Gallery: The Best WIRED Photo Stories of 2016
Danila Tkachenko01Danilla-Tkachenko-2016-1.jpg
*[The Snowy Graveyards Where Soviet Subs and Planes Go to Die.](https://stag-komodo.wired.com/2016/05/danila-tkachenko-restricted-areas/ )* During the Cold War, dozens of cities in the Soviet Union housed secret scientific and military programs. Photographer Danila Tkachenko visited several for *Restricted Areas*, and found them strewn with technological relics, like the only surviving prototype of VVA-14, a vertical takeoff aircraft.
Paolo Woods & Gabriele Galiberti02Paolo-Woods-and-Gabriele-Galimberti-2016-1.jpg
*[Beyond the Panama Papers: See Inside the World’s Tax Havens.](https://stag-komodo.wired.com/2016/04/inside-the-worlds-tax-havens/ )* There are over a dozen places around the world to stash cash if you don’t want it taxed. The amount of wealth hidden away in secrecy jurisdictions is estimated upwards of $32 trillion. Photographers Paolo Woods and Gabriele Galimberti hunted these tax havens down, trying to document a world that’s invisible by design.
Tod Seelie03Tod-Seelie-2016-1.jpg
*[Wasteland: The Mad Max Festival That Makes Burning Man Look Lame.](https://stag-komodo.wired.com/2016/09/wasteland-mad-max-festival-makes-burning-man-look-lame/)* The Mojave Desert is home to the self-proclaimed “world’s largest post-apocalyptic festival.” Photographer Tod Seelie gloriously captured the grime and sweat of 2,500 wannabe vagabonds clashing in the Thunderdome and parading around in tricked-out jalopies.
Reuben Wu04Reuben-Wu-2016-1.jpg
*[Drone Lighting Brings Out the Desert’s Otherworldly Side.](https://stag-komodo.wired.com/2016/04/reuben-wu-lux-noctis-drone-lighting-brings-deserts-otherworldly-side/ )* Reuben Wu outfitted a drone with LEDs, then flew it over rock formations in the American West at night. The spotlighting lends a momentous aura to already awe-inspiring sights.
Samantha Appleton05Samantha-Appleton-2016-1.jpg
*[What It’s Like to Photograph the President (Hint: Be Quick).](https://stag-komodo.wired.com/2016/10/like-photograph-president-hint-fast/)* Magnum photographer Christopher Anderson only had a few minutes to capture President Barack Obama for WIRED’s November issue, guest-edited [by POTUS himself](https://stag-komodo.wired.com/2016/10/president-obama-guest-edits-wired-essay/ ). “I wanted the photograph to feel more intimate,” Anderson says. “I wanted the viewer to feel like they were being introduced to him in a way they had not seen before.”
Maggie Shannon06Maggie-Shannon-2016-1.jpg
*[Boldly Go to Upstate New York to Board the USS Enterprise.](https://stag-komodo.wired.com/2016/12/maggie-shannon-james-cawley-guy-built-exact-replica-starship-enterprise/)* James Cawley spent 20 years constructing an exact replica of the Starship Enterprise, down to Scotty’s wrenches and Klingon costumes. Photographer Maggie Shannon captured his intense labor of love for WIRED.
Laura Morton07Laura-Morton-2016-b.jpg
*[Hack, Hustle, Nap, Repeat: Life as a Young Techie in San Francisco.](https://stag-komodo.wired.com/2016/05/laura-morton-wild-west-tech/ )* Shows like *Silicon Valley* is often a caricature of the Bay Area tech scene. Laura Morton’s photos show what it’s really like, capturing moments of tedium and despair—along with the occasionally cuddle party—as Millennials seek their fortunes.
Kai Caemmerer08KaiCaemmerer-2016-b.jpg
*[The Unreal, Eerie Emptiness of China’s ‘Ghost Cities.’](https://stag-komodo.wired.com/2016/02/kai-caemmerer-unborn-cities/)* Photographer Kai Caemmerer's haunting images reveal skyscrapers gleaming above empty streets, waiting for people to come inhabit them. They're the product of rapid urbanization in China. Except no one’s moving in.
Mark Abramson09MarkAbramson-2016-1.jpg
*[Bizarre Double Exposures Perfectly Capture Election Chaos.](https://stag-komodo.wired.com/2016/07/2016-election-pure-chaos-photos/ )* When Mark Abramson set out to document the 2016 presidential election, he knew he must do something different. The jarring multiple exposures reflect the headache-inducing madness of small town hall meetings and cavernous stadium events. “For me, applying this technique made me feel like I could actually say what I was feeling,” Abramson says. “Which was this shivery feeling.”
Simon Menner10Simon-Menner-2016-1.jpg
*[Can You Spot the Snipers Hidden in These Photos?](https://stag-komodo.wired.com/2016/02/simon-menner-hidden-snipers-there-are-snipers-in-these-photos-can-you-find-them/)* The job of a sniper is to be undetectable. Those in Simon Menner’s disconcerting series *Camouflage* are doing it creepily right. Question is, can you find them?
Amy Lombard11Amy-Lombard-2016-1.jpg
*[Pug Owners and Redheads Unite! Online Groups Meet IRL.](https://stag-komodo.wired.com/2016/12/pug-owners-red-heads-unite-online-groups-meet-irl/)* Amy Lombard's quirky photos showcase how the internet unites us. She hung out at online meet-ups around the country, from a poolside pug party on Staten Island to a diner in Reno where “women of a certain age” brunched. “It’s a great time to be accepted, no matter your interests,” Lombard says.
Glenna Gordon12Glenna-Gordon-2016-2.jpg
*[The Subversive Women Who Self-Publish Novels Amid Jihadist War.](https://stag-komodo.wired.com/2016/02/glenna-gordon-diagram-heart/ )* “Littattafan soyayya” means “books of love” in the Hausa language. Penned by Muslim women in Northern Nigeria, the self-published novels tell tales of romance, scandals, and independence. The authors brave censorship and become leaders of their community, working within the bounds of society even as they change it. “\[They are\] not what I thought feminism looked like,” says photographer Glenna Gordon, “but then I had to change my idea of what feminism looked like.”
Benjamin Grant/DigitalGlobe13Benjamin-Grant-2016b-1.jpg
*[You’ll Never See Earth From Space. But This Book Is Close.](https://stag-komodo.wired.com/2016/10/explore-earth-as-only-seen-by-satellites/ )* Satellite images curated by Benjamin Grant let you peruse the earth from thousands of miles high. The POV allows you to appreciate the beauty of the Earth, and the ways humanity alters it.
Brian Finke14Brian-Finke-2016-b.jpg
*[Here’s How Sad You Look When You Eat Lunch at Your Desk.](https://stag-komodo.wired.com/2016/06/brian-finke-desktop-dining/)* Work-life balance takes a hard hit in Brian Finke’s deadpan series *Desktop Dining*. The images of office employees shoving food into their mouths as they type away might be exactly the kind of motivation you need to start taking real lunch breaks.
