I had the pleasure of meeting Stephen Wilkes at this year’s TED conference. During his talk, he introduced his unique style of photography that has garnered attention.

Stephen practices what he terms “Day to Night” photography by selecting a picturesque or captivating location and stationing himself in one position for approximately 24 hours. Within that timeframe, he captures up to 1,500 images of the identical scene.

Upon completion, he sifts through the photos to identify those that encapsulate the most exquisite moments of the day and night—the highlights of the 24 hours—and superimposes them to form a single composite image. The resulting visuals are breathtaking, offering a window into the activities occurring at that specific spot on Earth.

One of my favorites is from Serengeti National Park in Tanzania (click to view in higher resolution):

Isn’t it amazing? Everything depicted in this image occurred within a single day. In his presentation, Stephen recounts his wonder at observing these creatures harmoniously sharing a small freshwater pond.

Another notable example is from Coney Island:

Each individual featured in the image was deliberately selected by Stephen, while numerous others didn’t make the final cut.

Let’s also admire New York in winter:

El Capitan in Yosemite National Park is another example:

Finally, St Mark’s Campanile in Venice:

For more of Stephen’s Day to Night images and insights into his creative process, check out his TED Talk.