Friday Feature: The Big Picture

February 19th, 2010

China's Song Chaoqing competes in the women's 7.5km Sprint Biathlon at the Whistler Olympic Park during the Vancouver Winter Olympics on February 13, 2010    AFP PHOTO / JAVIER SORIANO (Photo credit should read JAVIER SORIANO/AFP/Getty Images)

The Big Picture is a photo blog for the Boston Globe/boston.com, entries are posted every Monday, Wednesday and Friday by Alan Taylor. Inspired by publications like Life Magazine (of old), and National Geographic, The Big Picture is intended to highlight high-quality, amazing imagery – with a focus on current events, lesser-known stories and, well, just about anything that comes across the wire that looks really interesting. More than just a photo blog The Big Pictures serves up a raw look into everyday life around the world. More pictures featured after the jump.

A chained wolf retailates agains two Gun dogs during the hunting festival "Solburun" in the village of Bokonbayevo some 300 km outside Biskeka on October 18, 2008.AFP PHOTO / VYACHESLAV OSELEDKO (Photo credit should read VYACHESLAV OSELEDKO/AFP/Getty Images)

Afghan National Army soldiers celebrate over the dead body of a gunman as government forces restored control after the Taliban attack in Kabul January 18, 2010. Taliban gunmen launched a brazen assault on targets in the centre of Kabul on Monday, with suicide bombers blowing themselves up at several locations and heavily armed militants fighting a pitched battle in a shopping centre. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani (AFGHANISTAN - Tags: IMAGES OF THE DAY CIVIL UNREST MILITARY POLITICS)

An SU-35 military jet performs during the MAKS-2009 international air show in Zhukovsky outside Moscow August 21, 2009. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin (RUSSIA TRANSPORT MILITARY)

Members of the Viking Jarl Squad are lit by burning torches during the annual Up Helly Aa Festival, Lerwick, Shetland Islands, on January 26, 2010. Up Helly Aa celebrates the influence of the Scandinavian vikings in the Shetland Islands and has employed this theme in the festival since 1870. The event culminates with up to 1000 'guizers' (men in costume) throwing flaming torches into a Viking longship. AFP PHOTO/Carl de Souza (Photo credit should read CARL DE SOUZA/AFP/Getty Images)