Alan Taylor
LightNews LightNews
banner
kokogiak.bsky.social
Alan Taylor
@kokogiak.bsky.social
21K followers 340 following 510 posts
Photo editor at The Atlantic. Former webdev. Former Alaska tour guide. Former farm kid. Elegant otter in a former life. kokogiak@gmail.com
Posts Replies Media Videos
kokogiak.bsky.social
This is an insanely cool (actual) photo taken by photographer Andrew McCarthy of a skydiver buddy seen in silhouette against the distant sun. Full story, videos, and more here: www.instagram.com/p/DRBAaqLkvy...
The silhouette of a skydiver, seen against a very zoomed-in and detailed view of the surface of the sun in the far distance. (Andrew McCarthy - https://www.instagram.com/cosmic_background/ )
November 14, 2025 at 4:30 PM
kokogiak.bsky.social
Photos of the Week: Dachshund Day, Flying Fish, Wānaka Tree - Holiday light shows across Europe, smog-filled skies in India, fall colors in Turkey, an appearance by Father Christmas in Germany, and much more. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...
A life-sized cutout sculpture of a stag glows, surrounded by backlighting, displayed in a forest setting. (Liang Sen / Xinhua / Getty) A person walks past a large maple tree displaying fall colors. (Charlie Riedel / AP) An aerial view of people walking on a raised footpath that makes several looping twists. (He Penglei / China News Service / VCG / Getty) An aerial view of skyscrapers shrouded in fog in Kuwait City. (Asad / Xinhua / Getty)
November 14, 2025 at 3:49 PM
kokogiak.bsky.social
Photos: The Northern Lights Put on a Show - A powerful geomagnetic storm brought spectacular light displays to the night skies across the Northern Hemisphere, with sightings as far south as Florida and Oklahoma. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...
A view of the northern lights, looking straight up at swirls of pink and green lights. (Steven Garcia / NurPhoto / Reuters) Green and red curtains of light, seen in the night sky above a light house. (Owen Humphreys / PA Images / Getty) A photographer sets up a camera beside a lake at night, with a red and green aurora in the sky beyond. (Andy Dossett / Examiner-Enterprise / USA Today / Reuters) Green and red curtains of light hang in the night sky above farm equipment in a field. (Ross Harried / NurPhoto / Getty)
November 12, 2025 at 5:03 PM
kokogiak.bsky.social
Photos of the Week: Dinosaur Sweater, Miniature Park, Hippo Calf - 28 images from the past seven days, including the aftermath of a typhoon in the Philippines, Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico, a mayoral election in New York City, and much more. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...
President Donald Trump stands by as attendees help a guest after he collapsed during during an event in the Oval Office. (Andrew Harnik / Getty) A woman reacts as a low-flying aircraft passes over, during a celebration in a cemetery. (Clarens Siffroy / AFP / Getty) Members of the Los Angeles Dodgers crowd together and celebrate winning the World Series. (Patrick Smith / Getty) New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani stands at a podium, hand on his chest, smiling. (Yuki Iwamura / AP)
November 7, 2025 at 2:33 PM
kokogiak.bsky.social
Seeing the World Up Close - Shortlisted images from the 2025 Close-Up Photographer of the Year, celebrating “close-up, macro, and micro photography.” Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...
A flying fox, seen face-on, wings out, flying through a splash of water (© Douglas Gimesy / cupoty.com) A beetle opens its wings while clinging to stalks of wheat in a field. (© Marek Pál / cupoty.com) A close view of a bee's head, its entire body coated in water droplets. (© Andrei Chetronie / cupoty.com) A frog, its front half poking through a small hole in a wall (© Roman Willi / cupoty.com)
November 5, 2025 at 5:28 PM
kokogiak.bsky.social
Photos of the Week: Pumpkin Patch, Witch Paddle, Giant Labubu - 28 images from the past seven days, including the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica, the festival of Chhath Puja in India, armored-battle re-creations in Moscow, & much more. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...
A child smiles while lifting a heavy pumpkin by its stem in a pumpkin patch. (Dan Kitwood / Getty) A view from an airplane of the interior of the eye of a hurricane—an empty space surrounded by massive curved walls of swirling clouds (Lt. Col. Mark Withee / U.S. Air Force / Getty) Several people gather on a viewing stand set up in a field of trees that have been pruned into rounded shapes. (Wang Gang / China News Service / VCG / Getty) An elevated view of the smiling face of a student, surrounded by nearly two dozen painted hands, all sporting messages promoting animal welfare. (Ravi Kumar / Hindustan Times / Getty)
October 31, 2025 at 3:22 PM
kokogiak.bsky.social
Winners of the 2025 Epson International Pano Awards - Some of the highest-scoring images from this year’s panoramic photo competition. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...
A huge storm cloud swirls above a wide open plain, with a small broken-down shack in the foreground. (© Lauren Baca / The 16th Epson International Pano Awards) A whale swims near the water's surface, with a tree-covered bit of land visible in the background. (© Matthew Smith / The 16th Epson International Pano Awards) A panoramic view of a steep and rocky mountain range, seen beyond a lake. (© Luciano Oliveira / The 16th Epson International Pano Awards) Wind-blown snow hits and flies over a polar bear. (© Daniel Valverde / The 16th Epson International Pano Awards)
October 29, 2025 at 5:42 PM
kokogiak.bsky.social
One of the more gratifying things I get to in my job: share well-made photos of some of the abundant beauty in the world. 'The Colors of October' - 26 images showing foliage, flight, and festivity around the Northern Hemisphere at the peak of autumn. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...
October 27, 2025 at 5:14 PM
kokogiak.bsky.social
Photos of the Week: Miniature Beer, Foam Fight, Vortex Race - 28 images from the past seven days, including the Cow Race Grand Prix in Switzerland, Halloween preparations in Germany, observations of International Sloth Day in Panama City, and much more. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...
A view of the downtown Los Angeles skyline with a view of mountains in the background at sunset. (Luke Hales / Getty) A bald eagle soars past a tree with fall foliage. (Charles Krupa / AP) A motorcycle racer falls headfirst into a patch of gravel, their helmet sending bits of gravel flying. (William West / AFP / Getty) A rally car drives on a leaf-covered road through a forest during a race. (Massimo Bettiol / Getty)
October 24, 2025 at 1:50 PM
kokogiak.bsky.social
Winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 - A collection of some of this year’s winning and honored images, selected from more than 60,000 entries. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...
A brown hyena wanders among the ruins of a long-abandoned diamond mining town in South Africa. (© Wim van den Heever / Wildlife Photographer of the Year) An orb weaver spider on its web, silhouetted by colorful lights. (© Simone Baumeister / Wildlife Photographer of the Year) An egret flaps its wings just above the water's surface as a large fish splashes and swallows a smaller fish just below. (© Qingrong Yang / Wildlife Photographer of the Year) A small owl perches on a branch, holding a small rodent between its talons. (© Luca Lorenz / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
October 22, 2025 at 4:38 PM
kokogiak.bsky.social
The Lights of Diwali 2025 - During the five-day festival, celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, and Sikhs around the world, lamps are lit to celebrate the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...
A child kneels down to touch one of many small oil lamps laid out on temple steps. (Mohammad Ponir Hossain / Reuters) Crowds of people walk through a shopping district in a city that is lit with many hanging lights. (Idrees Mohammed / AFP / Getty) A large group of people sit together in rows, each holding a small oil lamp or candle. (Ajit Solanki / AP) Many people stand around, taking photographs and video of lamps arranged in a large square, beneath a laser light show. (Arun Sankar / AFP / Getty)
October 21, 2025 at 5:16 PM
kokogiak.bsky.social
Photos: More ‘No Kings’ Protests Across the U.S. - 30 photos. Organizers expected millions to attend rallies in cities and towns across America, protesting the policies and actions of President Trump. Gathered here, a handful of images from today. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...
A person dressed in a Statue of Liberty costume participates in a “No Kings” national day of protest in New York City. (Timothy A.Clary / AFP / Getty) An elevated view of a large crowd of protesters in a square in Chicago. (Jacek Boczarski / Anadolu / Getty) Two protesters wearing inflatable costumes of Squidward, a character from the SpongeBob SquarePants TV show, carry signs, including one that says "Sorry for being weird, this is my first dictatorship". (Bill Clark / CQ-Roll Call, Inc / Getty) A crowd of protesters marches down a street in Atlanta, carrying signs. (Alyssa Pointer / Reuters)
October 18, 2025 at 9:11 PM
kokogiak.bsky.social
Photos of the Week: Cave Lights, Mountain Shepherd, Snowbirds Formation - 28 images from the past 7 days, including major storm damage in coastal Alaska, a 700-year-old mosque in Mali, a Radio City Rockettes rehearsal in Manhattan, and much more. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...
Purple blossoms fill a field in front of autumn-colored trees. (Patrick Pleul / DPA / Getty) A shepherd raises his arms in front of a herd of sheep. (Dominika Zarzycka / SOPA Images / LightRocket / Getty) A large rocket lifts off from a ship. (AFP / Getty) A great blue heron stands beside a “no fishing” sign. (Ronen Tivony / NurPhoto / Getty)
October 17, 2025 at 2:37 PM
kokogiak.bsky.social
Photographing the Microscopic: Winners of Nikon Small World 2025 - Some of the amazing winning images from this year’s photomicrography competition, selected from nearly 2,000 entries. Try to guess what each image is showing before reading the caption. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...
A microscopic image of a rice weevil perched on a grain of rice (Zhang You, Kunming, Yunnan, China) A microscopic view of soy sauce, appearing as multiple square and rectangular crystals floating in a fluid (Mishal Abdulaziz Alryhan, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia) A close view of the legs of a tiny crustacean (Zachary Sanchez, Nashville, Tennessee, USA) A microscopic view of frost, looking like many tiny hexagonal slabs stacked on top of each other (Gregory B. Murray, Pritchard, British Columbia, Canada)
October 15, 2025 at 2:09 PM
kokogiak.bsky.social
Photos of the Week: Horn Cupping, Target Practice, Pumpkin Forest - 28 images from the past seven days, including a long holiday across China, night surfing, reactions to a cease-fire deal in Gaza and Israel, the last day of Oktoberfest, and much more. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...
Hundreds of cars merge from several dozen lanes down to just a few, seen from above, a sea of red brake lights. (AFP / Getty) A person kneels and takes pictures of many jack-o'-lanterns. (Mario Anzuoni / Reuters) A man receives cupping therapy using cow horns, making it appear as if he has many horns poking out of his back and shoulders. (Juni Kriswanto / AFP / Getty) A protester in an inflatable frog costume faces off against several federal law enforcement officers. (Stephen Lam / San Francisco Chronicle / Getty)
October 10, 2025 at 2:53 PM
kokogiak.bsky.social
A remarkable video clip from astronaut Don Pettit (@astro_Pettit on X), showing his "best sighting of a Starlink satellite 'train' from orbit!" - x.com/astro_Pettit...
October 10, 2025 at 2:26 AM
kokogiak.bsky.social
Selections From the 2025 Audubon Photography Awards Top 100 - Contest organizers from this year’s Audubon Photography Awards shared some of their Top 100 selections—featuring a Ringed kingfisher, a Yellow-eared parrot, Whooper swans, and more. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...
The blue head and back, snowy white neck, and rusty red upper chest of a kingfisher fills the right half of the frame. (Matías Antonio Cortés Calderón / 2025 Audubon Photography Awards) A parrot with lime green plumage and bright yellow cheeks flies with wings outstretched toward its nest in a dead wax palm tree. The parrot holds its legs straight in front of its body, and its mate’s toes peek out at the mouth of the cavity. (León Felipe Jimenez / 2025 Audubon Photography Awards) The setting sun looms huge, a gradient of orange and yellow, between two large rocks at the edge of the ocean with seabirds flying above. (Álvaro Tapia González / 2025 Audubon Photography Awards) A flock of swans swims toward the camera, all of their heads up and alert. (Yoshiki Nakamura / 2025 Audubon Photography Awards)
October 7, 2025 at 4:23 PM
kokogiak.bsky.social
Remember that amazing Malawian bodyguard from 2019? He's still around, and has further accessorized. New: two helmet walkie-talkies, & other bedazzlement - and on the body armor: handcuffs, a machete, a rope, & added armor plating. (2019: Amos Gumulira / AFP / Getty - 2025: Eldson Chagara / Reuters)
A pair of images of the same person - an armed bodyguard wearing uniquely modded protective gear, including a row of spikes across his helmet and shoulders, radios attached to his helmet, two pairs of sunglasses, four flashlights, a gas mask, machete, and a rope hanging from his vest, and much more.
October 6, 2025 at 7:11 PM
kokogiak.bsky.social
Photos of the Week: Polar Bears, Sports Fans, Water Forest - 28 images from the past sevendays, including a golfing cholita in Bolivia, a 90-minute “space out” competition in Japan, a wildfire in Namibia, soapbox racing in Colombia, and much more. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...
A competitive kayaker, seen during a race, with water flowing across their face and body. (Darrian Traynor / Getty) A group of costumed people carrying torches march in a parade procession. (Samuel De Roman / Anadolu / Getty) Tourist ride on a raft through a forest with evenly-planted rows of trees. (CFoto / Future Publishing / Getty) A young soccer fan wearing a blue-white-and-red wig makes a face at the camera. (Matias Delacroix / AP)
October 3, 2025 at 2:34 PM
kokogiak.bsky.social
Photos: The Colors of Fall - 20 images: As the days grow shorter and the nights become a bit chillier, animals are migrating and leaves are changing colors. Gathered below are some colorful early-autumn images from across the northern hemisphere. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...
A motorcyclist rides on a two-lane highway past trees with fall colors. (Charles Krupa / AP) A stag stands in silhouette in a park. (Michael Probst / AP) A man pushes a wheelbarrow through a pumpkin patch, carrying two small boys and several pumpkins. (Danny Lawson / PA Images / Getty) A close view of a bird with a long thin beak and long thin legs. (Alper Tuydes / Anadolu / Getty)
October 2, 2025 at 1:51 PM
kokogiak.bsky.social
Winners of the Bird Photographer of the Year 2025. The winning entries in this year’s bird-photography contest were just revealed. Competition organizers were kind enough to share some of the winners, selected from a field of more than 25,000 entries. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...
A black-and-white photo of one apparently large bird flying overhead, with dozens of smaller birds flying around above. (© Jannik Jansons / Bird Photographer of the Year) A bird stands on rocky ground, peeking out from the feathers of its chest that have been ruffled out, covering part of its head. (© Chen Ein-Dor / Bird Photographer of the Year) A motion-blurred image of a swan landing among many other swans. (© Andreas Hemb / Bird Photographer of the Year) An eagle stands on top of a deer carcass in a forest. (© Francesco Guffanti / Bird Photographer of the Year)
September 30, 2025 at 5:19 PM
kokogiak.bsky.social
Age yourself with a film you saw in cinemas as a kid.
Two young actors portraying Tia and Tony from the 1975 movie 'Escape to Witch Mountain'
September 29, 2025 at 4:58 AM
kokogiak.bsky.social
And I think this one, taken by NASA astronaut Jonny Kim at about the same time, shows Yui looking through the cupola toward the eye of the storm far below.
An astronaut aboard the International Space Station looks through a round window toward the eye of a vast storm below.
September 29, 2025 at 2:49 AM
kokogiak.bsky.social
The eye of Super Typhoon Ragasa, photographed last week, 9/22, as it approached the coast of China, by JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui, aboard the International Space Station.
The eye of a huge cyclone, seen from a couple hundred miles above, aboard the International Space Station.
September 29, 2025 at 2:49 AM
kokogiak.bsky.social
Photos of the Week: Rainy Games, Police Pups, Beard Championship - 28 images from the past seven days, including the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, autumn colors in New Hampshire, the start of the Oktoberfest in Munich, and much more. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...
A large art installation, looking like a small, two-story brick dwelling that appears to be floating about 50 feet above a city square, with thick roots hanging beneath the structure. (Luis Acosta / AFP / Getty) A heron takes flight during a misty sunrise. (Toby Melville / Reuters) A rocket lifts off from the deck of a ship, seen from a distance with a lighthouse in the foreground. (Zheng Peibo / VCG / Getty) Celebrants carry erupting fireworks on sticks in a plaza. (Charlie Perez / NurPhoto / Getty)
September 26, 2025 at 3:06 PM