Given an assignment to document the effects of Hurricane Katrina on the Louisiana coastline, photographer Kael Alford turned it into a five-year endeavor to reconnect with a portion of her heritage.

With the assistance of a commission from the High Museum in Atlanta, Alford explored the birthplace of her maternal grandmother that is still home of the Native American families from which Alford descended.

Hit hard by Katrina and again by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the marshlands of Louisiana are in trouble. The coastline is eroding, threatening the ecosystem as well as a way of life.

Through her work, Alford strives to show the human side of the problem. Bill Boling, the publisher of her upcoming book from the project, “Bottom of 'da Boot,” says Alford has “this unflinching eye that is also a loving eye and able to see the beauty and dignity of the people that are facing these challenges.”

Boling sees Alford’s work as both journalistic and artistic, which allows her to tell the story of Louisiana with depth.

“It tells a broader, deeper story about what’s happening to these people but also what’s happening to our coastline,” Boling said. "I mean, this is really a microcosm for a bigger issue.”

Before Louisiana, Alford spent an extended amount of time covering wars, including as an independent journalist in Iraq who didn’t embed with the Army. Boling attributes her ability to connect to people to this experience.

“She’s able to (capture photographs) in a way that shows the dignity of the people,” he explained. “She’s able to show the challenges they’re facing. And I think that probably comes from her seeing humans in war settings and very difficult situations.”

Alford also has a personal connection to Louisiana and the people who lived there. Her maternal grandmother was born in the area, linking Alford and the current residents by a bond of blood, a connection that – coupled with five years of repeat visits – allowed her to connect with her subjects.

“Even though these aren’t people she grew up with or she doesn’t know them as immediate family members, she knows that she’s from this tribe, so to speak. So there’s that poignancy of that personal connection. Kael is showing us this impact through the lens of the human beings, their homes,” Boling said.

Boling feels that Alford’s work can inspire people to take action to help those struggling with the erosion of Louisiana’s coast.

“I think that (Alford) would want you to feel that these are our neighbors,” he said. “That we as their neighbors ought to want to help out. I think that you can’t look at all these pictures without saying, ‘Wow, this is really an amazing place. These people are very special, and we should try to do something to help them if we can.’ That’s what I feel when I look at them.”

– Cody McCloy, CNN

Captions:

1. Kirstin Guidry stands on the prow of her grandfather's skiff on the lawn of their house on Isle de Jean Charles.

2. Joseph and Jamon Jackson play in the bayou on Isle de Jean Charles.

3. The wall inside Jake Billiot's front door displays Native American imagery, a "Native American Prayer" and "Native American Commandments" in Pointe-aux-Chenes, Louisiana.

4. Walton Dardar Jr. stands in front of his home on Isle de Jean Charles. It was lifted by the floodwaters of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike and grounded on a levee a few hundred feet from its foundations.

5. Edison Dardar’s shrimp with “bycatch,” or fish caught unintentionally, on Isle de Jean Charles.

6. A house sits at the southern edge of Louisiana outside the levee protection system in Leeville.

7. Jacob Walker shows off his tattoo of Louisiana State and the phrase "Bottom of the Boot" to describe his geographical home on Isle de Jean Charles.

8. The predominately Native American community of Isle de Jean Charles faces the increased threat of hurricanes due to coastal erosion.

9. A collage of ministers at the Live Oak Baptist Church in Pointe-aux-Chenes, Louisiana.

10. A signs marks an area that was once settled and still contains sacred burial mounds on ridges accessible only by boat.  An absorbent boom helps protect the land from contamination after the BP oil spill.

11. A woman sits with her twins in Pointe-aux-Chenes, Louisiana.

12. A sign at the entrance to Isle de Jean Charles reflects one resident’s anxiety about the potential loss of native land.

Winning the contest opened doors for him to meet boxing coach Fred Wilson, a blue-collar worker striving to make a difference for the at-risk youth in his neighborhood.

“Coach Fred stood out as a pinnacle in the middle of a very dangerous area,” Suau said.

Whenever Wilson saw drugs being sold in front of his house, he would scare the customers away. The father of five confronted one seller and the “kid,” as Wilson refers to him in Suau’s film “Fighting Back,” apologized. He saw “some hope in that kid” and began teaching him to box in his basement.

Through word of mouth, the training expanded from a couple guys to something Wilson’s basement couldn’t handle. The team began meeting at the local YMCA.

“(Wilson) and the boxers are dedicated,” Suau said. It’s “a surprising dedication to make it work among the poverty and violence.”

As he continued taking pictures, Suau fell in love with the kids. He believes many of them just need guidance and direction to do the right thing. And while they may be very playful at times, it’s serious business once they’re in the ring.

Suau, president and co-founder of the photography and journalism collective Facing Change, focused his lens on boxer Deloren Grey, who won his division at the Ohio State Fair tournament in July.

Grey lives in a bad part of town, and photographing him in the courtyard was dangerous, Suau said. But that’s the life many of these boxers lead growing up in unsafe neighborhoods. Wilson lost one of his students to gunshots near the boxer’s house.

Suau sees the value of Coach Fred’s efforts to keep the youth off the streets.

“He could really save some kids, save some lives,” Suau said. “People have hopes and dreams of getting out somehow. Boxing may be a way to get out.”

– Elizabeth I. Johnson, CNN

Watch Anthony Suau’s film “Fighting Back” and view his related projects, Saving Cleveland 2012 and Fighting Foreclosure Blight.

Captions:

1. Coach Fred Wilson, left, talks to boxer Deloren Grey at the 2011 Ohio State Fair boxing championship on July 28.

2. Grey trains with Wilson in the Days Inn parking lot the night before the championship.

3. Twenty-six-year-old Grey holds his 3-week-old son outside his home.

4. Young people walk past an abandoned property in East Cleveland in June.

5. Boxers jab in the ring on July 21.

6. After winning three rounds, Grey’s teammates and coach congratulate him. Grey went on to win the state title in his weight division.

7. A house is boarded up in East Cleveland in 2008. Foreclosures and evictions have forced many families in the area from their homes.

8. Members of Wilson’s boxing team hold signs advertising a car wash to raise money for a trip to Columbus.

9. Coach Fred offers boxing advice in the gym.

10. To celebrate Grey’s championship victory, the team orders pizza in their hotel room.

11. Continuing to prepare, Grey takes some swings in the parking lot before his match.

“As a documentary photographer, you often work in environments you don’t control with deadline parameters and editorial needs,” Abdulaziz explains. “She gave me absolute freedom to shoot the way I felt.”

His approach to shooting with the band involves taking each musician with a blank slate. He engages in their stories while taking time to share his. According to Abdulaziz, his method of no pressure and lack of forced poses “creates a distinct atmosphere to bring back a photograph from.”

“So I watch their movements, see if there’s any tics or habits they have when they stand or look at the camera.” Abdulaziz continues. “Sometimes I feel a bit guilty, because I’ll point my camera then they pose but wont take a picture. Then, when they return to the moment, I get my photograph.”

Abdulaziz is often subject to dealing with preparations through a musician’s publicist. Restrictions may include a 30-minute window, which forces him into a tighter deadline to get acquainted with the band.

“The larger musicians generally want to be shot in luxurious hotel rooms but I haven’t an interest in that,” he says. He prefers to engage with musicians in much more interesting places.

On a quick turnaround, he’ll default to digital, but when he wants “a bit more magic” he’ll explore with film.

“I’m trying to photograph as though I’m in a river of moments and I’m being carried by the current,” he says of using film. To get the same feeling with digital, Abdulaziz covers the back screen “as reminder to ignore what I’m producing and stay in the moment.”

Abdulaziz is embracing Berlin’s character, but what he’s learned is that “music is appreciated at such a high level by people here.” He adds that “they don’t just listen, they live through the music.”

He plans to portray Berlin using music photography as a passport, which allows him to experience the city while documenting its inhabitants.

“My idea is to combine my own vibe of Berlin, the summer months and the music scenes together to make you feel both in front of the stage, behind it and on the outskirts.”

– Tim Lampe, CNN

Captions:

1. The Black Keys on the balcony of their hotel at Rosa-Luxemburg-Straße in Mitte.

2. Santigold at the posh Lux 11 hotel in Mitte.

3. James Mercer of The Shins takes his morning coffee on the floor of his hotel room at the Westin Grand.

4. Marina and the Diamonds at a hotel in Mitte.

5. Crocodiles, a noise-pop band from San Diego, walk along the water in Kreuzberg.

6. Canadian musician Grimes in the back room of the Michelberger Hotel in Friedrichshain.

7. German electronic duo Mouse on Mars in Karlshorst.

8. German band Frittenbude behind a venue they would play near Karl-Marx Allee in central Berlin.

9. Legendary German punk band Die Ärzte (The Doctors) at Volt Restaurant along the Landwehr Canal in Kreuzberg.

10. Norwegian musician Sandra Kolstad cradles a statue in Helmholtzplatz in Prenzlauer Berg.

11. Torsun Burkhardt takes a cigarette break among the flowers along Frankfurter Allee in Friedrichshain.

12. Turntablerocker at the Thomilla Burchia Studio, Arkonahöfe in Prenzlauer Berg.

13. German group Super 700 before a gallery visit at the Espace Surplus in central Berlin.

14. Electronic musician Clark in the yard of his apartment in Prenzlauer Berg.

15. The German band Deichkind at their record label’s building in Friedrichshain.

But this time was different. He was there to cover Performance Freediving International’s Deja Blue III, an annual competition that ended Thursday. He would witness iron-lung athletes exploit their bodies to break breath-holding records.

It was Mock-Bunting’s first time attending the event, and he knew he had to document it without scuba gear.

“The experience is just as important as the shot,” he said. “I would have felt a little hypocritical any other way.”

Besides staying true to the sport, diving without the added equipment allowed him to be more agile in the water and keep out of the way as much as possible.

“So much of freediving is mental preparation, and the last thing people want is to have their concentration or meditation interrupted by a camera in their face,” he said.

Deep below the ocean surface, a diver’s heart rate drops, their lungs compress, and blood rushes to their heart and brain. The best competitors are trained to relax and overcome the urge to turn around.

Nick Mevoli, a relative newcomer to the sport, set a U.S. men’s national record on the second day of the weeklong competition. Propelling himself with a monofin, he descended just over 298 feet, about the distance of a 30-story skyscraper.

During another event two days later, Mevoli blacked out while ascending with 80 feet to go. After he was rescued, he woke up spitting blood from a tear in his lungs.

It may seem like freedivers are flirting with death, but Mock-Bunting says they are far from reckless.

The athletes are followed by safety divers and remain tethered to a counterweight system that can quickly bring them back to the surface, where a medical team is on hand.

“Ultimately, it’s the professionalism and constant training of these staff that give the athletes the utmost confidence that they can push their limits and work at top levels,” Mock-Bunting said. “The system around them is so strong.”

– Brett Roegiers, CNN

Captions:

1. Nick Mevoli walks up a dive-line while preparing for competition. "It is something I do to relax," he said.

2. Safety diver Garo Jack Hachigian submerges before an event to acclimate to the water.

3. Nick Melovi's blood floats on the surface after a blackout.

4. Many divers exhale just before breaking the surface so they can immediately inhale.

5. Ashley Chapman begins a record-setting dive of 63 meters. Two days later she broke her own record by two meters.

6. Safety divers rescue Nick Mevoli after his blackout.

7. Steve Benson exhales after setting a new U.S. men's record for static apnea, holding his breath for 7 minutes, 43 seconds.

8. Athletes and staff warm up with shallow dives and exercises before the competition.

9. The crew assembles the dive rig, a free-floating counterweight system.

10. Freedivers prepare for the start of an event.

11. Nick Mevoli coughs and spits up blood from a tear in his lungs.

12. Safety divers point for Steve Benson to stay near the dive line as he ascends.

13. Carolina Schrappe lies unconscious after a shallow-water blackout. She was quickly revived and competing again the next day.

14. Nick Mevoli begins his 91-meter dive to break a national record.

15. Ashley Chapman celebrates her record-setting dive to 65 meters without fins.

“It’s very much continuing with the same people, but the next generation,” he said.

He doesn’t imagine the class system will change, and he finds it “slightly comforting that somehow something very, very British is going on,” he said.

Visiting age-old gatherings, such as horse races, polo cup finals, weddings and charity events, Hogg captures the essence of high British society. The likes of Pippa Middleton, Prince Harry, Prince Charles and musician Ronnie Wood appear within the pages of his book, confirming the exclusivity of many of the events he attended.

“I was surprised at how much I enjoyed myself,” Hogg said. “It’s always about what’s there, about capturing reality by getting as close as possible.”

Within his images, unseen by the casual viewer, may lie a strange face, lover’s embrace or minute detail adding depth to the project.

To research for the Thomas Pink-sponsored project, Hogg said he watched 1940s British films, drawing the most inspiration from actor Trevor Howard. Of course, knowing the system and the Season influenced him, as well.

His year-long project reveals something those outside of Great Britain might not normally see, as the English tend to come across very reserved, he said.

“You think, ‘They must be doing it for the camera,’“ he said. “But they’re not.”

In a nutshell, he said, the project is about “the British entertainment.”

– Elizabeth I. Johnson, CNN

Headshot photo by Marcus Dawes

Captions:

1. A guest drives a go-cart at the St. Edmond’s College May Ball during Cambridge May Week in Cambridge on June 12, 2011.

2. Participants dance at the Port Eliot Festival in St. Germans on July 23, 2011. Though primarily a literary festival, it includes such events as the one-minute disco every hour on the hour.

3. Attendees take a break during the St. Edmond’s College May Ball.

4. Children take an ice cream break at the Prescott Speed Hill Climb in Gotherington on August 7, 2011. The Prescott Speed Hill Climb was established by the Bugatti Owner’s Club in 1938 and is held several times a year.

5. The Royal Caledonian Ball, hosted by the Duchess of Argyll at Grosvenor House in London, features a strict dress code: women must wear long gowns with tartan sashes, and men must wear kilts with sporrans

6. Women perform at a private wedding in Carne on June 4, 2011.

7. A group of girls attends the Harrow v. Eton Varsity Polo Match in Ascot on June, 11, 2011.

8. Riders participate in the Vale of the White Horse Hunt in Wiltshire on January 14.

9. Crew members attend the Henley Royal Regatta on July 1, 2011, in Oxfordshire. Men in attendance are encouraged to wear striped blazers with straw boater hats.

10. Revelers dance at Tatler magazine’s pajama party at Claridge’s Hotel in London on July 7, 2011.

11. Vintage bicycles are the preferred mode of transportation on April 9, 2011, at the Tweed Run, an annual charity event held in London.

12. Members of the Jack in the Green group campaign for the preservation of the May Day bank holiday outside the Houses of Parliament in London on April 11, 2011.

13. A man checks the underside of a Ferrari at the Concours d’Elegance, a competition for pristine cars at Hurlingham Club in London on July 28, 2011.

14. A girl catapults a tomato as one of many festivities at the One World, One Chutney festival at Neidpath Castle in Tweed Valley on October 22, 2011.

15. Guests enjoy the gardens at the Glyndebourne Festival Opera in East Sussex on August 23, 2011.

16. People dance at the ceilidh after the Glenisla Highland Games in Forter, Scotland on August 19, 2011. Ceilidh is the original term for any social gathering, but it evolved into a venue for courtship in rural Scotland.

17. People dance at the Boujis After Racing Party during Royal Ascot at Berkshire on June 17, 2011. Royal Ascot is described as "the centerpiece of the British social calendar."

Kranitz, like traditional photographers of the past, injected herself into the lives of her subjects.

“The compulsion to explore and immerse myself in others’ lives is a desire deeply embedded inside me,” Kranitz said about her approach.

Hoping to demystify the stereotypes she came across, she titled the long-term project "Regression to the mean."

“[It] is a term used to define a phenomenon in statistical analysis. If a variable is extreme on its first measurement, it will tend to be closer to the average on its second measurement,” she says in her artist statement. "This concept outlines my process, which requires many visits in order to gain a photographic series of images that averages these extremes."

In order to afford spending so much time in the region, Kranitz says she slept in her car and took showers at truck stops and campgrounds. She woke up early and went to bed late.

“In the summer, it stays light until 9 p.m., so my days are long,” she said. “I wander around looking for people to talk to: families on their porch, teenagers in parking lots. I’ve wandered into rehab centers and coal mines.”

She doesn’t expect the project to end soon.

“I am at the very beginning of a long process that is likely to take many years,” Kranitz said. “ The beginning is the wonderful part where I still have no idea what I will focus my lens on. Everything is interesting. Nothing is excluded.”

– Robert Johnson and Matthew Rond, CNN

Captions:

1. A young boy holds onto a rope at a swimming hole Dowelltown, Tennessee.

2. A coal miner leaves work in Feds Creek, Kentucky.

3. A pig is presented at a live animal auction in Somerset, Kentucky.

4. A church is viewed at night along a highway in Kentucky.

5. Children play in Parkersburg, West Virginia.

6. Churchgoers take part in a foot washing ceremony in Garner, Kentucky.

7. Members of the Ku Klux Klan burn a cross at a rally in Virginia.

8. Morning fog in Big Stone Gap, Virginia.

9. Children play in the living room of their home in Huntington, West Virginia.

10. Congregants lay hands on a member of an Old Regular Baptist church in Martin, Kentucky.

11. A man competes in a demolition derby in Marietta, Ohio.

12. A Native American dressed in traditional clothing takes a break from dancing in front of a gas station in Cherokee, North Carolina.

13. A couple embraces in Marietta, Ohio.

14. A snake handler addresses the congregation during a church service in Jolo, West Virginia.

15. A woman in Martinsville, Virginia.

16. Women wade at a swimming hole in Dowelltown, Tennessee.

Motivated to further help and bring attention to those with the disease, the Los Angeles-based photographer decided to photograph portraits of those with CF.

“I felt by creating these dark, dramatic but silent and pretty images it would hopefully draw some attention (to the disease),” he said.

Cystic fibrosis, an inherited chronic disease, affects the lungs and digestive system. A defective gene and the protein it creates cause the body to produce abnormally thick, sticky mucus which clogs the lungs, leading to life-threatening lung infections. It also obstructs the pancreas, stopping natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food.

Most of the people Monk photographed are between the ages of 3 and 8, but some are teenagers and adults.

“They were wonderful,” Monk said of his subjects, adding that they were mature and happy. He witnessed touching exchanges of love between the kids and their parents. The experience, for Monk, was uplifting.

Monk decided to include the treatment apparatus within the portrait. The nebulizer delivers inhaled antibiotics that thin the building mucus in the lungs. The vest helps clear the airways inside the patient’s lungs by loosening the mucus.

Approximately 30,000 people suffer from Cystic Fibrosis in the United States. The life expectancy of those living with the disease is less than 40 years old.

“They would look right at me,” he said, talking about the people in his portraits. “I could feel a chill running through me at certain times.”

Roughly one in every 31 Americans carries this defective gene but do not have the disease.

“I wanted to do something good with my photography,” Monk said. “I wanted to help out in some way.”

– Matthew Rond, CNN

May is National Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month. You can help by donating to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation or by participating in a Great Strides fundraising event. You can also follow the CF Foundation on Facebook and Twitter.

Nearly all CF treatments available today have been made possible in part because of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. You can view their drug development pipeline for a better understanding of the treatments available as well as those still under development.

Captions:

1. Taylor Sage Ross, 11, of Irvine, California, wants to be a marine biologist, pro surfer or owner of an animal rescue center when she grows up.

2. Nine-year-old Deven Stewart loves corndogs and aspires to mix cake and corn dogs, he said.

3. Ginger Blue Sampson, 3, enjoys playing princess. Her favorite color is blue.

4. Mason Rogers’ favorite meal is chicken nuggets with ranch. When he grows up, “I wanna be a daddy,” the four year old said.

5. Older brother of Deven (image 2), Zoen Stewart rides a BMX bike and works on projects with his dad.

6. Eight-year-old Brooke Montelone enjoys reading, and it helps her pass the time during treatments. She also enjoys surfing.

7. Michael Dean Lawrence wants to be a trash man or a doctor when he grows up, the four year old said.

8. Cassidy Mitchell, 8, loves rice with soy sauce and hopes to become a teacher some day.

9. Sister of Deven (image 2) and Zoen (image 5), Raven Stewart likes strawberry ice cream, macaroni and cheese and the color pink.

10. The oldest sibling in his family to have cystic fibrosis, nine-year-old Michael Montelone wants to be a surfer or an architect when he grows up.

11. Michael’s (image 10) little brother, Gavin Montelone, 6, wants to be a king or a police officer when he grows up. If he could have one wish, he’d wish for “100 more wishes so I could wish for no more CF and ice cream and all that.”

12. Madi Sherrick, 9, loves to draw, eat orange chicken and write stories. When she grows up, she wants to be a veterinarian.

“Everywhere I pointed the camera, there was a photograph waiting there,“ said Clinch of the celebrated jazz performance hall.

The Preservation Hall is a worn-in music venue on St. Peter Street in the heart of the New Orleans’ French Quarter. Allan and Sandra Jaffe started the Hall, a former art gallery, in 1961 simply as a place for musicians to gather.

Decades later, people spend hours in a line that snakes out onto the street for a seat or a spot on the floor in the 600-square-foot venue that holds about 65 people.

“There’s not really a bad seat. There’s definitely good seats where you’re sitting in the lap of these people,” Clinch said of the intimate venue. There is no alcohol or food; patrons come just to hear the music.

Dozens of musicians have rotated in and out of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band over the years.

“The band has traveled worldwide spreading their mission to nurture and perpetuate the art form of New Orleans Jazz. Whether performing at Carnegie Hall or Lincoln Center, for British Royalty or the King of Thailand, this music embodies a joyful, timeless spirit,” according to its website.

Clinch met Allan and Sandra’s son Ben Jaffe in 2005 at a Radio City Music Hall benefit for musicians displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

Clinch and Jaffe, the band’s creative director and tuba player, became close friends. Jaffe invited Clinch to show his work at the hall during the 2012 New Orleans Jazz Festival.

Much like the improvisations of the jazz that fills the Hall, Clinch captured the spirit of the hall using a variety of formats and film, ranging from Leica, Hasselblad and Polaroid to 8×10, Tintype and digital.

“I’m not sure there is another place in the world that you can see this music in such an amazing setting,” Clinch remembers telling a patron who was visiting from England.

“The whole thing is about the spirit of Preservation Hall. If you go there, the place has so much history and character. The vibe is so thick, even as an empty space, you can feel so much spirit.”

The Silver and Brass exhibit opens there at midnight May 4 and runs through May 11. Clinch’s group, The Tangiers Blues Band, will play at the opening.

– Robert Johnson, CNN

Captions:

1. Charlie Gabriel with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band in 2010

2. Ronnie Numbers in 2006

3. A tuba in the Preservation Hall in 2010

4. My Morning Jacket with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band in 2010

5. Ma Maison in 2011

6. Little Bo Dollis of The Wild Magnolias in 2005

7. Jim James of My Morning Jacket in 2011

8. The Preservation Hall Jazz Band at Bonnaroo in 2011

9. Trumpeter Mark Braud in 2010

10. Trombonist Freddie Lonzo in 2010

11. Drummer Joe Lastie Jr. in 2010

12. Dr. John in 2004

13. The Preservation Hall Jazz Band in 2011

14. The Preservation Hall in 2010

Ten photographers (eight are featured) from different backgrounds display their imagery on the walls of the Alice Austen House, in Staten Island, New York, which was the home of the photographer of the same name - until she lost it to the bank in the 1940s.

“It’s an installation within itself,” said Paul Moakley, deputy photo editor at Time and curator of the piece.

The exhibition, called “Foreclosed: Documents from the American Housing Crisis,” ranges from photojournalism to fine art photography, with each photographer’s interpretation representing the housing crisis.

A sense of hopelessness can be seen within the imagery as homeowners are evicted, yards are unkempt and empty rooms remind of empty bank accounts.

John Moore, a photojournalist with Getty Images, spent three years covering the crisis, starting in 2009. He went along with the sheriff’s department in Colorado as eviction orders were executed. Upon arrival, he always asked permission to document each eviction, he said. It surprised him how willing and open people were to him.

“It’s a hard story to tell,” Moore said. “Facts, figures and statistics don’t come anywhere close to telling the emotional story of millions of Americans who have been removed from their homes.”

Moakley said the exhibition looks like two different bodies of work, but the story is the same.

“It’s a good time to evaluate the housing bubble,” Moakley said. “It’s been six years since people started making work on this topic; you can begin to see a slight improvement.”

– Elizabeth I. Johnson, CNN

The Alice Austen House is up for a $100,000 grant from American Express. Voting ends on May 22.

Captions:

1. One-year-old Chase Milam watches as an eviction team removes household goods during a foreclosure in late 2011. Photo by John Moore/Getty Images

2. Mary Ann Smith collects her belongings after an eviction team removed them from her Colorado home in 2009. Smith said she and her husband had been renting the home, but the owner had not been paying the mortgage. Photo by John Moore/Getty Images

3. Katrina Scott’s family lost its Atlanta home to foreclosure. Photo by Brian Shumway/Redux

4. An empty home in Pittsburgh, a neighborhood in Atlanta. Photo by Brian Shumway/Redux

5. Untitled from the series “Just a Dream.” Photo by John Francis Peters

6.  A foreclosure contractor relaxes in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in 2009. Photo by T.J. Proechel

7. A mattress sits in a room on 11th Avenue in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in 2008. Photo by T.J. Proechel

8. A house remains unfinished outside of Fresno, California, in 2010. Photo by Bruce Gilden/Magnum Photos

9. A swimming pool sits behind an empty house near Fresno, California, in 2010. Photo by Bruce Gilden/Magnum Photos

10. Christine Baker lives in her van in North Fort Myers, Florida, in 2008 after losing her home. Photo by Bruce Gilden/Magnum Photos

11. A house in “Foreclosure Alley,” a nickname for the Inland Empire in Southern California, is seen in 2009. Photo by Guillaume Zuili/Agence Vu

12. A home for sale with dead grass sits next door to a house with a well-kept yard in the Rosetta Canyon development in Lake Elsinore, California. Photo by Lauren Greenfield/Institute

British photographer Charles Ommanney spent almost a decade covering the White House during the terms of U.S. presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. While he had access to the country's commanders in chief, his lens often gravitated toward the body guards.

"If you are with the president, you are with the Secret Service," Ommanney said. "They stand out and often actually lend themselves to composition."

But being around the agents for so many years didn't allow him to build relationships with them. He knew one of Bush's body guards because they went to the same tailor, but he said fraternizing with the photographers was not part of their daily routine.

Access to the president was always carefully controlled with details specifically planned, including where Ommanney and the other photographers were allowed to stand, for how long and at what time.

"You literally cannot move freely," he said.

There were compensatory perks, too: Never standing in a check-in or immigrations line. Never worrying about bags or hotel arrangements.

"There is simply no comparison," Ommanney said. "There are sacrifices for sure... (but) it's a wonderful experience, and I found being assigned to the White House absolutely fascinating."

– Elizabeth I. Johnson, CNN

Captions:

1. Backstage before presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama speaks at a town hall meeting at the Behrend College in Erie, Pennsylvania, in April 2008.

2. A campaign stop in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, in April 2008 featured speeches by Obama and Sen. Bob Casey.

3. Photographer Charles Ommanney captured his journey with President George W. Bush while attached to the White House for Newsweek magazine.

4. A temporary podium and microphone sit on the tarmac before Bush speaks about an airline bombing plot in Britain in August 2006 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

5. Obama speaks at the Grosser Stern in Tiergarten on July 2008 in Berlin.

6. A Secret Service agent waits before Obama’s town hall at E.C. Glass High School in Lynchburg, Virginia, in August 2008.

7. Bush arrives on Air Force One at Fort Irwin, California, in April 2007.

8. A Secret Service agent stands guard at an Obama event in the Mary Welsh Elementary School gymnasium in Williamsburg, Iowa, in December 2007.

9,10, 13. This photo is part of a series Ommanney took between 2001 and 2008.

11. President Obama greets supporters after stepping off Air Force One in February 2009 at Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station in North Carolina.

12. A Secret Service agent keeps an eye out as Obama speaks at a campaign event at Newton Senior High School in December 2007 in Newton, Iowa.

14. A Secret Service agent attends an Obama meeting December 2007 in Fort Madison, Iowa

15. Obama appears at a rally at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte in November 2008.

16. A Secret Service agent guards Bush's motorcade route in October 2007 in Pinellas Park, Florida.