2022 was a year to remember. For most of us, it was the year when COVID got under control, and we regained our lives back. It was also an interesting year for the photo-video industry. The community definitely has an interest in underwater photography (3/10 stories), astrophotography (2/10), and general photo-video news stories. we did not actually ask the entire community to vote on the thousands of stories we posted during 2022, but rather we looked at which posts gathered the most traffic. And so, without any further ado, here are the results.
Google photos’ unlimited storage is back, but there’s a catch
Leading the list is the story about Google bringing their unlimited photo storage back, but only for T-Mobile users. This, of course, is a business decision by Google, but I can’t help thinking that it did not have the desired impact. It’s true that Google now has a few more happy customers, but they are also making big parts of the world feel excluded.
Man takes a selfie with wife on a cliff, pushes her 1,000 feet to her death
It is evident that selfies are not going anywhere. In fact, in 2013 Oxford named Selfie the word of the year. Sure, having a “nice camera” was always an excuse for some to take advantage of others. This story though shows that you don’t need a big camera to command dangerous authority.
Photographer captures rare great white shark with enormous bite mark
Nature photography has always been a big part of our coverage on DIYP. But for some reason, underwater photography is always gathering the most interest (there are two other underwater projects on this list). It is quite remarkable how awe-inspiring this photo is. Mostly because the photographer, Jalil Najafov, got so close and personal with the shark.
Creepy AI reconstructs your portrait based only on your voice
If you read any news in the last few months, you know that Artificial intelligence (or AI for short) is here to stay. Whether you think that AI is here to help us, or literally take over the world, we will be facing more and more AI services in photography (and life). This specific one, though, is quite unique. The creator of this AI claims to be able to predict people’s portraits based on their voice. Looks like there is still work to be done.
Underwater photos show a mermaid and a WWII-suited diver
This is the second underwater member on this list, but it is completely different. While the first feature was for an undisturbed creature in the waters, this one is completely staged. Photographer Brett Stanley created this photo complete with models, props, lights, and some magic. If the photo is not enough for you, the series has a full story.
This is what happens when a bullet meets a Newton’s cradle at 100,000fps
Don’t you just like it when photography and science intersect? I do, and so does our community. Right here at #6, you get something that is a bit of a science experiment and a bit of slow-motion photography. This is a good one pt place bets on before watching. Will the last ball swing or will the entire thing just collapse?
Astrophotographer captures James Webb telescope from 1 million kilometers away
When I was pulling up the data for this list, I was certain that I would see at least one astrophotography story. But to be completely honest, I was sure that this story would be about shooting a galaxy, or a distant planet. I was surprised to see that the winning story was actually the capture of the James Webb telescope itself. Which is not a small accomplishment on its own.
These guys attached a GoPro to a fish and this is what it filmed
This story concludes the series of underwater photography in 2023. and it is neither staged or natural. It’s about a fish. A big fish and a GoPro camera. While I think the idea is novel, the results are well… a bit underwhelming. If you don’t care to take a guess, it’s mostly green water….
Photographer captures once-in-a-lifetime shot of comet NEOWISE, the Aurora Borealis, and the Milky Way
Coming in, right before the last of the list, is another astrophotography article. This time, a rare photo that combines three elements that require discipline and careful planning to achieve. While a northern lights / Milkey Way combo comes every year, comet NEOWISE only visits once every, every… we don’t really have a prediction for the next visit in the next 200 years or so.
Nigeria becomes the first country to ban foreign models in advertisements
To seal the list here is one of the most controversial posts in the history of the blog. Nigeria’s advertising regulator has announced a ban on using foreign talent in television advertisements. This announcement did not go unnoticed and sparked one of the best discussions we had on the blog.
