2013 Sony World Photography Awards Shortlist (2)

Part of a series about gorillas. These apes losing their natural habitat due to the greed and diseases of humankind.(© Regis Boileau, France, 2013 Sony World Photography Awards)

On the edge of Oklahoma's Ozarks, where prairies ascend to rolling hills, an outgrowth of American tradition thunders in the air. Under a summer sun, gun enthusiasts peer down the sights of devastating weapons at the annual Oklahoma Full Auto Shoot and Trade Show (OFASTS), one of the country's largest fully automatic machine gun expos. In the valley below, explosive-laden cars, airplanes, and old appliances lie in wait; incendiary prizes for the sharp or lucky. Story Rush, a kindergarten teacher from Greenwood, Alaska, fires an M1919 Browning .30 caliber machine gun on the first night of OFASTS. "It is such an adrenaline rush," she explained with after stepping back from the weapon. She had traveled to OFASTS for the first time with her husband and eight-year-old son. "I grew up hunting with my Dad so guns are nothing unusual for me," she said. (© Pete Muller, United States, 2013 Sony World Photography Awards)

Ways in the sky. Branches aligned in a forest of poplars. (© Jose Ramon Moreno, Spain, 2013 Sony World Photography Awards)

Portrait. (© Ali Asadi, Iran, 2013 Sony World Photography Awards)

Face to face with a whale shark. (© Christian Vizl, Mexico, 2013 Sony World Photography Awards)

Havana, Cuba. Havana weather in July and August counts as brutally hot. Short but heavy rains are very common and welcomed by locals, especially kids. (© Val Proudkii, USA, 2013 Sony World Photography Awards)

Tree. (© Marek Andrzejewski, Poland, 2013 Sony World Photography Awards)

Native Doctor Lekwe Deezia claims to heal mental illness through the power of prayer and traditional herbal medicines. While receiving treatment, which can sometimes take months, his patients are chained to trees in his courtyard. They are not given shelter or protection from the elements. One patient tells the photographer they are sometimes beaten for no reason. The Niger Delta, Nigeria, October 2012.(© Robin Hammond, New Zealand, 2013 Sony World Photography Awards)

A greyhound ends first in his race, and although the lure is right in front of him, he's looks straight into the eyes of the photographer (me) and continues his run. I had to jump for my life taking this picture. Photographed in Belgium.(© Rob Van Thienen, Belgium, 2013 Sony World Photography Awards)