The 10 Best Photo Essays of the Month

2 minute read

This month’s Photojournalism Links collection highlights 10 excellent photo essays from around the world, including Lynsey Addario‘s powerful work on three displaced children in South Sudan, Ukraine, and Lebanon. The photographs, made on assignment for The New York Times Magazine, were part of a cover story to draw attention to the world’s 30 million children driven from their homes by war and persecution. The print piece was accompanied by a remarkable virtual reality film that took the viewers inside each child’s daily lives.

Lynsey Addario: The Displaced | Chuol | Oleg | Hana (The New York Times Magazine)

Paolo Pellegrin: Inside the World of Egypt’s Salafist Muslims (National Geographic News) The Magnum photographer gained rare access to a group of Salafists in Egypt.

Diana Markosian: Virgin Mary (National Geographic) Markosian documents how the Virgin Mary’s image and legacy are found and celebrated around the world.

Mark Power: Paris Overnight (The New Yorker Photo Booth) Haunting photographs of the sites of the recent attacks.

Newsha Tavakolian: See Iran Coming Out of the Shadows (TIME LightBox) These pictures give an intriguing glimpse into contemporary Iran.

William Daniels: The Pope in Bangui (Le Monde) Pictures from Pope Francis’ historic visit to Central African Republic.

Minzayar Oo: The Price of Jade (TIME LightBox) The Burmese photographer captures the true cost of jade mining.

Bryan Denton: Kurds Launch Offensive Against ISIS in Mount Sinjar, Iraq | Pesh Merga and Yazidi Forces Liberate a City (The New York Times) Denton documents the Kurds’ fight against ISIS in northern Iraq.

Daniel Berehulak: In Mexico, Mennonite Farmers Struggle With Water Shortage (The New York Times) Beautiful pictures from Mexico’s Mennonite heartland.

Kevin Frayer: Buddhists Search for Bliss in Remote Tibetan Plateau (NBC News) These striking images show an annual Tibetan Buddhist gathering in China. (Also on TIME LightBox).

Mikko Takkunen is TIME.com’s International Photo Editor. Follow him on Twitter @photojournalism.

Addario Displaced
The New York Times Magazine: The DisplacedChuol, 9, escaped into a vast swamp in South Sudan when fighters swept into his village.Lynsey Addario for The New York Times Magazine
Salafists
National Geographic News: Inside the World of Egypt’s Salafist MuslimsAbdul Rahman, a 27-year-old Salafist from Al Mansurah, Egypt, prays—often with great intensity and emotion—on the banks of the Nile River.Paolo Pellegrin—National Geographic
virgin mary
From National Geographic Magazine's December issue: How the Virgin Mary Became the World’s Most Powerful WomanAs the sun sets in Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina—a hot spot for Virgin Mary sightings—devotees of diverse faiths and nationalities gather to pray.Diana Markosian—National Geographic
Paris
The New Yorker Photo Booth: Paris Overnight La Belle Équipe restaurant, Rue de Charonne, Paris, Nov. 18, 2015.Mark Power—Magnum
Iran Newsha Tavakolian
TIME LIghtBox: See Iran Coming Out of the ShadowsAn Iranian woman walks through a haze of smoke caused by the burning of the herb esfand. According to popular belief, this ritual drives away the evil eye. Newsha Tavakolian—Magnum for TIME
Pope Francis Central African Republic
Le Monde: Pope in BanguiPope Francis visits Saint Sauveur parish, where nearly 4000 displaced live, in Bangui, Central African Republic, Nov. 29, 2015. William Daniels—Panos for Le Monde
jade mining Myanmar Burma
TIME LIghtBox: The Price of JadeA team of miners work in a jade mine. Some miners work alone while some like this young men here work by a team in a small plot land that is owned by their 'Lao-ban' (meaning 'Boss' in Chinese), Hpakant, July 2014Minzayar Oo
Peshmerga Iraq
The New York Times: Kurds Launch Offensive Against ISIS in Mount Sinjar, IraqPesh merga fighters watched from a hilltop as vehicles from their unit deployed across Highway 47, below them.Bryan Denton—The New York Times/Redux
mennonites mexico
The New York Times: In Mexico, Mennonite Farmers Struggle With Water ShortageMennonite children played recently at a family farm in Capulín, Mexico. Hundreds of Mennonites plan to leave Mexico for other colonies in other countries, where land is cheaper and water is more plentiful. Daniel Berehulak—The New York Times/Redux
Tibetans
NBC News: Buddhists Search for Bliss in Remote Tibetan PlateauTibetan Buddhist nomads cook and stay warm by candlelight at dusk following a chanting session as part of the annual Bliss Dharma Assembly at the Larung Wuming Buddhist Institute in Sertar county, in the remote Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan province, China, on Oct. 31, 2015.Kevin Frayer—Getty Images

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