The Most Interesting Photo Stories Of The Week

    As we try to make sense of this week, we look back at 10 photo essays about activists, athletes, inmates, and refugees.

    by Dennis Huynh, Kate Bubacz, Jared Harrell, Matthew Tucker, Anna Mendoza, Gabriel H. Sanchez

    1. "Athletes On The Field, In The Moment" —New York Times

    Bob Martin/Sports Illustrated

    "With the Summer Olympics quickly approaching, it’s good to look back on all the incredible sports moments captured throughout the years. This gallery shows the evolution of photography, as well as the amazing amount of courage, determination, and passion each and every athlete and competitor has." —Jared Harrell, photo editor, BuzzFeed News

    2. "Stop Killing Us" —BuzzFeed

    Justin J Wee

    "It was nice to see this photo essay amid all the bad news last week as Justin J Wee’s photos recognized the pain that people were feeling and made an effort to represent the diversity of people coming together in support of Black Lives Matter.” —Kate Bubacz, senior photo editor, BuzzFeed News

    3. "South Korean Troops Swap Boots For Ballet Shoes" —Reuters

    KIM HONG-JI / REUTERS

    "I have so many positive feelings about these military men using ballet to de-stress. These are the guys on the front line of the most heavily militarised border in the world, and through this photo series we get to see them bend over backward (literally, even) to release their tension. Ballet has become their respite from the conflict-filled world they face every day." —Anna Mendoza, photo editor, BuzzFeed Australia

    4. "These Photos Show How The World Is Reacting To The Attack In Nice" —BuzzFeed

    Eric Gaillard / Reuters

    "The attack in Nice and events like this are becoming too regular. Images like these show us the solidarity and humanity needed in these times." —Dennis Huynh, design director, BuzzFeed News

    5. "Life From A Tube: The London Underground" —Lens Culture

    Sleeping © Bob Mazzer, courtesy of Howard Griffin Gallery

    "Many revere the London Underground and its impressive history, spanning back to the 1860s. Bob Mazzer is arguably the Underground’s most famous documentor, having spent years taking countless pictures of its frenetic activity, with many fascinating characters and situations caught on film. From Teddy Boys to punks, Mazzer captured the fashions and trends of Londoners, somehow making them all look timeless. Lens Culture featured a video interview with Mazzer, in which he tells of his early career as a porn projectionist in London." —Matthew Tucker, picture editor, BuzzFeed UK

    6. "These Images Show How Young Syrian Refugees See War" —Slate

    Brian McCarty

    "It's so interesting to me when photographers take their expertise in one area and apply it in unexpected ways. Brian McCarty takes his expertise, photographing toys for companies likes Disney and Nickelodeon, and uses it to create scenes from drawings by child refugees throughout the Middle East. When seen together, these images are both powerful and heart-breaking." —DH

    7. "Adrift In Sheffield’s Hinterlands, Brexit’s Psychic Landscape" —New York Times

    Johny Pitts

    "Johny Pitts picked up a used Nikon film SLR at his local pawnshop in his hometown of Sheffield, England after dropping out of college. Pitts now lives in London, but returns to his hometown of Sheffield and has been documenting life there over the past 10 years. His snaps of the working-class in this South Yorkshire, England town, are a great portrayal of the life and community that was once asleep, but has now surfaced thanks to Brexit." —JH

    8. "Look At These Searing Pictures Of Exiles, Migrants, And Refugees On The Move" —BuzzFeed

    Sebastião Salgado / Amazonas images

    "Sebastião Salgado, a Brazilian photojournalist, spend more than half of the '90s visiting 35-plus countries and documenting the displaced. These powerful images from his re-released books, Exodus and Children, show us the parallels between then-Rwanda and Bosnia, Afghanistan to Syria and across Europe today." —DH

    9. "‘Time in the Box’: Young Rikers Inmates, Still In Isolation" —New York Times

    Victor J. Blue for The New York Times

    “Victor Blue’s portraits are striking in their simplicity and maintain an intimacy despite the impossibility of the assignment portraits of prisoners that are literally removed from the room. Instead, his lens leans into the challenge, showing the isolation, allowing the distance to reveal elements of the inmates personality and circumstances.” —KB

    10. "Meet the Photographer Behind Baton Rouge’s Iconic Protest Image" —Time

    Jonathan Bachman / Reuters

    "Every time I stare at this image, a different emotion surfaces. Photographer Jonathan Bachman tells Time more about the making and aftermath of this iconic image of protester Ieshia Evans being arrested at a demonstration over the death of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana." —DH

    11. "21 The Most Powerful Photos Of This Week" —BuzzFeed

    Hadi Mizban / AP