Big Picture Photoblog ( Bostonglobe)

• The start of the Monsoon season June 17, 2013
  Monsoon season in southern Asia has begun, and in India the rains arrived ahead of schedule, easing drought concerns. Monsoon rains can be disruptive and even deadly, but crucial for the farmers whose crops feed millions of people. Though concerns for flooding are prevalent, the arrival of the rains brings colorful celebrations and relief from the heat every […]
• Graduation season 2013 June 13, 2013
  Graduation season is well underway, with kindergartners, high schoolers, college seniors and graduate students alike donning caps and gowns to celebrate their achievement. With their diplomas, graduates also get words of wisdom from a commencement speakers and a good excuse to celebrate. -- Lloyd Young ( 31 photos total)US Naval Academy graduates throw their […]
• Walls June 12, 2013
  They keep things out or enclose them within. They're symbols of power, and a means of control. They're canvases for art, backdrops for street theater, and placards for political messages. They're just waiting for when nobody's looking to receive graffiti. Walls of all kinds demarcate our lives. -- Lane Turner (41 photos total). Note: You […]
• Daily Life: May 2013 June 7, 2013
  For this edition of our look at daily life we share images from France, Ukraine, Serbia, Turkey, Ecuador, Germany, Italy and a few others from around the world. -- Lloyd Young -- Editors note: The Big Picture will publish again next Wednesday June 12. ( 52 photos total)A girl plays on May 28 with soap bubbles during the Share Drive of Life charity event orga […]
• Flooding in Europe (updated) June 5, 2013
  The Danube River reached its highest level in 500 years. The Elbe, Rhine, and other rivers and tributaries are cresting high as well as swathes of central Europe lie inundated by floodwaters that have killed 12 and displaced tens of thousands. Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic have been severely affected, as Hungary prepares for the swell […]
• Protests in Turkey (updated) June 3, 2013
  An undercurrent of explosive anger at the government of Turkey found a fuse on May 31 as a protest over the demolition of a public park in Istanbul quickly spread to other cities and encompassed simmering passions on broader issues in Turkish political life. Police have used tear gas and water canons to break up the protests, which have grown as demonstrator […]
• 100 Years of Indian cinema May 31, 2013
  Indian cinema's first silent feature film, 'Raja Harishchandra,' by home-grown film maker Dadasaheb Phalke was released on May 3, 1913. Known as the 'father of Indian cinema' Phalke's 40 minute offering tells the story of a righteous king, adapted from Hindu mythology. An unusual feature of the film was that all female character […]
• Gun violence: Salvador, Brazil May 31, 2013
  The city of Salvador, Brazil, one of the country's main tourist destinations and a 2014 World Cup host city has suffered from an unprecedented wave of deadly violence with an increase of more than 250% in the murder rate (according to the Brazilian Center for Latin American Studies (CEBELA). Reuters photographer, Lunae Parracho traveled to Salvador to d […]
• Climbing Mount Everest May 29, 2013
  Sixty years ago today New Zealand mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary and Nepalese Sherpa Tenzing Norgay made the first confirmed ascent of the world's tallest peak which reaches 29,029 feet. Since then thousands of people have made the attempt, with many perishing. Just last week 80-year-old Japanese mountaineer Yuichiro Miura became the oldest person to re […]
• Puffin census on the Farne Islands May 24, 2013
  Every five years, National Trust rangers carry out a puffin census on the Farne Islands, off the northeast coast of England. The beautiful birds return to their breeding grounds on the islands, which offer excellent sources of food, few ground predators, and good protection for nesting. This count carries particular significance because the last survey in 20 […]