Pictures We Love: Best of June

Religious Painting

Photograph by Narendra Shrestha, European Pressphoto Agency

Ten-year-old kumari devi ("living goddess") Samita Bajracharya is made up in Patan, Nepal, on June 24 for a Red Chariot festival, intended to enhance the local harvest.

Selected through a practice dating back to the 17th century, a Kumari Devi must meet various strict physical requirements ("neck like a conch shell" and "eyes like a cow," for example) and pass a series of tests. With the onset of her first period, though, her reign—and her divinity—ends abruptly.

Why We Love It

"The composition is not only well balanced in terms of shadow and light, but also in terms of the juxtaposition of complementary colors: the girl's orange hair against the blue wall and the goddess's yellow dress before the area of purple behind her. Both the colors and dramatic lighting give this image a sort of painterly quality."—Ben Fitch, associate photo editor

Published July 3, 2012

Living Carpet

Photograph by John Giles, PA/AP

In something of a modern miracle, live grass springs from the floor of the U.K.'s York Minster on June 6. Grown on recycled textiles (no dirt required) the turf was fit for the feet of Queen Elizabeth II and 900 dinner guests at a Diamond Jubilee fundraiser for the cathedral's upkeep—and presumably, the postprandial cleanup.

Why We Love It

"Surreal, isn't it? You could say that this depicts a PR stunt, but the dreamlike quality of the photo overcame our qualms."—Chris Combs, news photo editor

Published July 3, 2012

Pop Art

Photograph by Serge Raymond, Your Shot

Freed from a suspended balloon a fraction of a second earlier, water maintains a balloon-like shape for a fraction more—long enough for Serge Raymond to capture the moment in a picture featured in National Geographic's Daily Dozen in June.

After three days in his Waterloo, Canada, basement, he hit on a winning formula: black backdrop, fast shutter speed, six spotlights, and a needle on his model's thumb.

"I'd never seen a picture like this," said Raymond, who submitted the photo as part of his final exam for a photography course. Neither, apparently, had his instructors. "I received my exam results on February," he recalled. "One hundred percent!"

Why We Love It

"You can tell that long hours and hard work went into this eye candy studio photograph."—Chris Combs, news photo editor

Published July 3, 2012

Creatures Great and Small

Photograph by Stefan Wermuth, Reuters

Head and shoulders above all other English horse races, Royal Ascot (pictured June 20) aims to stay that way. For 2012, organizers unveiled unequivocal dress codes for spectators in the Royal Enclosure.

Among the forbidden: bare thighs, straps thinner than an inch, and the hatlets known as fascinators. The commoners in the Grandstand have it a bit easier: "No formal dress code applies except that bare chests are not permitted at any time."

Why We Love It

"I like a composition that plays with our perception of scale."—Chris Combs, news photo editor

Published July 3, 2012

Summer Fling

Photograph by Oded Balilty, AP

An Israeli man digs into a beach in Tel Aviv on June 4. The Israeli capital is seen by some as one of the world's top beach cities (pictures).

Why We Love It

"The sense of mystery created by the perspective is what works for me in this frame. I like that I can't tell how deep that hole is or whether that person is tunneling up from the depths of the Earth or simply building a really big sand castle."—Alexa Keefe, photo producer

Published July 3, 2012

Wieners and Losers

Photograph by Tracey Nearmy, European Pressphoto Agency

In "Dachshund UN" 47 live canine diplomats engage in "vigorous debate" at Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney, Australia, on June 3. According to the museum, the performance artwork, by Australian Bennett Miller, is "both a joyful and chaotic experiment and a meditation on the utopian aspirations of the United Nations."

Why We Love It

"The careful use of color drew me to this photo, and the playfulness of the scene sealed the deal."—Chris Combs, news photo editor

Published July 3, 2012

Intensive Care

Photograph by Chen Zhongqiu, Imaginechina/AP

Rescuers cut off the ends of thin steel bars that impaled a Chinese migrant worker on June 12.

The worker, surnamed Zheng, was at a construction site in Ningde city the same day when a malfunctioning machine shot the reinforcing rods roughly sideways through his body, leaving the ends protruding from his upper chest and middle back. After some five hours of surgery in the provincial capital of Hangzhou, Zheng was recuperating in an intensive care unit.

Why We Love It

"Despite what looks to have been a tense and chaotic scene—the flying sparks, noise of blades on steel, gritted teeth—the photographer manages to present a clear and compelling picture, allowing us to fully appreciate all of the details, right down to the person in the back capturing the moment on a cell phone camera."—Alexa Keefe, photo producer

Published July 3, 2012

Man on Wire

Photograph by Frank Gunn, Canadian Press/AP  

Nik Wallenda, of the "Flying Wallendas" acrobatic dynasty, walks 1,800 feet (550 meters) across Niagara Falls by tightrope on June 15—a first.

For protection during the 25-minute U.S.-to-Canada crossing, the 33-year-old daredevil wore a harness, said a prayer, and carried a passport. Despite worse-than-expected winds and mist, Wallenda told the AFP news service, "I loved every minute of it."

Why We Love It

"This photo feels quite serene, thanks to the slow shutter speed chosen by the photographer."—Chris Combs, news photo editor

Published July 3, 2012

The Needle and the Damage Done

Photograph by Niranjan Shrestha, AP

A juvenile Indian migrant worker embroiders textiles in a sari factory in Katmandu, Nepal, on June 12—World Day Against Child Labor. The annual event was first launched by the UN in 2002 to highlight employment practices that deprive children of "adequate education, health, leisure and basic freedoms, violating their rights."

Why We Love It

"The lighting of this boy's two hands is haunting. Photographing from down on the ground, through fabric, made for a remarkable image."—Chris Combs, news photo editor

Published July 3, 2012

More Pictures We Love

Photograph by Ueslei Marcelino, Reuters

Published July 3, 2012