Renee Capozzola is the newly crowned <a href="https://underwaterphotographeroftheyear.com/">Underwater Photographer of the Year</a> - the first woman to ever be named the competition's overall winner since it began in 1965. Her photo of sharks feeding at sunset, entitled "Sharks' Skylight," beat out 4,500 entries from 68 countries to take home the top prize.</p><p>Capozzola took the photo in Moorea, French Polynesia, in August 2020. In a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r58keBx7-us">recorded acceptance speech</a>, she recalled how challenging it was to get just right.</p><p>"This photo took numerous attempts over several evenings to capture, and honestly, I took the risk of walking away with nothing," she said. "But in the end it all worked out and on one particular night everything came together, as the sunset was vibrant, the water was calm, the sharks came together into a nice composition, and I got lucky with the birds as well."</p><p>Judges admired the photo's composition, use of light, and vibrant colors.</p><p><strong>"</strong>A sunset ballet of reef sharks and sea birds in a tranquil corner of the Pacific Ocean is a richly deserved winner of the <keyword id="36597" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="underwater">Underwater</keyword> Photographer of the Year 2021," wrote contest judge Alex Mustard. "This is an image of hope a glimpse of how the ocean can be when we give it a chance, thriving with spectacular life both below and above the surface."</p><p>Capozzola hopes that her image shows people the beauty of sharks and helps save the endangered species from extinction.</p><p>"It is estimated that <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/07/11/sharks-humans-no-fair-fight/775409002/">70 to 100 million sharks are killed every single year</a>, and obviously this is not sustainable," she said. "It is my hope that the publicity that this contest will generate will help to improve the awareness of the added protections that sharks need throughout the world."</p><p>Due to how COVID-19 has impacted the diving industry, Capozzola and this year's other award winners did not receive prizes.</p><p>"We do not think that this is an appropriate time for photographers to be asking the wider diving industry for prizes for our pictures," Mustard <a href="https://underwaterphotographeroftheyear.com/awards-and-prizes/2021-sponsors-prizes/">wrote in a statement</a>. "Many of our sponsors have told us that they would be happy to offer prizes, but out of respect for all of them, we prefer to make this call across the board."</p><p>Mustard said they hope to resume giving out prizes in 2022.</p>

A striking image of sharks feeding at sunset won this year's Underwater Photographer of the Year contest

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The London Natural History Museum's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/most-popular-wildlife-photos-of-the-year-2020-11">Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest</a> awards images that showcase the diversity and fragility of life.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-wildlife-photos-rare-lynx-gecko-coil-lion-dripping-blood-2021-8">This year</a>, the contest drew a record of more than 50,000 entries from photographers in 95 countries.</li></ul><p>The camouflage grouper is declining due to overfishing, but each July, beneath a full moon, the fish begin to multiply.</p><p>For five years, biologist Laurent Ballesta has returned to a lagoon in Fakarava, French Polynesia every July to photograph the groupers spawning. He and his team dove night and day to capture photos of the fish darting through clouds of eggs and sperm, which mix and fertilize in the warm tropical waters.</p><p>The above photo, which Ballesta calls "Creation," is the result of that effort, and it won the prestigious Grand Title award in the 2021 <a href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/wpy/">Wildlife Photographer of the Year</a> contest. The competition, developed and produced by the Natural History Museum in London, aims to showcase the diversity and fragility of the planet's <keyword id="11893490" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="wildlife" source="Orion">wildlife</keyword>. The museum announced its winners on Tuesday.</p><p>This year, the contest drew more entries than ever before - more than 50,000 photos from photographers in 95 countries. But "Creation" stood out.</p><p>"The image works on so many levels. It is surprising, energetic, and intriguing and has an otherworldly beauty," Roz Kidman Cox, who chaired the judges panel, said in a statement. "It also captures a magical moment - a truly explosive creation of life - leaving the tail-end of the exodus of eggs hanging for a moment like a symbolic question mark."</p><p>Other winning photos across 19 categories reveal the devastation of climate change and environmental destruction. They show dead coral, melting sea ice, and dwindling animal populations. But many are also snapshots of persistence: creatures procreating, fighting for mates, and caring for their young.</p><h2>A photo of an inconspicuous spider won the contest's Grand Title for youth photographers</h2><div type="image" title="spider in web dome with colorful background" height="1700" width="2560" msid="86981320" hostid="261"></div><p>Vidyun Hebbar, age 10, was exploring a theme park near his home in Bengaluru, India, when he spotted a tent spider in a gap in a wall. The tiny creature was perched upside down in a dome-shaped web it had woven across the wall.</p><p>He held up his camera and clicked as a tuk tuk passed by. The motorized rickshaw made a colorful background for the spider and its intricate silk web.</p><p>"The jury loved this photo from the beginning of the judging process. It is a great reminder to look more closely at the small <keyword id="11897851" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="animals" source="Orion">animals</keyword> we live with every day, and to take your camera with you everywhere," Dr. Natalie Cooper, a researcher at the Natural History Museum who sat on the judges panel, said in a statement.</p><h2>A hungry grizzly bear made eye contact with the camera before trashing it</h2><div type="image" title="grizzly bear peering at you from the right with elk carcass in the background snow" height="854" width="1280" msid="86981321" hostid="261"></div><p>US photographer Zack Clothier thought these wild elk remains might attract a grizzly bear. So he set up his camera nearby and retreated. When he came back, he found his setup trashed.</p><p>This image, with the grizzly eyeballing the camera, was the last one snapped.</p><p>"Your eye goes to the rib cage, moves to the antlers and then gets a jolt from the great grizzly head looming into view," Cox said. "It is a story picture - the harsh winter environment, the bear emerging from its hibernation den to make use of what food it can find. But what gives it the edge is the bear's expression. You cannot help smiling."</p><h2>An aerial image of seals giving birth on melting ice shows blood, new life, and impending doom</h2><div type="image" title="cracking field of arctic sea ice peppered with distant seals and smears of blood" height="852" width="1280" msid="86981322" hostid="261"></div><p>US photographer Jennifer Hayes spent hours on a helicopter searching for these harp seals' birthing grounds. As they came into view, her camera captured the scattered seals and the smears of blood their births had left on the ice.</p><p>"It was a pulse of life that took your breath away," Hayes said in a statement.</p><p>But the ice beneath the seals is fragmenting. As Arctic air and oceans get warmer, northern sea ice is becoming more scarce. That's likely to cause major disruptions and population crashes for animals that rely on the ice.</p><p>"What an impactful picture - a record of both birth and imminent disaster," Cox said. "Adult harp seals give scale to this frozen sea stained with the blood of new life that is cracking apart too early, indicating the likely carnage to come as the ice melts and the pups, in their fluffy white coats, drown - a drama representative of the climate emergency."</p><p>For those reasons, Hayes's photo won the contest's Oceans category.</p><h2>A venomous spider guarded its brood beneath a photographer's bed</h2><div type="image" title="large brown spider in corner with hundreds of tiny black specks" height="853" width="1280" msid="86981324" hostid="261"></div><p>Gil Wizen noticed tiny spiders swarming in his bedroom one day. When the photographer peeked under his bed, he found the culprit: a Brazilian wandering spider the size of his hand. One of the world's most venomous spiders had laid and hatched its eggs right below his place of rest.</p><p>Wizen captured the scene before relocating the spider outside.</p><h2>One photographer returned to an old subject, only to find it dead</h2><h2><div type="image" title="dead coral reef with a hand holding a photo of previously vibrant colorful corals" height="853" width="1280" msid="86981325" hostid="261"></div></h2><p>David Doubilet has been taking his camera diving among corals for 30 years. In those decades, the reefs around him have changed. Many are dying as the oceans absorb the carbon dioxide humans are pumping into the atmosphere. That makes oceans more acidic, and the warming climate raises the water temperature at the same time.</p><p>The coral colonies in this photo didn't survive. When the tiny animals that make up the coral - called polyps - died, that left the coral bleached.</p><p>Doubilet returned to this coral skeleton with a photograph of its living form from nine years earlier.</p><h2>A white-tailed kite tried to teach its offspring how to woo a mate</h2><div type="image" title="white bird with wings extended mid-air holds mouse in claw while smaller bird with brown speckles reaches claws up to take the mouse" height="1800" width="1536" msid="86981327" hostid="261"></div><p>The younger California bird was trying to take a live mouse from the claws of its father while hovering in mid-air, according to photographer Jack Zhi. This is how the juvenile must eat until it can hunt for itself. The exchange is also practice for future courtship, when a male bird offers prey to a female.</p><p>This gold-speckled youngster had only been flying for two days. It clumsily tried to reach its claws up to take the mouse, but didn't quite get the prize. It learned quickly, though, and circled around to grab its prey from behind the older bird.</p><h2>Other creatures were fighting for the right to woo </h2><div type="image" title="cichlid fish face off with mouths wide open" height="854" width="1280" msid="86981328" hostid="261"></div><p>The colorful pair of male cichlid fish in this image are facing off, jaw to jaw, over a female hiding in a snail shell, ready to lay eggs. Photographer Angel Fitor spent three weeks diving to the bottom of Lake Tanganyika, an enormous freshwater lake at the center of Africa, looking for such cichlid fish fights. This one lasted just seconds.</p><h2>Dueling reindeer also battled over females</h2><div type="image" title="two white reindeer locking antlers in snow" height="853" width="1280" msid="86981329" hostid="261"></div><p>During the rutting season in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, male reindeer clash antlers over harems of females. These two fought until the dominant male, on the left, chased his rival away.</p><p>Photographer Stefano Unterthiner said in a statement that he felt immersed in "the smell, the noise, the fatigue, and the pain."</p><p>The Svalbard subspecies of reindeer is unique to that area. But on the island, climate change has led to increased rainfall, which can freeze on the ground and block reindeer from eating the plants that are usually accessible through soft snow.</p><h2>On an island within an island, a red fox scavenged for dead salmon</h2><div type="image" title="fox creeps through dark shallow waters" height="853" width="1280" msid="86981331" hostid="261"></div><p>This animal is one of two foxes living on a small island in Karluk Lake, which is nested in Alaska's Kodiak Island. Photographer Jonny Armstrong followed the fox for several days as she pounced at birds, ate berries, and even nipped at the heels of a young brown bear.</p><p>Then a storm began to roll in, bringing a somber backdrop. As the vixen scanned the shallows for sockeye salmon that had died after spawning, Armstrong laid on his stomach at the water's edge to capture her focused gaze.</p><h2>The winner in the portraits category shows a mountain gorilla at peace in the rain</h2><div type="image" title="mountain gorilla face with eyes closed in the rain" height="2308" width="1536" msid="86981332" hostid="261"></div><p>The gorilla, named Kibande, is almost 40 years old. He's a member of a dwindling subspecies of eastern gorilla. Just two populations of these mountain gorillas remain in the wild - one in the Virunga volcanoes of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and one in Uganda's Bwindi forest. They're threatened by poaching, habitat destruction, and disease.</p><p>Photographer Majed Ali trekked four hours uphill in his attempt to photograph Kibande.</p><p>"The more we climbed, the hotter and more humid it got," Majed said in a statement.</p><p>As rain began to fall and cool the air, Kibande closed his eyes and let the droplets fall over his face.</p>

The best wildlife photos of the year show a curious grizzly, dueling reindeer, and fish swimming through a cloud of sperm

<p><div type="image" title="Atlanta Georgia protests 2020" height="4480" width="6720" msid="76331286" hostid="261"></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>In the wake of global <keyword id="6354896" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="protests">protests</keyword> over the killing of <keyword id="9295731" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="george-floyd">George Floyd</keyword>, photos of the demonstrations have flooded <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news">news</keyword> coverage.</li><li>But allowing white and non-Black photographers to capture these images contributes to a long history of erasure, exploitation, and misrepresentation of Black communities.</li><li>It's paramount that publications and editors assign these stories to Black photographers, and for non-Black photographers to step aside.</li></ul><p>Right now, Black people are being attacked at every imaginable level. Black transgender women are <a href="https://www.vox.com/identities/2020/6/3/21279407/video-black-trans-woman-iyanna-dior-beaten">brutalized</a> and <a href="https://www.advocate.com/crime/2020/5/06/trans-woman-nina-pop-stabbed-death-missouri">murdered</a>. Black men are <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/31/us/george-floyd-investigation.html">choked</a> to death in the streets, gunned down on sidewalks, hunted and shot while <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/article/ahmaud-arbery-shooting-georgia.html">jogging</a>, and even shot to death sitting in their own <a href="https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/special-reports/botham-jean/who-is-botham-jean-dallas-man-shot-by-police-officer/287-85bb2e3e-8bf8-4932-931a-6ef63a483f4f">homes</a>. Black women are mysteriously <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/regis-korchinski-paquet-toronto-1.5593718">falling</a> from roofs, murdered in <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pamela-turner-lawyer-lawyer-cop-killed-mentally-ill-texas-woman-in-unjustifiable-execution/">parking lots</a>, and shot to death while sleeping in their <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/article/breonna-taylor-police.html">beds</a>. </p><p>The long-foreshadowed race war, which has been in progress since the dawn of Reconstruction and arguably before, appears new in the light of technology, the surveillance state, and the carceral state. The capacity for sharing the truths of this moment has been elevated to unimaginable heights because of the power and import of social media. Now, more than ever, Black people have the opportunity to share our stories and our experiences, from our perspectives, rewriting an egregious history of erasure and framing.</p><p>So why is it so hard for white photographers and white publications to stop erasing our voices?</p><h2>Historically, depictions of Black people, Black life, and Black need have been grossly manipulated</h2><p>The image of the Black man as a brute, savage, or animal finds its roots in slavery and the propaganda that was used to normalize Black people as property meant to be dominated. Caricatures of Black people as unintelligent and unintelligible, as Sambos and Sapphires, and as monsters and mammies, have had long-lasting effects on how Black people are perceived and treated around the world.</p><p>During the current protests meant to honor the lives of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, <a href="https://www.motherjones.com/crime-justice/2020/05/tony-mcdade-tallahassee-florida-police-shooting-death/">Tony McDade</a>, Sean Reed, and the many, many other Black people brutalized and murdered by state-sanctioned violence, Black people have had to contend with so much. We have had to reckon with insurmountable loss during a global pandemic that ruthlessly <a href="https://www.apmresearchlab.org/covid/deaths-by-race">targets</a> our communities. </p><p><div type="image" title="Dallas protests 2020" height="2042" width="1634" msid="76331289" hostid="261"></div></p><p>Many of us are so enraged by this current slew of atrocities that we've decided to put our own lives in jeopardy amidst the ravages of the pandemic; to storm the streets and demand something this country has never once offered its Black architects  —  justice.</p><p>We've had to deal with fantastical, destructive, and childish anarchists who treat this moment like a re-creation of "V for Vendetta" or the chaos largely romanticized in "Joker." These people cannot engage with the world unless it's through the lens of fantasy. </p><p>They are fixated on stirring violence and setting things on fire, and they are co-opting the movement for Black lives and fixing the lens of this moment on Donald Trump and his cataclysmic failure as a human being and a president. But this unrest is about much more than the Orange Menace; it is about whiteness, white supremacy, violence, racism, fairness, and this country's refusal to reckon with its history. And in this moment, it is clearer than it has ever been that white folks still believe that they are the best people to tell our story in the mainstream.</p><p>Books, journalism, music, <keyword id="22383" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="photography">photography</keyword>, and cinema have often tried to manipulate the viewer into adopting a specific viewpoint; consumers then deduce how to feel about a subject based on this perspective.</p><h2>We are now witnessing the irresponsible legacy of this framing carry over to the coverage of these protests </h2><p>A prominent example can be found in Philip Montgomery's recent photo essay for <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/06/george-floyd-minneapolis-protests-in-photos">Vanity Fair</a>. The images, although beautiful, exposed protesters' faces, cinematized and sensationalized their outrage, and implied that moments of historical Black unrest are best captured by a non-Black photographer. Montgomery was even given unfettered access to George Floyd's memorial service. </p><p>The photos stirred non-stop ethical debates in both Montgomery's and Vanity Fair's Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CA2_qiulJfA/">comments</a>. After days of silence, Montgomery finally released a statement in his Instagram stories. It was mostly empty of any accountability or historical knowledge. Although Vanity Fair never responded to questions around their ethics and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CBBYEKtAYdN/">hiring practices</a>, days later it  published a story that contained photographs sourced from a variety of Black and POC photographers, seemingly in an attempt to shift the conversation. </p><p>New York Magazine, meanwhile,  chose to commemorate this moment in "<a href="https://nymag.com/press/2020/06/on-the-cover-of-new-york-magazine-george-floyds-america.html">George Floyd's America</a>" by having a white photographer — ironically named Michael Christopher Brown — photograph their cover. This does nothing to honor Floyd's legacy; it simply builds on this country's dependence on racial erasure and historical amnesia. </p><p>When Black photographers <em>are</em> included in this discourse, it is either as an afterthought or through plunder. <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/gabrielsanchez/powerful-pictures-protest-black-photographers-instagram">Buzzfeed</a> apparently understood the importance of looking at the current protests through the eyes of Black photographers, but simply embedded their images from Instagram, utilizing a new legal <a href="https://www.natlawreview.com/article/photographer-unsuccessful-copyright-case-over-use-embedded-instagram-photo">precedent</a>. The product was a list that eloquently demonstrates the problems that Black photographers constantly face.</p><p><div type="image" title="Dee Dwyer Washington DC protests 2020" height="4417" width="6792" msid="76331291" hostid="261"></div></p><h2>No one forces white photographers to accept assignments that involve lofty and intricate racial sensitivities</h2><p>No one is forcing white photographers to imbue themselves with the power of telling a person or a people's story that they could never understand. No one forces white photographers to make <em>personal</em> bodies of work that center the plight and panic of the Black experience. </p><p>As a photographer, you have the capacity to decline an assignment that you do not adequately understand. If white photographers and photojournalists cared about Black people and their Black peers, beyond putting a pointless black square on their Instagram profiles as some foolish attempt at public solidarity, they would simply decline these assignments, state the reasons why, and recommend someone from these communities to tell their own story.</p><p>More of the blame should be placed on the laziness and incompetence of the photo editors who look nothing like the people in the stories they commission. Over the past three years of working as a photographer, I have watched, gobsmacked, by the constant displays of favoritism, elitism, and nepotism in the photography industry.</p><p>Simply put, photo editors tend to hire those who resemble them. I have gotten into countless arguments with these people about their hiring practices. Many of the photo editors that I have spoken to have told me directly that they have colorblind hiring policies that don't consider race. That these institutions leave Black photographers out while simultaneously priding themselves on diversity and inclusion is laughable.</p><p>More importantly, how is it that white photo editors — who should know better than most about the importance of framing, and the history involved — don't understand the ethical responsibility they have to hire people from the communities they photograph? </p><h2>In photography, much of the visual discourse, from the Civil Rights Movement to the Movement for Black Lives, has been dominated by the same groups who put forth grotesque depictions of Black people</h2><p>You can trace the plight and the violence that our community faces to the historical and global depictions of Black people as lazy, violent, and uneducated, instead of underfunded and under siege. When a white photographer shows up to our communities and sticks a camera in our faces, it directly contributes to this lineage. There's little reason to trust that this is not the very intention.</p><p>During the 2014 protests demanding justice for Mike Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, innumerable white photographers stormed the community. They dove through crowds, ducked teargas canisters, and dodged rubber bullets meant to disperse the crowd. They did all of this to capture award-winning images. </p><p>Robert Cohen captured an impactful photograph of activist Edward Crawford throwing a tear gas canister back at police. While Cohen won himself a <a href="https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/photography-staff-1">Pulitzer</a>, Crawford was found dead from a gunshot wound, an alleged suicide. (<a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/nation-world/ct-ferguson-activist-deaths-black-lives-matter-20190317-story.html">Five other</a> men, all with connections to the protests, have since died under mysterious circumstances.) </p><p>With the advancement of surveillance technology, everybody participating in protests has a responsibility to blur out the faces of protesters, or find new ways to photograph them that makes them unidentifiable. This is paramount. White photographers and publications neglecting this practice, with the intention to win awards, can be fatal.</p><p>These conversations are now taking place online and across social media. Photography collectives like <a href="https://twitter.com/womenphotograph/status/1268553091332390915">Women Photograph</a>,<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CA3wZ8ClN52/"> Authority Collective</a>, and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CA-58wNF2c7/">Diversify Photo</a> have been vocal about urging white photographers and publications to reconsider their harmful practices. </p><p>They've written open letters to discriminatory contests, publications, and camera companies, doing social media takeovers that highlight the brilliant work of Black photographers and photographers of color for hire, and creating resource databases for readings and events that hope to further the agenda of equalizing the playing field. During the current protests, Authority Collective created a <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hFvB_cGM_TfVVNuXV-Jg6mO4DIPLvNoC/view">resource</a> called "Do No Harm: Photographing Police Brutality Protests" that urges the reader to reconsider and interrogate the role, history, and intentions of white photographers and publications as well as offering best practices.</p><p><div type="image" title="Detroit Protest Day Two 2020" height="3840" width="5760" msid="76331296" hostid="261"></div></p><p>Speaking to white people about justice and truth, for so many of us, feels like screaming in agony into a void of intentional ignorance. The consequences of racial bias and media framing, the continued painting of Black people as animals, as violent, as deserving of extermination, as anything other than human, is bolstered every time white and non-Black photographers are commissioned to tell our stories. </p><p>White and non-Black photographers continue to pillage our communities, to profit from our culture, our aesthetics, our anguish, while never offering us opportunities to right the wrongs of history and create truer narratives. There are more than enough capable, skilled photographers around the globe to tell their own stories. We must  stop offering the pen that writes the narratives of our lives and our histories to the same white men and women who have and continue to do us the most harm.</p><p>A real show of love for Black people involves simply listening. It involves recalibrating your thinking and reconditioning the harmful, voyeuristic, white supremacist sensationalism that so many photographers and publications champion. </p><p>Most importantly, it means hiring brilliant Black photographers and all photographers of color. There is a history out there that needs correcting. Let us tell our own stories. </p><p><em>Gioncarlo Valentine is an award-winning American photographer and writer based in New York. Backed by his seven years in the social work field, Valentine's work focuses on issues faced by marginalized populations, most often focusing his lens on the experiences of Black/LGBTQIA+ communities.  He is a regular contributor to The New York Times and has had his work published in Propublica, Esquire, The Fader, The Rumpus, and The New Yorker.</em></p><p><strong>Read more:</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/photos-i-will-breathe-rally-nashville-george-floyd-protests-2020-6">The 'I Will Breathe' rally and march in Nashville brought thousands together to protest against racial inequality and police brutality</a></p>

Non-Black photographers need to step aside and let Black people tell their own stories. It's the most helpful thing they can do.

<br />The natural world is a stunning place.<br /><br />Every year, the best <keyword id="2700644" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="landscape-photography">landscape photography</keyword> shows off Earth's beauty. The following photos are some of the winners from the 2017 <a href="https://www.internationallandscapephotographer.com/">International Landscape Photographer of the Year</a> contest.<br /><br />They highlight powerful mountains, scenes of isolation, worlds of color and light, and the abstract loveliness found in landscapes all over the world. Winning photos were shot in the wilds of <keyword id="477862" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Patagonia">Patagonia</keyword>, the mountains of <keyword id="55091" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Iceland">Iceland</keyword>, and in the desert-surrounded lakes of <keyword id="6355226" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="brazil">Brazil</keyword>.<br /><br />They show the world in ways that will make you want to get up, pack a bag, and go exploring.<br /><br /> <br /><br />

The best photos taken of planet Earth last year will transform the way you see the world

<p>The winners of the 9th annual iPhone Photography Awards, or iPPAwards, were just announced, and they're stunning.</p><p><span>Kenan Aktülün, founder and curator of the iPPAwards, tells Tech Insider the contest exists to celebrate the power of filling the world with simple, powerful point-and-shoot cameras. All images in the contest were shot with iPhones (no Androids or other camera allowed). The iPhone may not currently be the best smartphone camera in the world (that title goes to <a href="http://www.techinsider.io/galaxy-s7-camera-vs-iphone-6s-plus-2016-3">the Galaxy S7</a>), but serious photographers still love the Apple devices for their <a href="http://www.techinsider.io/iphones-take-better-photos-than-android-2016-3">consistency, simplicity, and color-accuracy</a>.</span></p><p><span>Check out the 2016 winners below, along with captions from the photographers.</span></p><p class="tagline"><div id="categorypromo" style="border:1px solid silver; min-height:90px; padding:10px;vertical-align:top;"><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/25-big-tech-predictions-for-2016?IR=T&amp;utm_source=businessinsider&amp;utm_medium=ctgr&amp;utm_term=ctgr_leadgen_2016-predictions&amp;utm_content=iphone_ctgr_leadgen_2016-predictions&amp;utm_campaign=iphone_ctgr_leadgen_2016-predictions"><img src="http://static-bii.businessinsider.com/image/5693ca34771aea1a1fc67bb6/bigtechcover-2.png" style="margin-right:15px;width:75px;float:left !important;" /></a><strong> EXCLUSIVE FREE REPORT:</strong><br />25 Big Tech Predictions by BI Intelligence. <strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/25-big-tech-predictions-for-2016?IR=T&amp;utm_source=businessinsider&amp;utm_medium=ctgr&amp;utm_term=ctgr_leadgen_2016-predictions&amp;utm_content=iphone_ctgr_leadgen_2016-predictions&amp;utm_campaign=iphone_ctgr_leadgen_2016-predictions">Get the Report Now »</a></strong></div></p>

61 amazing photos prove that the iPhone camera has transformed photography

Women in Iceland want you to know it's not a gender equality utopia, despite what the statistics say

<ul><li>In our latest interview series, we talk to brands to understand how they are coping with the new normal and their strategies towards navigating these difficult times.</li><li><keyword id="6557808" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="haruto-iwata">Haruto Iwata</keyword>, Managing Director, <keyword id="54635" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Fujifilm">Fujifilm</keyword> India tells us how this experience gave the brand a chance to evolve, upgrade and be resilient to change. </li></ul><br />As the country is slowly opening up after close to 10 weeks of complete lockdown, businesses are exploring the best ways to make the future safe for both their employees and consumers.<br /><br />For most brands, the closure of malls and showrooms meant business had to come to a complete standstill. However, it was this time that taught many of them the importance of pushing out effective and relevant communications, to ensure their connection with their consumers remained intact.<br /><br />We recently caught up with Haruto Iwata, Managing Director, Fujifilm India who told us that the early signs of consumers coming to them are positive as people have already started walking into their showrooms to buy products in non-affected areas. He also said that the last few weeks gave the brand the chance to evolve, upgrade and be resilient to change and it will continue to do so in the future too.<br /><br />Excerpts:<b> <br /></b><br /><strong>Q) How has the past 1.5 months been for brand Fujifilm? Considering business would have been on a standstill, what kind of business impact are you looking at?</strong><br /><br /> The COVID-19 outbreak has left an enormous impact on brands across all industries. From a drop in consumer confidence, restricted mobility, and loss of jobs, it has caused a recession like situation with subsiding consumerism. With a top priority to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the employees and communities. At Fujifilm, we have always aimed at creating meaningful advancements and in the last few weeks, we have taken several measures to ensure safety, both internally and externally. At the community level, we have introduced various online workshops for camera enthusiasts and even conducted an interactive INSTAX Doodle Art Contest to help our customers utilize their time and give our business a chance to forge an instant connection with them. This month, we also unveiled ‘Pari Layegi Parivartan’; a comic series to spread the much needed self-health awareness amongst mothers and the women in our lives.<br /><br />While it is still early to predict the quantum of impact at the moment but there will be aftermath on the overall economy and consumption. However, in India with shops re-opening post the relaxation by the government, we are witnessing walk-in from consumers’ to buy products in non-affected areas. We are hopeful that recovery in demand will happen sooner as we learn to live with the virus and find different ways of <keyword id="6354839" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="marketing">marketing</keyword>.<br /><br /><strong>Q) It is imperative to stay connected with your consumers through a crisis situation. How have you done that since the lockdown?</strong><br /><br /> We believe that brands are like humans and during such situations; it becomes imperative to build an emotional connection with your consumers, a relationship where both can balance and support each other. It may not be a business as usual but our customers still depend on our products and services at large. We at Fujifilm have always believed in a holistic customer experience strategy and during times like these we have drastically modified our approach. We have been conducting various online workshops through Fujifilm’s social media channels. Consistently engaging with our consumers through Q&amp;A sessions like ‘Rendezvous’ with professional photographers on Instagram, organizing digital workshop like ‘Pathshala’ and ‘Roobaru’ on YouTube. To educate and share insight on camera features along with some tips &amp; tricks on shooting.<br /><br />As a brand, we encourage our consumers to stay safe and adopt social distancing guidelines and hence, we have also started a service of providing product demos at their doorstep. We are even organising health check-ups across rural in India, especially in remote areas with our advanced diagnosis technologies and associating with various hospitals to drive awareness around early detection of breast cancer. We are motivating people to stay strong and hope this pandemic ends soon with the minimum possible harm.<br /><br /><strong>Q) What kind of communication have you been putting out? How have you made sure you stayed relevant?</strong><br /><br /> There is no denying that these are stressful times and COVID-19 impact has changed the face of many industries. With most of the consumers now at home practicing social distancing, the amount of time they spend online has radically increased. Social media platforms have now become the primary means of communication for brands, consumers and the government as well.<br /><br />At Fujifilm, we are following a similar approach and are using social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to disseminate valuable messages to our consumers. Building on our customer experience, we recently virtually launched our flagship camera, the X-T4. We were the first ones to modify our product launch strategy in the camera industry keeping in mind our community first approach, especially during these times. As in the end, it is all about adapting your product offerings, marketing language, and availability according to the business environment.<br /><br /><strong>Q) As the leader of the organization, what has your priority been these past few weeks? How are you preparing to face the post-Covid world?</strong><br /><br /> There are certain traits of leadership which are timeless. You have to be trustworthy, transparent, and inspirational. These are a few traits applicable to all businesses and relevant for all times. But then there are nuances which have to change with the times. The days of command and control – the days of hierarchy - are long gone. We need to have flatter structures to bring speed and agility in the company. The other very important trait I believe that the industry should have now more than ever is resilience. In today’s fast-changing world and in the post COVID world, we will face difficulties and various hurdles. The question is not about failing. The question is how quickly we get up and start running. I tell my people, failure is not the opposite of success, so long as we learn from it, and so long as we don’t repeat it. So, resilience becomes very important just like speed and agility. In today’s world, where there is a trust deficit, it is very important for people in the company to relate to the purpose and values.<br /><br />At Fujifilm India, we are adapting our offerings to the current times while testing new content online to identify future sales and consumption patterns. In conclusion, a delightful experience will ensure customers stay hooked. We will remain consistent with who we are as a customer-first company. We are evaluating trends and data daily and constantly seek and listen to customer feedback to ensure we’re providing the experience and value they want and need.<br /><br /><strong>Q) Have there been any interesting consumer trends you observed during the lockdown period?</strong><br /><br /> The Covid-19 has led to a paradigm shift in the consumer behavior. While some of these changes are no doubt temporary, some will be permanent. As the community moves beyond the survival mode, the digital-adoption momentum is likely to carry forward and become permanent. This inflection point will be primarily shaped by two major shifts in customer behavior - the reluctance to mingle in crowded public places and higher propensity for digital adoption.<br /><br />Marketers across industries are trying to redesign their business models and the imaging solutions industry is no exception. Consumers are likely to opt for online shopping even after the outbreak ends, and this change will be seen in the imaging industry as well.<br /><br />With our major business focus in healthcare sector, the health, hygiene and safety measures of people have been our utmost priority in today’s COVID world.The demand for online health content has been growing steadily for years. A positive by-product of the global pandemic has resulted in greater awareness of healthcare and the steps we can all take to safeguard our families and ourselves. From handwashing to exercising and eating healthy at home to prioritizing mental health, consumers are more engaged in healthcare issues than ever. To get smarter on health issues and guide decisions, consumers are turning to healthcare providers first as COVID elevates our collective esteem for doctors and hospitals on the front lines. We have seen an upward trend in self-diagnosis measures, where consumers want to be more aware of the health issues they’re tackling.<br /><br /><strong>Q) As a brand, what is going to be your growth strategy going ahead?</strong><br /><br /> Fujifilm’s mission to ‘Never Stop transforming themselves and the World’, focuses on how the company is leveraging its advanced and unique technologies (AI, IOT, IT solutions ) to create value from innovation and contribute to solving real-world challenges.Our effort is on offering healthcare solutions through AI and IoT solutions in remote areas by supporting radiologists with their imaging workflow and providing quality healthcare services and solutions for Indian people.<br /><br />We have been constantly on a lookout on enhancing our consumer awareness, for which we are indulging in sharing DIY self-examinations tips and tricks for women, allowing one to diagnose themselves easily during these times when they can’t step out. Our medical division is further organizing various webinars for training doctors and health experts around Breast Imaging of FFDM, 3D Synapse, application training to technicians for better use of CRs and DRs, etc.We are also providing N95 respirators&amp; surgical facemasks along with PPE kits to healthcare professionals at PGIMER, Chandigarh to help combat the spread of the disease.<br /><br />With rising numbers of customers on the digital bandwagon, we are revisiting our approaches and making them more tech-savvy. Small but handy initiatives such as uploading the product manual online, price comparisons and detailing the features of our innovative technologies are few such strategies we are adopting. Social media platforms, websites and e-commerce have become the one stop shop for all our imaging technologies.<br /><br /><strong>Q) The advent of smartphones with good cameras has made everyone a good photographer now. How are you as a brand trying to stay relevant?</strong><br /><br /> The photography industry is changing dynamically with each passing year. New applications, mobile apps and printing technology are redefining the ways consumers experience images. The rise in consumption of smartphones with great quality cameras have made people think about the need and importance of owning a <keyword id="11137" type="TECHNOLOGY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Digital-Camera">digital camera</keyword>. In fact, the growing trend of capturing moments and sharing further on their social media handles has motivated individuals to click more pictures with cameras that deliver better image and color quality. Hence, leading to an increased adoption of digital and mirrorless cameras with interchangeable lenses.<br /><br />The smartphones are becoming a starting point for us in shifting the interest of individuals to professional photography. Lately, we have also been witnessing photography as a hobby among today's new age millennials. Our range of Digital and <keyword id="2437429" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="instant-camera">Instant camera</keyword> products are becoming a creative tool of communication and self-expression for them. Therefore, we at Fujifilm feel that smartphone photography has been a blessing in disguise that has created a culture of photography worldwide for us.<br /><br /><strong>Q) What have your key learnings from this lockdown experience been?</strong><br /><br /> The global pandemic of Covid-19 has left a dramatic effect on every aspect of our lives. The virus and state-imposed lockdowns have wrought changes that are not just short-term, but will change the world like never before. Being isolated from the world into our respective homes, we have learned various lessons during this lockdown period.<br /><br />At Fujifilm, we believe that we should take this as a chance to evolve, upgrade and be resilient to change. The key aspect to remember is that we are not the only ones fronting the problem and thereby we should “Never Stop” hoping for a better tomorrow. We have already stridden well with time and going forward we should keep pacing with determination and precautions. While we are embracing a never seen before and lasting impact of Covid-19, it is important for all of us to stay positive and strong for each other.<br /><br /><strong>Q) Do you think you will be able to get back on track in terms of business targets once the lockdown is called off? How does the rest of the year look?</strong><br /><br /> With the Covid-19, the first quarter of the financial year has been challenging for us. However, as a brand, we have tried to ensure that we are in touch with our customers regularly. Though the consumer’s mindset, attitude and behavior are always changing but the present epidemic may change them significantly and for a near future. We at Fujifilm are working towards newer strategies to navigate through these difficult times.<br /><br />Following the overarching theme of ‘Necessity is the mother of invention’, we will continue to keep innovating our ways and build for these altered consumer journeys in the coming time.<br /><b><br /></b>

Marketing in the times of Covid-19: Fujifilm India

<p><keyword id="14272605" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tan-france" source="Orion">Tan France</keyword> is holding his smartphone out at eye level, scrolling and tapping through it to retrieve a photo. </p><p>"He's shockingly gorgeous," France says. "Look how handsome he is." </p><p>France is referring to his son, Ismail, who was born last July. Ismail's face is a rare sight, as France and his husband, Rob, choose to cover it on social media. But now, the <a href="https://www.insider.com/cast-of-queer-eye-then-and-now-2018-10">"Queer Eye"</a> and <a href="https://www.insider.com/tan-france-wanted-to-quit-queer-eye-interview-profile-2019-7">"Next in Fashion"</a> star leans toward me on a gray velvet sofa in the corner of the Bar Room at The Beekman, a hotel ensconced in a 19th-century building in Manhattan's Financial District, eager to show him off. </p><p>"He's beautiful," I murmur, taking in the baby's warm beige skin and tufts of chestnut-colored hair.</p><p>"He's a fucking joy," France says, adding that fatherhood has put him more in touch with his feelings. "I've got a few siblings, and I send them pictures and videos every day." </p><p>France's decision to protect his son's identity felt natural. But the need to do so in the first place took him by surprise. "I thought that '<keyword id="12973719" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="queer-eye" source="Orion">Queer Eye</keyword>' wasn't going to be successful and that it would be a flop — we'd do one season, then it'd be over," he tells me. "We never planned on having the child of known people, recognizable people, and how that could affect them." </p><p>"I see so many <keyword id="6355064" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="celebrity" source="Orion">celebrity</keyword> kids, and they feel so much pressure," France adds. "They're constantly scrutinized."</p><div type="image" title="Tan France playfully eats cake, surrounded by cakes, in a white bed with brown backboard." height="1500" width="2000" msid="92416046" hostid="261" sizebytes="163466"></div><p>France understands how bright the spotlight can be. Starring in Netflix shows like "Queer Eye" has made the 39-year-old fashion guru, <a href="https://www.insider.com/tan-france-queer-eye-fashion-trends-this-year-2021-1">known for his style tips and gravity-defying coif</a>, a cultural fixture. These days he's more settled in that identity — and he's beginning to transcend it. As he expands beyond "Queer Eye" with "Next in Fashion" and <a href="https://www.thmbl.com/collections/was-him">Was Him</a>, his genderless clothing line, France has also expanded his sense of self, having his first child and grappling with what it means to raise a family in this beautiful, horrible, complicated world. </p><p>As a fan of France's since the<a href="https://www.insider.com/netflix-queer-eye-for-the-straight-guy-reboot-2017-1"> February 2018 debut of "Queer Eye,"</a> I've watched with pleasure as the Fab Five's most fashion-forward member enters this brave new world, balancing assertiveness with empathy. It's a philosophy he applies to all of his work; he has no problem, for instance, telling "Queer Eye" producers how he prefers to be seen onscreen. During his photo shoot with Insider in late May, he instructed photographer <a href="https://www.martinschoeller.com/">Martin Schoeller</a> to make sure the lighting would complement his brown skin.</p><p>"If anybody ever asked if I would play a terrorist, a taxicab driver, or a grocery store owner, the answer is, 'Go fuck yourself,'" France says. "I would like to believe I'm very, <em>very</em> kind, but if you insult me, I will be the first one to tell you: 'Go fuck yourself.'"</p><blockquote><blockquote class="pullquote-wrapper"><q class="pullquote-quotation">If anybody ever asked if I would play a terrorist, a taxicab driver, or a grocery store owner, the answer is, 'Go fuck yourself,</q> <cite class="pullquote-source">Tan France</cite></blockquote></blockquote><p>Raised by Pakistani Muslim immigrants in South Yorkshire, England, France has always had a taste for fashion. As a child, France mixed and matched outfits and wore multiple looks throughout the day, inspired by his grandfather, who owned a factory that produced denim products for Disney. After working at Zara and several other clothing retailers, he founded <a href="https://kingdomandstate.com/">Kingdom &amp; State</a>, a women's swimwear line, which he sold when he was 33, as well as a women's fashion brand he created with blogger Rachel Parcell.</p><p>France was vacationing with Rob in Las Vegas when a talent manager called him about the audition for <a href="https://www.insider.com/cast-of-queer-eye-then-and-now-2018-10">Netflix's "Queer Eye" reboot</a>. The fashion designer thought the odds of being cast were remote, but after several rounds of auditions, he wowed producers with his snappy attitude and sartorial sense.</p><p>The original "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" was a trailblazer when it premiered on Bravo in 2003, helping to <a href="https://www.insider.com/we-us-ours-lgbtq-communities-and-queer-spaces">normalize the LGBTQ community </a>in the eyes of America at a time when meaningful queer representation on TV was scarce. The reboot debuted in 2018 at a more progressive, if more turbulent, time for the country. </p><p>The show took off thanks to its joyful, compassionate tone and its willingness to address intersectional issues head-on. The reboot's Fab Five — France, Jonathan Van Ness, Karamo Brown, Bobby Berk, and Antoni Porowski — have drawn on their expertise in fashion, beauty, self-care, design, and food, respectively, to transform the lives of willing participants who run the gamut from a shy manga illustrator in Naka-ku, Yokohama, to a transgender powerlifter from San Antonio, Texas. By the end of its first season, the show had nabbed three Emmys, including one for outstanding structured reality program. Over the years, it has racked up six more. </p><p>When "Queer Eye" first premiered, it felt like a safe haven for those of us wringing our hands over what the country might become. As I wondered what the Trump administration's colossal incompetence would yield next, I retreated to my couch and a show whose every episode brimmed with charm, exuberance, and messages of inclusivity. For roughly 45 minutes at a time, the world felt less angry and polarizing. </p><div type="image" title="Tan France holding a yellow hairdryer." height="2667" width="2000" msid="92416050" hostid="261" sizebytes="248338"></div><p>For France, the show was an unimaginable gift. "We get to be our queer selves, unabashedly," he says. "I've never felt like I've had a space like that before where I can be 100% comfortable to say: This is who I am. Like it or lump it."</p><p>He became particularly close with one of his cohosts, food expert Porowski, after the first week of filming "Queer Eye." Porowski describes their relationship as intimate in a playful yet deeply significant way. "We hold hands, we sit in each other's laps, and we're two grown-ass men," Porowski says of France, adding that he didn't have many queer friends growing up. "I think part of me is reliving the childhood that I never really had where I was able to be free like that, where I had a friend who was like him. It's the joy of the chosen family."</p><p>France's family expanded again with the addition of Ismail, <a href="https://www.insider.com/celebrity-parents-who-used-surrogates-2020-5">who was carried by a surrogate</a> — a process that he says was shockingly expensive and stressful. (A surrogacy can cost between $90,000 and $130,000.) Ismail arrived seven weeks early and spent the first three weeks of his life in the newborn intensive care unit. Still, France says that he's ready to do the whole thing over again — he and his husband Rob plan on trying for another child within the next two years — though he'll make a few adjustments.</p><p>"With the job that I have, and my husband's a full-time artist, we needed help," France says. "We should have done that sooner." He and Rob didn't have additional help with childcare for four months after they brought Ismail home; France describes that period as one of the most beautiful but "most difficult" times of his life. They eventually hired a night nurse for nearly two months to sleep train Ismail; now they employ a part-time nanny whom France calls a "life saver" and considers part of the family.   </p><p>The couple is currently building a new home, with a schoolroom, in Salt Lake City. They plan to host a community school with their friends' children and homeschool Ismail, motivated by incidents like the <a href="https://www.insider.com/timeline-of-school-shooting-at-robb-elementary-in-uvalde-texas-2022-5">recent mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas,</a> that left 19 children and two adults dead. </p><p>France says he's horrified by the violent trend. "I don't know if it's happened in my lifetime, a school shooting in England, so for me, it's completely shocking," he says. "Yes, I've lived here for almost 15 years, but I'm still shocked that this has been allowed to keep happening. So those were the main conversations I would have with Rob: How do we keep our children safe?"</p><div type="image" title="Tan France smiles in a white shirt as a baby's hand rests on his cheek." height="2667" width="2000" msid="92416052" hostid="261" sizebytes="107946"></div><p>He is also concerned about the <a href="https://www.insider.com/insider-database-2020-deadliest-year-on-record-for-trans-people-2021-4">looming anti-trans</a> and so-called <a href="https://www.insider.com/florida-sudents-fight-back-after-dont-say-gay-yearbook-censorship-2022-5">"Don't Say Gay" bills </a>that threaten to further infringe upon the rights of LGBTQ people — and children — in over a dozen states. "I don't understand how we got here," he tells me. "It does worry me seeing just how hard people are fighting to take rights away from people when they're just minding their own business. They're just trying to live their lives. They're not doing anything to anyone. It is wildly frustrating."</p><p>But there are some aspects of the US that he prefers to the UK. For instance, he believes his home country is "massively behind" when it comes to representation of brown people. France points to shows like <a href="https://www.insider.com/never-have-i-ever-season-3-netflix-details-information-2022-5">"Never Have I Ever"</a> and <a href="https://www.insider.com/the-sex-lives-of-college-girls-showrunner-nico-kimberly-interview-2021-12">"The Sex Lives of College Girls"</a> with brown actors in their casts, and entertainers like Mindy Kaling, Kumail Nanjiani, Hasan Minhaj, and fellow British-Pakistani actor Riz Ahmed — <a href="https://www.insider.com/youtube-asian-representation-wongfu-nigahia-michellephan">high-profile South Asians in Hollywood</a> who have become mainstream pop-culture fixtures in the past five years. </p><p>In the UK, meanwhile, France says his community remains largely invisible on big and small screens. "I think that the people in power don't believe our value," France adds. "They don't understand our value. I don't know what more we can do to show that we can be entertainers. I'm on a big show for Netflix. We have won countless Emmys — if we win one more, we've broken the record for the most Emmys of any unscripted show in history. Yet I'm still not seen as bookable in the UK for a prime-time show. That's an issue."</p><p>Stateside, France's career is thriving. He hosted the <a href="https://www.insider.com/selling-sunset-season-4-netflix-details-information-2020-8">"Selling Sunset" reunion</a>, which aired on Netflix in early May — an opportunity that came knocking just two weeks before the taping of the episode. France doesn't watch reality TV but believes he was tapped to host because he "can be a little more aggressive" than some of his "Queer Eye" counterparts. To prepare, he watched all five seasons of "Selling Sunset" over the course of two days on flights to and from London. </p><div type="image" title="Tan France flies in the air, holding a tuxedo jacket." height="1500" width="2000" msid="92416054" hostid="261" sizebytes="116488"></div>"I don't understand a filter, or I don't <em>care</em> about a filter," France explains. "I don't care about the weather. I want to know, 'Why did you get a divorce? Tell me about your relationship.' I don't do small talk. But I like to balance it out by truly caring about people and truly wanting to discover who they are and why they behave the way they behave."<p>France also recently wrapped season two of Netflix's reality show, "Next in Fashion." Filmed in Brooklyn over the course of five weeks — a shoot that Rob and Ismail visited from time to time — France doesn't know exactly when it will air. (Netflix, he tells me, can take months to edit and review a season's episodes, leaving even a show's stars in the dark about a release date.)</p><p>He is, however, willing to drop tantalizing hints about what exactly the season will entail. "For season one, it was all based on themes, like universal clothing that you would find pretty much in every closet around the world," he says. "This time that's not the case. I think it's more difficult. I think we pushed the designers to be even more creative."</p><iframe src="“https://cdn.jwplayer.com/players/jcJyDSeV-3pQvepeD.html”" width="“100%”" height="“100%”" frameborder="“0&quot;" scrolling="“auto”" title="“Final" style="“position:absolute;”"></iframe><p>Another change to the program: France is cohosting this season with <a href="https://www.insider.com/gigi-hadid-facts-things-you-didnt-know-2018-11">supermodel Gigi Hadid</a> instead of British designer Alexa Chung. The swap seems like a logical one, given France and Hadid have been close friends since they met more than four years ago through a FaceTime call facilitated by <a href="https://www.insider.com/email-hack-eva-chen-automatic-responses-2018-12">Instagram's director of fashion partnerships, Eva Chen</a>. When France and Rob initially learned their surrogate was pregnant, Hadid was the first friend he told. Hadid, in turn, has given France parenting tips on baby supplies, sleep training, and schooling. </p><p>"You've got to know how to work with somebody where you match your energy," France says. "So when you're on, you are down to play, you are a child, and that's what I am." When the cameras are off, he says, he and Hadid take mutual advantage of the downtime; they usually sit side by side watching TikTok videos or calling their respective babies. "There's a level of respect for how we work together like I've never understood before," he says. </p><p>Hadid says she learned a lot from France while shooting "Next in Fashion," from handling technical aspects of a show to softer skills like keeping conversations going with contestants while the cameras are rolling. There's a synergy between the cohosts, she says. "You never really know, you can be friends with someone, respect someone, and then be put in a work environment with them — and it's why a lot of boy bands don't work out," she says. "It was such a blessing that my and Tan's work styles are very similar. We have a similar need for companionship. We got lucky." </p><div type="image" title="Tan France sits on the edge of a bed." height="1500" width="2000" msid="92416056" hostid="261" sizebytes="132782"></div><p>France is most excited to expand further into unscripted series, though at this point, it's unclear whether "Queer Eye" and "Next in Fashion" will come back for subsequent seasons. The former is getting a little long in the tooth by Netflix standards, particularly as the streamer has become choosier about which shows to renew. But all signs suggest Netflix is content to let the series continue its run: France and the rest of the Fab Five started filming the seventh season of "Queer Eye," set in New Orleans, earlier this month. (Netflix's longest-running show, <a href="https://www.insider.com/jane-fonda-says-netflix-chose-to-end-grace-and-frankie-2019-12">"Grace and Frankie," </a>with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, wrapped its run after seven seasons earlier this year.)  </p><p>"We're all knocking on a bit," France acknowledges, referring to the cast getting older. "I don't know how much people will care about our opinion on fashion and hair and whatever when we go into the middle-aged period of our life. I'm sure that they'll want somebody younger and hipper to advise them." </p><p><em>Credits:<br />Photography by Martin Schoeller</em><br /><em>Creative Direction by Liane Radel</em><br /><em>Production by Very Rare Productions, NYC</em><br /><em>Styling by Joseph Turla</em><br /><em>Grooming by Andrew Karrick</em><br /><em>Prop Styling by Anna Holmes Hurely</em><br /><em>Prop Styling Assistance by Brent Wingen</em><br /><em>Photographic Assistance by Jan Erting and Sarah Keum</em><br /><em>Video by Emily Christian, Kiran Chitanvis, and Marisa Frey</em><br /><em>Design and Development by <keyword id="12453087" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="kazi-awal" source="Orion">Kazi Awal</keyword> and Skye Gould</em><br /><em>Booking by Carl Leibowitz</em><br /><em>Editing by Claire Landsbaum, Joi-Marie McKenzie, Julie Zeveloff West, and Jonann Brady<br />Social by Tanita Gaither, Elizabeth Morales, Victoria Gracie, and Tyler Murphy</em></p><p><em>Special thanks:</em><br /><em>Keisha James at Thompson Hotels</em><br /><em>Thompson Suite courtesy of The Beekman, a Thompson Hotel</em></p>

Tan France finds his joy

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Over the last decade, <keyword id="819905" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Instagram">Instagram</keyword> has changed how people approach <keyword id="6354692" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Travel">travel</keyword> — and not always for the best.</li><li>While many use the platform as a source of inspiration, people using Instagram to show off their vacations have made travel feel like a popularity contest<strong>.</strong></li><li><strong><strong>For many Instagrammers, travel is more about getting pretty pictures than actually exploring places. </strong></strong></li><li><strong><strong>Their carefully posed photos</strong></strong> can be deceptive and create <strong>unrealistic standards, with people drawn to the same photogenic spots to get more likes and follows.</strong></li><li><strong>People flocking to the same places they keep seeing on Instagram has also led to overtourism and pollution in some places.</strong></li></ul><p>One of the worst travel experiences of my life was visiting Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. </p><p>I spent the day in a seemingly endless line in the sun to get on a packed bus, only to get in another line for another bus, before practically sitting underneath the statue with hundreds of people, too crammed to see anything. That didn't stop everyone around me from spreading their arms like Christ himself to get a photo for Instagram. The only pictures I took were of them.</p><p>The best stories from my travels used to be the least glamorous. Like the time my car broke down on an Australian road trip and I spent a week in a tiny town called Yass. Or that time I slept in a barn full of bats, and <a href="https://www.insider.com/rv-motor-home-rental-what-to-know-2020-8">survived going through a too-low overpass in a rented RV</a>.</p><p>But in 2020, when it feels like practically everyone is on Instagram - the app boasts <a href="https://about.instagram.com/about-us">a billion users</a> - travel isn't about seeing places or trying new things. It's about getting the perfect picture and making your friends jealous.</p><p>Even during the pandemic, <a href="https://www.insider.com/remote-workers-barbados-what-its-like-welcome-stamp-visa-2020-11">digital nomads</a> with curated Instagram feeds are on the rise. And with COVID-19 vaccines on the horizon, <a href="https://www.insider.com/most-popular-destinations-post-pandemic-vaccines-2020-11">more people are making travel plans</a> again. When they travel, their vacation photos are sure to be all over Instagram.</p><h2>With many Instagram users going to the same places, it's no wonder many of their travel photos look the same</h2><div type="image" title="TROLLTUNGA INSTAGRAM SQUARE" height="1080" width="1080" msid="79582336" hostid="261"></div><p>Ever gotten déja vu scrolling through Instagram? Often, photos show the same destinations, even the same poses: pretty girls in colorful dresses that happen to match their surroundings, and men staring off into the distance like rugged explorers when they've barely looked around.</p><p>Emma Agnes Sheffer, a filmmaker and artist living in Alaska, launched <a href="https://www.instagram.com/insta_repeat/">Insta Repeat</a> in 2018, an Instagram account that collects similar images from around the app and turns them into collages, exposing the repetitiveness of travel photography.</p><p>Sheffer said popular shots include someone in the wilderness, a picture of someone's hand holding something, the front of a kayak, or the view from a tent. They can also feature specific places, like Horseshoe Bend in Arizona and Multnomah Falls in Oregon.</p><blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:800; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px); data.width~800;"><div style="padding:8px;"><div style="background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:62.4537037037% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"><div style="background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style="margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B_Qcx5jHf_c" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank"></a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by Insta Repeat (@insta_repeat)<time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime=""></time></p></div></blockquote><p>"I could write a manual on where to go and what photographs to take to have this aesthetic of Instagram," Sheffer told Insider. "It's very prescriptive, there could be a checklist."</p><p>Sheffer doesn't think people are copying each other on purpose, but that certain aesthetics just seep into the common consciousness. </p><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/saramelotti_/">Sara Melotti</a>, a fashion and travel photographer who went viral in 2017 for exposing how <keyword id="1112328" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Influencers">influencers</keyword> inflate their follower numbers, says "originality doesn't pay on Instagram."</p><p>Posts that have been done before tend to do well, she said. "I can't explain it," she added. "What's so cool about something you've seen a million times?" </p><p>Melotti, who has worked as a photographer since 2012, said that "Instagram created a monster," and that she often misses out on work opportunities because her following is smaller than that of other creatives, even if their work might be inferior.</p><p>Sheffer likens Instagram, with its likes and followers, to a popularity contest where everyone is trying to fit in.</p><p>"Look at high school," she said. "It's not like the popular kids are super weird and unique, usually. I'm not dissing anybody, but we in Western civilization want to fit in and that's how you get popular." The monetization of Instagram posts, she added, only makes things worse.</p><h2>Pulling the same poses in the same places, <strong>Instagrammers have homogenized travel - and they're ruining some destinations they visit</strong></h2><h2><strong style="color: #222222; font-size: 15px;"><div type="image" title="gates of bali SBS" height="1200" width="1600" msid="79582339" hostid="261"></div></strong></h2><p>The act of people traveling to get the perfect Instagram has led to some disingenuous practices that serve as a reminder not to believe everything you see on the app.</p><p>At the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/223537324952743/heavens-gate-lempuyang-temple-bali-indonesia/?hl=en">Gates of Heaven in Bali</a>, an Instagram hot spot, <a href="https://www.insider.com/bali-tourist-spot-popular-instagram-fake-photo-op-2019-7">visitors found that the reflective lake seen in many photos at the temple doesn't actually exist</a> - it's an illusion created by a man holding a mirror under the phone. Still, people want the photo, whether it's real or not, and will stand in line for hours to get it. </p><p>And those beautiful photos of people swinging over a jungle in Bali? Also the result of a huge line, as well as a $<a href="https://www.walkmyworld.com/posts/the-bali-swing">35 fee</a> for a push.</p><p>Influencers often get up before sunrise to get a perfect (and unrealistically empty) shot of whatever famous attraction they're visiting. Then, they edit their photos beyond recognition - some go as far as <a href="https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2017/07/164148/amelia-liana-photoshop-pictures-response">erasing crowds</a> and <a href="https://www.insider.com/instagram-influencer-admits-editing-clouds-into-her-photos-2019-8">adding clouds that aren't there.</a> The real world just can't compete.</p><div type="image" title="Maya Bay Thailand crowded tourists over tourism" height="1666" width="2222" msid="79582345" hostid="261"></div><p>Still, people flocking to the same destinations has its pros. After all, getting featured on Instagram can be a good thing for many places in need of <keyword id="20048" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="tourism">tourism</keyword> money.</p><p>But it can also lead to serious issues like overtourism and pollution.</p><p>Some spots simply can't handle their Instagram fame, which has <a href="https://www.insider.com/travel-destinations-instagram-influencers-ruined-2019-7">ruined a number of destinations</a> that aren't equipped to handle tons of visitors.</p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/tourists-destroyed-thailand-maya-bay-photos-2018-10">Maya Bay in Thailand closed in 2019</a> because of overtourism; so did <a href="https://www.insider.com/boracay-beach-reopens-after-closure-2018-10">Boracay in the Philippines</a> for a few months; and Hanoi's famous "train street" <a href="https://www.insider.com/cities-hurt-by-tourism-2017-12#hanois-train-street-vietnam-3">had to shut down</a> because of the selfie-taking tourists it attracted. Destinations like <a href="https://www.thecut.com/2019/02/who-killed-tulum.html">Tulum</a> in Mexico have also fallen victim to their popularity; the uber-hip spot has recently struggled with overtourism and pollution.</p><h2>Perfect Instagram posts have created pressure when traveling - and sucked the spontaneity out of it</h2><div type="image" title="Maldives overwater villas bike" height="1669" width="2225" msid="79582349" hostid="261"></div><p>Thomas Kohnstamm, author of the 2008 book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Travel-Writers-Hell-Swashbuckling-Questionable/dp/0307394654">"Do Travel Writers go to Hell?,"</a> thinks beautiful travel photos can make us as insecure as images of someone's six-pack, if not more so.</p><p>"Maybe it's more heightened when you're specifically looking at travel because you may not be able to completely change your house or change how you look, but on a trip you have this short amount of time to try to do it right," he said, speaking of the pressure to attain perfection.</p><p><strong><div type="image" title="Cappadocia Turkey balloons influencer" height="1666" width="2222" msid="79582351" hostid="261"></div></strong></p><p>Kohnstamm says "there's not a lot of room for randomness" anymore when traveling. </p><p>"There's something really beautiful about going on a trip and stumbling your way into some serendipitous situations that maybe you wouldn't have if you have your eyes on your phone the whole time trying to game every situation to find the best deal, the best place," he said.</p><p>Today, with information readily available online, there's more choice - and pressure to find the best of everything.</p><p>"Before, when there was less information, it encouraged more spontaneity," he said.</p><p>While I don't like to plan ahead much on trips, I've also fallen victim to overzealous researching, especially when it comes to restaurants; I want to eat only the best meals when I travel, and will <a href="https://www.insider.com/best-travel-app-google-maps-saved-places">spend hours looking</a> for them.</p><p>While this has led to some epic meals, I sometimes think back to my gap year in the mid-2000s, when iPhones were still just a twinkle in Steve Jobs' eyes and I relied on my eyes and ears to figure out where to eat rather than 27 open tabs comparing near-identical taquerias. A mediocre meal wouldn't have been a big deal in the past, but now it feels like a personal failure.</p><h2><strong><div type="image" title="travel influencer selfie" height="1667" width="2500" msid="79582355" hostid="261"></div></strong></h2><p>With many Instagram influencers posting what looks like the perfect travel experience, Melotti suggests travel has become a new status symbol in recent years.</p><p>"Everybody wants to show that they're traveling, but maybe they don't give a s--- about traveling," she said.</p><p>"If you don't travel because of curiosity, what's the point of going somewhere just to take a picture? To show you were there? You're just fulfilling your ego," she added. "I've seen a lot of travelers that are not traveling because they care about discovering a country or learning about it, they just go there to get a picture, being disrespectful, not even trying the local food. What's the point?"</p><p>While bragging about trips goes back to people whipping out dusty boxes of slides at dinner parties, such displays still allowed people to be in the moment while traveling. Now, there's pressure, especially with Instagram stories, to share glimpses of your amazing vacation in real-time.</p><p>"You're trying to impress other people with how wonderful an experience you're having, but then it takes away from you actually just having that experience," Kohnstamm said.</p><p>"People are planning their outfits for when they travel, and specific pictures. It's crazy," travel blogger <a href="https://hownottotravellikeabasicbitch.com/">Dr. Kiona</a>, who prefers not to publish her last name for privacy reasons, told Insider. "I'll have conversations with them and they're like, 'Oh yeah, when I go there, I'm going to post this content.' That was never a conversation before."</p><h2><strong>It's not all bad, but I miss the simpler, social media-free days of traveling</strong></h2><p><strong><div type="image" title="Hostel sign people walking street" height="1412" width="1883" msid="79582357" hostid="261"></div></strong></p><p>I love Instagram just as much as the next person. I love looking at pretty pictures and getting wanderlust. But I also know when to put my phone away and just enjoy the moment. I like to think I travel for food and <keyword id="24504" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="culture">culture</keyword>, not photo ops and likes.</p><p>Without trying to sound like a grumpy older millennial shaking her fist at the next generation, I do miss the simpler days of social media-free travel. Sure, it was dirtier, grimier, less filtered, and in many ways more difficult, but it was also genuine.</p><ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/travel-destinations-instagram-influencers-ruined-2019-7">15 destinations Instagram has helped ruin</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/cities-hurt-by-tourism-2017-12">20 places around the world that are being ruined by tourism</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/worst-tourists-2017-2017-12">The 21 most horrifying things tourists have done recently</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/worst-cliche-funny-travel-photos-poses-instagram">13 cliché travel photos tourists need to stop taking</a></li><li><em>This is an <keyword id="6356002" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="opinion">opinion</keyword> column. The thoughts expressed are those of the author(s).</em></li></ul>

Instagram has sucked the spontaneity out of travel

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right no-rightrail"><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/52704756ecad04a97a8b4567-1200/miss-dorit-hockman-of-the-university-of-cambridge-in-the-uk-took-this-image-of-a-veiled-chameleon-chamaeleo-calyptratus-embryo-that-has-been-stained-to-highlight-the-cartilage-blue-and-bone-red-the-rest-of-the-tissues-have-been-made-clear.jpg" alt="Miss Dorit Hockman, of the University of Cambridge in the U.K. took this image of a veiled chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus), embryo  that has been stained to highlight the cartilage (blue) and bone (red). The rest of the tissues have been made clear" width="1200" /><p class="source">Miss Dorit Hockman</p></div><p></p></div></p>
<p>Nikon has just announced the winners of its <a href="http://www.nikonsmallworld.com/galleries/entry/2013-photomicrography-competition/1" target="_blank">Small World Photography contest</a>.</p>
<p>These images are of things in the regular world around us, but magnified up to hundreds of times. </p>
<p>Wim van Egmond of The Netherlands won first prize for his image of a marine diatom, a type of algae that lives in the ocean. </p>
<p>"I approach micrographs as if they are portraits. The same way you look at a person and try to capture their personality, I observe an organism and try to capture it as honestly and realistically as possible," said Egmond of his winning image. "At the same time, this image is about form, rhythm and composition. The positioning of the helix, the directions of the bristles, the subdued colors and contrast all bring together a balance that is both dynamic and tranquil."</p>
<p>We've also included a few honorable mentions and images of distinction from the winners.</p>

Award-Winning Images Of Some Of The Smallest Things On Earth

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5405da3b69bedd9e64d7988e-1200-799/44_timaiken_studentwinner_alaskarange_ak.jpg" border="0" alt="44_TimAiken_StudentWinner_AlaskaRange_AK"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.Wilderness.Smithsonian.com">Tim Aiken/Courtesy of Smithsonian Magazine</a></span></p><p class="caption">Winner, Most Inspirational Moment Student: The mountains of the Alaska Range are reflected in this pristine pool of water. The mountain range is the highest in the world outside of Asia and the Andes.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>Fifty years ago today, President Lyndon Johnson <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilderness_Act">signed the Wilderness Act</a>, one of the cornerstones of the conservation movement in America. <span>The Wilderness Act created the National Wilderness Preservation System through which the federal government has protected more than 100 million acres of wilderness. </span></p>
<p>To celebrate the anniversary, the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History recently conducted the Wilderness Forever photography competition.</p>
<p class="p1"><span>The Smithsonian selected 50 winning photos from</span> 5,000 entries from professional, amateur, and student photographers across the country. <span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Each photo was taken within a U.S. wilderness area.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">The Smithsonian has shared a selection of the winners with us, but </span><a href="http://wilderness.smithsonian.com/vote/vote-180952419/"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"></span>you can check out more entries in the contest and vote for your favorites</a><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">. Every month, the Smithsonian will feature the entry that receives that most votes. </span></p>
<h3>A Red Fox frolics in Denali National Park in Alaska during autumn. <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5405da3becad04c83e44e2f0-1200-798/3_deeannpederson_redfoxdenali_ak.jpg" border="0" alt="3_DeeAnnPederson_RedFoxDenali_AK"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.Wilderness.Smithsonian.com">DeeAnn Pederson/Courtesy of Smithsonian Magazine</a></span></p><p class="caption">Honorable Mention, Wildlife Pro.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>An adult male Snowy Owl is wide awake at dawn in Otis Pike Fire Island High Dune Wilderness Area. Otis Pike is the only federally designated wilderness area in New York.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5405da3b69bedd9e64d7988b-1200-801/8_scottdere_snowyowl_ny.jpg" border="0" alt="8_ScottDere_SnowyOwl_NY"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.Wilderness.Smithsonian.com">Scott Dere/Courtesy of Smithsonian Magazine</a></span></p><p class="caption">Honorable Mention, Wildlife Pro.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>Colorful petrified sand dunes of White Pocket tower over Paria Canyon-Vermillion Cliffs in Arizona. White Pocket is a notoriously hard-to-reach patch of sandstone near the Arizona-Utah border. <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5405da3beab8ea8d02f3617b-1200-727/13_richardansley_whitepocket_az.jpg" border="0" alt="13_RichardAnsley_WhitePocket_AZ"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.Wilderness.Smithsonian.com">Richard Ansley/Courtesy of Smithsonian Magazine</a></span></p><p class="caption">Honorable Mention, Scenic Landscape Amateur.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>Proxy Falls cascades down to a moss-covered forest in Three Sisters Wilderness in Oregon. The Three Sisters are a series of three volcanoes. Two out of three of the volcanoes are inactive.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5405da3b6bb3f70f1444e2ef-1200-800/23_thomasgoebel_studentwinner_proxyfalls_or.jpg" border="0" alt="23_ThomasGoebel_StudentWinner_ProxyFalls_OR"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.Wilderness.Smithsonian.com">Thomas Goebel/Courtesy of Smithsonian Magazine</a></span></p><p class="caption">Winner, Scenic Landscape Student.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>A lone paddler watches the sun set upon the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Superior National Forest in Minnesota. The area is renowned for its fishing and canoeing.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5405da3beab8ea0b7ef36188-1200-800/34_dawnlapointe_amwinner_boundarywaters_mn.jpg" border="0" alt="34_DawnLaPointe_AmWinner_BoundaryWaters_MN"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.Wilderness.Smithsonian.com">Dawn LaPointe/Courtesy of Smithsonian Magazine</a></span></p><p class="caption">Winner, People in Wilderness Amateur.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>This path winds through the Aurora Ridge Trail in Olympic Wilderness Area in Washington. The Olympic Wilderness contains some of the most pristine forests left in the U.S. <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5405d95569bedd8959d79892-800-1200/37_pablomcloud_trail_olympic_wa.jpg" border="0" alt="37_PabloMcLoud_Trail_Olympic_WA"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.Wilderness.Smithsonian.com">Pablo McLoud/Smithsonian Magazine</a></span></p><p class="caption">Honorable mention, Landscape Amateur.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></h3>
<h3>The Milky Way sparkles over Second Beach in Olympic Wilderness. Second Beach is one of the most popular beaches in the Olympics. It is home to a labyrinth of tide pools, as well as bald and golden eagles and seals.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5405da3b69bedd4864d7988d-1200-800/42_joelefevre__prowinner_milkyway_or.jpg" border="0" alt="42_JoeLeFevre__ProWinner_MilkyWay_OR"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.Wilderness.Smithsonian.com">Joe LeFevre/Courtesy of Smithsonian Magazine</a></span></p><p class="caption"> Winner, Most Inspirational Moment Pro.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></h3>
<h3>A brown bear in Alaska's Katmai National Park.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5405d9546bb3f7ed0844e2f0-800-1195/10_robertamoruso_brownbear_ak.jpg" border="0" alt="10_RobertAmoruso_BrownBear_AK"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.Wilderness.Smithsonian.com">Robert Amoruso/Smithsonian Magazine</a></span></p><p class="caption">Honorable Mention, Wildlife Amateur.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>A herd of mountain goats huddle together on top of Mount Evans, Colorado, during a lightning storm. Mount Evans is one of 53 mountains in Colorado over 14,000 feet high. It is the closest to Denver.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5405d954ecad04cf3644e2ef-800-1016/7_verdontomajko_amwinner_mountaingoats_co.jpg" border="0" alt="7_VerdonTomajko_AmWinner_MountainGoats_CO"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.Wilderness.Smithsonian.com">Verdon Tomajko/Smithsonian Magazine</a></span></p><p class="caption">Winner, Wildlife Amateur.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></h3>

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