“For many of the young people featured in this essay, this past presidential election was the first time they were legally allowed to vote. As their words insinuate, coming of age under the Obama administration certainly instilled a level of hope and optimism to their anticipation of the 2016 presidential election. But what happens when these new voters find itself on the losing end of American politics? Here, through a collection of stunning photography and interviews, we catch a glimpse of the anxieties and concerns on the minds of a new generation of Americans.” —Gabriel H. Sanchez, photo essay editor, BuzzFeed News
"For his new book, Bomba, photographer Thomas Prior captured these stunning images of men celebrating in their own unique and perilous way. During this annual tradition in San Juan de la Vega, a small town 170 miles north of Mexico City, locals pack sledgehammers with explosives, which are detonated by slamming them on the ground. While the tradition occurs during the festival of St. John the Baptist, the practice itself is (ostensibly) the re-enactment of the 17th-century battle between Juan Aquino de la Vega — who is considered to be “Mexico’s Robin Hood" — and the local dons. Though as Atlas Obscura points out, “which side possessed the original hammer bombs is forever lost in the smoky hazy of history." —Ben King, deputy design director, BuzzFeed News
