What I perceive here (accurately or not) is someone who usually keeps to the fringes of events suddenly finding himself very much in the middle of something bewildering and scary.

I debated for quite some time on whether to include this picture while editing for our slideshow covering Ashoura.(http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16892815/) Photographically this picture captured an emotional moment but I was also shocked at seeing this picture because I had to ask myself how a parent could do this to their child. At the same time I felt I needed to set aside my personal opinions and not pass judgment out of respect for another cultures customs. So after stepping back I decided to keep this photo in my edit because I felt that it helped to tell the visual story of Ashoura.

Sandstorms usually show up in photos as a brown-orange cast to everything in the frame. But the photographer's flash shows the flying grains here, and creates nice separation between the colorful and amused women in the foreground and a monochromatic scene beyond them.

I like the sweet -- and possibly awe-inspiring -- moment captured in this young girl's face, as well as the detail of the dainty way the girl is holding Camilla's hand, a contrast to our typical hearty American hand shakes.

He's been growing his hair for so long that I wonder if it would change his balance if he cut it all off.

I'm amazed by the effort it must have taken to kick a skateboard over 3,000 miles. According to a news report, he suffered his only accident just two miles from the finish, tripping over a pothole while cruising at about 25 mph.

It is really remarkable how disciplined these dogs are, and Im wondering if the trainer could perform the same tasks as the dog he is training?LOL!

Weather features are usually hard to find and photograph but this one really stood out. I didn't even see the duck at first and the reflection totally drew me in.

I wonder if this photographer has an easy time when asking people to smile.

I can feel this picture. Honestly, my nasal membranes would have to be very seriously inflamed before Id let anyone stick a couple of bees on my face. Ever been stung by a bee? No thanks.

This picture is all about moment. I've seen plenty of pictures of coaches getting doused with ice water at the end of the game; but this is is special. There's no indication on Coach Smith's face that he's getting doused. The shutter went off just before the moment of realization.

Sometimes everything comes together in a picture...composition, moment, focus, exposure. It's awesome to get all these things working for you at once, but it's even better when you've got amazing light to add to the mix. This picture, when I maximized it to full screen on my monitor, blew me away. It's tack-sharp and the exposure was just long enough to let us see the movement of the snow. The light is hitting Reggie Bush from the front, back and side and works beautifully with the night sky.

The look of joy on this woman's face just makes me smile. The reality of nursing homes can be so bleak, and it looks as though this may be the case here judging by some of the expressions of the other women, but I love that if even for a few minutes this social worker was able to take Ms. Melendez by the hand and make her holiday that much brighter. Having said all of that - it breaks my heart that the photographer wasn't able to get that one foot in the frame! But the rest of the composition and the moment that was captured still made this an eye grabber for me.

This image has so much working for it; the light, the twisted tree rising out of the smoky background, the hot coals letting up steam under the man's feet, the beauty of his body language, tired but determined, fighting this disaster with his bright blue bucket. Photographically, it is a beautiful image of a devastating event. It was one of the least graphic images that moved, but I feel it says so much about those that survived, rather than being another of the many images of charred bodies that we unfortunately see far too regularly.

OK, I know this is supposed to be a discussion about photography, but in this case, I want to talk about sweat. I've seen sweat fly before, captured by speedy camera shutters. But it's more unusual to see it take shape like it did here, apparently following the line of Nadal's movement. I like it when still photography, by freezing motion, helps us see things that our eyes wouldn't be able to detect.

I was drawn to this image because at first glance, it's a timeless scene of farming. But then you notice the modern twist of the farmer's 4x4 leading the obedient line of sheep to their next destination.

Good photojournalists are in the business of predicting as much as they are in the business of responding. I wonder how long Stefano Rellandini had to wait from the time he recognized the potential of this scene until the moment the skier entered the frame.

We saw a lot of pictures of the comet this week, but this one is my favorite. David Lillo's time exposure must have been quite long. You can see star streaks in the sky. That is how much the earth turned while his shutter was open!

Sometimes its what a photographer chooses to leave outside the frame that makes a picture really successful. To me, Andrejs Strokins has done just that in this striking image from Latvia. Now Im just guessing, but I bet there were other visual elements of city life in the scene (cars, buildings, etc.), but by framing the picture with nothing save the man, the water and the drain we get a stunning and thought-provoking image. This photo, by the way, also made it into our Week in Pictures this week.

While the endlessness of this task provides some job security, I wonder if there's any satisfaction in clearing trash that continues to collect day after day.

When I first looked at this photo I only saw the trees and helmet - and it took a few seconds for me to focus on the soldier - and then it took me a few more seconds to see that he was kissing the boots of a soldier killed in Iraq - and the soldier happened to be his brother. It really struck a nerve and I felt compelled to share it.

This image of the St. Louis Arch has a wonderful combination of jagged, organic lines and smooth, man-made lines. I also like the contrast of light and dark areas of the frame, and the near absence of color. If you've never been to the Arch, it's totally worth the trip. Did you know you can ride a tram, inside the arch, to the top? At 630 feet, it's the tallest inhabitable structure in St. Louis.

While flying to Detroit for the recent auto show (slideshow: www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16515392) I saw this pattern in a Michigan field. I guess it's pretty flat down there, but the snow creates a quilt-like illusion of depth. Do any readers know if central Michigan is flatter than it looks here?

This image struck me because just yesterday on the wires I saw a mug shot of an Air Force staff sergeant who had been suspended of her duties for posing in Playboy. So it's alright for a woman to be a sex object at a military event, but not in a magazine? Interesting. In any case, I'm glad these soldiers are able to find time for some fun over there.

This is great. I sure hope that I'm hoopin' it up when I'm a grandma.