Category: Face Of The Day

An American Marine, sitting inside the cargo hold of a C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft headed to Kandahar, gestures as British and US forces withdraw from the Camp Bastion-Leatherneck complex at Lashkar Gah in Helmand province on October 27, 2014. British forces on October 26 handed over formal control of their last base in Afghanistan to Afghan forces, ending combat operations in the country after 13 years. The Union Jack was lowered at Camp Bastion in the southern province of Helmand, while the Stars and Stripes came down at the adjacent Camp Leatherneck – the last US Marine base in the country. By Wakil Kohsar/AFP/Getty Images.

Ellen Ruddick-Sunstein highlights Taiwanese photographer Yun-Fei Tou‘s Memento Mori, a series of photographs that “captures the final minutes in the lives of hundreds of shelter dogs awaiting euthanasia”:

For each, he visits on the day of their predetermined deaths. In the last instants of their existence, he often plays with them, feeds them, and gives them a voice that has eluded them for much of their troubled lives.

Inspired by philosopher Peter Singer, Tou explains that the rights of animals are not the product of sentimentality but of moral fortitude and integrity. We are bound ethically to these silent creatures, and Tou frames them as he would any human subject, imbuing each with a palpable sense of soulful tenderness and dignity. Freed from the cages that have become their final homes, the dogs are immortalized on life-sized prints.

In an interview about his series Circo El Salvador, Steven Laxton describes his inspiration for a project that “captures the magical moments behind the scenes of El Salvador’s traveling circuses”:

I was looking for a new personal series, something with depth that interested me and would also lend itself to my personal style and technique. Over dinner a friend was raving about these gypsy circus families. I expressed interest, so he invited me down. I booked my tickets not really knowing much about them and not even having seen a photo of them.

I went to El Salvador the first time for three weeks on a mission to find and possibly photograph these circuses. As they have no fixed address and no travel itinerary or contact info, they were very hard to find. They literally move on a whim. I was about to go home without even seeing, let alone photographing, a circus. The day before I flew out, our detective work payed off, and I found one. As soon as I saw it, I knew I was going to come back as soon as possible and make it my next project. I loved what I saw: humble yet beautiful artists. It seemed to resemble what I imagine the gypsy circuses of yesteryear in Europe would have been like.

Check out other photographs from the series here. For more of his work, see Laxton’s website here or follow him on Instagram and Twitter here and here.

Students and family members embrace after leaving Marysville-Pilchuck High School in the aftermath of a shooting on the high school’s campus in Marysville, Washington on October 24, 2014. At least two are dead, including the shooter, according to authorities, with several more wounded. By David Ryder/Getty Images.

A reader submits the above screenshot:

For your FOTD, might I suggest Kevin Vickers, Sergeant at Arms in the Parliament of Canada, walking the halls and making sure everything’s ok after having calmly left his office to shoot and kill a terrorist.

More on the hero here. Watch him get a standing ovation entering the House of Commons here.

Acrobat Vlad Khvostik performs during a photocall at the Moscow State Circus in Clapham in London, England on October 22, 2014. The circus is located at Clapham Common from 22nd October to 2nd November. By Carl Court/Getty Images.

An Indian Black Ibis feeds on an earthworm near Raisina hill in New Delhi, India on October 21, 2014. By Virendra Singh Gosain/Hindustan Times via Getty Images.

Students from St Andrew’s University indulge in a tradition of covering themselves with foam to honour the “academic family” in St Andrews, Scotland on October 20, 2014. Every November the “raisin weekend”, which is held in the university’s Lower College Lawn, is celebrated and a gift of raisins (now foam) is traditionally given by first-year students to their elders as a thank you for their guidance. In exchange, they receive a receipt in Latin. By Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images.

Photographer David Stewart captured shots of British life:

‘Thrice Removed’ is the name of a photography book and project by British photographer David Stewart, which developed from David’s personal observations of relationships in families, society and life in general, featuring a series of somehow inter-related characters. Even though these pictures often seem rather dark, there always is an underlying, essentially British humor that can be seen in the details, revealing more and more, the closer you look at it.

See more of his work here.

(Photo: “Hugh and Chicken in profile” from Thrice Removed by David Stewart)

Photographer Visarute Angkatavanich captures Siamese fighting fish:

His intimate, crystal-clear photos of Siamese fighting fish (betta) make it seem as though they are suspended in air instead of water. Angkatavanich recently told Popular Photographythat he only started photographing the fish after encountering them for the first time three years ago at a fish show and has since become obsessed with the different species which vary greatly in size, shape, and color patterns.

Angkatavanich spoke about his inspiration in an interview last year:

“When I was young, my father gave me some goldfish, guppy and Siamese fighting fish. A few years ago I went to pet market and saw so many bettafish mutants from those I saw when I was young. Those are my inspiration for this photo set.”

The brilliant coloration, and long flowing fins of Siamese fighting fish make it one of the most well-known aquarium fish. They have been line bred for over 120 years in Thailand and Cambodia to achieve today’s stunning colours and long finage. A long history of captive breeding has changed the shape of the species and today virtually all species for sale are captive-bred.

See more of his work here and here.