While sifting through thousands of news photos in the past week, TIME’s photo editors noticed a theme: umbrellas. From Mumbai to Manila, shots of people seeking cover from wet and windy weather seemed to be everywhere. And where the sun was out, umbrellas were there too to provide shade and shelter during the summer solstice on June 21 in the Northern Hemisphere. Here TIME presents a selection of recent images from the past few days.
June 17, 2012. A girl tries to recover her umbrella blowing away in the wind in Mumbai. Rafiq Maqbool—APJune 17, 2012. A couple cover themselves with an umbrella by the shore of the Arabian Sea during a rain in Mumbai. Rafiq Maqbool–APJune 19, 2012. A man struggles to control his umbrella against strong winds generated by typhoon Guchol in Tokyo. Franck Robichon–EPAJune 19, 2012. A woman carries a half-opened umbrella as she walks next to a wall surrounding the Forbidden City in central Beijing. David Gray–ReutersJune 16, 2012. A Filipino boy peers from the hole of his umbrella during a downpour in Manila bay.Dennis M. Sabangan–TEPAJune 21, 2012. Racegoers attend Ladies Day, the third day of racing at the Royal Ascot, southwest of London. Stefan Wermuth–Reuters June 21, 2012. Using umbrellas as goal posts, children play soccer after heavy rains in Taknaf, Bangladesh.Saurabh Das–APJune 19, 2012. A man with an umbrella struggles against heavy rain and wind caused by Typhoon Guchol in Tokyo. Issei Kato–ReutersJune 16, 2012. A man with an umbrella walks in front of the beach during a storm in Vila do Conde, Northern Portugal. Miguel Vidal–ReutersJune 14, 2012. A young pedestrian with a fish-themed umbrella does her best to stay dry while walking in Minneapolis. David Joles–Minneapolis Star Tribune/ZUMAPRESS.comJune 20, 2012. Vacationers stand in front of the wreckage of capsized cruise liner Costa Concordia near the harbour of Giglio Porto, Italy. Max Rossi–ReutersJune 25, 2012. A tennis fan queues up to get a ticket to day one of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 25, 2012 in London.Dan Kitwood—Getty Images
