The power of a single photo never ceases to amaze me. Whether it be a portrait, a scenic landscape, a moment in time that passes by in the blink of an eye, photos often speak more than could ever be conveyed through words. There’s a story behind each face, place, moment and it’s a joy when you spot something, are able to frame it and click.

Photography is something I’ve always had an interest in and something that I’ve been taking more seriously over the past few years, leading me to buy a DSLR camera which I love. Admittedly, I was one of those snappy happy people when I was younger, with my first digital camera snapping everything in sight. Now, I’ve gained more perspective, patience and really soaking up each and every moment before holding up the camera to my eyes. It’s fun to go on adventures, both on my own or with friends and finding those simple moments in life, within the bigger scheme of things- raindrops falling on the ground, the wings of a butterfly, the vibrant colour of leaves in the fall and moments with family and friends.

I wanted to share four articles I stumbled upon over the last week that showcase some remarkable photos and the power of photography:

TIME Magazine’s Lightbox

I first learned about TIME Magazine’s Lightbox a few years ago and started following along on Tumblr. TIME Magazine is known for featuring some captivating photos and their weekly feature of photographs is no exception. A collection of snapshots from around the world, the photos allow us to see through the eyes of the photographer in a place, a moment, a world event. Last week’s photos covered everything from Remembrance Day to Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. I’d been following the news, but these photos helped me to fully understand the extent of damage in the Philippines and sorrow in peoples’ eyes of what had happened, the devastation and shock. Be sure to bookmark this weekly feature that offers a glimpse of world events.

“27 Surreal Places to Visit Before You Die” (Source: Buzzfeed)

This is a visually stunning compilation of some travel destinations, many of which are surreal and quite magnificent. Many of us, I’m sure, have a bucket list of things to do and places to go. There are definitely a few from here that you should add to the list! Among my favourites are numbers 2, 3, 6, 10, 11, 16, 19, 24 and 26. BuzzFeed is another site to pop on over to, they’ve always got fun articles on their site.

“15 Remarkable Colorized Photos Will Let You Relive History” (Source: Huffington Post)

Before the age of smartphone cameras, digital cameras and even colour film, there was a time where the world was seen in black and white. There’s definitely something about black and white film and photographs, almost an air of mysteriousness and curiousity, leaving a lot to the imagination to figure out things such as, what colour jacket is she wearing? What colour is the sky? This article showcases historical photos with a splash of colour that adds a completely new dynamic to them.

Kyle Thompson’s Self Portraits (Source: Viral Nova)

This is a fascinating read about a young man, Kyle Thompson, who uses the power of photography to overcome his social anxiety. Towards the beginning, he found himself in doubt, but eventually found his calling as he continued photographing himself and posting his self-portraits on Reddit, where his talents were discovered. This article takes you along his journey through a selection of his self-portraits, some of which he used most ordinary of materials for backdrops and special effects, to create something quite extraordinary. I admire Kyle for his innovative thinking and his incredibly moving portraits.

-Avishka