Sonic Boom: Los Angeles is a well-recognized tourist destination. However, it is less known that it is also home to various wildlife. This osprey, shaking off water after a successful dive, was photographed next to the very busy 405 Freeway in the heart of the San Fernando Valley, an urban-suburban enclave of greater Los Angeles. Harsh sun in the zenith made the shot very difficult but revealed a beautiful cloud of water drops following the bird, reminding me of famous jet sonic-boom images. #

On the Streets of Bulgaria: Dressed in his long-haired-goat costume with his mask rolled up over his head, he is ready to walk the streets of Pernik. The Surva festival in Bulgaria is an annual gathering of villagers masquerading as Kukeri. The ceremony is a pagan festival intended to ward off evil spirits and welcome renewal in the new year. #

Lone Black in White: The Velavadar landscape is just so mesmerizing and it has a lot of blackbucks. At this moment, I saw just this one blackbuck in that vast landscape. Adding to that, he decided to raise his head up and look at me head-on. The scene was so good, I decided to take a wide-angle shot showcasing the landscape and the bold look of the blackbuck. #

The Upside Down: A bookstore in Chongqing. Its geometric design is very strong, and it is a place that many people travel to. It looks like an Escher—a world turned upside down. #

In the Storm: The life of Nenets people in the cold and harsh Siberian winter. Nenets people are nomad inhabitants of the Yamal Peninsula, in the polar Arctic Circle, who base their life on reindeer herding. During winter, the temperature reaches 50 degrees below zero and the migration to new grazing areas becomes really difficult. #

Where the City Ends and the Ships Begin: These 500 enormous vessels used to transport bricks, sand, and other goods are either being built or are docked for maintenance work in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Shipbuilders in Bangladesh began exporting their ships to other countries in 2009, and it has since become a growing trade in the area. #

The Deer on the Beach: Miyajima Island has many deer walking around, and while they differ in how they choose to spend their time, most have little fear of people and don't hesitate to approach. As I made my toward the famous Torii gate, I noticed this deer relaxing on the beach by itself. It was incredible how my presence left her completely unfazed. People travel from all over the world to come to this island. For this deer, it was just another day at the beach. #

City of Karsts: This picture was taken during a three-week study-abroad program in China. A guide from the group we were working with brought us to this perfect sunset-viewing site. The trail started in a back alley right in the middle of town and led up one of the karsts. The hike up was treacherous (the hike down in the dark even more so), but the view was well worth the effort. #

Melting Bed of Ice: An aerial view of crabeater seals, taken while they were resting on the broken ice of the Antarctic Peninsula during December. It has been shown by studies that they have a general pattern of feeding from dusk until dawn and hauling out in the middle of the day. Their patterns change with the season. Crabeater seals often use the ice to rest between dives. As the ice melts more and more, their future might not be so bright, despite the huge number of animals. #