A new photo has emerged that purports to show the infamous outlaw “Billy the Kid” in his younger days, and the owner of the photograph is working hard to convince the world that it’s real. If he’s successful, the payoff could be grand: back in 2011, the only known photo of Billy the Kid was sold at auction for $2.3 million to Bill Koch, becoming one of the most expensive photos on Earth.

The only known photo of Billy the Kid that was sold for $2.3 million

The new photo belongs to a New Mexico man named Ray John de Aragon, a well known Billy the Kid collector, who says the photo was given to his father from one of Billy the Kid’s friends.

Aragon’s photo (left) compared to the known photo of Billy the Kid (right)

Aragon has spent years trying to prove to the world that his “old family photo of Billy” is real. More recently, he enlisted the help of Houston Police forensic artist Lois Gibson, who’s well known for identifying the sailor in the iconic photo “V-J Day in Times Square.”

After analyzing the photo and comparing it to the single known photo of Billy the Kid, Gibson has concluded that Aragon’s image is indeed the real thing.

A facial comparison of the two images

A gradual transition comparing the two images

“You can see that it is the same chin, cheek, lip, nose, head shape, shoulder shape, same hair shape,” she tells the New York Daily News. A closer look at the photos also shows the same crooked teeth, she says.

The Houston Chronicle reports that Aragon previously sold another photo that purportedly showed Billy the Kid for $50,000. He will need to find solid evidence if he wishes to earn another big payday with this new photo. Gibson’s support is one big step in that direction.

Image credits: Photographs by Lois Gibson

The British government is scrambling to keep a rare photo album from the 19th century from being sold to a foreigner and exported from the nation. It announced today that it has placed a temporary export ban on the book, which contains seventy photographs by Swedish photography pioneer Oscar Gustave Rejlander.

Rejlander pioneered the art of combination printing, or combining multiple negatives to create one photograph. He settled in England in the 1840s and became known as a “father of art photography”.

“The Rejlander album is a truly remarkable compilation of images by one of the great pioneers of photography,” says Culture Minister Ed Vaizey, “I hope a UK buyer can be found so that the album can undergo further study here in the UK. It would also be a tremendous addition to the nation’s photographic archive.”

A number of photos in the album are famous works by Rejlander, while others are relatively unknown and of interest to researchers. Here are some of the pages in the book (the first image shows Rejlander himself on the left):

The export ban was issued after authorities determined that the album “was of outstanding significance for the study of the history of photography and for our wider understanding of nineteenth century art.” The album was sold for over $130,000 at an auction in England late last year.

The ban will be lifted later this year unless a buyer from the UK can be found. The UK government is now looking for someone willing to purchase the album for around £82,600 (~$128,000). If that’s you, you can contact authorities at the number listed here. For the rest of us, there’s a digital copy of the album online that we can browse.

(via Gov.uk via Amateur Photographer)

Stunning time lapse by astrophotographer Brian Spencer  in New Mexico. Using a collection of sliders, cameras, and patience, Spencer was able to capture this beautiful time-lapse highlighting both the beautiful night sky of New Mexico, and the world we view it from.

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I first came across the work of Colorado-based photographer Drew Lundquist in 2013 when he was working for the powerhouse advertising agency Elevendy. Lundquist is a composite photographer who specializes in what he labels “theatrical special effects photography.” His composite work is extremely clean with an immaculate attention to detail. Everything from his compositions to his color work leaves you wanting to see more and more. Lundquist’s work has been featured numerous issues of Advanced Photoshop Magazine, and his work is the cover image for the current edition of The Professional Photoshop Book. Lundquist is well on his way to becoming one of the big names in the compositing game. I highly recommend taking a few minutes to check out his work.

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