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Portrait photography and photojournalism are two potentially intense and powerful art forms that don't always get the recognition they deserve, so we thought we should show you some of the most powerful and diverse portraits of people around the world that we've ever seen.
Both the faces of the people in these photos and their contexts speak volumes about the people pictured and the worlds they live in. Some can be unimaginably and even horrifically different from ours, while other once-exotic worlds seem to grow closer and more interconnected with our own. Though they are only photos, looking into their eyes can still give us a feeling of connection.
If you have a powerful portrait that you think should be added to this collection, please don't hesitate to add it and vote for your favorites as well.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Yezidi Girl Carries An Assault Rifle To Protect Her Family Against ISIS
RELATED:
#2
Somayeh Mehri (29) And Her Daughter Rana Afghanipour (3) Give Each Other A Kiss. After Being Disfigured In An Acid Attack, They Say Others Don’t Like To Kiss Them
#3
A Boy Rescues His Sister From Underneath The Rubble Of Their Home In Syria
#4
Heart Surgeon After 23-Hour-Long (Successful) Heart Transplant. His Assistant Is Sleeping
DorotaDorotaki 10 years ago
This is Zbigniew Religa - legendary Polish heart surgeon. He died in 2009. There is a movie about his life made last year - 'Bogowie' (Gods)
#5
Diego Frazão Torquato, A 12-Year-Old Brazilian, Playing Violin At His Teacher’s Funeral
#6
Little Guarani Girl Holds On Tight To A Dead Rat
#7
Egyptian Woman Kisses A Policeman That Refused To Fire On Protestors
#9
This Girl Survived 11 Days In A Siberian Forest
#10
Black Baby Holding An Albino Baby
#12
A 13-Year-Old Eagle Huntress In Mongolia
#13
Unknown Soldier On Duty In South Vietnam, 1965
#14
Two Women Who Were Finally Able To Marry After 72 Years Together
#15
Blind Albino Students Stand In A Dorm At The Vivekananda Mission School In India
#17
Rwandan Boy Left Scarred After Being Liberated From A Death Camp
#18
Girl And Baobabs In Madagascar
#19
A 106-Year-Old Armenian Woman Guards Her Home
DavidMorgan 10 years ago
There are many Armenian women both young and old,who protect their homes like this in nowadays.
#20
A Chinese Paramilitary Police Recruit Breaks Into Tears Before Shipping Off For Service
#21
Omayra Trapped Under The Fallen Debris Of Her House. She Died Just Hours After This Photo Was Taken
#22
The Migrant Mother - An Iconic Image Of The Great Depression
#23
Chief Of A Village In Brazil
#24
A Malnourished Mother And Child At An Emergency Feeding Center In Tahoua, Niger
#25
Siberian Family Meal
#26
A Miner Takes A Break Inside An Unregulated Coalmine In Sabinas, Mexico
#27
The Eyes That Speak - A Muslim Woman Wearing A Hijab
#28
Geisha In Subway
#29
A Woman With Ambras Syndrome. In The Middle Ages, These People Were Called Werewolves
LuzHerrera 10 years ago
I think the hair on her face must be soft and silky. in fact it makes me wanna hug her and kiss her on her cheeks :)
#30
A Coal Miner Smokes A Cigarette After Finishing His Shift On The Outskirts Of Changzhi
#31
Ethiopian Girl From The Hamer Tribe
#32
A Girl From The Minority Yazidi Sect Rests At The Iraqi-Syrian Border
#33
Boy From The Suri Tribe
#34
A Girl Covered In Traditional Body Paint Holds Her Puppy
#35
A Final Embrace: The Most Haunting Photograph From Bangladesh
Final score:
78points
#36
Stilt Fishermen
TarynWallace 10 years ago
This is so cool. I can't imagine the skill (not to mention strength) it takes to do this.
#37
Rabari Shepherd
#38
A Man Cries While Flipping Through A Family Album He Found In The Rubble Of His Old House
#39
Portrait Photographer in Afghanistan
#40
Tea Time In Yamal, Russia
Chelsea Evans 1 year ago
I have an actual phobia of being cold. So this freaks me put but I love that it's a family having tea no matter what climate or part of the world they're in! It's sweet.
#41
Cuban Woman Smoking A Cigar And Holding A Ring Flash
#42
An 18 Year Old IDF Soldier Pauses After A Long Run In Full Gear And Battle Paint
MaartenKuiper 10 years ago
I think this is my favourite of the entire series. Very beautiful photograph!
#43
Rabari Tribal Elder, India
#44
Toshimana, A Maiko In Kyoto, Japan
#45
Papua New Guinea Woman During A Singsing Celebration In Mount Hagen
LeisaCearr 10 years ago
I've been to a sing sing in Mt Hagen when I was 13 years old- crazy with cassowary races, insane bungee jumping & pet tree kangaroos !
#47
One Of The Last Four White Rhino's In The World (kenya)
Final score:
47points
JeanneDeaux 10 years ago
Sad he must live with bodyguards instead of being free and happy... Hope they'll be able to save him and the three other ones.
#48
A Girl Holds A Rifle As Fighters Of Al-quds Brigades, The Military Wing Of Islamic Jihad, Gather In Gaza City
#49
India
Final score:
44points
#51
Minority Village Girls Selling Their Works, Sa Pa, Vietnam
Final score:
41points
#52
Woman In Traditional Costume, Maramures, Romania
Final score:
39points
#54
Homeless Man On The Day Of The Summer Festival, Tirana, Albania.
Final score:
36points
#58
Cusquenita / Child In Cusco / PerÚ
Final score:
35points
#59
Old Muila Smile... Southern Angola.
Final score:
30points
#60
Memorial
Final score:
29points
#61
Loyalty
Final score:
29points
#62
Kathakali Dancer From Kerela
Final score:
28points
#63
Taking A Break At Burning Man
#67
Man Sleeping In A French Train, From Caen To Paris.
Final score:
23points
#68
Korean Army Training
Final score:
23points
#69
Rice Farmer In Small Vietnamese Village
#71
An Old Romani Woman Sitting In Front Of Her House In Tirana, Albania
Final score:
22points
Chelsea Evans 1 year ago
It looks old but well maintained. Its aged but not dirty and the yard and the walkway is swept clean. I'd say it's probably a very cozy little property. And if she's the one doing all the work I say she has a right to pop a squat wherever and whenever she feels like it.
#72
Love Vs War
Final score:
22points
#74
Woman Having A Beer In Barcelona.
Final score:
20points
P.Brux FHell 10 years ago
Ah, the good ole' spanish-something-spanish dictionary for travelers
#75
Reina Isabel From La Chureca A 31 Years Old Scavenger With Tuberculosis."
Final score:
20points
#77
Cape Verde - Watching The Fishes
Final score:
19points
#78
Female 'igorot' Elder Begging From Tourists - (baguio City, Philippines
Final score:
19points
#79
Bataan Death March Survivor Relives A Moment In Time.
Final score:
19points
#80
"la Jeune Fille A La Fleur"
Final score:
19points
MatthieuWidehen 10 years ago
“La Jeune Fille À La Fleur”... http://lesensdesimages.com/2012/06/05/analyse-dun-photographie-la-fille-a-la-fleur-de-marc-riboud-1967/
#81
A Eldery Icelandic Woman Serving Sweets
Final score:
18points
#82
Child In Baia Mare Ghetto, Romania. (c) Gus Palmer
Final score:
14points
Anita Foster 10 years ago
How great a contrast between this picture and the joyous old thai man on the next picture.... So sad
#84
An Old Woman Sittng In The Afternoon Sun, Near Ponferrada, Spain.
Final score:
13points
#85
Little Girl, Kenya
Final score:
12points
#87
Children Performing Traditional Japanese Dance: Sendai, Japan
Final score:
11points
#88
Old Thai Man With His Monkey
Final score:
11points
Maysa Niyazova 10 years ago
Horrid man. Yeah, it's very cute that you have a monkey chained up and with that heavy ring around his neck.
#89
Curiosity
Final score:
11points
#91
Hand Rolling 6000 Incense Sticks Per Day - Mysore Southern India - Credit Ashley Calvert
Final score:
11points
#94
Malnutrition
Final score:
10points
ÖzgürYeşil 10 years ago
This is the fight we all must instead of fighting for subjective stupidity.
#96
Celtic Pavilion At The Annual Winnipeg Folklorama - Winnipeg, Manitoba
Final score:
9points
#97
The Charcoal Master
Final score:
9points
#99
Voladores De Papantla (mexico)
Final score:
8points
#100
"i Think, Therefore I Am Free" - Young Manifesting In Bordeaux (france), For #jesuischarlie
Final score:
8points
#105
Brazilian Little Girl And Blue Dress / Menina Brasileira E O Vestido Azul
Final score:
7points
#107
In 1974 During The Troubles Of Northern Ireland: Gypsy Girl And Her Carton
Final score:
6points
#112
Chozhia Vellalar Woman "paambadam" (serpent Earring) In Tamilnadu, India
Final score:
4points
#114
Green Eyes
Final score:
4points
#116
Awaiting Their Turn For Check Up.solala Medical Mission,guatemala.
Final score:
3points
#119
Patients In The Looted Al-rashad Mental, Saddam City, Baghdad, 2003 – Luis Costa
Final score:
3points
#122
Muddy Smile
Final score:
3points
#124
Generation Love
Final score:
3points
#125
Children At The 'festival Du Voyageur' In Winnipeg, Manitoba
Final score:
2points
#129
Black Woman, Mexico City 1976
Final score:
1point
#130
Winter Mischief
Final score:
1point
#133
Indian Girl From Jaipur, India, October 2014
Final score:
1point
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What do you think ?
ScooterJohnson 10 years ago
Amazing..funny how we get into our OWN world & forget the WORLD & it's people...
EmiliaSawicz-Łuńska 10 years ago
#21 It's Dr Zbigniew Religa. Polish surgeon, a pioneer of heart transplantation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zbigniew_Religa
ScooterJohnson 10 years ago
Amazing..funny how we get into our OWN world & forget the WORLD & it's people...
EmiliaSawicz-Łuńska 10 years ago
#21 It's Dr Zbigniew Religa. Polish surgeon, a pioneer of heart transplantation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zbigniew_Religa
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