Sports, Part 1 ”Rich Lam’s shot of lovers embracing in the midst of angry Canadian hockey fans became an instant classic the moment it went viral. After the Vancouver Canucks lost the decisive Game 7 of a thrilling and brutal Stanley Cup championship series, the team’s fans went from avid to rabid, taking to Vancouver’s streets to loot local stores and set cars on fire. The anonymous couple inadvertently captured by freelancer Lam didn’t remain anonymous for long: After the picture was published, the lovers were identified by relatives, and within days Scott Jones and Alex Thomas were being interviewed on a morning television news show, joining a pantheon of famously photographed kissers.” Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images, Washington Post

Sports, Part 2 ”The big story of this year’s U.S. Open golf tournament was the dominating win by 22-year-old Irishman Rory McIlroy, who finished on Sunday at an astonishing 16-under par, erasing memories of his final-round collapse in the Masters tournament in April. Photographically, a better story was crowd-pleaser Phil Mickelson, who struggled on the tough Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland. In this shot, we see Mickelson’s reaction as he watches a shot go into water during the second round of play. That kid on the left, with the gray pants, blue striped shirt, and bushy brown hair sticking out from under a white hat? That’s McIlroy. That look on Michelson’s face? It’s why I gave up golf a long time ago.” Photo by Doug Mills, ”Lens”, New York Times

Sports, Part 3 ”The essential narrative behind all sports events is the rise and fall of heroes. Last summer, National Basketball League superstar LeBron James joined a Miami Heat “dream team” to assure himself the championship he had never won. But a funny thing happened on the way to athletic immortality: James played poorly in this month’s finals, and his team lost to the Dallas Mavericks, led by 13-year veteran Dirk Nowitzki. Sports Illustrated told the tale with Greg Nelson’s cover shot.” Photo by Greg Nelson, Sports Illustrated

Class War, Part 1 ”A sign of the times? New austerity measures imposed by the Greek government led to a strike by the country’s largest labor union. This banner reads, ’Yes to the Society, No to the Power.’” Photo by Nikolas Giakoumidis/AP, ”Big Picture”, Boston Globe

Class War, Part 2 ”Crowds of Spanish young people raised their arms in protest against the government’s handling of the country’s economic crisis and what the demonstrators see as a corrupt political system. Here, protesters fill Sant Jaume Square in Barcelona on June 15.” Photo by Manu Fernandez/AP, Washington Post

Class War, Part 3 ”A coalition of unions staged a ’March for the Middle Class’ in New York City on June 15.” Photo by Bebeto Matthews/AP, Washington Post

The Political Class ”The 2012 presidential election season went into full swing over the past few weeks, and veteran photographer Brooks Kraft, who has covered five presidential elections for Time magazine, got into the action, following the early (and growing) group of Republican contenders. Kraft noted that the people who show up to hear candidates now often snap away with their own cell-phone cameras, so he decided to mimic them, shooting with his own cell phone to capture a modern view of politics. ’It sometimes seems that crowds no longer witness events, instead watching them on screens,’ Kraft told the magazine.” Photos by Brooks Kraft, Time

Fire ”This photograph sums up the heartache of loss caused by the wildfires that continue to burn in Arizona. On Sunday, the so-called Monument Fire raced down a mountain and into the town of Sierra Vista, forcing 3,000 people to flee. Sierra Vista resident Pete Tunstall stood amid the remains of his home.” Photo by Dean Knuth/AP/Arizona Daily Star, Washington Post

Flood ”Torrential rain across southern and eastern China have caused the death of some 100 people and the displacement of a half million others. The students in graduation gowns in this photo are not walking on water—they are standing on a submerged bridge on Donghu Lake in Wuhan, Hubei Province.” Photo from Reuters, ”Lens”, New York Times

Food ”Climate change, new diseases, and limited seed varieties have put the world’s food supply at risk. National Geographic focused on the looming crisis in its July issue, sending photographer Jim Richardson around the world to document local farming practices that are preserving essential seed strains. In this scenic image, farmers northeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia harvest oats with low-tech tools.” Photo by Jim Richardson, National Geographic

Faces, Part 1 ”An entire generation has grown up watching Emma Watson play mud-blood wizard Hermione Granger over the course of seven Harry Potter movies. The eighth and final installment opens this summer, but Vogue predicts there will be life after Potter for Watson. Mario Testino’s July photo story shows she can spin fashion magic as well.” Photo by Mario Testino, Vogue

Faces, Part 2 ”On July 1 the world gets another royal wedding. Prince Albert of Monaco will marry Charlene Wittstock, a former competitive swimmer who represented South Africa in the 2000 Olympics. The couple met a decade ago, at an event in Monaco. ’After seeing me swim, Albert asked my management for permission to take me out,’ Wittstock says in Vogue’s July issue. Patrick Demarchelier’s photograph explains the prince’s thought process.” Photo by Patrick Demarchelier, Vogue

Faces, Part 3 ”How creepy is Alexander Skarsgard? He plays a vampire in HBO’s ’True Blood,’ which begins a new season shortly, and he appears in Lady Gaga’s ’Paparazzi’ video as an abusive boyfriend. Steven Klein focused on the actor’s cold blue eyes in the July issue of Interview.” Photo by Steven Klein, Interview