Photograph by Max Forsythe

June 2013

China—Like figures in a shadow theater, mannequin forms—illuminated by bare incandescent bulbs and veiled by a red tarpaulin—captivate shoppers in Guilin. The city’s popular night market sells clothing, trinkets, food, and more.

Photograph by Kieran Dodds, Panos Photos

June 2013

Scotland—Champion strong man Gregor Edmunds lets fly a 16-pound shafted hammer at the Cowal Highland Gathering. The annual three-day event in Dunoon—featuring traditional games, music, and dancing—is open to international competitors.

Photograph by Kacper Kowalski, Panos Pictures

June 2013

Poland—As shadows lengthen near sunset, spring fields near Nowe erupt in a color riot. The photographer paraglided over Pomerania to get this abstract expressionist shot: a brushstroke of red poppy weeds flowering amid green grain sprouts.

Photograph by Tatiana Ilina

May 2013

Russia—A rainbow of hula hoops swirls around Svetlana Pavlova, a dancer in a traveling circus troupe of short-statured performers who call themselves the Light of the Little Stars.

Photograph by Rob Leeson, Newspix/Rex USA

May 2013

Australia—Anzac the kangaroo and Peggy the wombat—each about five months old—snuggle at the Wildabout Wildlife Rescue Centre in Kilmore, Victoria. Both animals’ mothers were killed by cars. Officials hope to return them to the wild eventually.

Photograph by Charlie Riefel, AP Images

May 2013

United States—Fireworks flash across a full moon on the third of July, part of early Independence Day celebrations last year at Pierson Park in Kansas City, Kansas.

Photograph by Rebecca Norris Webb

April 2013

United States—An image of Wyoming’s Devils Tower monolith works as wordless signage for the Tower Stool Company of Faith, South Dakota. Local artist Norman Blue Arm painted the mural on the firm’s garage door.

Photograph by Liu Bolin, Eli Klein Fine Art

April 2013

China—Invisibility becomes art at a Beijing sawmill in an image from Liu Bolin’s “Hiding in the City” series. For each photograph the artist sports painstakingly painted camouflage. Then assistants position his body so that he disappears from view.

Photograph by Janne Parviainen

April 2013

Finland—A kitchen appears charged with energy—actually lines of LED light scribbled by the photographer during a 24-minute exposure. The supine figure on the floor moved away after a short time, leaving only her electric outline.

Purchase this print »

Photograph by Donald Miralle

March 2013

United States—Startled fish scatter as Ironman athletes begin the triathlon’s first leg off the coast of Hawaii’s Big Island. Competitors have up to 17 hours to finish the race: a 2.4-mile open-water swim, followed by 112 miles of bicycling and a 26.2-mile run.

Photograph by Phil Yeomans, Bournemouth News and Picture Service

March 2013

England—Just four days old and 2.5 inches long, an abandoned hoglet—as baby hedgehogs are often called—snuggles up to a folded towel at a rescue center in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Warmth and cleanliness are vital to keeping the tiny animals healthy.

Photograph by Oded Balilty, AP Images

March 2013

Israel—At an ultra-Orthodox Jewish wedding near Tel Aviv, Viznitz Hasidim gather around the chief rabbi (center, in white) and the groom (center, left). Men and women stay on separate sides of the wedding hall during the ten-hour ceremony.

Photograph by Cancan Chu, Getty Images

February 2013

China—Frigid festivities abound at the annual Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in northeastern China. Here a swimmer pumps up enthusiasm before plunging into a pool carved out of the frozen Songhua River.

Photograph by Stephen Dalton, NHPA/Photoshot

February 2013

England—Sporting feathery gills, a Mexican axolotl, about six inches long, paddles around a West Sussex fish tank. The unusual salamander species, whose numbers are dwindling in the wild, retains its larval features as an adult.

Photograph by Reed Young

February 2013

Italy—A plastic swordfish head—possibly a cast replica—makes a curious companion for fish enthusiast Maria Agnese Cornaro, of Canelli. She received the head as a gift years ago, after hosting a town exhibition of people’s aquariums.

Photograph by David Bowman

January 2013

United States—Like a spaceship gearing up to lift off, a carnival ride throws off orbs of light in this panoramic time exposure. The whirling captures the revelry of a summer’s eve at the Minnesota State Fair.

Photograph by Dan Kitwood, Getty Images

January 2013

Benin—At a vodun celebration in Ouidah, sequined masquerades known as Egungun embody the spirits of ancestors with ties to Nigeria’s Yoruba culture. Some masked spirits bless the living; others entertain with intricate dances.

Photograph by Christopher Swann, Biosphoto

January 2013

Atlantic Ocean—Swelling to more than 30 feet across, a school of blue jack mackerel achieves a harmony that belies its purpose: safety from predators. The fish broke apart and reformed off the Azores as dolphins, birds, and sharks pecked away at the pack.