All photos © Carey Kirkella

‘Dance Recital’ is a personal project made over several years of young girls backstage during their dance recital performances.  The moments are captured spontaneously, without direction. ‘Ballet’ is a series of images that are a look into a classic ballet class at the Joffrey School of Ballet, and was produced by Image Source.  Both series touch on ideas about body image, the concept of beauty, and the social pressures girls face growing up in America. – Carey Kirkella. To see more of Kirkella’s work click here.

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© Kenneth O’Halloran.

Kenneth O’Halloran’s project “Fair Trade” captures the flavor of a group of Gaelic nomads with a tradition of gathering on special occasions to trade horses, ponies and other goods. He says women regard the trading fairs “as occasions worth dressing up for, lending a kind of delicacy to the day, a femininity to counterweigh the spit-in-the-hand dealings of the men folk. There is a vibrancy of colour, red hair, freckles and a range of ensembles.”
O’Halloran is currently based in Dublin.  To see more of his work click here.

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© Bao Nguyen

Hours of pent up energy explode at New York’s Madison Square Garden as Bao Nguyen captures the moment Arcade Fire finally takes the stage. This crowd shot was included in the winners gallery of the 2010 Ultimate Music Moment contest.

© Jeremy Underwood

A confident bride stands atop an ominous staircase in a portrait by Jeremy Underwood. This image was included in the winners gallery of the 2010 Top Knots wedding photography contest. The 2011 Contest is currently open for entries until January 11. A People’s Choice winner will also be selected.

© Jill Waterman

On December 31, 1983 Jill Waterman began a long term project to photograph New Year’s celebrations in cities around the world. For more than 25 years her documentation has spanned many countries, cultures and events: from waiting for midnight in Paris; to religious observances on the beach in Brazil; to the Millennium celebration in Bethlehem; to this image of fireworks over Scotland’s Edinburgh Castle from 1999.

Shooting from an adjacent window that offered a panoramic view, Jill made this image within seconds of the firework’s first burst, before the scene became polluted by smoke accumulating in the air over time. For more tips for success when shooting fireworks, as well as many other nighttime subjects, check out Jill’s book Night and Low Light Photography.

And to see more of her New Year’s Eve images, visit NPR’s The Picture Show blog , or click here.