Guardian of the Mangroves – Overall Winner. Tanya Houppermans, Cuba. A curious American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) swims right up to Tanya, at Gardens of the Queen (Jardines De La Reina), an archipelago off the coast of Cuba. It has been strictly protected since 1996, and is one of the most untouched marine ecosystems in the world. ‍ “The healthy population of American crocodiles is down to the pristine condition of the mangroves and I wanted to capture close ups of this gentle giant in its natural habitat. I hope this image can illustrate that protecting areas like this is so critical”. (Photo by Tanya Griffin Houppermans/Mangrove Photographer of the Year)

In this May 21, 2021, file photo, JoJo Hamner, a cast member of the “Sexxy After Dark: Where Dinner Meets Play” show, gets the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine during a pop-up vaccine clinic at Larry Flynt's Hustler Club in Las Vegas. It's one of several methods health officials are employing here and across the country to bring vaccines directly to people to counter waning demand. In tiny towns, ballparks, strip clubs, and marijuana dispensaries, officials are setting up shop and offering incentives to entice people who so far have not gotten shots. (Photo by Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP Photo/File)

Artist Sergio Albiac has launched an experiment in generative portraiture that uses images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope to build up images of people

Visarute Angkatavanich gets incredibly close up to capture these stunning portraits of Siamese fighting fish in graceful, dancerly poses. The Thai photographer uses perfectly placed lighting to create the dramatic highlights and shadows that give personality to each little finned creature.

Photographers April Maciborka and David Wile teamed up to create their recent series Pucker. In each instance babies were handed their very first lemon and encouraged to take a bite. Just looking at their images will make your lips twitch.

“In Tokyo, there are so many different fashion styles, cultures, and subcultures that it’s hard for even the most devoted fashion freak to keep up. Fashion photos from the streets of Tokyo”. (Photo by TokyoFashion.com; Source: Flickr)

Mimi Kirchner is a Boston-based fiber artist. She live with husband in a Victorian era (1892) 2-family house. Have 3 kids who are mostly grown up and doing their own things. She graduated from Carnegie-Mellon University in 1976 with a BFA.

“The king of herrings or giant oarfish, an oarfish of the family Regalecidae, is the world's longest bony fish. Its total length has been documented to reach 17 m (56 ft), and it can weigh up to 300 kg (661 lb)”. – Wikipedia