The 2025-26 season of the Philip I. Eliasoph Open VISIONS Forum has featured thought leaders across disciplines, including photographer and National Geographic Explorer Stephen Wilkes, who concluded this year’s OVF: Espresso series on March 31 with an inspiring talk about the art of photography and the splendor of our world.
An Iconic Body of Work
Stephen Wilkes is known for his iconic images of some of America’s most beloved locales, as well as a robust body of commercial work—including for the Netflix hit Stranger Things.
His most defining photographic series, Day to Night, captures cityscapes and landscapes from a fixed vantage point over dozens of hours, blending thousands of images into a single frame packed with hand-selected moments that Wilkes chooses for the final shot.
The subjects of the Day to Night series—featured on CBS Sunday Morning and other major media— range from U.S. national parks and sand hill crane migration in Nebraska, to New York City’s Times Square, Chicago’s Wrigley Field, President Obama’s inauguration, and a total solar eclipse.
“The concept of putting a face on time was different than I had ever imagined,” Wilkes said, reflecting on his journey with Day to Night. “Why can’t a photograph be many moments, brought together in a single way? I see time as a fabric, and I take it and flatten it into a 2D image.”
