Gallery: The Best WIRED Photo Stories of the Year
Michael Najjar01Photos2015-HP-02
*[Training to Become the First Civilian Artist in Space](https://www.wired.com/2015/06/michael-najjar-outer-space/)*. Michael Najjar is bent on being the first civilian artist to make it to space on Virgin Galactic’s maiden voyage. The images document the grueling training he’s undergone to prepare for the journey—including a stratospheric flight in a MIG-29 jet at almost twice the speed of sound.
Darby Cisneros02Processed with VSCOcam with a6 preset
*[Hipster Barbie Is So Much Better at Instagram Than You.](https://www.wired.com/2015/09/hipster-barbie-much-better-instagram)* Even Barbie couldn’t resist the allure of living #authentic in this satirical Instagram. The account features the doll posting about her perfect life, cleverly critiquing the great millennial adventurer trend in photography. Creator Darby Cisneros retired the doll, but Socality Barbie’s spirit lives on in the form of millions of carefully photographed lattes and mountain vistas still everywhere on Instagram.
Romain Champalaune03Samsung Galaxy
*[Samsung Employees Vacation and Get Hitched Without Ever Leaving Work](https://www.wired.com/2015/12/romain-champaluane-samsung/#slide-5)*. The Samsung Group represents a whopping 17 percent of South Korea’s economy, so it should come as no surprise that it has infiltrated almost every facet of society. Romain Champalaune captures residential high-rises, universities, and even a theme park built by the company, showing its ubiquitous presence in South Korean life.
Amos Chapple04CHAPPLE-001-1024x768
*[What It’s Like Living in the Coldest Town on Earth](https://www.wired.com/2015/01/amos-chapple-the-coldest-place-on-earth)*. If you hate the cold, it might be best to avoid visiting Oymyakon, Russia. Located just a few hundred miles from the Arctic circle, the town’s 500 residents must keep their cars running 24/7 and have to heat the ground with a bonfire for several days to dig graves. Photographer Amos Chapple traveled to the village to discover what life was like in this frozen tundra.
Sarker Protick05Sarker-Protick-LMKM-012-1024x682
*[Behind the Scenes of Bangladesh’s Wild and Surreal Movies.](https://www.wired.com/2015/01/sarker-protick-love-me-or-kill-me/)* Sarker Protick captures the glitz and drama of Dhallywood, Bangladesh’s campiest film genre. Made quickly and often on the cheap, the movies are known for their outrageous plots and flamboyant names like *Love Me or Kill Me* and *Action Jasmin*. The kaleidoscope of saturated color and borderline cheesy effects only adds to the fun.
KOREAN CENTRAL NEWS AGENCY/KOREA NEWS SERVICE/AP06Kim Jong Il
*[Infamously Altered Photos, Before and After Their Edits](https://www.wired.com/2015/07/bronx-documentary-center-infamously-altered-photos-edits/)*. The exhibit *Altered Images: 150 Years of Posed and Manipulated Documentary Photography* provides timely historical context for the ongoing debate over just how much Photoshop is too much. The 40 photos showcase manipulations ranging from the darkening of an OJ Simpson mugshot on a 1994 *TIME* cover to Kim Jong-il digitally inserted in a North Korean military photo.
Stuart Palley07Stuart-Palley-20140216-06-1024x683
*[The Hellish Beauty of California’s Wildfires](https://www.wired.com/2015/08/stuart-palley-terra-flamma-hellish-beauty-california-wildfires-drought/)*. When most people see a fire, they flee in the opposite direction. Not Stuart Palley. For his ongoing series *Terra Flamma*, Palley chases some of the meanest wildfires across California to create a "visual record" of the destruction.
Peter Garritano08WIRED2015-Bestof.jpg
*[The Internet Lives in a Huge Hotel in Manhattan](https://www.wired.com/2015/11/peter-garritano-where-the-internet-lives)*. Peter Garritano went behind the scenes of New York’s carrier hotels, where multiple networks converge to form a single, larger network that make up the Internet. Accompanied by security almost everywhere he went, Garritano photographed the miles of cables, rows of servers and frigid rooms that allow you to check your email.
JOJAKIM CORTIS AND ADRIAN SONDEREGGER09Ikonen-Hindenburg0603-1024x714
*[History’s Most Iconic Photos, Recreated in Miniature](https://www.wired.com/2015/03/jojakim-cortis-adrian-sonderegger-iconen/)*. When they’re not taking pictures for magazines and advertising agencies, Jojakim Cortis and Adrian Sonderegger are building miniature scale models of iconic photographs for their series *Iconen*. Charles Levy’s 1945 photograph of the Nagasaki bomb gets remade with the help of cotton balls, while Buzz Aldrin’s 1969 lunar footprint gets a new life with the help of a little wet concrete.
Kristy Chatelain10Franklin Street
*[Photos of Brooklyn Before and After the Hipsters](https://www.wired.com/2015/09/photos-brooklyn-hipsters)*. Kristy Chatelain’s series *Brooklyn Changing* shows the changing storefronts and building facades of Brooklyn as it continues to gentrify. Her before-and-after shots capture a New York borough continually in flux, sometimes to the detriment of residents forced out by rising rents.
Walter Chandoha11Photograph from Walter Chandoha: The Cat Photographer (Aperture, 2015)
*[Meet the Godfather of Cat Photography](https://www.wired.com/2015/10/walter-chandoha-cat-photography/)*. Long before pictures of cats invaded the Internet—before there actually *was* an Internet—Walter Chandoha took pictures of furry felines. His incredible studio portraits, set against jewel-toned backgrounds and perfectly lit, illustrate why cat photos have always been king.
Allison Stewart12Allison-Stewart-002-853x1024
*[Here’s What Disaster Preppers Pack to Survive for 72 Hours](https://www.wired.com/2015/08/allison-stewart-heres-what-disaster-preppers-pack-to-survive-for-72-hours)*. Some people are more prepared than others. That’s clear in Allison Stewart’s *Bug Out Bags*, which peeks inside the survival packs people stow away in case of an emergency. Some contain ordinary items like a first aid kit and transistor radio, others guns and ammunition. The weirdest of all? A bag stocked with only tequila and barbiturates.
Debi Cornwall13Kiddie Pool (Analog 2015)
*[Inside Gitmo’s Surreal Recreation Spots, Tiki Bar and All.](https://www.wired.com/2015/06/inside-gitmos-surreal-recreation-spots-tiki-bar/)* Not many people picture tiki bars and kiddie pools when they think of Guantanamo Bay prison. Debi Cornwall photographed those surprising sights and more for *Gitmo at Home, Gitmo at Play*. The series captures the everyday interiors and exteriors at one of America’s most infamous detention facilities.
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*[What We’re Really Looking at When We Look at Pluto](https://www.wired.com/2015/07/really-looking-look-pluto/)*. The images of Pluto taken by New Horizons caused goosebumps across the globe when NASA released them in July. But what are we actually looking at? Is it real? WIRED considers what it means to gaze at a tiny dwarf planet 3 billion miles away that none of us will ever see in person.
Johnny Haglund1504Jharia-1024x682
*[This Hellish Underground Fire Has Burned for 100 Years](https://www.wired.com/2015/03/johnny-haglund-the-earth-is-on-fire)*. No one has been able to extinguish the fire that began burning in a former coal mine in Jharia, India in 1916. Over the past century, it’s destroyed 41 million tons of valuable coal, not to mention hundreds of houses. Johnny Haglund captured the inferno and its effects on Jharia’s inhabitants in this powerful series.
Ambrois Tézenas16From 'I Was Here' Published by Dewi Lewis Publishing ISBN: 9781907893582
*[Explore the World’s Most Morbid Tourist Attractions](https://www.wired.com/2015/01/ambroise-tezenas-i-was-here/)*. What motivates people to visit places like Auschwitz or the Cambodian killing fields? Ambrois Tézenas wanted to understand, so embarked on a world tour of sites scarred by atrocity and disaster. The images explore the curious crossroads of tragedy and tourism.
Kate Peters1707--Scotty-Hottie-I-1024x666
*[Portraits of Sex Cam Girls, Captured Through Skype (NSFW)](https://www.wired.com/2015/04/kate-peters-cam-girls-nsfw#slide-x)*. Kate Peters collaborated with women who earn a living offering sexual performances online in her series *Cam Girls*. The images feature screenshots of women, all who work independently from the privacy of their homes, posed in ways that mimic the compositions of 19th century western art nudes.
Beth Moon18Heart-of-the-Dragon-1024x682
*[The Most Ancient and Magnificent Trees From Around the World](https://www.wired.com/2015/01/beth-moon-ancient-trees/)*. Beth Moon’s quest to document the world’s ancient trees—some of which are up to 4,000 years old—took her from Mexico to Madagascar. Her wondrous black-and-white photographs, compiled in *Ancient Trees: Portraits of Time*, capture the glory of every wizened knot and gnarl.
Emanuele Satolli1902-Satolli-TurkishHairFarmers-DSC0080-1024x683
*[Behind the Scenes of Turkey’s $1B Hair Transplant Industry](https://www.wired.com/2015/11/emanuele-satolli-turkish-hair-farmers/)*. Going bald isn’t easy, but these days with a little cash you can forgo the experience entirely. Turkey happens to be the cheapest place for hair transplants, and Emanuele Satolli photographed the men who flock there for the procedure in his fascinating series *Turkish Hair Farmers*.
Chris Gregory20Gregory-01-819x1024
*[Chasing Ghosts in a Cartel-Controlled Mexican Town](https://www.wired.com/2015/05/chris-gregory-evidencia/#slide-4)*. The Mexican Drug War has caught many civilians in its crosshairs, most famously the 43 college students murdered in the Mexican state of Guerrero. Chris Gregory’s *Evidencia* investigates such civilian disappearances, documenting family members’ endless search for answers.
Simon Norfolk/Institute21Norfolk-Institute-03
*[Fiery Outlines Show How Huge a Melting Glacier Used to Be.](https://www.wired.com/2015/04/simon-norfolk-when-i-am-laid-in-earth/)* For his series *When I Am Laid in Earth*, photographer Simon Norfolk uses a line of fire to trace where Lewis glacier once stood on Mount Kenya. Shot some 16,000 feet above sea level in frigid conditions, the series visualizes the tremendous cost of climate change.
Jessamyn Lovell22Lovell-005-682x1024
*[Photographer Stalks the Woman Who Stole Her Identity and Turns Her Into Art](https://www.wired.com/2015/02/jessamyn-lovell-dear-erin-hart/#slide-1)*. When Jessamyn Lovell’s identity was stolen, she enacted an unusual kind of vengeance on the thief. She followed the woman around with the help of a private investigator and photographed her every move. The resulting images make up *Dear Erin Hart*, a fascinating exploration of the strange relationship between the perpetrator and victim of an all too common crime.
ALFRED EISENSTAEDT/PIX INC./TIME & LIFE PICTURES/GETTY IMAGES23A jubilant Amer sailor clutching a white-uniformed nurse in
*[How a Physicist Solved the Mystery of an Iconic Photo](https://www.wired.com/2015/07/physicist-solved-mystery-iconic-photo/)*. Alfred Eisenstaedt’s *VJ Day in Times Square* is one of the most iconic images from World War II. But no one has ever been able to identity of the kissing couple, much less figure out what time the photograph was taken. In August, three scientists announced they had solved the latter part of the mystery through careful, painstaking analysis of the photograph’s lighting and shadows. The exact time of that passionate kiss? 5:51 pm.
Kevin Kundstadt24Kevin-Kunstadt-02-1024x1024
*[These Fireworks Fanatics Sure Know How to Blow Stuff Up](https://www.wired.com/2015/07/kevin-kunstadt-iowa-t-storm/)*. The annual Pyrotechnics Guild International Convention is a gathering place for explosive aficionados united by nothing else but their mutual delight in things that go *boom*. Kevin Kundstadt joined them last year to photograph the madness, capturing everything from car explosions to something called a “cracker burn.”
Janet Delaney2572-Mercantile-Building-Mission-and-3rd-St-1024x804
*[Nostalgic Photos of SF Show the City Before Gentrification](https://www.wired.com/2015/01/janet-delaney-south-of-market/)*. Janet Delaney photographed the South of Market neighborhood in San Francisco in the 1970s and early '80s, when it was still a bastion of the working class. The images reveal the area’s oft-forgotten history, raising the question of what’s lost through gentrification.
Jeroen Hofman26JHofman-NFI-10555-B-1024x767
*[The Bizarre and Grisly World of Forensics Training](https://www.wired.com/2015/04/bizarre-grisly-world-forensics-training/)*. Fake blood is part for the course in Jeroen Hofman’s series *Forensics*. The photographs document the intense training soon-to-be investigators undergo in the Netherlands. Instructors go to amazing lengths to prepare their students—even burying skeletons with animal meat for three months so they can understand what rotting flesh looks and smells like.
David Burdeny27Komsomolskaya-Metro-Station-Moscow-Russia-2015-HR-932x746
*[In Russia, Palaces and Metro Stations Are Hard to Tell Apart](https://www.wired.com/2015/11/david-burdeny-a-bright-future-russian-palaces-metro-stations-hard-to-tell-apart/)*. Moscow and St. Petersburg’s glitzy metro stations are nearly as opulent as its gilded palaces. You can tour both in David Burdeny’s ongoing series *Bright Future*, showcasing 30 different stations, palaces, theaters and museums.
Rob Stephenson28monf-051-1024x819
*[The Sad Decline of Florida’s Space Coast](https://www.wired.com/2015/03/rob-stephenson-myths-of-the-near-future/)*. For five decades, the identity of Florida’s Space Coast was wrapped up in NASA’s space shuttle program. After President Obama shut down the program in 2011, the region struggled to redefine itself. In *Myths of the Near Future*, Rob Stephenson documents the visible remnants of the Space Coast’s glory days.
Valerio Vincenzo29BORDERLINE, THE FRONTIERS OF PEACE
*[The Picturesque Views of Europe’s Invisible Borders](https://www.wired.com/2015/09/valerio-vincenzo-borderline/)*. Valerio Vincenzo’s *Borderline, Frontiers of Peace* celebrates the visual legacy of the Schengen Agreement, which opened Europe’s internal borders to travelers throughout the continent. From the mountains of Germany and Austria to the beaches of Lithuania and Latvia, the series beautifully documents the sprawling borders of a treaty now possibly under threat.
HELGE SKODVIN/MOMENT/INSTITUTE30Helge-Skodvin-03-829x1024
*[A Backstage Pass to the Super Bowl of Taxidermy.](https://www.wired.com/2015/07/helge-skodvin-world-taxidermy-championships/)* From leopards to Big Foot, the 500 creatures presented at the World Taxidermy & Fish Carving Championships are nothing short of impressive. Helge Skodvin documents the contestants and their creations competing for best in show in a series that’s equal parts macabre and comical.
Edmund Clark31Bagram-Day-5-0023-A-book-1024x768
*[The 40,000 People on Bagram Air Base Haven’t Actually Seen Afghanistan](https://www.wired.com/2015/02/edmund-clark-the-mountains-of-majeed/)*. It’s nearly impossible to know what Afghanistan looks like if you’re shut inside Bagram Air Base, where 40,000 troops were stationed at the height of the War on Terror. Yet as Edmund Clark reveals in *Mountains of Majeed*, the base is full of picturesque murals showing idealized vistas and peaceful mountainscapes free from conflict. The images suggest a crucial disconnect between the occupiers and the occupied.
Michel Huneault3220-huneault-megantic-1024x681
*[The Haunting Aftermath of a Deadly Train Wreck](https://www.wired.com/2015/04/haunting-aftermath-deadly-train-wreck/)*. Michel Huneault arrived in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec shortly after a train carrying crude oil derailed, killing 47 people and destroying half the downtown area. But long after the media cycle moved on, he continued visiting the town to observe the devastating, lasting impact the disaster had on residents. *La Longue Nuit de Mégantic* documents their grief.
