Alan Taylor

Alan Taylor

@kokogiak.bsky.social

Photo editor at The Atlantic. Former webdev. Former Alaska tour guide. Former farm kid. Elegant otter in a former life. kokogiak@gmail.com

21,543 Followers 343 Following 608 Posts Joined May 2023
8 hours ago
A para-alpine skier using outrigger skis leans and makes a tight turn. (Dario Belingheri / Getty)

Winter Paralympics Photo of the Day: Giant Slalom - Patrick Halgren of Team USA competes during the Para Alpine Skiing Men's Giant Slalom Standing on day seven of the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre on March 13, 2026. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...

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8 hours ago

I think I saw this three times in the theater - was just obsessed with it as a kid. I pored over magazines, reading about how the effects were all done. Amazing, thank you!

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13 hours ago
A cat walks among miniature cars in a model parking lot at a zoo, making it appear as if the cat was gigantic. (Alexey Pavlishak / Reuters) Visitors walk through a large room-sized art installation resembling dozens of twisting tubes decorated with yellow circles on black backgrounds. (Ina Fassbender / AFP / Getty) A performer pours a bucket of colored water over their head. (Armend Nimani / AFP / Getty) A Palestinian man looks at damage caused by fragments of an intercepted Iranian rocket, which appears to have punched a large hole through at least three floors. (Jaafar Ashtiyeh / AFP / Getty)

Photos of the Week: Reindeer Sprint, Iditarod Trail, Tattoo Festival - Fashion shows in Paris, continued fighting across the Middle East, scenes from the the 2026 Winter Paralympics, and much more. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...

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1 day ago
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Here’s a video of some graupel (hail/snow combo) flying by at Stokksnes beach in #Iceland. It’s accumulating in my footprints.

[BTW I’ve been posting lots of videos on Instagram as the quality isn’t destroyed there]

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1 day ago
A seated para-alpine skier on a fast run crashes and tumbles on a ski slope. (Marco Mantovani / Getty)

Winter Paralympics Photo of the Day: Hard Crash - Audrey Pascual Seco of Team Spain crashes during run one of the para Alpine-skiing-women’s giant-slalom sitting on Day 6 of the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre, Mar. 12, 2026. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...

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2 days ago
Two curling athletes in wheelchairs raise their arms in celebration after winning their gold-medal match. (Mattia Ozbot / Getty)

Winter Paralympics Photo of the Day: Curling Gold - Jinqiao Yang & Meng Wang of China's curling team celebrate victory in the wheelchair-curling mixed-doubles gold-medal match on day 5 of the 2026 Winter Paralympics, at Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...

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3 days ago
Two downhill skiers race down a course, the one in front, acting as a guide, wears a bib with a large letter "G". (Dario Belingheri / Getty)

Winter Paralympics Photo of the Day: Guided Speed - Team France’s Hyacinthe Deleplace, a visually impaired athlete, races behind guide Perrine Clair in the super-G leg of Men’s Alpine Combined Vision Impaired, at the Paralympic Games, on Mar. 10, 2026. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...

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3 days ago
A sparrowhawk pins a young starling to the ground, in a grassy field. (© Mark Parker / British Wildlife Photography Awards) Sunlight shines through tree branches, creating shafts of light in a gentle fog. (© Mark Richardson / British Wildlife Photography Awards) Two hares, standing on their hind legs, bat at each other's heads with their forelegs. (© Sarah Darnell / British Wildlife Photography Awards) A swimming toad, seen from underwater, in silhouette. (© Paul Hobson / British Wildlife Photography Awards)

Winners of the British Wildlife Photography Awards 2026 - A collection of this year’s winners and runners-up, selected from more than 12,000 entries. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...

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4 days ago
A hockey player, seated in an ice hockey sled, maneuvers with a puck during a game. (Darrian Traynor / Getty)

Winter Paralympics Photo of the Day: Sled Hockey - Noah Grove of Team USA skates with the puck during the para ice-hockey preliminary-round match against Team Germany on Day 3 of the 2026 Winter Paralympics at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...

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5 days ago
A seated skier tucks low, speeding down a track, their motion partly blurred. (Luke Hales / Getty Images for IPC)

Winter Paralympics Photo of the Day: Para Biathlon - Oksana Masters of Team USA competes during the Women's Para Biathlon Individual Sitting on day two of the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games at Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium on March 8, 2026. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...

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6 days ago
A seated skier catches some air during a fast downhill run, their arms outstretched. (Antonio Calanni / AP)

Winter Paralympics Photo of the Day: Flying Downhill - Jesper Pedersen of Team Norway makes a run in the Para Alpine Skiing Men's Downhill Sitting Final on day one of the 2026 Winter Paralympics at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Belluno, Italy. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...

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1 week ago
Two dancers, one in a wheelchair, are suspended above a stage during a performance at the Paralympic Opening Ceremony. (Antonio Calanni / AP)

Winter Paralympics Photo of the Day: Opening Ceremony - Dancers perform during the opening ceremony at the 2026 Winter Paralympics, in Verona, Italy, on March 6, 2026. (Antonio Calanni / AP) Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...

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1 week ago
A boy tries to climb on an unexploded missile that landed in an open field, its nose embedded in the dirt. (Baderkhan Ahmad / AP) A motorcycle racer tumbles after a crash, appearing as if they were running toward their motorcycle sliding across gravel. (Lillian Suwanrumpha / AFP / Getty) A snowboarder with one prosthetic leg trains on a snowy mountainside. (Dario Belingheri / Getty) A handler works with a poodle, grasping its muzzle. (Oli Scarff / AFP / Getty)

Photos of the Week: Death Valley, Steam Train, Cherry Blossoms - Missile attacks across the Middle East, preparations for the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games in Italy, a dog-grooming competition in England, and much more. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...

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1 week ago
A mother polar bear and her two cubs, in the mouth of an ice cave. (© Sunita Mandal / Sony World Photography Awards 2026) A group of synchronized swimmers pose in a cluster underwater, in a swimming pool. (© Delfina Pignatiello / Sony World Photography Awards 2026) A massive storm cloud shaped like an upside-down funnel looms over farmland on a broad plain. (© David Baxter III / Sony World Photography Awards 2026) In a dim bathroom, a girl crouches on a wet floor, visibly overwhelmed, staring at the window. Water pools around her feet. (© Shaohan Fang / Sony World Photography Awards 2026)

Finalists From the 2026 Sony World Photography Awards Professional Competition - The top and shortlisted entries from the 10 categories in this year’s contest for professionals were just announced, selected from more than 430,000 submissions. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...

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2 weeks ago
A close view of a shrimp perched inside a curling branch of coral (© Seong-Cheol Cho / UPY2026) A close view of two young seals in shallow water (© Matty Smith / UPY2026) A close view of the wide-open mouth of a leopard seal, seen underwater (© Sam Blount / UPY2026) Five or six sperm whales swim very close together towards a shark, seen underwater. (© Ventura Romero / UPY2026)

Winners of the 2026 Underwater Photographer of the Year Contest - A collection of honored images from this year’s competition celebrating “photography beneath the surface of the ocean, lakes, rivers and even swimming pools.” Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...

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2 weeks ago
Official Team GB Paralympic photo, with the the crests and everything, and a professional headshot, but it's for "Pickle, A Very Good Girl", who is a black labrador, with a hi-viz harness and a red collar.

Some of you like dogs, in which case you may appreciate that guide dogs of Team GB for the Paralympics get official photos

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2 weeks ago
A soldier in dress uniform stands guard in front decorated military gravestones and a light display. (Yuriy Dyachyshyn / AFP / Getty) A drone hits an apartment building, sending up a ball of flames and smoke. (Gleb Garanich / Reuters) A woman sits on a log in a snowy forest, posing with a sniper rifle across her lap, and a photograph of herself as a dance teacher at her feet. (Sergei Grits / AP) A drone flies over a field littered with fiber-optic drone cables. (Francisco Richart Barbeira / NurPhoto / Getty)

Photos: Four Years of War in Ukraine - Constant bombardment and frontline fighting continues, at the cost of many thousands of lives. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...

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2 weeks ago
A composite image of many snowboarders inside a halfpipe, at varying points in different runs (Hector Vivas / Getty) An infrared image of a skier racing through a forest gives the trees a reddish color. (Ryan Pierse / Getty) A motion-blurred pink-hued image of three bobsleigh racers running while pushing their sled. (Ryan Pierse / Getty) A composite view of 14 different skiers in mid-air, making it appear as if they had all jumped at nearly the same moment. (Hector Vivas / Getty)

Different Views of the Winter Olympics - A collection of creative photographs from this year’s games featuring infrared imaging, vintage cameras, optical filters, digital composites, unusual angles, unexpected subjects, and more. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...

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2 weeks ago
Four ski racers, seen in mid-air, jumping during a race  (Cameron Spencer / Getty)

Winter Olympics Photo of the Day: Cross Jump - Youri Duplessis-Kergomard of Team France leads Oliver Davies of Team Great Britain, Terence Tchiknavorian of Team France, & Melvin Tchiknavorian of Team France in Men's Ski Cross 1/8 Finals on Feb 21, 2026. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...

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3 weeks ago
A freestyle skier grinds along the lip of an Olympic halfpipe, kicking up snow. (Patrick Smith / Getty)

Winter Olympics Photo of the Day: Shredding the Halfpipe - Benjamin Lynch of Team Ireland competes in the first run of the Men's Freeski Halfpipe Final on day 14 of the 2026 Winter Olympic games at Livigno Snow Park on February 20, 2026. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...

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3 weeks ago
A white humpback whale calf swims close beside its mother, seen from underwater. (© Jono Allen / World Nature Photography Awards) Wood chips fly as a woodpecker pecks at a tree trunk. (© Hemin Patel / World Nature Photography Awards) A giraffe spits out a spray of water that glitters, backlit against a dark background. (© Vaidehi Chandrasekar / World Nature Photography Awards) A polar bear cub hugs its mother, sitting on floating ice. (© Michael Stavrakakis / World Nature Photography Awards)

Winners of the 2026 World Nature Photography Awards - A collection of some of the top images “highlighting the beauty, fragility, and power of the natural world.” Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...

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2 months ago
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I captured the Andromeda Galaxy with an 8-hour integration time using my Askar FRA500 telescope, ASI2600MC Duo camera, and ZWO AM5N mount.

#astrophotography #astronomy #naturephotography #nature #longexposurephotography #longexposure #andromeda #galaxy #eastcoastkin #photography

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3 weeks ago
A line of very small rounded columns of snow in a backyard, evidence of a trail of paw prints left by a cat earlier.

Inverse paw prints. A while ago, our neighbor's beautiful large cat padded through our backyard after a fluffy snowstorm, leaving a trail of paw prints. The next day it was warm and loose snow melted away, leaving compressed snow columns beneath each paw print behind: a cat-made stalagmite trail.

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3 weeks ago
Three racers carrying skis on their backs run up a set of steps laid into a snow-covered mountain slope. (Rebecca Blackwell / AP)

Winter Olympics Photo of the Day: An Uphill Battle - From left: Poland’s Iwona Januszyk, China’s Cidan Yuzhen, and Spain’s Maria Costa Díez race up steps during a ski-mountaineering women’s-sprint heat in Bormio, Italy, on February 19, 2026. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...

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3 weeks ago
An athlete smiles and celebrates, holding an American flag behind them. (Agence Zoom / Getty)

Winter Olympics Photo of the Day: A Golden Smile - Mikaela Shiffrin of Team USA celebrates her gold medal win in Women's Slalom on day twelve of the 2026 Winter Olympics at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre on February 18, 2026. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...

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3 weeks ago
Three speed skaters race, seen close together wearing identical uniforms and helmets with mirrored visors. (Guglielmo Mangiapane / Reuters)

Winter Olympics Photo of the Day: In Pursuit - Lea Sophie Scholz, Josephine Schlörb, and Josie Hofmann of Germany race during the Women's Team Pursuit Final C against Belgium at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium on February 17, 2026. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...

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3 weeks ago
An antlered deer roars among others, seen at a distance, silhouetted against a red sun. (© Huajin Sun / Sony World Photography Awards 2026) A train rushes past, the background blurred with motion, and a conductor visible inside the train. (© Maciej Lubomski / Sony World Photography Awards 2026) A small fox stands on snowy ground, during a snowstorm. (© Klaus Hellmich / Sony World Photography Awards 2026) A chaotic scene during a festival, where men splash in a river beneath huge torches that send sparks flying. (© Megumi Murakami / Sony World Photography Awards 2026)

Winners of the 2026 Sony World Photography Awards Open Competition - The top entries in this year’s open contest were just announced, selected from more than 430,000 images from more than 200 countries and territories. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...

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3 weeks ago
A ski jumper flies through a flurry of snowflakes at night, backlit by a bright light. (Lars Baron / Getty)

Winter Olympics Photo of the Day: Snow Jump - Domen Prevc of Team Slovenia jumps through a snow squall during the Men’s super-team final round on day 10 of the Winter Olympics at Predazzo Ski Jumping Stadium on February 16, 2026. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...

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3 weeks ago
People gather at an information booth at the base of a very tall statue of an arm holding a torch, in a photo from 1876. (Sepia Times / Universal Images Group / Getty) Hundreds of small boats and rowers cluster together in a broad canal in Venice. (Giovanni Battista Brusa / The J. Paul Getty Museum) A view of downtown Manhattan, including a partially-finished Brooklyn Bridge, from 1876. (Joshua H. Beal / The New York Public Library) Two portraits of Native Americans, from 1876. (Corbis / Getty)

150 Years Ago in Photos: A Look Back at 1876 - A collection of images showing events and sights from around the world in 1876—the year the United States celebrated its 100th anniversary with the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...

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3 weeks ago
Biathletes stand side-by-side, rifles raised, during a shooting bout. (Alexander Hassenstein / Getty)

Winter Olympics Photo of the Day: On Target - Vanessa Voigt of Team Germany lines up alongside competitors in the Women's Biathlon 10km Pursuit, shooting at targets on Day 9 of the 2026 Winter Olympic games at Anterselva Biathlon Arena on Feb 15, 2026. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...

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