The Weekly Flickr

Emily Ibarra travels the world photographing free-running and parkour athletes, often at take-your-breath-away heights, whilst performing stunts that would leave most athletes in other sports weak in the knees.  Watching her boyfriend dangle dozens of stories in the air by nothing but his fingertips is just another day at the office for Emily. The travel, risk, and community she experiences on a daily basis are a dream come true, and call her viewers, to embrace the adventure of living in the moment.

Photographer Katie Eleanor’s haunting images not only reflect the scope of her rich imagination, but also have held the power of healing during her battle with mental illness. Katie’s unorthodox aesthetic stems from the late nineteenth century; she shoots strictly black and white film, and then physically hand-colors her images by paint and brush. Katie’s artistic journey has left her with words of encouragement for other suffering from chronic illnesses.

When her husband was diagnosed with cancer in 2012, photographer Amanda Chapman was devastated. In order to get her family’s mind off the illness, she decided to celebrate Halloween with a portrait of herself made up as a different character for each day of October. Drawing inspiration from filmmakers like Tim Burton, and shows like The Walking Dead, Amanda’s self-taught makeup skills are jaw-dropping. The series is now in its fourth year.

James Popsys first toyed with photography while taking snapshots on a trip around the world. But once he discovered Photoshop’s tools for creating new realities, and not just shooting things that already are, he knew he’d found a passion for a lifetime. His whimsical photos meld London landmarks with surreal and humorous elements, re-imagining daily life with a dose of magical realism. James sees his photos as an antidote to our modern “selfie culture”.

When Rafael Mantesso’s wife left him, she took everything except his dog, Jimmy. Left with an empty, white apartment, Rafael started doodling on the floor, and snapping photos of Jimmy in humorously sketched scenes.  But after Ashton Kutcher & Jimmy Choo became fans of Rafael’s photos, Jimmy was catapulted to celebrity status, along with his own line of fashion accessories.

Read more and see Devin’s photos here.

English photographer Max Ellis captures the “secret lives” of the squirrels living in his yard. His “Squirrelismo” series features live, wild squirrels playing in a band, lifting (real) weights, wearing Jack-o-Lanterns, using umbrellas in the rain, re-enacting movie scenes, and even playing Jenga. He never captures or harms the animals, but thanks to his ingenuity and wit, Max’s portraits have kept his international fan base laughing and guessing at how he does it.

Shortly after moving from their native New Zealand to Australia, in 2013, Lilly & Leon Mackie had a baby. Thousands of miles from their friends and family, surrounded by empty cardboard boxes, and divested of a social life, they leveraged their boredom, sense of humor, and love for movies to create an Internet phenomenon – and enduring family tradition – titled “Cardboard Box Office.”

Rick Guidotti spent years as a top fashion photographer for the likes of Elle, GQ, Marie Claire, and Revlon, working with models such as Cindy Crawford and Claudia Schiffer. As an artist, Rick grew frustrated by the narrow definitions of beauty foisted on his work. One afternoon, Rick caught a glimpse of an unconventional looking, but striking woman on the street, who turned out to have Albinism. As Rick began researching the condition, he was horrified by the dehumanizing portrayals of the condition in medical journals and textbooks. Moved to act, he brought his fashion sensibilities to producing beautiful portraits of people with albinism, and thus began a mission of revealing the beauty in people society usually ignores. Today, Rick’s organization Positive Exposure has become a world-wide force for elevating and dignifying people born not only with albinism, but also with chromosome anomalies. He is currently being profiled in the festival-favorite documentary, "On Beauty", and has even worked with governments in Africa to combat violence and superstition against people with albinism.

New York Portrait photographer Corey Hayes’ Alter Ego series features the oft-photographed, but rarely understood world of cosplay.  The first time he attended New York Comic Con, Corey was amazed by the rock star status bestowed upon fans who had dressed as their favorite comic book or anime characters. Often overlooked or seen as nerdy in real life, cosplayers come alive when they don their elaborate costumes (that they often spend thousands of dollars and countless hours perfecting).  One of cosplayer he photographed actually tracked down the original mold of Adam West’s head to cast the cowl for his 1960s Batman costume!  Fascinated by the costumes’ power to imbue confidence, identity and community, Corey’s humanizing and compelling portraits of cosplayers both in and out of costume offer ample evidence of the power and appeal held by costumes and fantasy.