8 Best Photo Stories You Must See

Acid, astronauts and apartheid alongside babes, Brexit and 'bergs. Whew.

1. "Divided Cities: South Africa's Apartheid Legacy by Drone" — The Guardian

Johnny Miller

"With each advance of image-making technology, we’re forced to come face-to-face with what could previously be ignored. Here, The Guardian takes a look at Johnny Miller’s aerial-drone photographs that capture the stark divide between South Africa’s rich and poor populations — at times divided by only a mere line in the sand. From this perspective, the contrast is undeniable." —Gabriel H. Sanchez, Photo Essay Editor

2. "New Perspectives of Female Beauty" — Dazed

Roger Weiss

"Roger Weiss’s Human Dilations pushes the female physical form to the extreme through a process inspired by the Japenese reparation technique Kintsugi. Weiss’s images involve a process of unifying a series of photos, sometimes hundreds, into one single image. Weiss’s body of work attempts to break down the exaggerated societal views of women and the modern ideals of beauty. Beautiful, beautiful work." —Jared Harrell, Photo Editor

3. "7 Photos of Brexit Voters Who Shared Their Thoughts on the E.U. Referendum" — Washington Post

Shannon Jensen Wedgwood for the Washington Post

"The results of the British referendum to leave the European Union were broadcasted as shocking, with markets crashing and world leaders rushing to make soothing statements in the immediate aftermath. The numerous causes and effects of the decision will be debated for years to come; in the meantime, this straightforward photo essay allows the people to speak for themselves." —Kate Bubacz, Senior Photo Editor

4. "Opposite Poles Show 'Mirror Images' of Climate Change on Earth" —National Geographic Proof

Magda Biernat

"Magda Biernat’s Adrift is a yearlong series photographed during her trip from Antarctica to Alaska. The series features side-by-side images drawing parallels between natural landscapes and artificial objects. After the trip, Biernat noticed while scanning her film that the shapes of the icebergs mirrored the shapes of the huts, pointing to a larger issue: global warming. Her series is extremely powerful, beautiful, and well-produced. Let’s hope it has a global impact." —JH

5. "The Science and Art of Constructing Images" — Time

Hannah Whitaker

"I personally studied under Hannah Whitaker while completing my graduate thesis and can absolutely attest to the obsessive self-awareness that she brings to photography. Her approach to image-making is wild and experimental and, just as this article on her recent Time magazine cover expresses, as artful as it is technically advanced." —GHS

6. "24 Badass Historic Photos From the Early Days of NASA" — BuzzFeed

NASA

"Throwback to when science was at the forefront and the astronauts looked like spacemen. We now get a steady stream of images from the ISS and Hubble, which is cool and all, but sometimes you just want to see some old-school experiments being conducted." —KB

7. "A Family Album on Acid" — The Atlantic

Roger Steffens

"This week, The Atlantic has placed its spotlight on a remarkable collection of pictures by photographer Roger Steffens, which will be on view at New York City’s Benrubi Gallery beginning July 7. Taken at the height of the acid-fueled counterculture of the 1970s, Steffens' pictures capture the playful innocence and experimentation of an era that I can only dream of today." —GHS

8. "The Fight to Take Back Mosul" — ABC News

Manu Brabo

"The slow, steady mission to push back ISIS in Iraq has been taking place largely unseen. Manu's images show the difficulites and daily grind of the war in Northern Iraq." —KB