Close-Up Photographer of the Year Tuesday February 17, 2026
The winners of the 7th annual Close-Up Photographer Of the Year competition have been announced, celebrating the art of close-up, macro and micro photography. Among the chosen: Laurent Heseman’s shot of a moth in Tinamaste, Costa Rica, which took 1st Place in the Invertebrate Portrait category. Heseman, who is based in Costa Rica, calls moths “a lesson in beautiful subtlety.” This year’s CUPOTY contest drew over 12,000 photos sent in from 63 countries. Read the full Story >>
KLTV Tuesday February 17, 2026
Several East Texas schools have canceled school photo sessions provided by Lifetouch Photography Friday, after a former executive connected to the company was named in the Epstein files. The abrupt cancellations follow the revelation that Leon Black, the former CEO and chairman of private equity firm Apollo Global Management, was named in the recently released Epstein files. The company acquired Lifetouch when it purchased the company Shutterfly in 2019, notes KLTV. USA Today has more. Read the full Story >>
By
David Schonauer Tuesday February 17, 2026
Five years ago, Facebook shut down the facial recognition system for tagging people in photos on its social network, saying it wanted to find "the right balance" for a technology that raises privacy
and legal concerns. Now Meta, Facebook's parent company, plans to bring back facial recognition as a feature in its smart glasses, which the company makes with the owner of Ray-Ban and … Read the full Story >>
The Hollywood Reporter Monday February 16, 2026
LaMonte McLemore, a founding member of The 5th Dimension and a longtime celebrity and sports photographer whose images appeared in magazines including Jet, Ebony and Harper’s Bazaar, died on Feb 3, notes The Hollywood Reporter. He was 90. McLemore’s bass anchored the 5th Dimension’s polished harmonies in hits such as “Up, Up and Away” and “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In.” Earlier, he served in the US Navy as an aerial photographer; he pursued photography for 40 years, becoming the first Black photographer hired by Harper’s Bazaar and the eye behind Stevie Wonder’s debut album cover, notes That Eric Alper. Read the full Story >>
