Pictures We Love: Best of August

Toro in Toro
Photograph by Daniel Ochoa de Olza, Associated Press
Bullfighters wait for their ritual entrance into the arena—called a paseillo—before a bullfight in Toro, Spain, on August 28.
Hundreds of villages around Spain celebrated their patron saints throughout the month, with bullfights, music, and parties on the streets. The Spanish word toro refers to both a Spanish city and a cattle breed known as the "Spanish fighting bull."
—Jaclyn Skurie
Why We Love It
"I really like how the light reveals a different portion of each of the three figures. We see the parts of one complete figure--a head, a body, and feet--separated across three individuals. The lighting is dramatic and helps create the sense of anticipation as we wait for the bullfighters to emerge from the shadows and enter the arena." —Ben Fitch, associate photo editor
Published August 31, 2013
Married in Turkey
Photograph by Bulent Kilic, AFP/Getty Images
A newly married couple walks up a hill against the backdrop of Antakya, a city in southern Turkey, on August 29. The historic town lies just miles away from the Syrian border and has been a place of refuge for Syrians fleeing the country's civil war.
Why We Love It
"There's so much going on in this moment. You have the motion of the bride and groom, who almost seem like they are racing to the top of the hill, and you have the entire city in the background. It's hard to find images that can show both a close human interaction and a broad landscape." —Janna Dotschkal, associate photo editor
Published August 31, 2013
Stability Amid Turmoil
Photograph by Manu Brabo, Associated Press
An Egyptian worker builds a scaffold at the Rabaah Al-Adawiya mosque in Cairo's Nasr City district on August 21.
Protests have roiled Egypt since just before the country's revolution in 2011. This month, the new military-backed government arrested two Islamist figures: a hardline cleric allegedly fleeing the country across the Libyan border and a spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood, who was allegedly trying to leave for Italy.
Why We Love It
"This image is all about tone and texture. I love the worn quality of the screen through which we view the frame and the scaffolding behind it, which sends graphic lines throughout the composition that break up the space into interesting shapes." —Ben Fitch, associate photo editor
Published August 31, 2013
Not Easy Being Green
Photograph by Piero Cruciatti, Demotix
A zookeeper weighs and measures a waxy monkey tree frog at the London Zoo on August 21.
Each year the zoo holds an annual weigh-in, when zookeepers spend hours recording the vital statistics of each animal to monitor their overall well-being. The waxy monkey frog is a common exotic pet, native to Central and South America.
Why We Love It
"I love that this frog is being weighed with a spoon. The photographer captured a great moment where the frog looks like he's peeking over the edge, seemingly unsure of the current state of events." —Janna Dotschkal, associate photo editor
Published August 31, 2013
Treasure Chest
Photograph by Joe Penney, Reuters
A local resident checks out jewelry for sale at a store in Mali's capital, Bamako.
This month, Mali's presidential elections brought Ibrahim Boubaca Keita to power, over a year after a military coup ousted the former president.
Why We Love It
"This image depicts life in Africa in a really concise and beautiful way. Small vendors, painted signs, mopeds, and bright colors are ubiquitous in Africa. The cherry on top is the way the light accents the man in the front so perfectly." —Janna Dotschkal, associate photo editor
Published August 31, 2013
Bending Over Backwards
Photograph by Mareike Gunsche, Reuters
Members of the Shonkhoodoi Circus practice their routine at a gymnasium in Darkhan, Mongolia. The nine-person circus travels through the Mongolian countryside giving free performances and distributing leaflets about domestic abuse to raise awareness about the problem.
Why We Love It
"I love the way the lines in the composition send you in all different directions visually. The curves of the metal circle above the platform lead you upwards as the gymnasts' legs point you forwards, backwards, up and down. It feels very playful as I find my eyes circling around the composition." —Ben Fitch, associate photo editor
Published August 31, 2013
"Reborn Babies"
Photograph by Yves Herman, Reuters
Artist Beatrice Van Landeghem prepares to insert eyes into a lifelike doll at her studio in La Louviere, Belgium.
Her work, titled "Reborn Babies," crafts disturbingly lifelike baby dolls out of vinyl, with natural-looking hair and eyelashes. The dolls have become popular with collectors as well as parents grieving the loss of children.
Why We Love It
"First thought—how weird. But knowing the purpose these dolls can serve for grieving parents, or people who long for children, really resonated with me. They are each in a way works of art, and that comes through in this image. As my colleague pointed out, you see the workspace, the artist's tools, photos showing how each baby is modeled, all there in the frame without it feeling crowded." —Sherry L. Brukbacher, photo editor
Published August 31, 2013
Terrain in Flames
Photograph by Nuno Andre Ferreira, European Pressphoto Agency
People point into the distance next to a wildfire in Portugal. Over 100 firefighters and 25 support vehicles battled the blaze that broke out at dawn in the Serra do Caramulu mountain range.
Why We Love It
"I've looked at hundreds of wildfire images this week for Daily News coverage, and this image really seems to communicate the intensity of such fires. The time of day: 2:47 p.m. I'm guessing that is the sun in the upper right-hand corner of the image. The fire and smoke are so intense, and the photographer is right there in the thick of it. You always hear photography teachers say, 'Get closer to your subject.' I think Nuno Andre Ferreira got about as close as he possibly could!" —Sherry L. Brukbacher, photo editor
Published August 31, 2013
Hanging Out
Photograph by Dan Kitwood, Getty Images
A warbler hangs in a net on a private reserve in Rye, England. The reserve forms an ideal habitat of reed beds and marshy bogs for many migratory birds, and scientists are able to study them before releasing them back on their migration.
Why We Love It
"Before you know that this bird is not in any danger, the image really pulls you in on that emotional level. But it's not just what is happening that makes you look. It's how the image is framed, how close we are to the bird, the contrast of the yellow on the blue, and how well the photographer used depth of field to focus your attention." —Sherry L. Brukbacher, photo editor
Published August 31, 2013
Light Show
Photograph by Jordi Boixareu, Demotix
People celebrate the Sant Roc Festival in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona. To honor the Catalan tradition of correfocs, festival-goers dress like devils and burn flares and firecrackers.
Why We Love It
"The slightly diagonal angle from which the photographer shot this image adds to the sense of movement and chaos. The cloaks of the runners and the sparkles of firecrackers around them create a fantastical feel to the photo as the subjects sweep across the frame." —Ben Fitch, associate photo editor
Published August 31, 2013
See Pictures We Loved in July
Photograph by Gabriele Putzu, European Pressphoto Agency
Published August 31, 2013