In the desert surrounding a mercury mining ghost town, an ambitious band of misfits have built homes and cultivated a modern wild west. It’s a group brothers Noah and Tim Hussin felt drawn to during their two-year bicycle journey across America.

The self-proclaimed “Queen of Swords,” Natasha Veruschka, a multiple Guinness World Record holder for swallowing swords, is quite reserved for a woman who makes a living performing in front of hundreds of people around the globe.

While traveling in Greece, Dutch photographer Patrick van Dam noticed unfinished buildings and homes spotting the countryside. He had seen the photographs of people in despair due to the financial crisis in Greece, but he hadn’t seen this kind of structural beauty that had been born in the country’s troubles.

Aerial photographer Alex MacLean estimates he has spent about 6,000 hours in the sky photographing American farms. His unique perspective depicts the dramatically changing agricultural landscape in the U.S., something he has been drawn to since he started flying nearly 40 years ago.

In 2004, Christopher Nunn says he wasn't yet pursuing photography very seriously. Five years later his casual approach turned into something with much more of a purpose. He learned that his friend, world-renowned artist David Blackburn, was suffering from dementia. Nunn took on the task of telling his story.

Curator Pablo Monasterio went through a century and a half of images to organize the book “Mexican Portraits” by recurring themes, such as lucha libre wrestling or occupational portraits. He says the country's traditions come through in the photographs.

Not dissimilar to young girls playing dress up in their mothers’ clothes, Kyoko Hamada's self-portrait project evolved from a desire to dress the part of her older self, decades into the future. Unafraid to trade in her high heels for some oversized grandma gowns, the 40-year-old photographer started the series in May 2011.

London gang leader Jean-Claude asked photographer Adam Patterson to take his picture for an underground music studio. It turned into a photo project that Patterson believes helped Jean-Claude leave gang life behind. “I gained a good friend in Jean-Claude," Patterson said.