Five Photos Capturing the Unique Beauty of Modern Earth

Sometimes a ground-floor perspective just isn’t enough to comprehend the awe-inspiring beauty of our planet. Benjamin Grant, the founder of website Daily Overview, shares images of Earth shot from above—capturing the delicate balance between the natural and the artificial and how humans have affected the planet—for better or for worse. To celebrate Earth Day, he’s picked out five of his favorite photos from Overview, from …

Candid Portraits of Amtrak Passengers Traveling Across America

After a childhood spent working on a local freight line, photographer McNair Evans recently returned to his railroad roots for his photo series “In Search of Great Men.” He traveled across America on Amtrak trains, capturing portraits of fellow passengers while on board. The intimate images evoke a sense of longing and an underlying optimism. Strangers, some huddled under blankets, patiently wait to reach their …

Star Trail Images Taken From the International Space Station

Aboard the International Space Station, astronaut Don Pettit has an incredibly unique perspective of Earth and the night sky. He recently set his camera to take long-exposure photographs as the ISS orbits the globe (at 17,000mph), producing literally out-of-this-world imagery of Earth at night. Along with a shower of bright star trails, light from major cities is seen streaking across the planet’s surface—the Aurora Borealis …