1. Jump Street
Young Palestinians turn a battered Gaza Strip wall into a combination gym and circus. Like parkour enthusiasts around the world, the athletes treat a city as one big obstacle course. The goal of the non-competitive sport is to find the fastest way from point to point, often by climbing, jumping, running, and rolling. (See our picks for the top ten extreme parkour videos.)
Why We Love It
"A graphic and playful image, this photograph captures a light-hearted moment, juxtaposed against a wall that [evokes] the long term conflict in the Gaza Strip. Dynamic and graceful, the parkour participants move our eyes around the frame - a human pinball machine, frozen for a moment." - Sarah Polger, senior photo editor
"This image keeps my eyes circling around the composition repeatedly, intrigued by every element in the frame. The movement in the scene is not only exciting but also tense, as you wonder how and where the kids will land their training stunts on what looks like an unforgiving terrain." - Ben Fitch, associate photo editor
2. Wigging Out
As the Southern Hemisphere spring dawns on Lima, Peru, inmates at a women's prison don frowns and fairy frills at a costume party on September 24 - part of a stress-relieving, confidence-building program at the facility.
Why We Love It
"The bright colours placed throughout the frame keep your eye moving." - Chris Combs, news photo editor
3. Not-So-Deep Purple
Branching Acropora corals look down on themselves via reflections in the water's surface near the Great Barrier Reef resort of Heron Island, Australia. (See more coral pictures.)
What we tend to think of as coral is actually the accumulated limestone exoskeletons of soft-bodied coral polyps. When a polyp anchors itself to rock and begins successfully dividing into multitudes of clones, you've got the beginnings of a reef.
Why We Love It
"I love the close perspective of this shot. It feels like we're being given a private tour of a very strange world." - Chris Combs, news photo editor
4. Points of Light
Lantern-like traffic signals glow against pre-storm skies on September 18 in Newark, New Jersey [USA]. (Related: "Summer Storms to Create New Ozone Holes as Earth Warms?")
Why We Love It
"Beyond the bold repetition of traffic lights, which are appealing in a graphic sense, the smaller details tucked among the framework are what make this photograph interesting - the silhouette of the person motoring across the street, the billowing American flag, and the repetition of the street signs." - Alexa Keefe, photo producer
5. Night Boat
Like Jonah into the belly of a beached whale, night workers prepare to board a ferry in the Japanese port of Aomori in a picture submitted to National Geographic's My Shot photo community on September 17. Settled since prehistoric times, Aomori has been a locus for ferries for at least a century. (Video: boarding the bullet train in Aomori.)
Why We Love It
"The low angle of the camera emphasizes the height of the ferry over the men and it feels sort of ominous, as if the workers are waiting for something to emerge from the depths of the boat." - Ben Fitch, associate photo editor
"I like that the photographer chose not to show the faces of the workers. This, and the low light conditions add a sense of mystery to the image - the darkness envelopes the scene like a heavy blanket." - Monica Corcoran, senior photo editor
6. Hoop Dream
Originally intended just for sightseers - and at about 50 stories tall, it's tough to miss - a giant steel ring in the fast-growing Chinese city of Fushun, pictured on September 13, is now to be a jumping-off point for urban adventure. Four rope ladders have been hung inside the structure, and a ring-topping bungee-jumping platform is under review, according to the European Pressphoto Agency. (Video: Watch a traditional take on bungee jumping in the South Pacific.)
Why We Love It
"I like the interplay between the clean lines of the ring structure and delicate-looking cranes and muddied ground below - and the way the perfect o of the steel ring is echoed in the less perfect circular driveway." - Alexa Keefe, photo producer
7. Domino Effect
Workers rest in a new commercial building on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India, on September 8. Already one of India's ten largest cities, fast-growing Ahmedabad has been ranked the world's 19th strongest city, economically speaking. (See a picture of a weaving class in Ahmedabad.)
Why We Love It
"The way the workers are positioned, each within their own circular frame, reminds me of profile portraits on coins. It's an interesting play on scale." - Ben Fitch, associate photo editor
"The great negative space accentuates the perfectly circular windows, creating interest. The blotches of color round out the composition by offering a reward for one's initial interest." - Amina El Banayosy, photo intern
8. Bag Man
Shouldering a 214-pound (97-kilogram) sack of garlic, porter Javier Churase weighs the pungent cargo in Lima, Peru's historic La Parada wholesale market on September 19. The city proposes moving the market to new facilities outside the city. But to thousands of workers and businesspeople, who worry about lost revenue and jobs, the plan just doesn't smell right, according to the Associated Press.
Why We Love It
"I like the subdued colour palette of this image, and the way this image gives us a peek into the little-seen world of food distribution." - Chris Combs, news photo editor
9. Feeling the Strain
North Korean children hoist toy barbells at a school for the performing arts on September 13. They may be among the country's lucky ones - according to a 2012 UN report, nearly a third of North Korea's children under five suffer from malnutrition. (Pictures: "Escape From North Korea.")
Why We Love It
"The bareness and neutrality of the environment make the subject really pop. This image is full of whimsy, from the bright, bold colours to the small children lifting barbells in their school uniforms." - Monica Corcoran, senior photo editor
10. In the Wings
A dancer waits to go on stage at the New Afrika Shrine in Lagos, Nigeria, on September 16. Performer Femi Kuti, son of the late Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti, plays at the venue weekly.
Why We Love It
"It seems clear that the photographer was paying close attention to background details that would escape most people's notice - such as the placement of the metal roof at the top-left corner of the frame - while also waiting for the right moment in the dancer's body language." - Chris Combs, news photo editor
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