The 10 Best Photo Essays of the Month

September 1, 2015 5:00 AM EDT

This month’s Photojournalism Links collection highlights 10 excellent photo essays from across the world, including Tomas Munita‘s photographs from Gaza and Israel, made on assignment for the New York Times. The work, coinciding with the first anniversary of last year’s 50 day war between Israel and Palestinian militant groups, consists of eight innovative stop-motion-sequences which take us to the streets, hospitals, and homes on both sides of the conflict, and provide an immersive glimpse of how the two groups of communities are coping, one year after.

Tomas Munita: Walking in War’s Path (The New York Times)

Brent Stirton: Tracking Ivory: Terror in Africa | Ivory’s Human Toll (National Geographic) Two strong sets of images for National Geographic magazine’s latest cover story.

Lynsey Addario: Inside the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Diamond Mines (TIME LightBox) Terrific set of images looking at Congo’s diamond mining communities.

Andres Kudacki: Spain’s Housing Crisis (TIME LightBox) Powerful three-year project on the country’s home evictions, now on show at Visa pour l’Image photojournalism festival.

Mary Ellen Mark: New Orleans (CNN Money) The legendary photographer’s final assignment, done ahead of Hurricane Katrina’s 10th anniversary.

Daniel Etter: Hands Across Water (Al Jazeera America) Moving series on a small Sea-Watch ship, with a rotating crew of just eight volunteers, trying to save refugees and migrants in the Mediterranean.

Sergey Ponomarev: On Island of Lesbos, a Microcosm of Greece’s Other Crisis: Migrants (The New York Times) Dramatic photographs of refugees and migrants arriving to the Greek island.

Allison Joyce: Child Marriage Bangladesh (International Business Times) Heartbreaking pictures of a 15-year-old Bangladeshi girl’s wedding | See also Joyce’s other Bangladeshi child marriage series at Mashable.

Andrea Bruce: Romania’s Disappearing Girls (Al Jazeera America) The Noor photographer’s work shows how poverty and desperation drive Romanian girls into the arms of sex traffickers.

Matt Black: Geography of Poverty: Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 (MSNBC) Second and third chapters of the Magnum photographer’s ambitious project mapping poverty around the U.S.

Mikko Takkunen is an Associate Photo Editor at TIME. Follow him on Twitter @photojournalism.

Gaza war one year anniversary — The New York *Times*: *Walking in War’s Path*Shejaiya, the destroyed neighborhood abutting the border fence with Israel, in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, on Aug. 1, 2015. Tomas Munita—The New York Times/Redux

Tracking ivory national geographic — From the September issue of National Geographic magazine: *Tracking Ivory: Terror in Africa* Rangers practice their riding skills at Zakouma National Park, in Chad. The park has four mounted ranger teams because horses are the only way to effectively patrol during the wet season, when the elephants head to drier land outside the park.Brent Stirton—Getty Images Reportage for National Geographic

Diamond mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo — TIME LightBox: *Inside the Democratic Republic of Congo's Diamond Mines*Congolese miners working one of the thousands of artisanal mines that cover the southwest Democratic Republic of Congo, on Aug. 9, 2015. Lynsey Addario—Getty Images Reportage for TIME

Spain housing crisis — TIME LightBox: *Spain's Housing Crisis*Police break into Maria Isabel Rodriguez Romero's apartment to evict her family in Madrid. Sept. 2013.Andres Kudacki—AP

Katrina New Orleans — CNN Money: *New Orleans*Thom and Mom at home. Thom Schulingkamp, 26, lives with 4p-syndrome, which is a condition that causes delayed development. Thom’s family evacuated to Michigan while New Orleans recovered from Hurricane Katrina. They stayed there for eight years, waiting for a school to open to accommodate Thom’s special needs. He’s currently enrolled at St. Raphael Academy in New Orleans’ Irish ChannelMary Ellen Mark for CNN

Al Jazeera America: *Hands Across Water*The crew of the Sea-Watch assists migrants boarding the freight ship Shaya, Mediterranean Sea, on July 23, 2015. Daniel Etter for Al Jazeera America

People land in Lesbos, Greece. — The New York *Times*: *On Island of Lesbos, a Microcosm of Greece’s Other Crisis: Migrants*People land in Lesbos, Greece, on July, 27, 2015. Sergey Ponomarev—The New York Times/Redux

International Business Times: *Child Marriage Bangladesh*15 year old Nasoin Akhter is consoled by a friend on the day of her wedding to a 32 year old man, in Manikganj, Bangladesh, on Aug. 20, 2015.Allison Joyce—Getty Images

Since entering the EU and becoming a more popular tourist destination, Romania’s sex tourism industry and rates of human trafficking have increased significantly. The underground world of trafficking is a 3 billion dollar a year industry in Romania…beating all legal industries in this EU country. Romanian girls are in high demand. — Al Jazeera America: *Romania's Disappearing Girls*Since entering the EU and becoming a more popular tourist destination, Romania’s sex tourism industry and rates of human trafficking have increased significantly. Andrea Bruce—Noor

geography of poverty — MSNBC: *Geography of Poverty: Cancer Alley: Big Industry, Big Problems*Cancer Alley, Louisiana. Cancer Alley is an 85 mile stretch of over 200 petrochemical facilities beginning in Baton Rouge (25.4% poverty) stretching past New Orleans (27.3% poverty) and towards the coast. Matt Black—Magnum

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