Pictures of the Week

Highlights from the weekly AP photo report, a gallery featuring a mix of front-page photography, the odd image you might have missed and lasting moments our editors think you should see.

Surfing in Rio’s Slums

Photos by Felipe Dana Eric Marques walks down a steep labyrinth of dark alleyways on this hillside slum long controlled by drug gangs and off-limits to outsiders.

Fans Converge on Rio to Celebrate the 2016 Summer Olympics

During the first week of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil, fans from all over the world gathered in Rio de Janeiro to cheer on their countries, favorite sports and top athletes. 

In Brazil’s Amazon, Worship with Psychedelic Tea

Photos by Eraldo Peres Canoes slide through a narrow river, dodging branches and trees for more than four hours to reach a tiny village deep in the Amazon jungle of western Brazil.

Expert to Rio Athletes: ‘Don’t Put Your Head Under Water’

Just days ahead of the Olympic Games the waterways of Rio de Janeiro are as filthy as ever, contaminated with raw human sewage teeming with dangerous viruses and bacteria, according to a 16-month-long study commissioned by The Associated Press.

In Rio’s Slums, Gangs, Drugs, Murders Carry the Day

Pernambuco’s Unique Carnival in Maracatu’s Cradle

Photos by Eraldo Peres This city in northern Brazil is considered the cradle of the maracatu, a frenetic, rhythmic dance of African origin that infuses its unique Carnival celebration with its spirit.

Brazil Caretas Carnival

Photos by Felipe Dana Far from the glitz and glamour of Rio de Janeiro’s famous Sambadrome parades, people in this northeast Brazilian town put a frown on their Carnival celebration.

AP Photographer Reflects on ‘Bucket Baby’ in Brazil

Life at Zika Epicenter a Struggle For Afflicted Family

Photos by Felipe Dana Around the fifth month of her pregnancy, Daniele Ferreira dos Santos fell ill with a high fever and angry red splotches on her skin.

Brazil’s Artisanal Miners Seek Diamonds at Abandoned Mine

Photos by Felipe Dana Far into the heart of Brazil’s Minas Gerais state, rural miners explore the massive craters left behind by giant mining companies in search of diamonds.

AP Monthly Staff Photo Contest

Each month The Associated Press management honors photographers for outstanding coverage while on assignment.

Brazil Fears Birth Defects Linked to Mosquito-Borne Virus

Photos by Felipe Dana  In the early weeks of Angelica Pereira’s pregnancy, a mosquito bite began bothering her.

Brazil’s Central Prison

Photos by Felipe Dana It’s the same prison — but the different wings are worlds apart.

Holiday Cheer in a Brazilian Prision

Photos by Silvia Izquierdo In her sweat-stained Santa suit and soggy cotton-ball beard, Carina Barbosa looked every inch the picture of tropical Christmas cheer — at least until she leaned into the candy cane striped bars of her cell and peered wistfully out.

Brazil Dams Burst

Photos by Felipe Dana Searchers used small airplanes and a drone Saturday to look for 19 people confirmed as missing following the burst of two dams inside an iron ore mine, while authorities lowered the official death count to one.

Brazil’s Padre Cicero

Photos by Leo Correa For almost a week, including the Day of the Dead, the Brazilian city of Juazeiro do Norte is filled with thousands of pilgrims who come to honor “Padre Cicero,” a figure venerated here as a saint but not recognized as one by the Roman Catholic Church.

Keeping Brazil’s Cowboy Traditions Alive

Photos by Eraldo Peres Wearing traditional broad-brimmed hats and red neckerchiefs, their trousers tucked into soft, leather boots, the South American gauchos trot on handsome horses down the street of the small southern community.

Rock in Rio

Photos by Felipe Dana and Leo Correa Rock in Rio is one of the largest music festivals in the world and has reoccurred in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the past 30 years.

Away from Olympics, sewage blights vast swaths of Rio

Photos by Silvia Izquierdo Rivulets of waste crisscross the labyrinth of alleyways that serve as 5-year-old Kaike de Oliveira Benjamin’s playground, forming dark, fetid puddles and gurgling streams of refuse and trash.

Brazil Filthy Water

The waters where Olympians will compete in swimming and boating events next summer in South America’s first games are rife with human sewage and present a serious health risk for athletes, an Associated Press investigation has found.

Surfing Takes Brazilian Kids Out of Rio Slum

Photos by Felipe Dana It’s dawn and barefoot boys are hustling down the inclined alleys of Rio de Janeiro slums, surfboards under their arms.

Tourists Enjoy South America’s Iguazu Falls

Photos by Jorge Saenz From above, the Iguazu Falls resemble a massive hole punched in a river and surrounded by jungle.

March 23, 2015

World Water Day

It courses through Bangkok’s bustling canals and the world’s mighty rivers. It is the lifeblood of the desert oasis as well as North America’s Great Lakes.

Sports Roundup

Over the last few weeks, we have gathered a selection of some of our favorite sports moments captured by AP photographers.

February 26, 2015

Daily Life Roundup

For this week’s installment of AP’s Daily Life series, we feature photography from all over the world: A Kayan-Padaung woman weaves at a souvenir shop in Myanmar, an Orthodox clergyman blesses newly weds during a religious ceremony in Georgia, and Philadelphia firefighters work the scene of an overnight blaze.

Brazil’s Carnival 2015

Rio de Janeiro’s world-famous samba school parades held their grand finale as the five-day-long Carnival celebration ends on ash Wednesday.

Daily Life Roundup: Nov. 20, 2014

For this week’s installment of AP’s Daily Life series, we feature photography from all over the world: Indian flower vendors arrange rose petals and garlands, a Chinese paramilitary police stands outside the Forbidden city, and a paraglider flies around the Christ the Redeemer statue.

Brazil’s Poor Voters

Photos by Felipe Dana Children play amid tumbledown shacks in some of Rio de Janeiro’s poorest hillside “favela” slums, places where armed drug traffickers lay down the law, stray bullets fly and raw sewage oozes into the streets.

Daily Life Roundup: Oct. 22, 2014

For this week’s installment of AP’s Daily Life series, we feature captivating photography from all over the world: A cyclist rides along Forbidden Drive in Philadelphia, Palestinian school children walk through destroyed houses in Gaza City, and A Portuguese fisherman pulls a net out of the sea on the Caparica coast.

APTOPIX Roundup: Oct. 3, 2014

Throughout the day, Associated Press photo editors comb through and designate a selection of the most newsworthy and visually breathtaking images as APTOPIX.

Brazilian Catadores

Photos by Eraldo Peres Against a distant skyline of high-rise buildings, huge vultures dive over the nearly 9 tons of rubbish that arrive daily at the enormous dump in Brazil’s capital as nearly 3,000 trash pickers set aside recyclable plastic, metal and paper to sell.

Gay Pride in a Favela

Photos by Silvia Izquierdo On Sunday, Sept. 28, 2014, hundreds of people took part in Complexo de Alemao favela’s Gay Pride Parade, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The parade was a stand against discrimination and a demand for equal rights for the gay community.

Fairy-Tale Night In A Favela

Photos by Silvia Izquierdo Dressed in long evening gowns, girls from Rio de Janeiro’s Santa Marta “favela” slum have celebrated a fairy-tale evening in a debutante ball sponsored by local police.

The World Cup Final: Germany Vs. Argentina

Mario Goetze volleyed in the winning goal in extra time to give Germany its fourth World Cup title with a 1-0 victory over Argentina on Sunday. Goetze controlled the ball with his chest and then shot past Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero in the 113th minute.

Game Day: Netherlands Vs. Argentina

Argentina reached the World Cup final on Wednesday, July 9, 2014, after beating the Netherlands 4-2 in a penalty shootout. Goalkeeper Sergio Romero saved penalties by Ron Vlaar and Wesley Sneijder to give Argentina the win after the game finished 0-0 following extra time.

Game Day: Brazil Vs. Germany

With Neymar out injured, just about everyone in Brazil knew it would be tough against Germany. Nobody ever expected this. The Germans tore apart Brazil’s porous defense time and time again Tuesday, routing the hosts 7-1 in the World Cup semifinals, the largest margin of defeat at this stage in the history of the tournament. 

Brazil’s Tumultuous Road To The World Cup

The problem-plagued preparations for this year’s 2014 World Cup in Brazil has been well chronicled, with critics condemning the range of issues from budget blowouts to construction delays. Protesters and Brazilian police clashed in the days before the first World Cup match was to be played in the city. The demonstrations in recent months have paled in

All Eyes on Brazil

After so much talk about delays, protests and problems, fans will at last get a chance to cheer for Brazil’s national team on home soil in Sao Paulo in football’s 2014 FIFA World Cup opening game. Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city in Brazil, will host a succession of matches including the final match of the

Close Up: Photographer Felipe Dana

Felipe Dana discovered photography at age 15 when he started working as an assistant for event and commercial photographers.