![Sand dug from the seafloor of Lagos Lagoon is being used to reclaim land and to make the concrete blocks that many of the cities houses are made from.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/nigeria-lagos-sanddiggers.jpg?quality=85&w=2400)
Today’s daily Photojournalism Links collection highlights Robin Hammond‘s work on sandmining in Lagos, Nigeria, an urban hub that is Africa’s most populous metropolitan area. Most of the sand for the concrete used in construction comes from the bottom of the Lagos Lagoon. The photographs follow a group of sand diggers, who work like miners, except underwater. They navigate the lagoon on small boats, their sails constructed of rice sacks, and dig by hand before bringing their haul back ashore. Hammond’s striking pictures offer us a glimpse into the lives of those who play a crucial role in Lagos’ booming growth.
Robin Hammond: Life in Lagos: Building the City, One Bucket at a Time (National Geographic PROOF)
Andrew Testa: An Ancient Pastime With a Modern Twist (The New York Times) Fascinating series on camel racing with robots on their humps.
Amos Chapple: The Coldest Towns on Earth (The Wired Raw File) Shivering pictures from Russia’s Oymyakon and Yakutsk.
Matt Black: Almonds Suck California Dry (Mother Jones) These photographs capture California’s nut boom—in the midst of an epic drought.
Rian Dundon: A Homecoming in Oakland (TIME LightBox) The photographer documents his native California after having spent years away.
![Sand dug from the seafloor of Lagos Lagoon is being used to reclaim land and to make the concrete blocks that many of the cities houses are made from.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/nigeria-lagos-sanddiggers.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![A camel rider alongside two camels equipped with robot jockeys before a race in Abu Dhabi. A camel rider alongside two camels equipped with robot jockeys before a race in Abu Dhabi.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/camel-racing-robot-jockeys-united-arab-emirates.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![This staunch little van would carry us the two days from Yakutsk to Oymyakon. The soviet-era Uazik vans are popular in deep Siberia for their resistance to cold, and industrial-sized heater in the passenger compartment.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/poleofcold03.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Well workers. Alpaugh, California. Well workers. Alpaugh, California.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/california-drought-matt-black.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Rap Groupies. Santa Cruz, 2012. Rap Groupies. Santa Cruz, 2012.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/rian-dundon1.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
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