Japan has about 5.6 million vending machines to date, collectively consuming as much energy as one nuclear plant produces. German photographer Benedikt Partenheimer’s thought-provoking series Vending Machines is a social commentary on today’s energy consumption and consumerism. Photographed at night, their glowing presence encourages us to reflect on how much we really need the machines we create, and whether or not our consumerist tendencies have gone too far. See more of Partenheimer’s work here.