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SOCIAL ISSUES:   Los Angeles' Skid Row Justin Maxon / Aurora Photos Los Angeles' Skid Row is home to thousands of people with no permanent place to call home. The sidewalks used to be lined with tents and makeshift shelters at every hour of the day. It's been a haven for drug dealers and prostitutes. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Mary and Martha Ryan Anson / Aurora Photos With a majority of New England states passing laws allowing same sex marriage, and with the California Supreme Court about to make a decision, the tide seems to be turning on the issue of same sex unions. Aurora Photographer Ryan Anson has documented a committed couple, their marriage and the joyful addition of children to their family. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Introducing Invision Invision Photographers / Aurora Photos Invision Images is a photo agency founded in 2006, based in Athens, Greece. Working with a team of photographers their aim is to promote new forms of photojournalism and documentary photography. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   James Balog Extreme Ice James Balog / Aurora Photos Aurora houses the unique glacier photography generated from the Extreme Ice Survey. Extreme Ice Now by Aurora Photographer James Balog has just been released to great reviews. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   New Days for Liberia David Yoder / Aurora Photos After more than a decade of civil wars that left Liberia sacked and its population traumatized, Africa’s oldest republic now has a window of opportunity to remake itself from scratch. Stabilized by United Nations forces, rich in virtually untouched natural resources, and led by a charismatic president-- Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf , the first woman ever elected to rule an African country—Liberia may prove a test case in how to rehabilitate an African nation. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Tent City Various / Aurora Photos Sometimes called Modern Day Hoovervilles, shantytowns known as Tent Cities are springing up all across the country. Residents of this Tent City in Sacramento have already been served eviction notices, making even a tent an uncertain place to stay. Aurora photographers take a compassionate look at a poignant reminder of new economic realities. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Foreclosure Alley Guillaume Zuili / Agence VU / Aurora Photos Outside of Los Angeles, along highway 15, hundreds of gated communities were created with their adjacent malls in less than five years. What was the American dream is now a tremendous nightmare with an astounding number of foreclosures. Now "For Sale" or "Bank Owned" signs are the new landscape. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Welfare Matt Eich / Aurora Photos Aurora photographer, Matt Eich, captured a single mother and her daughter coping with life in the Welfare system. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Portraits of the Tarahumara Robb Kendrick / Aurora Photos The Tarahumara, who live in and above the canyons of northern Mexico's Sierra Madre Occidental, evaded Spanish conquerors in the sixteenth century. But can they survive the onslaught of modernity? Fast food, tourism and the modern world is at their door. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Mexico's Urban Tribe Charlie Mahoney / Aurora Photos The plaza Glorieta de los Insurgentes, in the heart of Mexico City, was built to honor the insurgent uprising and independence from Spain. Here a second uprising is taking place as youth subculture thrives. Punketos, darketos, break-dancers and emos (emotionals) rebel against conservative societal norms View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Enrique's Playground Lisa Wiltse / Aurora Photos Enrique 5, was born into a world of poverty. He spends his day playing with his friends in the rubbish tip and swimming in the polluted Pasig river. Although his family wish to discourage him, he works in thick toxic smoke, dragging soggy scraps of wood to burn and help his father create charcoal. He also scavenges for bits of scrap metal to earn a few pesos to help pay for his schooling and food for his family. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Almost Paradise Kosuke Okahara / Agence VU / Aurora Photos Illegal immigrants live in the poor but oil rich country of Colombia that has been the battleground of a 40 year long civil war. Many people want to get out of the country just to find a decent life in America. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Farming Life Dan Chung / Aurora Photos Family farming has always interested photographer Dan Chung because it is a lifestyle that demands a lot, but pays very little. The farm's future in the next 5 years is uncertain. but they have held on to this lifestyle for many years now. Things are tougher for them now more than ever, but they are very tough people. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Living in the Shadows Charlie Mahoney / Aurora Photos Everyday thousands of sub-Saharan Africans try to enter Europe by crossing the divide that separates the two continents. Those that make it to Spain are customarily detained while the Spanish authorities attempt to determine their age and nationality. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Unpredictable Future Matt Eich / Aurora Photos In the heart of America where agriculture once helped drive the economy, farming has become a fading way of life. Along the foothills of Appalachia in Southeastern Ohio, aging farmers struggle to keep their farms afloat in order to provide for their families and communities. The recent economic downturn has made life more difficult for a dying breed of farmers to survive, but has increased the importance of self-sustainability in the communities that rely on this resource. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Enoughism Various Photographers / Aurora Photos The act or practice of switching things off, buying less stuff and seeking to reconnect with the simpler pleasures of life. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Rising from the Ashes Justin Maxon / Aurora Photos Los Angeles has one of the highest concentrations of gang activity in all of U.S. For many young guys trying to leave gangs, the journey is long and difficult. Though, some made the recent choice to remove themselves from their gang and are attempting to create a better life for themsevles by getting an honest job and obeying the law. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Introducing Noor Various/ Noor/ Aurora Photos Amsterdam based, NOOR is an international photography collective combining the talents and perspectives of nine photographers hailing from seven countries, producing cutting edge, and visually distinctive photographic reportage on news and culture. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Teenage Pregnancy in Manila Lisa Wiltse / Aurora Photos Teenage pregnancy is widespread in the Philippines, especially amongst the poor. In Manila, this contributes to overpopulation and the vicious cycle of poverty. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   NOOR Noor Photographers / Aurora Photos Amsterdam based, NOOR is an international photography collective combining the talents and perspectives of nine photographers hailing from seven countries, producing cutting edge, and visually distinctive photographic reportage on news and culture. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   New Foundland Andrew Querner / Aurora Photos For centuries, the cod industry sustained a way of life that came to define Canada's most eastern province. Today, with few alternatives, many are being forced to seek work in far away places like Ontario and Alberta, a trend reflected in census statistics. As the population leaves home and family behind in search of opportunity, the out-port communities and the culture that surrounds them quickly erodes. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   The Fighting Cholitas Ivan Kashinsky / Aurora Photos High up in the Bolivian Andes, Cholitas take part in Lucha Libre, a style of wrestling that began in Mexico. The Cholitas that participate in this wild sport are of Aymara decent and dress head to toe in their traditional clothing. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Copsa Mica Lisa Wiltse / Aurora Photos In the crumbling post-communist town of Copsa Mica, a small town in the valley of Translyvania, some 500 people from its 6,000 population have fled the country for a better life. Aurora photographer Lisa Wiltse documented Copsa Mica as a microcosm of the problems that still persist in Romania. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Venezuela Elections Meridith Kohut / Aurora Photos Venezuelans held pivotal elections that politically empowered the opposition movement against leftist President Hugo Chavez and his Socialist revolution on Sunday, Nov 23, 2008. Elections were held across the country for 22 of the 23 state governorships, 328 mayors and 233 state legislators. Aurora photographer, Meridith Kohut, captured some of the moments during the elections. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Race to the White House Various Photographers/Aurora Photos The 2008 U.S. Presidential election will take place on November 4, 2008. As the world watches, the race for president heats up between Democratic nominee, Barack Obama, and Republican nominee, John McCain. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Sex Workers in Bangladesh G.M.B Akash / Bilderberg / Aurora Photos It is generally estimated that there are around 20,000 -30,000 female sex workers working through brothels in Bangladesh. Photographer, G.M.B Akash, captures the daily life of these women. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   The Rez - Home of the Lakota Nation Svetlana Bahchevanova / Aurora Photos Aurora photographer Svetlana Bahchevanova explores the contrast and psychological conflict between the reclaimed cultural and spiritual identify of the Lakota Sioux and the poverty and deprivation of life on the Rez, as it is familiarly known to its residents . View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Myanmar Behind Closed Doors Various Photographers/Aurora Photos From political oppression to the aftermath of a cyclone, Myanmar (formerly Burma) is a country struggling to find it's freedom. Various Aurora photographers capture Myanmar's amazing culture and beauty behind it's closed doors. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Self-Mutilation in Japan Kosuke Okahara / Agence VU / Aurora Photos Self-injury has become a very serious problem in Japanese high schools. VU Photographer Kosuke Okahara's images document a world of pain and suffering by many young women in Japan. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Experience the Kingdom of Thailand Various Aurora Photographers Thailand is one of the biggest tourist destinations in southeast Asia. Aurora photographers capture the essence of this ancient kingdom's natural beauty and cultural attraction. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Carry Me Ohio Matt Eich/Alexia Foundation/ Aurora Photos Millions of toxic electronic parts are discarded every year in the U.S. Large amounts of used electronics end up being sent to developing countries where there are poor environmental standards. Pushed to the fringes of American society are communities in Appalachia marginalized by poverty, which has forged their culture and lifestyle since the early 1900s. Aurora photographer Matt Eich documents the people in these communities. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   World Food Crisis Various/ Aurora Photos In the past year, prices have risen significantly for basic food on the international commodity market. Around the world, countries are feeling the effects with severe food shortages. Over the past year, rice prices have risen by 70%. The price of wheat has more than doubled. Corn and soy have been trading well above average. The global food crisis is being blamed on factors such as the growing population and emerging economies like China and India. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Life on the Streets of Hanoi Justin Maxon / Aurora Photos In Hanoi, Vietnam, after years being homeless, Ly Thi Mui, 34 with her son, Trun Van Pha, 5, has adapted and developed her own sense of happiness, living for her son and also living the life of a Buddhist detachment from worldly possessions. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   On the Trail with Barack Obama Callie Shell / Aurora Photos Join Aurora photographer Callie Shell as she covers Barack Obama on the Iowa caucus campaign trail with exclusive behind-the-scenes access shot on assignment for Time magazine. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Galapagos Under Siege Eric Rorer / Aurora Photos Ever since Charles Darwin first visited the Galapagos in 1835, the tiny archipelago 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador has captivated the world’s imagination. However, increased tourist traffic and population growth have put a huge stress on the islands’ ecological balance. Invasive non-native plants and animals are feeding on or forcing out rare native species and the heavy impact of the human footprint is often hidden out of view. Aurora photographer shows a place that is at once beautiful, magical and under siege. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Our Toxic World Peter Essick / Aurora Photos Chemicals are all around us. Their applications endless: flame retardant clothes, air fresheners, perfumes, more vibrant colors. All this convenience comes at what cost? Aurora photographer Peter Essick examines the toll that chemicals take on our bodies and minds. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   The Faces of Colombia Dennis Drenner / Aurora When you mention Colombia these days, most people imagine a lawless country overrun with guerillas and narcotics traffickers: The land of Pablo Escobar, car bombs in the streets of Bogota, a place where you might get kidnapped at any moment. While Colombia still has serious problems, the reality of the place is a far cry from the dismal stereotypes, and public safety has increased greatly in recent years. In an effort to present a more complex view of a country he has grown to love, Aurora photographer Dennis Drenner spent three years working on a series of portraits shot all over the country. The series aims to reflect Colombia’s great ethnic diversity and social structure, the nightmares of its past and its hopes for the future. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Chavez's Venezuela Andrew Cutraro / Aurora Photos There's a new kind of revolution emerging in Latin America, and its most successful manifestation has been Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and his Bolivarian movement. Chavez’s progressive policies are affecting political and economic thinking around the world and presenting the U.S. with a burgeoning foreign policy crisis. Aurora's Andrew Cutraro takes a closer look at how Chavez's policies have affected the political, economic and social situation on the ground in Venezuela, and brings a unique perspective of a country coming into its own on the world stage. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   A Different Kenyan School Didier Ruef / Pixsil / Aurora Boys and girls at Nyandarva boarding primary school work in a large agricultural garden, organized by "Gardens for Life". This initiative seeks to embed the most fundamental of issues, food and nutrition, within the education curriculum by maximizing the use of school gardens and as a source of income for the school. After feeding the students, the foodstuff produced can be sold locally. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Does it bring more than oil? Pascal Maitre / Cosmos / Aurora One of the biggest engineering projects of the decade, the Baku-Tbili-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline was expected to benefit the economies and inhabitants of Turkey, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. Running east-west from Baku, Azerbaijan on the Caspian Sea, through Tbilisi, Georgia and finally to Ceyhan, Turkey on the Mediterranean; the BTC transmits oil to points in Europe and across the world. Despite this, however, the standard of living in these countries remains low, and the pipeline brings new environmental and physical dangers. Now, with construction on new natural gas and oil pipelines underway, the region has become a region of great strategic significance, often, to the detriment of its inhabitants. " View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Mexican Immigration Various Aurora Photographers The US immigration Act of 1907 reorganized the states bordering Mexico into Mexican Border District to stem the flow of immigrants into the U.S. Almost 100 years later the flow continues and the issues remain. Various Aurora photographers have examined this subject visually telling human stories in the process. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   On Borrowed Time Katja Heinemann / Aurora For the first time in the history of the AIDS, HIV-positive children are growing up to become teenagers. But a cure for the disease has yet to be found, and infected children have to cope with toxic, often experimental medical regimens and a budding consciousness of sexuality and the conflicts with the knowledge of their affliction. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Remember: Martin Luther King Various Aurora Photographers "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." -- Martin Luther King - 1929-1968 View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Fat Camp Katja Heinemann/Aurora The latest statistics show that as many as 30 percent of children aged 6-19 in the U.S. are overweight. Obesity puts them at increased risk for chronic diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes and emotional problems in adolescence and adulthood. Some parents are trying to find a solution by sending their children to "Fat Camp" for the summer. Weight loss camps are usually advertised as a "fitness camps", but many campers call it "fat camp". A main goal of these camos is to raise the child's self-esteem through social interactions with others who share many of the same characteristics View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Women's Labor in Asia Fernando Moleres In the global economy new centers of garment production have appeared in Asian countries like China, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Fernando Moleres documents these new centers, showing the working conditions and way of life of workers there. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Water Issues Peter Essick/Aurora Already overburdened, the Earth's six billion people can't get enough of fresh water. With populations continuing to climb, what happens next? Read on... View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Methamphetamine: The Number One Drug Problem in America Wes Pope/Aurora The head of the Drug Enforcement Administration has called methamphetamine the "number one drug problem in America." Snohomish County Washington, north of Seattle, is representative of the trend in rural and suburban ar View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Home Schooling USA Todd Bigelow / Aurora Photos Homeschool USA Chronicling a family’s first-year journey into the homeschooling phenomenon sweeping America. It’s a day like any other as 8am approaches at...read on... View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Women Senators Melina Mara/Aurora Changing the Face of Power - Women are transforming this country's most prestigious governing body. Their bi-partisan teamwork, compassion for social issues, and coalition building, are laying a foundation for a new type of politician. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Migrant´s Journey Todd Bigelow/ Aurora Migrant workers routinely embark on dangerous border crossings seeking jobs in the US. A crackdown by the border patrol has changed the conditions of routes and methods of obtaining entry. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   The Longest Day Todd Bigelow / Aurora Photos This is a look at the first 24 hours of Angel Coronado's release from a Texas prison, from 10:00am on a Friday until 10:00am the following morning. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Vipassana - Reform from Within Tim Georgeson/Cosmos/Aurora Vipassana, an ancient Buddhist meditation technique has been introduced to the Tihar Jail, the largest prison complex in India. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   TV wars - perspective from Jerusalem - March Andrew Lichtenstein/Aurora Nowhere is the explosion of the information age more dramaticthan in Jerusalem. Next door neighbors are watching two completelydifferent versions of the war. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   The Military Enters American Public Schools Nina Berman/Aurora In Oakland California, on a decommissioned naval base, 200 7th and 8thgrade children in military uniforms line up in platoon formation... View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Handicapped Skiing Samantha Appleton / Noor / Aurora Photos MHS is a non-profit organization that has been in operation for 21 years. Each season the organization outfits, teaches and provides a comfortable environment for more than 200 outdoor enthusiasts with a broad spectrum of disabilities, free of charge. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Habitat for Humanity Randy Olson & Melissa Farlow/Aurora Across the United States, a Habitat for Humanity build brings many different people together to help give others a roof over their heads and a place to call home. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Guyana Randy Olson/ Aurora *Winner Magazine Photographer Of The Year POY 2003 Multi-nationals raping a once pristine jungle are now in conflict with the traditional way of life of the Guyana Amerindian population. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Lynching trial in Jasper Texas Lynn Johnson/Aurora A black man James Byrd, Jr. was chained to the back of a pick-up truck and dragged to his death by three white supremacists. Jasper Texas has been brought into the spotlight by a PBS documentary. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Exonerated Andrew Lichtenstein/Aurora Portraits of death row prisoners subsequently found innocent and released. Read their stories. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   American '50's - Sentimental Journey Jeff Jacobson/Aurora Certain memories unite us-memories of a place, a time, a shared experience. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Marine Recruitment Artz/Laif/Aurora At Parris Island, S.C. Marine recruitment takes on an interesting twist. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Cyber Sex - Big Business Online Photographs by Jim Lo Scalzo/US News/Aurora You can make money on the Internet. Sex. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Israeli Settlements David Blumenfeld/Aurora At the heart of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, these settlements stand at the edge between domestic calm and all out war. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Alzheimers Peter Granser/Aurora An intimate portrait of a devasting disease from the German Agency laif. Photographer Peter Granser has won an award. View details View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Women of Afghanistan Nina Berman/Aurora This is the story of Afghanistan as it was before the events of September 11th, at a time when the world's focus was not on this dry, Middle Eastern country and the Taliban reigned supreme. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Olympic Gold How Federal Taxpayers Paid for the Salt Lake City Games. As reported in the December 10th issue of Sports Illustrated Photographed by Todd Bigelow/Aurora View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   The Children of Chernobyl Chris Hamilton/Aurora Fifteen years since the disaster at Chernobyl, Cuba is still receiving and treating the radiation fallout victims. Over 19,000 children have been treated since the program started. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Exit Huntsville Andrew Lichtenstein/Aurora Every weekday afternoon in Hunstville, Texas, over 150 former inmates walk out from behind prison fences and into freedom, some are met outside while other wait to catch a Greyhound bus. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Police Brutality Andrew Lichtenstein/Aurora Meet the families of the victims of police brutality and bear witness to how they have been affected by this social menace. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Death Row in Texas Andrew Lichtenstein/Aurora Texas has the highest execution rate in the United States. Since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, Texas has performed a total of 241 executions by lethal injection. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Throwing Stones Chris Anderson/Aurora Palestinian youths and Israeli troops clash daily in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian boys throw stones and Molotov cocktails. The highly trained Israeli troops retaliate with tear gas and gunfire. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Habitat for Humanity Photographs by Randy Olson and Melissa Farlow Habitat for Humanity helps low-income families, "achieve a simple, decent place to live through no-interest mortgages and sweat equity hours." View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Silent Company Randy Olson/Aurora Aurora photographer Randy Olson has documented the life of the Whitmans, a family in which four members all tested positive for HIV. This is their story, and albeit an undeniably tragic one, on a deeper level it is te View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Robert Taylor Projects Nina Berman/Aurora These are the Robert Taylor Homes on Chicago's south side. Opened in 1962 to great fanfare - the Taylor homes were considered a utopian vision of urban housing - and ended up a symbol of racism and urban degradation. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Feeding the Planet Robb Kendrick/Aurora Will we continue to produce enough food to feed thebillions living on this planet? View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   back to top