6 Incredible Photo Stories You Absolutely Can’t Miss

Here are some of the most interesting and powerful photo stories from across the web.

1. "I Have Three Hearts" — beyonce.com

Awol Erizku

I've been an great admirer of Awol Erizku's work for some time now and he continues to inspire. His most well-known portraits reimagine famous paintings from art history with black men and women as their subjects. For Beyoncé's stunning maternity pictures, Erizku continues his play on art history — bright and luscious flowers bloom as a symbol of female fertility, Beyoncé's veiled posture evokes the image of a carrying Madonna, while the delicate veil draped over her nude form captures the subtle sensuality of motherhood.

—Gabriel H. Sanchez, photo essay editor, BuzzFeed News

2. "What Aging Gracefully Looks Like After 100" — New York Magazine

Karsten Thormaehlen

Karsten Thormaehlen

This series of portraits from a larger collection featured in the new book Aging Gracefully, by photographer Karsten Thormaehlen, celebrates the beauty of the body's natural aging process. The book features both men and women, all over 100 years old. The images featured on The Cut offer proof that women also become further distinguished as they mature. What struck me was the vibrancy of the subjects in the photos. While for some their eyes might communicate a weary wisdom at having lived through wars, revolutions, and personal tragedies, there is still the overwhelming sense of joy to be alive.

—Laura Geiser, photo editor, BuzzFeed News

3. "One Photographer's Astonishing Depiction Of Inequality" — Feature Shoot

Johnny Miller

I am keeping up with current events in America, but I needed an escape from the photo essays that revolve around them. But, in doing so, it's nearly impossible to avoid the parallels. By setting out to show inequality across the world in an obvious yet striking way, Johnny Miller captures the stark, blatant differences in living conditions between classes.

—Sarah Kobos, photo editor, BuzzFeed

4. "Capturing Pantsulas, South Africa’s Vibrant Street Dancers Decked Out In Dickies" — i-D

Chris Saunders

This is an amazing project by Chris Saunders who’s successfully documenting fashion, culture, history, people, and the music, all within one dance movement in South Africa — pantsulas. Unfortunately, no one ever attempted to document this in its 50-year evolution. But Saunders hopes to change all that. By using his masterful skills in street photography and complemented by the wealthy knowledge from a local researcher who specializes in the isipantsula culture, he aims to finally have a record of how the dance adapts to the evolving South African environment.

—Anna Mendoza, photo editor, BuzzFeed Australia

5. "A Former Refugee’s Moving Photos Of A Crisis That He Knows So Well" — Washington Post

Sinawi Medine

Sinawi Medine

Most of us will never know the heartbreak and terror of fleeing our country for the promise of safety elsewhere. Sinawi Medine, the photographer behind this series of images has. As a former refugee himself, he's felt compelled to document the dangerous and exhaustive trip taken for the opportunity at life. The images show the desperation and fear of those who make the trek. Quite poignant is the first image which is taken from the refugee's point of view. The image of a turbulent wall of seawater they must climb in their small, tightly packed raft offers insight into the state of despair one must be in to take such an immense risk.

—L.G.

6. "Meet the People Who Pick Up When You Call Customer Service" — Wired

José Sarmento Matos

At a time when Trump is pushing to keep jobs servicing the US within the US, it’s good to be reminded of what the other side, the outsourcing cities, look like. As Jose Sarmento Matos shows, call centers are a thriving business in several English-speaking Asian countries. Unlike other photo essays that zero in on just the grim side, Matos balances this by also showing how it’s benefitted those on the other side.

—A.M.