 Aug 22, 2019, Check Out Some of the Gorgeous Winning Pictures From This ‘Kindness Photography’ Contest, By McKinley Corbley - Research has shown that viewing images of peace, kindness, and compassion has a dramatic impact on a person’s happiness and wellbeing. That’s why photographers from all over the world were asked to share their kindest photos—and the winners have finally been announced.  Envision Kindness, a nonprofit organization dedicated to spreading media positivity, recently concluded their third annual The World is Kind photography contest for images that embody kindness.  For this year’s contest, there were more than 1,800 submissions from 750 photographers in over 85 countries. The Envision Kindness team selected 20 of their favorite photographs while another 20 pictures were chosen by members of the public—and all of them are breathtaking.  “Every day, people are exposed to negative images, stories, and experiences,” says David Fryburg, founder of Envision Kindness. “We know that this exposure is stressful to the viewer—it causes anger, anxiety, depression, and can affect behavior, disconnecting people from one another.”  “To help counterbalance the negative, we want to share diverse, positive images like those submitted to the contest on a regular basis. We know that these images have great power to bring out joy, gratitude, optimism, love, and compassion,” he added.  If you would like to check out the rest of this year’s winners, you can visit the Envision Kindness website—or you can check out more of last year’s winners here on GNN.  Be Sure And Share The Photos With Your Friends On Social Media, Check Out Some of the Gorgeous Winning Pictures From This ‘Kindness Photography’ Contest |
Photographer Captures Incredible Luminous..
 First red ring ELVES phenomenon over Italy captured by Valter Binotto via SWNS 11/12/2025, Photographer Captures Incredible Luminous Event Over His Italian Town–For the Second Time (LOOK): Incredible images captured by an amateur astrophotographer show a bizarre red ring, 143-miles wide, floating in the sky. Valter Binotto not only managed to capture the otherworldly sight over his hometown of Possagno, amazingly, it’s the second time he has recorded the rings from his location in northern Italy, nestled in the foothills of Monte Grappa. The doughnut-shaped red rings are known as ELVES, an upper-atmospheric lightning event sometimes caught in long-exposure images above distant thunderstorms. (ELVES stands for Emissions of Light and Very Low Frequency due to Electromagnetic Pulse Sources). They’re a type of ‘transient luminous event’ which occurs in the lower ionosphere, dozens of miles above the Earth, directly above powerful lightning storms. Valter Binotto says he’s spent almost a decade tracking such high-altitude displays and secured his first ELVES image in 2023 above a storm 177 miles from his home (285 km). “It took almost three years before I managed to capture another one,” said Valter. He spotted it last month on November 17 from his home. This time, it was triggered by a negative lightning strike of 303 kA, according to SWNS news. The lightning occurred above the Cinque Terre in Liguria, 186 miles (300 km) away from his location—with a calculated diameter measuring 200 km (124 miles). “Another great thrill!  Third red ELVES ring with sprites in the sky over Possagno, Italy by Valter Binotto via SWNS 13/12/2025, “Less than a week later, I captured a third. The thunderstorm was over the Adriatic Sea this time, in front of the Marche regional coast, 380 km (236 miles) from my home. “This third event was different from the previous ones because, in addition to the ELVES, the lightning also produced a beautiful sprite.” Sprites are sparkly, red, firework-like phenomena created by extremely powerful lightning between the ground and the edge of space. Even better, he grabbed a photo (above) that contained both of the luminous events in the same frame—which he believes could be a first. “When I saw it on the display, the emotion was overwhelming—I couldn’t believe my eyes, I was witnessing something unique, never seen before.”  Red Sprites in sky over Possagno, Italy by Valter Binotto via SWNSHe reported that the positive lightning had a power of 387 kA. And, thanks to the star field, he was able to calculate its position to be 52 miles high (85 km), measuring 143 miles wide (230 km). Photographer Captures Incredible Luminous Event Over His Italian Town–For the Second Time (LOOK) |
Time Lapse Photography Turns Rock Climbing
 SWNS 16-10-2025, Time Lapse Photography Turns Rock Climbing Trails into Rainbow LED Light Shows — LOOK: These fascinating images are the result of a photographer using LED lights to track his climbing routes up sheer rock faces and mountain hikes. 27-year-old Luke Rasmussen takes to sky-high ridges across the USA under the cover of darkness so he can use the lights to turn his journeys into colorful patterns. He records the routes through a series of long-exposure images taken from the foot of each rock face. “I wanted to capture the passage of time as I moved up a rock face, flowing from one hold to the next,” says Rasmussen. “I wanted a way to visualize the line that exists in a climber’s mind as he pieces together the natural features of the wall. “I wanted to be able to illuminate the motion that I experience while climbing. And I think I’ve begun to do just that. Rasmussen, who is from Las Vegas, started rock climbing at the age of 11 before he even got his hands on his very first camera.  SWNS “I certainly enjoyed taking photos and the process of photography, but I knew there was something more that I could get out of it. I knew there was a way that I could use photography as a tool to capture the ‘passage of time in a single moment’ that I was so fascinated by.  SWNS “So, I started experimenting with longer exposures. This is where I truly found a passion for photography.”  SWNS Rasmussen describes his photography as “showing the motion of the climb”, capturing his individual movements through colorful, intricate courses of light.  SWNS On each climb, he shoots 17 separate 30-second RAW photos of himself—along with 78 separate 30-second exposures of the night sky to capture the star trails. The images are then stacked and edited in Photoshop.  SWNS “My photography is an attempt to capture time frozen in a moment rather than a moment frozen in time,” says Rasmussen. “The photo is a snapshot of the moment. But, what it’s not is a snapshot of time. Time is that stacking up of moments, the aggregate of every moment past, present, and future.  SWNS “Traditional photography does not allow us to capture that. My photography is an attempt to do so. It is an attempt, in some small way, to capture the passage of time and freeze it in a single moment.” Time Lapse Photography Turns Rock Climbing Trails into Rainbow LED Light Shows — LOOK |
Artist Creates Striking Portraits ...
 Artist Cristiam Ramos portraits made from cut up denim jeans – SWNS Artist Creates Striking Portraits Out of Old Denim Jeans Cut into Tiny Pieces (WATCH): Meet the artist who is turning old denim jeans into striking works of art. Cristiam Ramos creates intricate portraits of celebrities and animals using nothing but tiny squares of cut-up denim. By carefully piecing together the different shades of fabric, Cristiam produces portraits that are as detailed as they are unique. Each artwork takes around a month to complete and cannot be replicated. With prices ranging from $9,000 to $15,000 (£6,800–£11,000), Cristiam’s denim subjects include Hollywood icons Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, and David Bowie, alongside majestic animals such as lions and leopards. “Each piece takes me about a month depending on the size and complexity of the portrait,” said the Mexican artist based in Orlando, Florida. “I work eight hours a day, and the price depends on the size, but they are all unique and unrepeatable,” said the 45-year-old.  Close up of denim art by Cristiam Ramos – SWNS “Each piece will always be different from the other and my collectors will always have a unique piece.” (Watch a video showing him at work below…) Cristiam began using denim as a medium four years ago after finding inspiration in his own pair of worn out jeans. He has continued to be inspired by denim, and what it represents to him in his art. “One day, I ran into a pair of jeans from my adolescence,” he told SWNS news agency. “For some reason, I couldn’t separate myself from them.  Cheetah in denim art by Cristiam Ramos – SWNS “At that moment, I realized that denim carries life inside its fibers: memories, moments and the strength of time itself. “I think this is a powerful message for all of us.” “No matter how worn out we feel, we always have the power to transform ourselves into something beautiful.”WATCH him at work… |
Family Discovers 8 Huge Dinosaur Footprints..
 Dinosaur footprints on the beach in Bexhill, East Sussex – By Vicky Ballinger / SWNSFamily Discovers 8 Huge Dinosaur Footprints While Walking on Eroded Beach (Photos): A family was strolling along an eroded beach at sunset when they discovered a trove of eight huge dinosaur footprints Vicky Ballinger and her two kids were stunned by the sight in East Sussex, England, after high tides and heavy rains had worn away the sand, exposing the rock underneath. The area from Bexhill-on-Sea to Fairlight has become known for its track casts and prints of dinosaurs. “I grew up in Bexhill and I’ve never seen these ones before,” says Vicky. “I believe they are iguanodon footprints. They’re not T-rex tracks (because) they weren’t in England.” Vicky went to the local Bexhill Museum with her discovery, and they’re investigating further this week. She also uploaded her video to YouTube (see below). “The kids loved that they could see the track of a dinosaur and walk where it walked. It was very exciting.”  In 2018, more than 85 footprints from the Cretaceous period made up of at least seven different species were uncovered by the cliffs between Hastings and Fairlight—including the fine detail of skin and scales. Another fossil discovered on Bexhill beach was confirmed as a ‘pickled’ dinosaur brain. The Bexhill site dates back to around 140 million years ago and contains the remains of dinosaurs that used to roam in the freshwater surroundings of the period. “It’s quite beautiful to find these amazing dinosaur footprints when we came on a walk.” Over the years, the fossils of several dinosaur species have been found including Iguanodon, Megalosaurus, Baryonyx, Polacanthus, and the tooth of a Velociraptor-type animal, many of which are on display at the Bexhill Museum.Check out her lovely video below…Family Discovers 8 Huge Dinosaur Footprints While Walking on Eroded Beach (Photos) |
New Upside Down House Opens – Photos
 Upside Down House in Bristol – SWNS New Upside Down House Opens – Take Fabulous Photos And Walk on the Ceiling (LOOK): A quirky tourist attraction has popped up in another seaside town that lets visitors tour a building where all the furniture is flipped 180-degrees. ‘The Upside Down House’ in Bristol, England, is the 12th one to be erected—or should we say inverted—around the UK since the success of the first one opened in Bournemouth in 2018. Painted in cheerful colors, the homes look like they’ve been flipped on their heads. With two floors of furniture attached to the ceilings, visitors might feel dizzy from the alternative perspective of life upside down. A ticket booth connected to the back of the house sells tickets to visitors for $7, with proceeds going to local charities or the Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity. There are plenty of places to take photos on the two floors, including a kitchen, living room, bedroom where striking fun poses can really take advantage of the anti-gravity views. Paying guests walk on the ceiling as tables, chairs, beds, toilets and more hang above them.  SWNS Upside Down Houses have opened in several UK beach destinations, in cities like Liverpool and London, and now in other parts of the world, including France, Germany and Australia. Each home’s furnishings feature the work of local artists—hung upside down, of course.  SWNS They also take advantage of seasonal themes, like Haunted Upside Down House on Halloween or maybe Santa’s Grotto during Christmas. Upside Down House Bristol is painted bright magenta and located on Anchor Square next to the Bristol Aquarium. Children under three enter for free. WATCH a couple videos to get some more wild perspective…These Scenes Are Inverted For Instant Fun…New Upside Down House Opens – Take Fabulous Photos And Walk on the Ceiling (LOOK) |
Golf Lover Creates Tiger Woods Portrait
 Art by Aaron Norris (SWNS pic) Golf Lover Creates Tiger Woods Portrait—Entirely Made of 25,000 Golf Tees (Photos): A golf fan has created a stunning portrait of Tiger Woods made out of 25,000 new and broken golf tees. Aaron Norris finished the artwork last month and has already sold it for an undisclosed amount. The 43-year-old artist says he got the idea after spotting broken tees strewn across his local course. He started picking them up, so they could become part of a future pallet. The 6-foot x 6-foot wall art depicts one of the most famous faces in all of sports reading a putt. “This was an idea I had been thinking about for a long time,” admits the resident of Missouri. “Every time I played golf I would see all these broken golf tees laying on every tee box. I would always say ‘I could make something out of those’.  Missouri artist Aaron Norris created a stunning mural of Tiger Woods – SWNS “Over the summer and fall, I started picking them up and saving them. I also had all of my neighbors who played golf saving them for me too.” Eventually, he decided that he would create a portrait of Tiger Woods, who is tied for most lifetime PGA Tour wins. Roughly half of the 25,000 golf tees used were collected; he spent $400 buying the other tees. Previous works by the artist includes a Muhammad Ali oil canvas, an Elon Musk mosaic bead portrait, and a painting of the Kelce brothers, two NFL football stars. “I’m from the Kansas City area, and when the Royals won the World Series in 2015, I began to get a lot of sports commissions. “Then a few years later, the Chiefs started winning Super Bowls and the commission work for sports art really started to flood in.  SWNSBut he’s never utilized actual sports equipment to create his artwork before this fascinating work. Golf Lover Creates Tiger Woods Portrait—Entirely Made of 25,000 Golf Tees (Photos) |
Check Out Underwater Photography Contest
 15-10-2025, Check Out These Stunning Pictures Named Winners of Underwater Photography Contest: From a close-up toothy croc encounter to bird attacking a ball of fish under the ocean, some of the best underwater pictures in the world have been revealed in this photography competition. More than 4,000 pictures were entered for the Underwater Photography contest across 17 categories. “Winning here, or even just being placed, is [our] most coveted accolade because it says you succeeded in the most competitive environment there is, against the top talent of the moment,” said website owner and competition organizer Tal Mor. “The panel of judges is comprised of industry professionals. They are unpaid, non-affiliated, and, of course, cannot enter themselves. “Many other internationally acclaimed photographers have launched their photo careers here over the years … and we are so proud to be having a constant flow of new talent coming in. Our goal is – and always has been – to promote young talent and give them a stage to show off their photos and launch a career as underwater photographers. “One of our medals is the reward for all the hard work they have put in chasing those great shots in far-flung destinations.” 59-year-old Leena Roy scooped a gold medal in the “Wide-Angle Divers” category with her shot of a diver swimming through a cluster of silverfish in the Cayman Islands.  Leena Roy – SWNS Daniel Flormann, who is from Germany, bagged himself a gold medal in the “Wide-Angle Marine Life” category with a beautiful mirror image of a crocodile in Jardin de la Reina in Cuba.  Daniel Flormann – SWNS Another closer-up shot of a croc in which you can count its teeth won US photographer Susan Meldonian a bronze in the “Over/Under” category.  Susan Meldonian – SWNS A black and white shot of gannets diving down to attack a bait ball in the famous South African sardine run bagged Allen Walker a bronze medal in the “Wide-Angle Natural Light” category. “This is one of my favorite sardine run images taken offshore of the wild coast, Transkei, Port St Johns,” said the South African photographer. “The Cape Gannet is truly an amazing bird and has adapted to its ocean life like no other.”  Allen Walker – SWNS Australian Nick Polanzsky was lucky to avoid being bitten as he captured this picture of a playful juvenile California sea lion coming in to try and chew his camera in Mexico, a shot that got him a silver medal in the “Wide-Angle Close Focus” section.  Nick Polanzsky – SWNS Not all the prize winners were obviously dramatic shots – some of the ocean’s more delicate creatures were also caught on camera. Away from the frenetic action, this calming shot of a diver next to the Pinar 1 wreck in Bodrum, Turkey won Mehmet Oztabak a gold medal in the “Wide-Angle Wreck” section.  Mehmet Oztabak – SWNS Equally serene is this picture of a baby eel in the Phillipines, taken by Masa Biru from Aruba.  Masa Biru – SWNS In the “Macro Not-Swimming” category, American John Roach picked up the silver for a yellowhead jawfish with its mouth full of eggs in the Dutch Antilles.  John Roach – SWNS The bronze award in the “Macro Swimming” section was taken by Rudy Jannsen from Belgium for this dragon-like yellow ribbon eel in Indonesia.  Rudy Janssen – SWNS If you want to see more contest winners, you can check out the contest website. Check Out These Stunning Pictures Named Winners of Underwater Photography Contest |
Check Out Some of the Gorgeous Pictures
Check Out Some of the Gorgeous Winning Pictures From This ‘Kindness Photography’ Contest: Research has shown that viewing images of peace, kindness, and compassion has a dramatic impact on a person’s happiness and wellbeing. That’s why photographers from all over the world were asked to share their kindest photos—and the winners have finally been announced. Envision Kindness, a nonprofit organization dedicated to spreading media positivity, recently concluded their third annual The World is Kind photography contest for images that embody kindness. For this year’s contest, there were more than 1,800 submissions from 750 photographers in over 85 countries. The Envision Kindness team selected 20 of their favorite photographs while another 20 pictures were chosen by members of the public—and all of them are breathtaking. “Every day, people are exposed to negative images, stories, and experiences,” says David Fryburg, founder of Envision Kindness. “We know that this exposure is stressful to the viewer—it causes anger, anxiety, depression, and can affect behavior, disconnecting people from one another.” “To help counterbalance the negative, we want to share diverse, positive images like those submitted to the contest on a regular basis. We know that these images have great power to bring out joy, gratitude, optimism, love, and compassion,” he added. If you would like to check out the rest of this year’s winners, you can visit the Envision Kindness website—or you can check out more of last year’s winners here on GNN. |
Man Used Insect Photography ...
 SWNSSep 26, 2019: Man Used Insect Photography to Combat Suicidal Thoughts—and His Stunning Photos Are Now in National Geographic: This 34-year-old nature photographer had been suffering from depression and suicidal thoughts when he first found his passion for taking pictures of insects—and his work is now featured in National Geographic.  SWNS Matt Doogue says that he tried to take his own life nine years ago after hitting “rock bottom.” “The moment is blurry. In the lead-up, I was so paranoid and angry that I couldn’t leave the house,” says Doogue. “When I attempted suicide I knew I needed to see someone.  SWNS “I went to the doctors and got antidepressants and counseling, but I knew that I needed something more—and that’s when I started photography.” Now a dad-of-two, Doogue found that looking at insects through a camera lens helped him in ways he could never have imagined—and it proved to be the lifeline he needed.  SWNS It had a “calming effect” that helped him to “disconnect” from stress; and his astonishing images, showing insects and spiders in stunning detail against brightly colored backgrounds, caught the eye of publishers at National Geographic. “I ended up as [one of their] featured photographers,” recalled Doogue. “It was the pinnacle of my career. It felt incredible.”  SWNS Originally from Salford, Greater Manchester, he now lives in Armadale, West Lothian. Though he fears that Scotland is in the grip of an “epidemic” of male suicide, he believes that sharing his love of nature photography can help others to cope with their mental health issues as well.  SWNS“I think the problem is this ‘man-up’ approach; the idea that men need to be strong puts so much pressure on young males to be fine all the time,” says Doogue. “This is why I try and be so open about my own experience. “Whenever I am out with my camera, I don’t think about my other worries. It is just me and the environment around me,” says Doogue. “You can lose yourself with a spider making their web.”  SWNS Doogue, whose work can be found on Matt’s Macro Photography, is set to speak to students at Edinburgh Napier University about the impact nature photography can have on mental health on November 20th.  SWNS |