Mickey McCooper, born 1972 as Michel Valentino in Stuttgart-Germany, is a photo-artist, filmmaker, painter, and media-entrepreneur. He is well known for the broad range of subject matter he is able to interpret, he is widely recognized for his unusual people portraiture, his editorial photography, his photo illustrations, photographic design and his extraordinary repertoire of art photography, painings and drawings.

Photo: Space Invaders, 2011. (Photo by Mickey McCooper)

A Palestinian boy, who was displaced by Israel's military offensive with his family on south Gaza, holds a cat as he attempts to return to his home in north Gaza through an Israeli checkpoint, in the central Gaza Strip, on April 15, 2024. (Photo by Ramadan Abed/Reuters)

MotoGP Ducati Lenovo Team rider Marc Marquez (R) of Spain and his girlfriend Gemma Pinto (L) celebrate his World Champion 2025 title after the race at the Motorcycling Grand Prix of Japan in Motegi, Tochigi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, 28 September 2025. (Photo by Franck Robichon/EPA)

At the dead of night, the photographer – known to his Instagram followers as Dark Cyanide – heads out to look for hidden gems, like abandoned stations, provisions and tunnels. His intriguing images feature vibrant streaks, graffiti, and tight framing – and by adding individuals to some to some of shots, he is also able to depict the incredible scale of some of the tunnels. Here: Unnamed subway track in New York City. (Photo by Dark Cyanide/Caters News)

“Nicholas II (Russian: Николай II, Николай Александрович Романов, tr. Nikolay II, Nikolay Alexandrovich Romanov) (18 May [O.S. 6 May] 1868 – 17 July 1918) was the last Emperor of Russia, Grand Prince of Finland, and titular King of Poland. His official title was Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias and he is known as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer by the Russian Orthodox Church. Nicholas II, his wife, his son, his four daughters, the family's medical doctor, the Tsar's valet, the Empress' lady-in-waiting and the family's cook were murdered in the same room by the Bolsheviks on the night of 16/17 July 1918”. – Wikipedia

Photo: Tsar Nicholas II (1868–1918) with his wife. (Photo by W. & D. Downey/Getty Images). Circa 1900

A window cleaner passes a lighter to his colleague while rappelling from a new building in Tianjin March 23, 2007. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

This teenager from Anhui Province has Marfan syndrome, which has caused his neck to become very long. His father says that he has three extra vertebrae, according to Anhui News.

A mahout splashes water on his elephant in the river Sabarmati on a hot summer day in Ahmedabad, India, May 20, 2015. (Photo by Amit Dave/Reuters)