Photography

Photos of the Week: Rabbit Beach, Puffin Census, Wild Horses

An electronic-music festival in Germany, World Cup watch parties around the world, the running of the bulls in Spain, cave exploration in China, a heat wave in southern Europe, and much more

By Alan Taylor
A woman poses with her face painted in the colors of the U.S. flag, wearing a blue cowboy hat with white stars.
Mike Blake / Reuters
Marseel Bahnan, originally from Iraq, poses with her face painted in the colors of the U.S. flag during a World Cup watch party in San Diego, California, as the United States played against Belgium on July 6, 2026.
Lightning strikes behind the illuminated Washington Monument, as people gather to watch fireworks.
Nathan Howard / Reuters
Lightning strikes behind the illuminated Washington Monument as people gather to watch the fireworks during Freedom 250’s Salute to America as the United States celebrated its 250th anniversary on Independence Day, in Washington, D.C., on July 5, 2026.
A person, backlit, poses inside a cave while leaning back and holding onto ropes.
Qu Honglun / China News Service / Getty
A visitor poses while exploring in Yanzi Cave in Qiannan Bouyei and Miao autonomous prefecture, Guizhou Province, China, on July 5, 2026.
People stand in front of a coffee shop, in a cloud of mist.
Valery Hache / AFP / Getty
People stand in front of a coffee shop during a heat wave in the French Riviera city of Nice on July 6, 2026.
People lean out of balconies, lining the side of a street filled with people running ahead of bulls in Pamplona, Spain.
Jorge Guerrero / AFP / Getty
Participants run ahead of bulls from the Fuente Ymbro bull ranch during the first running of the bulls of the San Fermín festival in Pamplona, northern Spain, on July 7, 2026.
A bull jumps into the sea from a concrete pier, after chasing runners.
Jose Jordan / AFP / Getty
A bull jumps into the sea after chasing runners during the traditional Bous a la Mar (“Bulls in the Sea”) at Denia’s harbor near Alicante, Spain, on July 6, 2026.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi is thrown in the air in celebration by teammates.
Brett Davis / Imagn Images / Reuters
Argentina’s Lionel Messi is thrown in the air in celebration by teammates after a match as Argentina qualified for the quarterfinals of the World Cup by defeating Egypt on July 7, 2026, in Atlanta, Georgia.
Wine-soaked revelers toss a person in the air.
Miguel Oses / AP
Revelers celebrate as the traditional rocket marking the start of the San Fermín festival launches, kicking off nine days of uninterrupted festivities in Pamplona, on July 6, 2026.
Several hundred swimmers, all wearing orange swim caps, walk down a ramp into a harbor.
Stefan Sauer / DPA / Getty
Participants line up at the water’s edge in the harbor of Parow near Stralsund, Germany, at the start of the International Sound Swim on July 4, 2026.
Tourists watch huge jets of muddy water flowing out of the bottom of a tall dam.
Huang Zhengwei / VCG / Getty
Tourists watch muddy water rushing out of the Xiaolangdi Dam on the Yellow River during a water-sediment regulation operation in Luoyang, Henan province, China, on July 5, 2026.
People watch as a firefighting plane makes a water drop above a highway.
Abdul Saboor / Reuters
People watch as a firefighting plane makes a drop, battling a fire near the A9 motorway near Béziers, France, on July 3, 2026.
A huge column of heavy rain falls from a dark cloud above a city.
Ding Minghua / VCG / Getty
Heavy rainfall drops from the sky above Qianshan, Jiangxi province, China, on July 5, 2026.
Two women walk through heavy mist on a hot day.
Wakil Kohsar / AFP / Getty
Water is sprayed to cool off people gathering to mourn Iran’s slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the Grand Mosalla on the second day of funeral ceremonies in Tehran, on July 5, 2026.
A person kicks a large banner depicting U.S. President Donald Trump with a target on his head in Iran.
Majid Saeedi / Getty
A person kicks a large banner depicting U.S. President Trump with a target on his head during funeral ceremonies for Iran’s slain supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran on July 5, 2026. Khamenei and members of his family were killed on February 28 during U.S.-Israeli strikes.
A man uses an angle grinder at the site of a collapsed building, sending a shower of sparks out over building debris.
Adriano Machado / Reuters
A man uses an angle grinder at the site of a collapsed building in the aftermath of the June 24 earthquakes in La Guaira, Venezuela, on July 4, 2026.
A small dog rests on a blue cushion on sandy ground.
Ricardo Arduengo / Reuters
A dog rests as rescuers (not pictured) work at the site of a collapsed building in the aftermath of the June 24 earthquakes in La Guaira, Venezuela, on July 5, 2026.
A tourist wearing an astronaut suit kneels down in a desert landscape.
Li Yalong / China News Service / Getty
A tourist wearing an astronaut suit takes part in a space-roaming experience at Alien Valley Geopark in Sunan Yugur autonomous county, Gansu province, China, on July 6, 2026.
A model poses, wearing a dress that appears to be made of glass or plastic, displaying branching cracks, lit from within.
Blanca Cruz / AFP / Getty
A model presents a creation by Iris Van Herpen for the Women Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2026–27 collection, as part of Paris Fashion Week, on July 6, 2026.
A rescuer, seen in silhouette, walks away from a burning factory.
Konstantinos Tsakalidis / Bloomberg / Getty
A rescuer walks away from a burning factory during a wildfire near Oraiokastro, a suburb of Thessaloniki, Greece, on July 4, 2026.
Two people wade through shallow blue-green ocean water, seen from above.
Tiziana Fabi / AFP / Getty
People wade along Rabbit Beach on the Italian island of Lampedusa, a protected nature reserve with limited daily visitor access to avoid over-tourism, on July 6, 2026.
A small boat navigates past huge rafts of floating buoys arranged in rows.
Wang Wangwang / VCG / Getty
Fishermen work at a marine ranch in the waters of Sansha Town on July 4, 2026, in Xiapu county, Fujian province, China.
Fans watch a World Cup game on a rooftop terrace, seen from above.
Sebastian Barros / AP
Fans watch the World Cup Round of 16 soccer match between Colombia and Switzerland on a terrace rooftop in Bogota, Colombia, on July 7, 2026.
A soccer fan reacts durign a match, hands on their face.
Luis Cortes / Reuters
A Mexico fan reacts as they watch the Mexico versus England World Cup match on a big screen in Mexico City on July 5, 2026.
A stuffed bear, (wearing a sign that reads 'bear') stands in bushes.
Yuichi Yamazaki / AFP / Getty
A stuffed bear, (wearing a sign that reads “bear”), used as a target, stands in bushes during an emergency-response drill for bear and other wildlife intrusions, in Isehara, Kanagawa prefecture, Japan, on July 3, 2026.
A close view of a puffin, seen in profile
Temilade Adelaja / Reuters
An Atlantic puffin, seen during the 2026 annual census, monitoring the seabirds’ breeding population, on the Inner Farne Islands, Northumberland, England, on July 6, 2026
A utility worker lifts a young fish eagle.
Jens Büttner / DPA / Getty
A fish eagle, about five weeks old, is lifted out of its nest by a utility worker for banding in Neustadt-Glewe, Germany, on July 6, 2026. Bird experts are currently banding the chicks that hatched a few weeks ago, with support from the energy provider WeMag.
A man holds on to a wild horse, surrounded by many other horses.
Samuel de Roman / Anadolu / Getty
An aloitador holds a wild horse during the first curro in Sabucedo, Spain, on July 4, 2026. The Rapa das Bestas of Sabucedo is a festival held every year during the first week of July, where aloitadors immobilize and cut the manes and tails of wild horses.
A performer in a bright pink floral costume poses with a big smile.
Jens Büttner / DPA / Getty
A dancer welcomes visitors to the airfield grounds at the Airbeat One electronic-music festival in Neustadt-Glewe, Germany, on July 9, 2026. About 200,000 electronic-music fans from more than 60 countries were expected to attend the festival.

About the Author

Alan Taylor is a senior editor at The Atlantic.
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