“Sergey Mikhaylovich Prokudin-Gorsky (August 30 1863 Russian Empire – September 27, 1944 Paris, France) was a Russian chemist and photographer. He is best known for his pioneering work in color photography of early 20th-century Russia”. – Wikipedia

Photo: Dinner during haying. Russian Empire, Novgorod province, county Cherepovets, 1909. (Photos by Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky via US Library of Congress and Prokudin-Gorsky.org)

P.S. All pictures are presented in high resolution. To see Hi-Res images – just TWICE click on any picture. In other words, click small picture – opens the BIG picture. Click BIG picture – opens VERY BIG picture (if available; this principle works anywhere on the site AvaxNews). Enjoy.

“Sidney D. Gamble (July 12, 1890 – 1968) was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, to David Berry and Mary Huggins Gamble; grandson of James Gamble, who, with William Procter, founded Procter & Gamble in 1837. in 1912 he graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University with a Bachelor of Literature degree and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He visited China for four extended periods, 1908, 1917–1919, 1924–27, and 1931–1932, doing Christian social work for the Y.M.C.A and conducting social surveys. He is now best known for his remarkable and extensive photographs of Peking and North China.” – Wikipedia. (Photo by Sidney David Gamble via Duke University Libraries)

Photo: Hillcoat Riding Fu Tu. China, An Xian, 1917-1919. P.S. All photos are available in high resolution.

At the end of a six-year relationship, photographer Laura Stevens needed to find a creative, external outlet for all the complicated feelings she was processing internally. “Another November” is the end product, a photo series that aims to mirror those agonizing emotions that Stevens felt at the time of the breakup – and the subsequent healing process. Here: “Jessica” is photographed at her Paris home in this scene staged by photographer Laura Stevens. (Photo by Laura Stevens)

Queenie Liao is an artist but first of all a mother and she wanted to show that you can be both… at the same time. With her creative photography she caught the dreams of her child during his sleeps: the result is a brilliant compilation of photos where her baby is the absolout protagonist. Pacific as if nothing happens around him, his daily sleeps are transformed by Queenie Liao into fascinating fairy tales by using plain cloths, stuffed animals, and other common household . A brillaint work that makes us remember our childhood, where our dreams were full of magic.

These sand-swept images show the ghostly remains of what was once a mineral-rich mining community. In its heyday, the town of Kolmanskop, Namibia, was home to about 700 families. Now all that remains are empty homes filled with sand, while cast-off items such as bathtubs are scattered about the surrounding area. Over time, the sand of the stunning dunes that encircle the town of Kolmanskop has been blown towards the abandoned residences, coating everything from streets to the interiors of houses and workshops. Here: Kolmankop, an abandoned mining town in Namibia. (Photo by David Ogden/Caters News)

If you are a big Batman fan with some extra frequent flier miles and cash to burn, you might want to consider staying in this amazing Batman themed hotel room! The bat cave themed hotel room goes for $50 per 3 hour stay. For that price, you not only get to stay in the coolest hotel room of all time, but you get lubrication, s*xy lingerie and other perks. Other than the price, the other downside is that you have to fly to Kaohsiung City in Taiwan to stay there. If I am ever in that part of the world, I will definitely be staying in that room, even if I am not a huge Batman fan.

Armin Senoner conceptualizes class system based semiotic alpine escape all visuals courtesy of armin senoner. From birth, every human is organized through the hierarchical class system. Without regard to personal characteristics in the least, each is donned with a label; lower, middle, or upper. Society at large is innately regulated because by it, the rich do anything to remain at the top, the middle tries to overthrow the rich, and the poor just try to survive. Modern times, though less brutal, is no less restrained by the unspoken rules of social division.

Light is the sole reason why life exists. It provides us with warmth; it allows us to see; it nourishes all the living things on this planet. Many painters, especially the masters of Old Renaissance Period, have recognized the importance of light and its intimate connection with nature and life itself. In their paintings they gave tribute to light, giving the impression that their paintings had a light source hidden within them. Al Hogue, the artist who created the paintings that you see before you, has studied their techniques for many years. As time went by, light permeated not only his paintings by also his life, becoming his sole philosophy.