Do tears of joy look the same as ones of woe—or ones from chopping onions? In “The Topography of Tears,” the Los Angeles-based photographer Rose-Lynn Fisher explores the physical terrain of one hundred tears emitted during a range of emotional states and physical reactions. Using a Zeiss microscope with an attached digital camera, she captures the composition of tears enclosed in glass slides, magnified between 10x and 40x. “There are many factors that determine the look of each tear image, including the viscosity of the tear, the chemistry of the weeper, the settings of the microscope, and the way I process the images afterwards,” she says.

These adorable rat portraits were taken by a committed photographer who’s made it her mission to remove the stigma attached to the creatures. Diane Ozdamar’s vibrant images feature rodents cutely cuddling flowers, eating fruit, playing with bubbles, and lovingly interacting with each other. The 32-year-old photographer, who lives in Montreal, Canada, shot her «Fancy Rats» series over a number of years. (Photo by Diane Ozdamar/Caters News)

A fireman pulls a woman and her dog to shore, by a row of houseboats on the river Seine in Paris France, Wednesday June 1, 2016. The Seine River has overflowed embankments in Paris as floods hit or threaten cities and towns around France. (Photo by Jerome Delay/AP Photo)

Soo Joo Park poses during a photocall before the Chanel Spring/Summer 2019 women's ready-to-wear collection show during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, October 2, 2018. (Photo by Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters)

People look at sharks from an underwater room structure installed in the Aquarium of Paris, France, March 14, 2016. Airbnb and the Aquarium of Paris offer contest winners a night underwater sleeping with sharks and create a research platform for “misunderstood” shark species. (Photo by Charles Platiau/Reuters)

Brazilian singer Larissa de Macedo Machado, better known by her stage name Anitta is seen outside Schiaparelli during Paris Fashion Week – Haute Couture Fall Winter 2022 2023 – Day One on July 04, 2022 in Paris, France. (Photo by Spread Pictures/The Mega Agency)

Influencer Cindy Kimberly at Viktor&Rolf Couture Spring 2024 as part of Paris Couture Fashion Week held at Sorbonne Nouvelle on January 24, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Swan Gallet/WWD via Getty Images)

Britain's Alice Kinsella competes in the balance beam event of the artistic gymnastics women's qualification during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Bercy Arena in Paris, on July 28, 2024. (Photo by Gabriel Bouys/AFP Photo)